The Action & Reaction Paradox

Newton was the first to explain that every action has an equal and opposite reaction but, bloody hell, he didn’t account for recruitment business leaders!

Take this how it’s meant please, dear prospective RDLC member, but let’s face facts the best advice you can have is a no BS direct line of sight; simple to understand stuff so here’s some for you.

Too many business leaders are riddled with imposter syndrome!

18 - 24 Months into a recruitment career, without learning the basics they decide that they don’t earn enough of the pie – so they start a business up (which is brilliant) but too often without having a proper apprenticeship behind them.

At this point, they have very little experience of:

• Management
• Problem solving, HR & compliance 
• Forecasting, costs and triggers
• Finance, banking and costs
• Hiring, training and rewards schemes

I could, but won’t go on...

The issue is most will soon realise that they have gaps in their knowledge & experience and that doing deals is the easy bit but that the costs are actually lumpy,  By then it’s too late as they are fully committed!

So, to try and get an education they start to believe that reading business books, listening to podcasts and becoming addicted to the masses of crap on LinkedIn is the answer... It’s not... trust me.

All of this “noise” is poor & often contradictory. They end up frying their brains, flip flopping with methods and aims, sooner rather than later they get stuck and the vision they had for the business they truly wanted seldom materialises.

Failure rates are extremely high, particularly so now as many companies have started up in the last 10 years while Permanent recruitment has been extremely candidate-driven. The staffing world has shifted 180 degrees, this has completely changed everything from marketing to business drivers, from staff dynamics to the required tool kits and this shift in recruiting isn’t covered in any book! 

This will create a natural cull however there are things that can be done...

If any of the above resonates with you…

If you are serious about growing a recruitment brand or pivoting successfully here are a few tips from a straight talker: 

1.     Stop reading to look for answers, especially in these times - be agile, listen to peers, people who have navigated similar troubled waters before. When things are back to normal look at your business and if you recognise a gap then look for input on the answer to that problem don’t just read anything because someone else liked it. That’s just crazy 

2.     If you are looking to pivot in this market the answers aren’t to be found in a webinar or podcast. It’s great having people share their advice but without knowing you, your business or the detail, it’s never going to be fit for purpose. When you decide on changes do things piecemeal; don’t panic, just make one change at a time, fully embed then look at the next priorities

3.     Don’t partner, take advice or investment from people who aren’t expert in Recruitment (and do your DD on anyone you do consider working with). It’s lovely that family members or friends of friends want to support you, but it far too often ends in tears. Also, consider very carefully who you are getting into bed with when it comes to an investment (they might have been on TV but they will fleece you given the opportunity!) 

4.     Look to get either a collective of experts (no one person can do it all) or join a network like #RDLC where you can lean on an abundance of experts) 

5.     As soon as you can, outsource non-core functions to experts including finance, marketing, tech etc – do it. You are good at what you do, these skills take time to master, time which doing business doesn’t afford you 

6.     If you are in start-up mode seek out a dedicated group of peers in the same phase as you to share the journey with (RDLC has one that’s very active). Having the ability to share insights, trends and compare notes is super valuable! Don’t go it alone!

7.     Refine your working methods as soon as you see the light! Don’t wait in the hope that things will return to how they were - they won’t. Don’t try to battle through, get a handle on the process you need to make it work and ingrain it into your DNA!  

8.     Don’t do anything without having a proper RECRUITMENT specialist CFO on tap and have them financially forecast against your plan. Hold yourself to account and go out and smash it, regardless of the economy or alien bugs.

You took (or are taking) ACTION, the world has changed so REACT accordingly and don’t be a victim of this by reading another business book hoping it’s got a secret silver bullet. Talk to a pro that you can trust!

Find out why the RDLC network is the best source of advice and inspiration: https://rdlcpirates.com