A TV star has given his backing to a Cambridgeshire entrepreneur whose business made him "determined to succeed after hitting rock bottom".
Theo Paphitis, who is well known for featuring on the BBC show Dragon’s Den, selected Andrew Spackman’s company Ingenious Gifts as a winner of his Small Business Sunday initiative.
Having started the Earith-based business around the time his wife was diagnosed with a brain tumour, when his son Lewis was just six-months-old, he said: “Creating Ingenious Gifts provided a huge amount of motivation during a very difficult time.
“After hitting rock bottom and losing everything due to a lifelong struggle with alcohol, the drive to make this business thrive – especially as a legacy for my son – played a huge role in my journey to sobriety.”
“I’m so proud and grateful to be over 450 days sober – and counting. Every day we are immensely grateful that she experienced a full recovery,” he added, saying that a key aim of the business is to support The Brain Tumour Charity.
“Going forward, I wanted to find a way of supporting other families facing similar challenges – turning life’s challenges into fuel to help others has given me incredible purpose”.
Getting the support from Mr Paphitis saw his business brand shared with his half a million social media followers, which created a spike in hits to his website. Mr Spackman – whose online marketplace consists of handcrafted items by independent and ethical makers – added: “Having this kind of support and recognition means so much when you’re a fledging business.
“It’s really helped to highlight my efforts and share the Ingenious Gifts story with a much wider audience.”
“When people shop with Ingenious Gifts, it supports a community of small start-ups, artists, and creators who are incredibly passionate about what they do,” he said.
Theo Paphitis said: “We are thrilled to welcome new #SBS members every week and highlight just how important it is to support our small businesses here in the UK. “The website gives a valuable profile to the winners chosen and I wish Ingenious Gifts every success.”
Written by: Ben Jolly – Newsquest
As featured in the Hunts Post, Ely Standard and Peterborough Telegraph
