TV Dragon Theo Paphitis has heart of gold
Retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis has invited designer Soula Zavacopoulos, from Chawleigh, to sell her ‘Wisdom of Kids’ books in 98 Ryman stores to raise funds for BBC Children in Need.
Ryman nor Soula Zavacopoulos will make a penny from the venture – because all of the profits will go directly to the charity.
A special price of £4.99 (£2 off the normal retail price) has been set for this fundraising campaign and at least £4 from the sale of each book will benefit BBC Children In Need, helping disadvantaged children across the UK.
The book is now on sale in the Ryman store in New George Street, Plymouth and online at www.WisdomOfKids.com with BBC Children in Need benefiting from all 100% of the profits of the book sales during November.
The book is full of funny sayings from children and has a strong celebrity fan base following, including pop star and former X-factor judge Dannii Minogue. Earlier this year, she took photos of the book, posting them on her Instagram page and also recommending the book to her 1.23 million Twitter fans.
“Dannii thought the book was very amusing,” says Soula Zavacopoulos, “It’s full of the hilarious and unexpected things children say.”
Soula Zavacopoulos, who works in both London and Devon, has been collecting humorous comments and quotes from children for the last seven years, and has collated her favourites in The Wisdom of Kids book.
“The book captures children’s innocent view the world and their disarming honesty, making for some of the most amusing insights and (often unintentionally) hilarious remarks that will have you in stitches!”
Theo Paphitis likes the book so much he is even quoted on the cover: “Love it, love it, love it!” Even before the book was published, Theo Paphitis had recognised the potential of The Wisdom of Kids when in 2011 he selected Soula Zavacopoulos as winner of his “Small Business Sunday” award that he runs each Sunday on Twitter.
At the time, The Wisdom of Kids existed solely as a range of greeting cards that Soula had created and published herself through her design company, The London Studio.
Soula sold cards direct to retailers and having supplied stores including Selfridges, Harrods, Fenwick, Bentalls, Paperchase and Harvey Nichols, she impressed Theo with her innovative products, proven to be excellent sellers.
In the three years since winning Theo Paphitis’ SBS award, Soula has won several other awards including the Smarta100, with her company, The London Studio, being named one of the Top 20 Small Businesses in the UK today.
Soula has been busy developing The Wisdom of Kids range and expanding it into gifting, including mugs, coasters, calendars and the gift book. Last month Soula launched The Wisdom of Kids at the top licensing show, Brand Licensing Europe at Olympia, London, and has already signed licensing deals with three major licensees, with new product launches planned from mid 2015 onwards.
“It’s an exciting time for The Wisdom of Kids” says Soula, “I’m thrilled at how fast it’s popularity is growing now and I’m delighted to be able to use it to help raise money for BBC Children in Need this month”.
Money raised for BBC Children in Need can help children in lots of different ways, for example:
• £1 could prevent a child from going hungry at breakfast time for a week
• £2.50 could help supply a special pack for premature babies with life-limiting conditions
• £5 means a 5 year old boy in hospital and anxious about his treatment can giggle and laugh at a magical entertainer
• £7 gives a child in a refuge who has witnessed frightening domestic abuse a session of personal support to work through their feelings
• £8 gives a young carer whose daily duties include lifting and bathing their Mum a break each week at a children's club where they play freely with their friends
To help raise vital funds please buy The Wisdom of Kids book from Ryman stores or online from www.WisdomOfKids.com where 100% of profits from sales of the book during November will benefit BBC Children in Need. That means at least £4 from the sale of each book will go to the charity and help disadvantaged children in the UK.
