Michelle’s new business book “In Business With Yourself” gets thumbs up from UK business typhoon and Business Dragon Theo Paphitis.
Theo Paphitis:
Born in Cyprus in 1959, Theo’s business empire spans retail, property, finance and consumer goods. In 2015 Theo launched Theo Paphitis Retail Group which encompasses Ryman Stationery, Robert Dyas, Boux Avenue and London Graphic Centre, acquired in 2016. The combined group comprises over 300 stores and 4,000 employees and services millions of customers a year with combined sales of over £360 million.
In 2005, Theo joined the popular BBC TV show Dragons’ Den and spent eight subsequent years as a stalwart of the show coining such favourite phrases with viewers as ‘I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than invest in that!”. Throughout the seasons Theo invested in numerous small businesses and helped fledgling entrepreneurs develop their businesses in a wide variety of industries from consumer goods to online antique valuations. Theo left the TV show in 2012 to focus on his expanding retail empire. Theo later returned again for a few episodes in Series 17 of Dragons’ Den, aired in September 2019 and also Series 18 in 2021.
In Business with Yourself: Understanding Your Identity to Make or Break Your Business
Understanding your leadership style is a key aspect of running your own successful business. In Business with Yourself is a book about business leadership, based on over 20 years of the author’s experience as a business owner and her observations of business and organisational leadership as a business leadership coach. In Business with Yourself emphasises that as a business leader you are supported and constrained by the type of person you are. As a business leader, setting up, running and leading an effective business or department is about more than just function. The reader is taken through a self-assessment process examining values, goals, personality, and approach to business risk to decide on a dominant business identity using the unique Executive Identity Model which runs throughout the book.
In Business with Yourself covers:
- An innovative approach to business through leadership identity
- The eight identities of a business leader
- Looking at identity leadership in the business life cycle
- Looking at ways business leaders can succeed using their unique leadership identity
- Functioning as a leader
- How your leadership identity works with others
- Examining your business support team
- How you can get the most out of your leadership efforts
- Examining your exit strategy
Guidance is provided throughout with the use of descriptions, case examples, tips, ideas and exercises for the reader to improve their understanding and leadership approach.

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