A friend recently asked me, “is being a business owner what you expected?”…I couldn’t help but laugh. When I set up the business I can assure you I wasn’t expecting a global pandemic…maybe if I’d had a crystal ball I would have held off!
Yes 2020 has been an interesting year…it’s no secret that recruitment has been tough.
There are signs that some sense of normality is returning though (I say with fingers and toes crossed!). So, it feels like the right time to share how we’ve been handling the past few months…
It’s our second year in business, and when things got rough myself and my Business Partner Matthew used the time to reflect on our journey so far. We also planned ahead for a future, in what is, a very different market!
I think back to the days when we were planning to launch the business…both Matthew and I had a burning desire to do something different – we didn’t want anyone we were dealing with to feel those age-old frustrations we often hear with agencies. We wanted to be unique and make sure everyone got the best service possible.
We spent a lot of time considering how we would do this in the early days, and during the pandemic this has been a hot topic of conversation again. The team have really pulled together to think outside the box and help us weather the storm. Our first priority is to look after our staff, network and offer as much support as we can – when people really need it the most.
The biggest surprise though? … that the lights are still on!!
No, in all seriousness, it’s been extremely humbling to receive just as much support from all those in our network. Thinking back to the first couple of months in business I would have described it as terrifying, humbling, stressful and rewarding. It’s fair to say that during the last few months I’ve experienced very similar feelings! It’s funny how things come full circle.
I think specifically of our Accountant – he’s really had the patience of a saint when answering our endless questions about government grants, loans and furlough schemes! The guy is an absolute legend!
It’s also been amazing to see the sense of community arise within recruitment. As an industry not known for collaboration (we all know how competitive this game is!) it’s been great to build a network of fellow recruitment business owners recently. Genuinely, I love sharing ideas and experiences and this has helped us so much.
The other thing this has taught me is the importance of mindset. I’ve always been one for self-development and I’m constantly watching YouTube videos or listening to a new audio book, but I don’t think I really understood how important mindset is until COVID. I mean if a pandemic can’t test your mental well-being what will?!
What I’ve come to realise is…you should never doubt yourself, trust and believe in others, drive for regular feedback and stick to your plan
Looking forward, we are feeling positive. We’re hiring, we have gained some fantastic new clients and maintained relationships with existing ones, we’re rolling out a fresh new marketing strategy and we have a smiling workforce.
So, I may be waffling here, to summarise – we tackled COVID by sticking to our values, maintaining our positive mindset, but more importantly by adding value to our customers during a stressful time.
Oh, and to answer my friend’s question – “is being a business owner what you expected?”… it’s better than I expected! The freedom to make decisions quickly and collectively with the team has made my job incredibly rewarding.
Global pandemic or not, I wouldn’t change the team or the business for the world.
Ben
