Good businesses deserve to thrive—and keep thriving.
We see sustainability as an opportunity, not a threat. But all too often it gets strangled in red tape and ESG-jargon, shutting good people and good companies out of what should be a common-sense, inspiring conversation.
This is backwards. Sustainability shouldn’t be a barrier to growth, it should unlock a great future. It shouldn’t be a threat, it should reduce risk and exposure to the unknown. It shouldn’t drain your resources, it should open up great new opportunities previously closed to you.
Done right, it’s a chance to win better clients, build trust, strengthen your business and open new doors.
Our aim is to translate complex ESG frameworks into no-nonsense, practical, demonstrable business improvements. We cut through the noise, making sustainability refreshingly simple and workable, so that you get to stand out from the crowd: credible, competitive and worth buying into.
And your business gets the future it deserves.
JENNIFER O’DONNELL
Co-founder
I began my career in FMCG with Bristol-Myers Squibb, gaining a strong commercial foundation before moving into senior sales roles at BBC Worldwide and Universal Music Group, where I oversaw multi-million-pound accounts. While these roles deepened my understanding of aligning purpose with profit, they also revealed disparities between leadership and support roles — inspiring me to create something different.
I went on to found a commercial cleaning company built on the principles of fairness and high standards. A launch campaign—The Only Way is Ethics—become a springboard to early success, earning Living Wage Champion status, national awards and recognition in Parliament as an example of how business should operate.
More recently, I expanded my expertise with a Diploma in ESG and further study at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. What I learned at Cambridge reinforced what I’d been seeing for some time—the need for a simpler, more accessible sustainability conversation that actually makes sense for leaders of small and medium sized businesses—an insight that led directly to our co-founding The Great Business Company.
Business leader and sustainability advocate helping organisations build profitable, responsible and resilient businesses through practical sustainability strategies.
STEVE HOPPER
Co-founder
Communicator, business coach and engineer, working with leaders to harness their intelligence and talent into building great, sustainable businesses.
I like the term 'zig-zag career'. I didn’t invent it but it’s a pretty good fit. From communications and technical security at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to touring as a live sound engineer with artists including Van Morrison and Kiefer Sutherland—plus a freelance practice spanning branding, photography, writing, film making and design—I've spent over four decades both translating between and weaving together the worlds of technology, artistry, business and human communication. Along the way I co-founded an adventurous hybrid entertainment start-up, learning many valuable lessons about brand partnerships, investor relations and market timing.
Since 2013 I've built a creative life-business coaching practice, helping visionary entrepreneurs, artists and leaders make the most of their talents and bring their ideas to life without sacrificing their sanity or health.
And—like my co-founder Jennifer—I’m a passionate advocate for small and medium sized businesses, the vital role they play in the economy and the difference they can make for all of us. I’m convinced that sustainability does not have to be complicated and costly, but given the right approach makes great business sense on every level.