“The ‘WE’ is more important than the ‘I’ for all enterprising people
Hi, I’m Tony, a PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER, MULTIPLE BUSINESS OWNER, POET AND AUTHOR, known as the UK’s Small and Micro Business Champion with an OBE and four Lifetime Achievement Awards for Enterprise Support.
I’m a founder of national enterprise support organisations and campaigns.
I’m Chair of the Yorkshire in Business Group, supporting all startups and business communities along the Yorkshire Coast in eight indie business centres, workspace buildings, cafe-bars with pop-ups, a well-being centre, and an indie department store.
I aim to inspire action in all my audiences.
Kanya King CBE, Founder and CEO of the MOBO Awards and Movement, has been my inspiration for nearly 30 years. This is what she wrote to me in mid-March 2025. It says it all! >
“It’s been a relentless journey championing talent that deserves to be seen, celebrated, and given the opportunities they have long been denied. I’ve always believed that when one of us rises, we should lift others with us.
To have inspired leaders like you, who have also dedicated your life’s work to supporting startups and micro-businesses, is an honour. Your relentless passion for empowering underrepresented entrepreneurs has been just as inspiring.
This journey has never been easy—pushing through barriers, proving the naysayers wrong, and staying committed to a vision bigger than ourselves. But it’s worth every challenge when we see the impact we can create.
Here’s to continuing to uplift, support, and break barriers together!”
“If you’re lucky enough to have Tony in your corner, you’re going to succeed”,Tim Campbell MBE, Entrepreneur, current presenter of ‘The Apprentice’ and its first winner. Tim wrote the five-page foreword to “The Happipreneur”.
“No one else has consistently been the voice of micro businesses for so long. Tony’s determination, tenacity and resilience is legendary. The micro-business sector thanks its champion.” Liz Barclay, Small Business Commissioner
“If you want someone to tell you the truth, go to the ‘dickhead’ in the red-feathered hat”, Brad Burton, Entrepreneur and the UK’s Number One Motivational Speaker.
“I’ve spent decades professionally and as a business owner walking with the entrepreneurs. Happy and enterprising workers are the most productive and innovative, adding value to their stakeholders, communities, families, friends, and countries. I stand on the shoulders of giants – the entrepreneurs I work with”. Tony Robinson OBE
BOOKINGS AND FEES
All bookings for Tony’s speaking engagements, including the “Be More Happipreneur” Show are to be made with Jenn Crowther, CEO of Yorkshire in Business Limited, at jenn@yorkshireinbusiness.org.uk
HOSTING OUR “BE MORE HAPPIPRENEUR” SHOW
Tony performs the BE MORE HAPPIPRENEUR SHOW with his entrepreneur friends, Ian Farrar, CEO of Far North, and Jenn Crowther, CEO of Yorkshire in Business Limited and Yorkshire Coast Workshops Limited. Scroll down the page for the show’s three-year history.
The typical format of the show, which includes networking breaks, is:
1. Why Enterprise Matters – The host and local dignitaries explain the importance of self-employed people and micro-business owners in their city or enterprising people in their organisation.
2. Tony, Jenn and Ian perform the “Be More Happipreneur” Show
3. The Q&A Panel, including the host, Jenn, Ian, and Tony, take questions from an audience of enterprising people and those who wish to support enterprising people.
Cost varies, but a guideline is £2500 to £5,000 for three speakers plus first class travel and accommodation, with the host paying for the venue, A/V and refreshments. Tony’s keynotes are £1500 (charities and non-profits) to £5,000 plus first class travel and accommodation costs. All bookings are through Yorkshire in Business/Yorkshire Coast Workshops Limited, as above. Terms are strictly 50% fees and all expenses on booking and 50% fees on delivery.
“Dazzling”,Susan Frenk, Principal of St Aidan’s College, Durham University
“Inspiring”,Ian Cass, CEO, Forum of Private Business & Chair/Leader of the Micro Business Alliance.
“Tony is a mine of well-researched information, but he delivers it in story form so the lessons are memorable. I love it” Janice B Gordon, The Problem Solver.
“Our feedback has been exceptional”, Linda Hitman, CEO of Exclusive Business Lunches
“A packed venue, a great talk from Tony Robinson OBE and young entrepreneurs learning and being inspired”, Sean Royce, Managing Director KCOM.
ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCES
1) “AN INTERVIEW WITH THE HAPPIPRENEUR”
This is for non-commercial organisations, networks, charities, social enterprises and membership bodies that cannot afford our keynotes and/or “Be More Happipreneur Show”.
The host interviews Tony Robinson, OBE, at one of the organisation’s or network’s regular events (e.g., Breakfast, Lunch, or Evening), then accepts questions from the audience through the host.
As Tony has no preparation and the host and audience are in full control of proceedings, Tony offers this for £750 plus first-class travel and accommodation.
2) “BE MORE HAPPIPRENEUR” is for all leaders, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and those who support them. It explains the know-how and know-who in the philosophy of Happipreneurship. It’s a must for all enterprising people, whether employed or self-employed.
3) “WALKING WITH THE ENTREPRENEURS” is the story of Tony’s enterprising journey. What he has learned from the entrepreneurs he knows and works with is relevant today for leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, startups, scaleups, and creatives.
4)”IT’S PERSONAL—HOW ENTREPRENEURS GROW BETTER BUSINESSES” explains, through real-life examples, the interpersonal skills entrepreneurs develop, which the experts and gurus keep secret. It is guaranteed to improve your influencing and negotiating skillset.
5) “20/20 VISIONARIES – LIVES THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE”. This historically interesting, socially inspiring, humorous talk is for EVERYONE, not just enterprising leaders and people. Based on our latest book “20/20 Visionaries: Dead Celebrity Interviews” it explains why we chose the dead celebrities and what we learn from them that is relevant today. This talk includes Virginia Woolf, Anne Bronte, George Eliot, Nina Simone, Noel Coward, Diogenes the Dog, Albert Camus, Mr Venus and Abel Magwitch.
6) “FIDDLE ME THIS” Poetry and Celtic Music. Tony performs his poetry, and David Johnson reflects the mood and themes by playing his violin, improvising from his large repertoire of Celtic music. David is the leader of prestigious orchestras in Cologne, Germany.
LATEST BOOKS
Seven of Tony’s books, including “20/20 Visionaries: Dead Celebrity Interviews” and “The Happipreneur”, are available as paperbacks and e-books/Kindle. There are two audiobooks on Audible (Amazon). They are “Freedom from Bosses Forever” (business humour/satire) and “A Perfect Little Gift”, which is a collection of Tony’s poetry and prose – the link to all Tony’s books on Kindle is HERE
SIGNED COPIES of “20/20 Visionaries: Dead Celebrity Interviews”, The Happipreneur (2nd Edition) and “A Perfect Little Gift” (2nd edition) are available from the Chronos Publishing Shop HERE
This is the entertaining and uplifting show of Tony’s philosophy of Happipreneurship as first revealed in the 5* rated book, “The Happipreneur”, co-written by Tony and Taryn Lee Johnston. Happipreneurs are happy, enterprising people who make a positive difference in every workplace. Some are leaders, some are entrepreneurs, some are business owners, some are side hustlers, and some are the game-changing employees every organisation needs.
By the show’s end, everyone knows how to be more happipreneur or help others. An example of the values and actions that happipreneurs adopt and take is shown through Tony’s own entrepreneurial journey and the entrepreneurs he has learned from, including his friends who appear on the show.
Every show is different, as is every audience. Everyone’s route to happipreneurship is different, too. We can promise an entertaining, enterprising show that gives food for thought and the know-how for why happipreneurs are so successful at their work.
Most delegates will know someone, even themself, who may want to “Be More Happipreneur”.
The first ‘Be More Happipreneur’ show was in August 2021 at the Coventry University Campus in Scarborough.
The next show was in South Shields. It was another packed house in the Tap Room of a Brewery. They enjoyed it so much that they stayed from 5 to 11 p.m.
The BIGGEST virtual show was 2022 for the International Association of Bookkeepers and the Organisation for Responsible Business. It was amazing and loads of fun, helped by an enthusiastic, small live audience.
After the show, we had a fab Q&A Panel, which included Janet Jack, CEO and now Chair of IAB, Jill Poet, CEO of ORB, Jenn Crowther, CEO of Yorkshire in Business and Fabian Hamilton, MP, President of IAB.
We love a packed theatre the most, but we love everywhere we perform, including universities, conference venues, and wonderful informal venues like the Brewery in South Shields and The Grind Cafe/Explore Indie in Scarborough.
The Tipi (a big wigwam) in the Open Air Theatre in my home town of Scarborough as part of our 2-day #MicroBizMatters Festival was very special. After the show, my Happipreneur friends and I networked with all the delegates at a fabulous evening party with a DJ. Thanks to Adam Corbally, Lorraine Allman,Ruairi Devlin,Emily Whitehead,Jenn Crowther and Ian Farrar
The last show of 2022 was held at St Aiden’s College, Durham University. It was fabulous—thank you.
In their Mindful Monday series, the fabulous show for Cheshire Business School in April 2023 was at the poshest venue yet – The De Vere Cranage Estate in Holmes Chapel. Tony was joined by Ian Cass, CEO of the Forum of Private Business and leader of the Micro Business Alliance and Jenn Crowther, CEO of Yorkshire in Business, in the Q&A panel after the show.
In June 2023, Jenn Crowther, CEO of Yorkshire in Business Limited, produced the show at Ian Farrar’s #MicroBizUnite Festival at the Customs House Theatre in South Shields. It seemed like everyone there already knew us, and it was great to meet up with so many of our microbiz mates from all across the UK. They included host Mayira Thomas, Mischa Steele, The Apprentice Star – Adam Corbally, North East Legend – Alfie Joey (pictured below), George Forster, Ashleigh King and Ian Cass. The Be More Happipreneur Show closed the full day’s event, but there was still an Awards Party and an amazing post-event curry to enjoy. A great day and night – thank you.
Tony, Jenn, and Ian performed their final Be More Happipreneur Show of 2024 in Hull on Wednesday, November 20th, at the Humber Art Gallery during Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Charles Dickens is Tony’s role model as a Happipreneur, but he features many new, young Happipreneurs and some famous entrepreneurs he’s met and still learns from. They include Tim Campbell MBE (The Apprentice and wrote the 5-page introduction to ‘The Happipreneur’), Kanya King CBE (his inspiration), Charlie Mullins OBE, his #MicroBizMatters Tsar, Sir Jim Ratcliffe (his schoolmate) and Lord Sugar (once a client).
At least four out of five #startups adopting the Happipreneurship philosophy will survive their first three years of trading.
The Happipreneur was two years in the making. Taryn Lee Johnston and Tony Robinson OBE have updated the philosophy and business principles underpinning Schumacher’s influential work, “Small is Beautiful”.
Schumacher wrote about ‘economics as if people mattered’, and the book and show are about ‘enterprise as if people cared’. It is a value-driven philosophy of benefit to everyone, everywhere. What are the benefits of long-term innovation, collaboration, survival, growth, health, fulfilment and happiness through enabling others to be enterprising and useful to others?
SIGNED COPIES:
‘The Happipreneur‘ is available in all good bookstores, including Waterstones, Foyles, WH Smith and Amazon But if you would like multiple copies for your clients, customers, conference, course or seminar and personally signed by the co-authors, please email tonyrobinsonobe@gmail.com and he will liaise with Chronos Publishing to fulfil your request.
The minimum quantity is 10. PRICES 10 -£120, 25 – £280; 50- £550; 100- £1050.
FREE COPIES:
Prospective hosts of the ‘Be More Happipreneur?’ show, journalists, book reviewers, government start-ups, business owners, and policy-makers wishing to be sent a FREE copy of “The Happipreneur” should email me stating your name and organisation and the likely date of a show or likely date the review will appear in your media.
Tony is a multiple business owner, with business partner Clare Francis, for over three decades. He is the recipient of 4 Lifetime Achievement Awards for Enterprise. He was honoured with an OBE for services to small firms in 2001. He was awarded the National Enterprise Network’s ‘Enterprise Support Champion 2019’ and Hull City Council’s ‘Youth Enterprise Champion 2021 and 2023’
