About Us

Hi there - I'm Paul Green, the founder of The Business Community. I've been an independent business owner since 2003 and love working with small businesses; in particular family-run businesses.

I'd like to share a little story about the reason for this and what my "why" is.

What drives me

My father ran his own small business designing, manufacturing and supplying electrical control panels to various companies within the UK and overseas. At the age of 11, unfortunately, the business went bust - as happens to quite a few businesses. This meant having to move house, move schools - money was tight and the atmosphere was not that great in the household. Having gone through this experience, it obviously left an impression.

A few years ago, I attended a workshop (run by Jacky Sherman) looking at why a person is in business and exploring the type of businesses that I enjoyed working with. In this session, the seed that was subconsciously planted many years before emerged. It became apparent that what was driving me in my endeavours to support small, family-run businesses, is that I didn't want any children associated with the business owners to go through the trauma of a failed business! This is why I strive to impact the performance of the businesses I work with; having them be better at what they do - focusing on profitability and cashflow within the business.

My journey

My experience and knowledge of 20 years being employed by someone else and to date, working with 100s of business owners, gives me the confidence and ability to offer business advice, coaching and training when given the opportunity to do so.

Having experienced the trials and tribulations that face a small business on that entrepreneurial journey, I am passionate about making sure businesses don't make the same mistakes that I made en route! I am a big believer in collaboration and encourage businesses to work together to grow their businesses; as well as offering help and support to each other for mutual gain.

In 2020, my story culminated in the creation of The Business Community. This brings together my principles of businesses working together. With our ‘pay it forward’, positive and collaborative approach, we are creating a vibrant mutually supportive business community - for the benefit of all

Find out more about the benefits of The Business Community

I've been part of this business networking group since first stepping out into business on my own in 2016. It has been a fabulous group to be part of not just because of the referrals I've had but also because of the fantastic support you get from the other members. Highly recommended.

Russell Parker - QRB Management Consulants

I have been a member of The Business Community for a number of years now. The unique mix of friendly banter with professional format and resources has been invaluable for my own business growth. I have made friendships, referred people and grown my client base thanks to The Business Community. I like there is no lockout, the meetings are a manageable size and no yearly contract.

Marie-Louise O'Neill - Lovely Evolution

Friendly atmosphere - people don't take themselves too seriously, there are laughs and jokes mixed in with a genuine sense that everybody is looking out for each other. Good structure to the meetings - they are not too formal or overly casual and a great place to pick up tips (not always business-related). Free courses for members - I have been on several courses put on by other members and always come away having learnt something useful.

Martin Beckley - The Creative Astronaut

This is a small enough networking group to feel like a community but big enough to have a good variety of different business types and sizes. Love the meeting structure (with a difference) which gives the chance to discuss as a whole group and share ideas rather than just speaking to the people sitting next to you. Can't recommend it more highly to anyone running their own business.

Margot Clarke - Margot Clarke Consultancy