About Sharon Gaffney

I’m Sharon Gaffney, founder of Verde Business Solutions. I’m an experienced company director, business adviser and trainer, with more than 30 years’ experience supporting business owners to start, grow and thrive.

Experience that understands business ownership

I started running my own businesses at the age of 22, so I understand first-hand the rewards, pressures and challenges of building a company. That experience helps me support entrepreneurs with practical advice, clear strategy and genuine empathy.

As a business adviser, my role is to help you find the right strategy for your business and support you as you put it into action. Success is not only about growth and profit; it is also about creating the lifestyle you want and defining success on your own terms.

Sustainable and ethical business

My passion is helping businesses become as sustainable and profitable as possible, because the two can go hand in hand. During my work as a consultant with The Body Shop, I had the privilege of working with Anita Roddick and seeing how ethical values can shape the way a business grows.

I have also spent time in the Amazon with indigenous communities, where I saw the impact that corporate activity can have on people, wildlife and the natural world. That experience strengthened my belief that businesses have a responsibility to be part of the solution.

Let’s all be part of the solution, not the problem.

Who I work with

I specialise in supporting small business start-ups and companies with fewer than 50 employees, including very small teams of one or two people. I love working with business owners who have a clear vision and genuine potential to grow, whether that means building a part-time business, developing a steady income stream or aiming for much bigger ambitions.

For me, it is not the size of your business that matters; it is the strength of your vision.

My background

Business support and training

Over the years, I have supported more than 2,500 people and businesses to start, grow and develop with confidence. I have also designed and delivered more than 1,000 training courses focused on business start-up, growth, enterprise skills and practical learning.

• Created EPQ education courses and practical business skills programmes
• Developed the Beacon Green environmental audit for schools through Beacon Life
• Designed entrepreneur programmes for the Universities of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and Oxford Brookes University

Sustainability and enterprise programmes

I ran the Carbon Cut programme, supporting more than 300 businesses to work towards becoming more environmentally sustainable. I also led the EEDA Inspiring Women’s Enterprise programme, which supported 500 female entrepreneurs, and developed and delivered the Women in Broadband project, supporting 1,000 women in the digital industry.

Community, judging and advisory work

I have worked with the Shaw Trust to train other business advisers and have been a consultant for Building Better Opportunities, helping people from harder-to-reach communities set up their own businesses. I am also a judge for the Annual Best Business Women’s Awards and the Young Enterprise County Finals.

Arts, culture and local leadership

Alongside my business work, I am the founder and organiser of the annual Watford Fringe Festival, CEO of a charitable theatre and founder of Harling Fringe Festival. I have also served on the boards of Visit Watford and Cultural Leaders, and I am currently a patron of Proud Watford.

Recognition

In 2020, I was honoured to receive a Heroes of Hertfordshire Award.

I know how to run a business. I started my first company aged 22 and have since developed and sold two thriving businesses. I will inspire you and give you the confidence to believe in yourself, help you focus and realise the potential in your skillset.

I’ve helped over 2,500 small businesses get started, from all categories and all industry sectors including non-profit. I’ve also helped a further 1,000 small businesses to grow and their owners to achieve their ambitions and have fun while they’re doing it!

I’m up to date with all the current government grants and business incentives and I will help you identify and access the right funding sources for your business.

I have a particular interest in supporting female entrepreneurs and young entrepreneurs, and I’m enjoying helping more and more business owners develop their environmental strategy, including accessing the latest environmental incentives and grants.

Verde Business Solutions uses a network of associates and advisors, each of whom has been vetted by me and who are all business owners and entrepreneurs in their own right. They can be deployed at just the right moment in your business start-up or growth journey to provide focussed support when you need it.

Our extended team includes experts in marketing, market planning, market research, finance, GDPR, business planning, business strategy, sustainability, forecasting, social media and compliance.

By using associates we can ensure that if we do not have the solution in house we can refer you to an expert in the field you require, creating a seamless service.

My only desire is to see you be successful, however you decide to define it. I will listen to you carefully so that I can understand where you want to go and how I can help you to get there. I’ll then recommend a plan that’s tailored to you based on our advisory and training packages.

And that all starts with a coffee and a chat where we can work out if I’m the right business advisor for you.

Contact us now to find out how we I help you.