Finance entrepreneur James Arbon, founder of commercial finance broker Greenwood Capital, has marked three years sober after sharing his addiction journey publicly for the first time on LinkedIn. The post, which detailed his struggles with alcohol and substances, prompted an outpouring of support that left him in tears.
A Public Declaration of Sobriety
James marked three years sober with a poignant post, sharing publicly for the first time how he got help for his addictions and how it gave him clarity in both his personal and professional life. He wrote: "Addiction... plagued me on and off throughout my adult life. Going out, drinking and partying was common theme for me, whether it was to deal with stress, depression, or just any excuse to celebrate.
"It was toxic. I was toxic. My relationship with alcohol and substances cost me relationships personally, professionally, and for probably over a decade stopped me from realising any potential that I had in me, despite some amazing opportunities that I had in front of me. They could all wait til the hangover had passed."
He added: "Today I've been sober for 3 years. I had my last drink on 31/7/23 at a bar on the beach in Phuket (not a bad last drink eh?) watching England lose the ashes (not so good)."
An Overwhelming Response
The post sparked a huge outpouring that James had never expected. So much so, he admits he "burst into tears" when over 100 messages pinged up on his phone over the next 24 hours.
He tells the Manchester Evening News: "Lots of people reached out. To be honest this is something I hid from for a while. It was a really turbulent and personal journey and for a long time I was ashamed of the person I was.
"I hid from it, made jokes about it and didn't openly talk about addictions or the troubles it caused in my early life. I think people knew... so I guess posting about it was almost cathartic for me in a way."
Speaking about the reaction to the post, James said it has been emotional. He said: "Lots and lots of people reached out to call or message me to either say they were proud of me for the Linkedin post, or to say they have problems of their own and how did I start with my sobriety journey.
"The response was overwhelmingly positive and super cathartic. I sat in my kitchen, and there were well over 100 messages in the first 24 hours. I burst into tears over it. Because it's been the best part of 25 years I've been dealing with addiction through family members or myself, so to speak openly was a big moment."
Business Growth and the Move to Manchester
For James, becoming sober has meant greater clarity in his personal and professional life, and in the past year since moving from London to Manchester has steered his company, Greenwood Capital, to huge growth. He runs the commercial finance broker business with one of his oldest friends, Jack Rutherford.
Since founding Greenwood Capital in 2022, James has overseen a period of rapid expansion, with the business more than doubling its turnover year on year. From revenues of around £100,000 in its first year, Greenwood has gone on to secure £500,000 in external investment, significantly expand its team and establish itself in the commercial finance sector.
The company is now on course to generate more than £3m in revenue in 2026, as it continues to invest in its people and proprietary technology. They are currently based at the offices on Quay West at MediaCityUK.
James says: "It's an amazing city. People are friendlier. I think it's been instrumental in the growth of me personally and the business - people want to help you here I think there's a sense of community and shared pride in the area - if someone is winning we're all winning. That breeds innovation and progression and growth. It feels very collaborative in the north west."
A Journey from Early Career to Sobriety
James, 36, started his career at an early age - after dropping out of college in 2008 when he became a young dad to Lucas (now 17). He then worked in a pub and retail jobs before getting a job in a consumer finance company, going on to follow his boss when he set up his own business.
In 2017, he took the plunge and set up his own commercial finance brokerage, helping SMEs access funding. But in 2019 he split from his business partner and raised money to become a direct lender. When Covid hit, it changed all plans.
By 2022, at a time when Government support for businesses was winding down, James found his phone "started ringing again with former clients looking for business loans". Utilising his contacts he came up with Greenwood Capital as a broker for small businesses, and started to seriously grow.
He got his first offices in Walthamstow in London in 2024, but realised he needed help in growing the business - and decided to give his best friend of 20 years, Jack Rutherford, a call. Jack joined in 2024 "steadying the ship" and by 2025 Greenwood Capital was "making a bit of a name for ourselves in the industry and having some success."
It was at that point came the opportunity to relocate to Manchester, and James said he and wife Anna took the plunge - relocating to a city they didn't know all that well but excited to take the leap. Initially they kept open the London office, but by December 2025 asked staff to join them and relocate to Manchester - with all but one agreeing and making the move north.
James says: "There were eight or nine of us up here at the start of the year, and we've just grown a lot this year, there's 27, 28 now. We've recruited the right talent, good young talent, there's an amazing pool of it in Manchester even more so that London, I think it's become the new fintech hub of the UK."
Looking Ahead with Ambition
Asked about his ambitions for the company, James says: "To build the premier SME marketplace in the UK, not just for finance, but for business intelligence. We're building our own proprietary technology to give small business owners a clearer overview of their businesses."
"Whether that's credit scoring, banking data, what funding is available to them or even finding the best energy deal, we want to build the app or environment that every small business owner in the country opens before their emails each morning."
The company is also planning to expand into direct lending, providing finance to businesses from its own balance sheet. But despite Greenwood's ambitious growth plans, his passion remains firmly rooted in the people behind the businesses it serves.
"I'm super passionate about small businesses. I've said this since we started. I've always worked for founder-led start-ups, and I've seen the impact they can have on the customers they serve and the people who work for them. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy."
On his sobriety journey, James said: "I struggled on and off with it throughout my adult life, from 18 to 32, whether it was alcohol or substances or cigarettes. For the best part of 15 years I was a functioning addict, sometimes not functioning."
The turning point came on a holiday to Thailand with Anna in 2023. After one wild night back on the booze, he woke the next day "feeling rubbish". On a day trip to the Phi Phi Islands he made a promise to himself and Anna that he would give up the booze for good.
James says: "I attribute that mental clarity to my success as an entrepreneur I guess. Because I don't have a morning with a cloudy head anymore. This was something I wanted to do rather than had to do. And very quickly, the benefits of sobriety became obvious. I had better relationships with my wife, my friends and my son. I was making better decisions at work, and the business was gathering momentum."
James said it was important for him to be open with his staff, to show leadership and positivity from the top of the business. He says: "I've been open with my struggles with addiction with our staff, so it starts from the top. We are never going to preach or judge to people about a late night or having too many as we've been there, but we try to breed a positive atmosphere not just with what you do in work but outside of work."
"It's not my job to judge people or chastise them. I'm a big fan of people making their own mistakes and learning their own lessons. But if anyone can learn from some of mine, then that's great."
