The best of times, the worst of times

We launched FIFTEEN WEST 3 months before the first Coronavirus cases were confirmed in the UK and USA.

Our business plan was founded on establishing an office on the ground in New York and scaling the first recruit to recruit business across the USA.

In February 2020 we were sitting on the 80th floor of a skyscraper in FIDI celebrating our first month in New York. Things were looking good!

Fast forward a couple of months the USA became, and remains, the worst-hit country in the world during this pandemic. The UK is not far behind. In the space of about 2 weeks, our lives and our business would change forever.

When I look back on 2020, it overwhelms me what we ALL actually went through both personally and professionally.

There have been a few lows...

• Launched a business and 5 minutes later the world ended
• Panicked and felt out of control at times
• Worried about my kids who could not go to school
• Worried about the people closest to me who suffered with their mental health
• Lost people close to us and couldn’t say goodbye
• Sara moved to New York – for a week and came home again - and then got Coronavirus, badly
• I was mugged, most likely due to Coronavirus (not big in the scheme of things but REALLY affected me)

However, without 2020 I would not be:

• Better at understanding our business
• Better at communicating
• Better at taking a step back
• Better at being a colleague/partner
• Closer than ever to our clients and candidates
• Better at raising the bar on quality and delivery
• Better at growing, profitably
• Better at social media, websites, podcasts
• Better at being an employer

2020 has made me and our start-up business, better.

The biggest challenge when anyone starts a business is unpredictability. You can build it, but will they come?

You can have all the confidence in the world in your own ability to run a business, but when the world is taken out from under your feet at the start that confidence is challenged.

A few lessons 2020 has taught me:

Self-BELIEF

The biggest lesson I learnt was to believe in yourself, your confidence and your vision. Stick to what you know and what you are known for. Just work harder and be better.

Blind optimism is not always a good thing, especially faced with adversity. Sara and I do have a tendency to make decisions based on passion, excitement and optimism and occasionally lament them after (!) however, I truly believe that without this optimism and belief in what we are doing we would not have survived 2020. Hiring during a pandemic some might say was crazy, 6 people on 2 continents even crazier!

Stick to the PLAN

Don’t change the plan. We could have changed our model, we could have become healthcare recruiters as a lot of people tried to do..but we didn’t. We chose to continue on our path and we have been rewarded for it. In Q4 we achieved 126% of our budget.

Take TIME

We had the luxury of time in 2020, which will never have again. Time to plan, time to improve, time to collaborate and time to support and inform. Had the pandemic NOT happened, our business would not be in the position it is today with the people we have in it today and for that time I am grateful.

Chose your PEOPLE

Surround yourself with like-minded, inspirational people who get it. There are too many to name here, but clients, colleagues, friends – you know who you are!

CELEBRATE

Finally, enjoy it….celebrate the small wins.

Almost a year on and Sara is heading back to New York…which is a huge milestone for us.

Looking back, the feeling is one of immense pride and gratitude.

To Sara for all she and George have endured and for giving their all despite not being where they should have been.

To the team for not only getting through but for executing the plan and delivering the quality and standards that the business was built on.

Perhaps we haven’t yet seen the full aftershock both mentally and physically, but on day 1 of 2021 I am excited to see what the next 12 months bring.

Start-up on your own they said! Open an office in New York they said! What have you got to lose they said….! Turns out it was the biggest risk we could have taken, but it has been the best decision I have EVER made.

If you think it might be the right time to change your life, take my advice: there has never been a better time!