This project investigated how virtual guilds, which are communities of practice based on open source principles, can enable micro-businesses to become more sustainable. The project worked with two micro-businesses in the North West of England, taking an action research approach that also aimed to benefit the partnering organisations in terms of their development. This dataset contains six reports, three for each organisation: 1) An organisation description, based on data from participant observation of workshops facilitated by the organisation, together with interviewing key individuals within the organisation and examining organisational documents (primarily the organisation's website and social media feeds). 2) Report on the first design workshop held with each organisation, which was focused on developing a specification for a prototype virtual guild model that could be implemented by them as part of their strategic development. 3) Report on the second design workshop held with each organisation a year later, focusing on how the design technique of value-led personas could enable them to consider how their stakeholders would interact with the organisation.