Maldon businessman, Tommy Wathen, will head to Birmingham this week to meet an ex-dragon den tycoon at his annual Small Business Sunday Event. 

The huge conference on Friday, February 21 aims to bring together small business owners from all over the UK, and provide them with "unparalleled" networking opportunities and workshops by industry leaders.

To attend, businesses must battle to win former Dragons Den Investor Theo Paphitis's approval through his 'Small Business Sunday' competition on social media.

Tommy Wathen, Director of Social Media Management and Digital Marketing company Shark Theory Media, was overjoyed after winning the weekly competition earlier this year.

Having founded his business with the dream of helping small and medium-sized businesses that may lack the time, knowledge, or experience to manage their social media accounts effectively, Tommy hopes this opportunity will contribute to the company's growth.

"I was so excited to win small business Sunday," Tommy said. 

"I'd seen it several times on X and LinkedIn but never entered, but because I'd recently done a photoshoot for web and social content, I had new images that were perfect to sell my business in a tweet.

"When I got back from the gym the following day, I got an X notification to say that Theo Paphitis had mentioned my account - and I started getting loads of messages from previous winners.

"Everyone was so friendly and I couldn't wait to find out more about what being the winner meant for me and my business."

Tommy often posts videography and photography in the Maldon area on the business's social media page. (Credit: Shark Theory Media)

Theo Paphitis is a successful entrepreneur who owns several booming businesses including lingerie retailer Boux Avenue and homewares specialist Robert Dyas. He served as one of the "dragons" in the BBC Two series Dragons Den between 2005 and 2012.

Online, Theo has discussed the success of the Small Business Sunday scheme. He said: "Small Business Sunday was born so that people have a specific time slot to post and pitch their 'sell' directly to me. I am constantly blown away by the depth and quality of the entrants.

"If you cannot bore your friends to death about your own small business then something is seriously wrong."

Over 4000 small businesses have entered into his network since launch in 2010.

Not only does Tommy hope the opportunity will help him build more long-term relationships with other business owners, he is also excited to meet an idol.  He said: "As a huge Dragons Den fan, getting the opportunity to meet Theo and receive my Small Business Sunday certificate on Friday will be the icing on the cake. 

"Theo has created this amazing campaign and supported thousands of business owners - and I can't wait to take up this opportunity and use it to drive my business into the future for my family."

You can find out more about Shark Theory Media, and Tommy's other business Sport Social Management, via the website or Facebook page.