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| Staff Writer |
Len Green knows three things exceptionally well: Thoroughbred horse ownership, entrepreneurship, and taxes. On that Venn diagram - at his level of expertise – he very likely stands alone in the infinitesimal space where those circles overlap.
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Green has owned horses for nearly 50 years. His DJ Stable is one of the most successful Thoroughbred racing and breeding operations in the world. D.J. Stable has won two Sovereign Awards, two Eclipse Awards, 14 Leading Owner Titles, over 150 Stakes Race victories and 2,500 overall wins. In addition, D.J. Stable has bred 24 Group One performers and sold over US$90 million worth of horses at public auctions.
Just last year, Green and his beloved late wife, Lois, accepted their second Eclipse Award for the great 2022 Champion 2YO Filly, Wonder Wheel, whom Lois named. It was a shining moment for Lois, who would fall ill just months later. D.J. Stable has always been a family venture, named for the Greens’ children and now managed by their son, Jonathan Green, who is also the host of the popular racing podcast Rail Talk.
This year, D.J. Stable is campaigning Hades for the Kentucky Derby. Now undefeated in three career starts, Hades won the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on 3rd February, beating then Derby favourite and Eclipse Champion 2YO, Fierceness. Hades’ next prep contest will be the Florida Derby, running the same day as the Dubai World Cup.
The Greens approach the horse business with great love for their equine athletes and broodmares -- always putting the wellbeing of the horses first. D.J. Stable is committed to doing things the right way. They will only work with trainers and partners who share that commitment. Green also keeps a keen eye out for the bottom line, which keeps D.J. Stable in the topearning Thoroughbred operations. He cannot help it. Green is a consummate businessman and entrepreneur.
“The Greens are extremely entrepreneurial regarding their approach to the thoroughbred industry”, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said. “Their strategies are well thought out and
they leave very little to chance. From racing to breeding to pinhooking, they represent the very best in our business”.
It is for this reason that Len’s eponymously named Green Group has over 800 clients in the horse business.
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The Green Group is an accounting, tax, consulting, and advisory firm with a bent for the entrepreneurial edge. Len founded the Green Group in 1973 after five years of working with Deloitte Touche. With his team of seasoned, successful entrepreneurs, family business owners, investors, venture capitalists, real estate owners and IRS specialists, Green transcends the typical firm-to-client relationships. He invests himself in understanding the unique qualities and intricacies of each client’s finances and goals.
“I lived my life looking for value, preserving it, and finding ways to make it grow,” said Green. “I see a lot of Thoroughbred racing and breeding operations that are not
profitable. I cannot accept that. If they are clients of mine, I will find them value.”
The Green Group clients, based all over the world, consisting of closely held businesses, family businesses, thoroughbred businesses, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals and their families.
“Each client’s financial situation is a puzzle for me to figure out. I look for the best ways to put all their pieces together to maximize profits and returns. We are trusted advocates and advisors to everyone we work with,” he adds. “And nobody I have ever met in my lifetime wants to pay more than their share of taxes. I will always find clients tax savings, especially those in the horse business.”
Green’s entrepreneurial success in over 35 companies includes well-known brands like SoBe beverages and Blue Buffalo pet food. “Whether it is starting a new company or buying an existing one and turning it around, I do not care. I will find the marketplace for any product, and I will maximise the value of the company,” said Green.
His proclivity for consulting and teaching led Green to a post at Babson College, the nation’s number-one-rated school for entrepreneurship. He quickly became the most popular professor on campus. Green leads a class of ambitious students each year under his given title of “Entrepreneur-in- Residence.” Green guides students to create companies and helps troubleshoot hidden pitfalls. He has stayed in contact
with many of his past students and has invested in several of their ventures.
“Teaching has turned into one of my life’s great joys. I have been blessed in this lifetime. Passing my knowledge on to younger generations is exceptionally gratifying. I love many
of the students’ ideas, and I love fleshing out their potential. I have a great time teaching at Babson.”
The syllabus of his popular class sparked the idea for authoring the popular book, “The Entrepreneur’s Playbook, More than 100 Proven Strategies, Tips and Techniques to Build a Radically Successful Business.” The playbook exposes the many misconceptions of taking a product or idea to market. Avoiding typical business school course complexities, the playbook offers 18 down-to-earth principles and dozens of tactics for every kind of business. These sometimes counterintuitive rules have proven successful time and again. Green is writing a follow-up book due to be published in 2024.
Green loves horses, and he loves business. Whether teaching, writing, consulting, or advising, he puts his heart into growing his clients’ wealth and success. An outsized entrepreneurial spirit, along with unmatched expertise, combines to create his secret sauce, and he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.