HUSBAND and wife entrepreneurs who moved from London to Sussex to set up their own businesses have become the faces of an international advertising campaign for professional networking service LinkedIn.

Katie and Tom Philipson tell their story in a short film which is being shown online and at cinemas in the UK, Germany and France.

They also feature in adverts on billboards and taxis for LinkedIn’s In It Together campaign.

The couple were chosen for the campaign following their recent success in Natwest’s Business Builder project run by Let’s Do Business Group, a course for entrepreneurs culminating in a Dragon’s Den style pitch for a £1,000 award.

Tom’s mobile wood-fired pizza business Tommy’s Pizzeria was the overall winner, while Katie’s business One Small Shop was the runner-up.

The Business Builder programme has helped Tom and his business partner Mark Edwards to develop the mobile business into a pop-up restaurant, specialising in sourdough pizzas and fish caught by the local fishing fleet.

Tommy’s Pizzeria opens on Friday in the former Simply Italian unit in Hastings Old Town.

Tom said: “The Business Builder course taught us the nitty gritty of running a business – things like marketing, legal stuff and how to keep on top of the accounts.

“It was also great to meet other people like us who were setting up businesses.

“Everyone from the local business community has been incredibly supportive.”

Katie worked for many years as a PA in London before launching her ethical retail business last August.

One Small Shop sources stylish, cruelty-free vegan goods including clothes, cosmetics and cleaning products.

While the majority of sales are online at www.onesmallshop.com Katie runs several pop-up shops, including one at Borough Wines, Beer and Books and another at The Crown pub in Hastings, where customers can refill their empty skincare containers.

She said: “We always talked about living by the sea and two years ago we moved to Hastings from London.

“This gave us the space and freedom to set up our own businesses.

“We escaped the rat race to pursue our dreams but we certainly never expected to see our faces on taxis and billboards all over London.

“The experience has been amazing and it would be wonderful if our story inspires others to do the same.”

Locate East Sussex helped Tom and Katie with free business support and provided advice on funding, financial planning and finding business premises.