Crossword Genius

Paul's stout, kind of firm? (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

importer

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'kind of firm?' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't see how one could define the other.

'paul's stout' is the wordplay.
'paul's' becomes 'I'm' (where the crossword setter is 'Paul').
'stout' becomes 'porter' (synonyms).
'im'+'porter'='IMPORTER'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for importer that I've seen before include "Businessperson" , "One buys in" , "Foreign dealer" , "One who brings in" , "One bringing in goods to country" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app