How SBP turned their vision to reality

Smarter training adjusted to suit your real needs

At Smarter Business Processes we offer a wide variety of Smartsheet training courses and packages.

Our team of certified consultants provides training and remote support to clients around the globe, improving their Project Management, Workflow and Process Management.

Emma Stevens

Office Manager

Emma has 27 years of financial and customer experience and brings processes and order to our office.

Emma's customer service knowledge ensures all of our clients office enquiries are dealt with professionally, efficiently and quickly. She will leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of a query!

When not at her desk Emma enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter as well running Brownies and Rainbows for Girlguiding UK in her local area.

Etienne Mermillod

Software Development Manager

Etienne is a seasoned ASP.NET Core Full Stack Developer. He takes great pride in building world-class applications while carefully considering the needs of its users and ease of use.

Originally from France, Etienne now calls Canada Home, where he is part of SBP Canada as a member of the API Solutions Development Team.

Etienne is a well-seasoned traveler and has visited many countries where he usually takes the path less traveled in order to backpack around and soak in the local cultures.

When not coding away, you may expect Etienne to be playing with his huge and fluffy dog Indianna or gaming away on League of Legends

David Bower

Smartsheet, Airtable and AppSheet Consultant

David is a hugely experienced Consultant, Customer Care Specialist and Client Account Manager.

In his spare time, David plays guitar, is learning to ride a motorcycle and, when it’s not too cold, can often be found tinkering in the garage. He also intends to learn to play the piano too - one day

Debbie Sawyer

Chief Smartsheet Solutions Officer (CSSO)

BSc (Hons) Computing, ITIL Foundation, Smartsheet Certified User, Aligned Sales Certified and Professional Services Certified.

Seasoned Smartsheet consultant and Training professional, Debbie’s creativity, attention to detail, willingness to deliver solutions to fully meet customer requirements and her personable manner earn her excellent client feedback.

When not working, Debbie likes to relax by spending quality time with her family. Living in the New Forest sees her taking many walks through the woods and down to the sea fronts at Lepe and Calshot. Debbie is also a keen hula hooper and has been hooping now for more than 7 years! She owns at least 10 hoops and enjoys a great workout helping her friend to run a hula hoop fitness class.

Dr James Harris

Chief Technology Officer

An experienced IT professional, James' prior work spans diverse environments from the white heat of launching information systems in one of the world's busiest airports, to industry leading tech startups. He also has extensive experience as a Finance Manager. James brings a keen insight and and flair for problem solving to every project.

Outside of work, James writes comedy, and has had many television credits over the past couple of decades on shows such as Horrible Histories and Russell Howard's Good News. He retains a burning ambition to be as funny as his wife and daughter.

Ph.D. Biochemical Physics, IT and Accounting professional.

Gwen Rymill

Communications Director

Co-founder of Smarter Business Processes, Gwen’s multi tasking roles include ensuring our clients receive the very best in customer care, while responsible for sales and marketing and partner liaison. Just don’t expect to get the cup of tea she promised you!

Away from work Gwen enjoys cycling, pilates, tap dancing and just loves baking.

Richard Rymill

CEO

Co-Founder and Lead Consultant, Richard set up SBP in response to worldwide demand from businesses wanting to implement their own Smarter Business Processes. His rapidly expanding team of experienced Smartsheet and AppSheet Consultants and Trainers share the company's values of achieving improved efficiencies and collaboration by putting people first and releasing them from unnecessary repetitive activities so they can enjoy their work again and focus on what matters to them.

When not at his desk, Richard can be found cycling, swimming and when the opportunity permits, sailing and flying.

Business Process
Automation Consultants

SBP Team L-R Gwen, Richard, Debbie, Emma and David

The journey of Smarter Business Processes (SBP) began with a shared vision and a realisation. Back in the early 2000s, while managing a series of national events aimed at helping UK businesses embrace emerging technologies, Richard and Gwen Rymill saw a gap. Tools like Excel and MS Project simply weren’t cutting it anymore. Businesses needed something smarter: something truly collaborative.

That realisation led them to Smartsheet. And what started as helping new users create better workflows soon grew into a thriving business built on innovation, adaptability, and an unwavering focus on client needs.

Q: Tell us how it all started and how you got Smarter Business Processes (SBP) noticed?

“We built our early reputation by solving real problems and posting our testimonials online and it snowballed from there. We focused totally on what our clients needed and began developing a suite of apps that made Smartsheet even smarter.”

Q: What has the journey of building a company been like for you?

“Over two decades, we’ve gone from a two-person consultancy to a full team supporting clients across the UK, US, EU, and Australia. Gwen focused on making sure we were visible with great marketing and communications, and Richard crafted the solutions and nurtured client relationships.”

Q: Would you recommend starting a business with your spouse? What’s it like to work with family?

“Family life has always played a central role in the way we work. One of our rules has always been to respond to any enquiry as fast as possible, even if it means working at odd hours and that’s actually easier if you’re both invested in the same goals. We’re grateful that our happy and stable home life has put us in great shape mentally to develop the business successfully.”

Q: How would you describe the culture of SBP?

“It’s always been about flexibility, responsiveness, and empathy. That’s why we’ve become known for high-quality service, and why clients continue to come back. As we’ve grown, we’ve added openness and inclusivity and teamwork by proudly handing more responsibility to the team.”

Q: What’s a great piece of advice you received and would pass on again?

“We were told early on: always hire people more intelligent than you. And we did. Every member of our team brings something unique. There’s no ‘i’ in team and our people demonstrate the power of that every day.”

Q: What’s your proudest achievement?

“Definitely that we’ve built a values-led company that succeeds by collaborating, not selling. We work with people who share our approach and values and, because we always put people first, whether they’re clients or team members, we’ve had long-term success that we’re extremely proud of.”

Q: Businesses are always changing and evolving. What is your experience of handling this?

“Client needs have shifted in terms of tools and platforms, but for us, the fundamentals remain the same. People still need systems that are easy to use, collaborative, and make it clear what needs to be done, when, and by whom. Executives still need visibility to make smart decisions. We’ve simply kept adapting with the technology.”

Q: What’s your greatest motivation?

“The feedback we get from clients speaks volumes. Comments like “You’ve saved me a week a month” and “I love my job again” are what keep us going. We also love the way technology is now serving humans better and we’re excited about what’s still to come.”

If you’d like to find out more about the Smarter Business Processes team, visit our website. You can also follow us on LinkedIn.

Image shows Gwen, Richard, Debbie, David and Emma, half the team who managed to get together at the latest SBP Summit in Jan 2025, Paul was there too, taking the photograph. We were missing Etienne and James at this years summit, we’ll try and get them next time!