My Reality of Setting up a Recruitment Business

In June 2012 I was fortunate enough to be announced the winner of The Apprentice and receive a ￡250,000 financial investment to set up a company of my choice in partnership with Lord Alan Sugar.

The decision for what I was going to do was straight forward. After graduating as a Biochemist I spent six years in recruitment for a company, so I decided to combine science and recruitment and set up my own Scientific Recruitment Consultancy, Hyper Recruitment Solutions.

Most people assume setting up my company would be straight forward, as let’s face it with my financial investment and business partner it is an exceptional head start. However setting up a new recruitment consultancy in a challenging market place is no easy feat whoever you are. If you intend for it to be credible, professional and of course scalable there is a lot more needed then these two factors.

The reality was that previously as an employee I had the luxury of having an infrastructure and operation at my disposal - which if I am honest I took for granted. So when setting up my own business these quickly became some of my largest challenges to consider.

I get frequently what’s the hardest thing about setting up a company and for me it was the shock of day one. If you are like me, I love working with people so imagine the scene of going from being a billing recruitment manager in an established recruitment environment to one where it is just you, in an office on your own! Naturally recruiters are people persons, so to start a company as the only employed member of staff (my business partner being a shareholder not an employee) it is a shock to the system.

Turning up on day one is not just about plugging in and then getting on the phone it is a harsh reality of configuring your PC, putting together a desk etc all on your own! All the things a recruiter can take for granted. So my advice to anybody looking to go out there for themselves is when making that first step make sure you have planned thoroughly and be prepared to ask others outside of your company for help!

Are you happy to work ever hour in a day on your own to start with?

Are you happy to not just be a recruiter but also a Marketer, Accountant, HR Person, Operations Manager, Credit Controller etc.

If the answer is yes – then good luck. Keep all of this in mind when going out there alone and don’t ever lose focus on why you are doing this.

I am now over two years on from getting my business started and in that time I have learned more then I ever had in the previous six years of being an employee. I’m not na?ve to say my business is exactly where I dreamed it would be, but in this time it is further along than I expected, I’m excited about the future and am proud of the business created.

Don’t forget setting up a recruitment company is all about passion, drive and being prepared to go that extra mile. Be prepared and be warned - it is not easy and may never will be. But it is the best decision and leap of faith I have ever made!