Bruce Woodley was born in Whanganui where his parents had a small farm at Maxwell, north of Whanganui. He was employed as Deputy Manager at the Mobil Oil (NZ) Ltd terminal at Mt. Maunganui and in central Auckland. He graduated with a Business Management Diploma from the Auckland University of Technology. From 1975 to 2000 he owned and operated a management consultancy company which administered and assisted business and trade associations.

He also acted as mentor to companies on the North Shore for a number of years under the Business in the Community scheme sponsored by the City.

Bruce's previous book, Profile of Associations: – How do they create wealth? published in 2008, was widely accepted by universities, libraries and learning institutions throughout the country.