Martin Perkins’ life was well on track a few years ago, with a good job which took him all over Europe, The Middle East and Africa. However, an unexpected redundancy brought him back home and he tried to build a new life, running a business doing fencing and landscaping. He struggled with depression and personal issues and in the end could not work for a long period.
As he recovered, he decided to upskill himself and did some City and Guilds qualifications in a range of building skills (plumbing , brick-laying, carpentry etc) and he began to dream again of re-establishing his old business and making it work. When we met him, he was working on a business plan (and also doing an Open University degree in Business Management, whilst trying to survive on benefits). That plan started small, focussing on fencing and landscaping work, but aimed to grow into a larger building company offering a wide range of services including full renovations and making homes green. He needed a small loan to get started but his history meant he had no funds of his own and a low credit score. We ignored those things and looked at the resilience and determination which had got him to this point and offered him the funds he needed. Green Dragon Building and Landscaping launched and he is now on track again, rebuilding his life and his income.
Martin said: “I can’t thank Karen and Purple Shoots enough for believing in me and giving me hope in fulfilling my dreams. Without them, my dream would have remained in my head for sometime, but now I can move forward with my plans and develop what I hope will be a successful and thriving business, offering quality work at reasonable prices. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”