On 1st June 2015 Tomlin Personnel launched in Nottinghamshire. With the team offering over 15 years of recruitment experience Tomlin Personnel will provide a unique 24 / 7 service to local companies.

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Starting up your own recruitment agency is something that recruitment professionals think about all the time. They’re entrepreneurial by nature and, armed with experience, want to put their own ideas into practice, and reap their own rewards. If you’re considering setting up on your own, think START.

Starting up your own recruitment agency is something that recruitment professionals think about all the time. They’re entrepreneurial by nature and, armed with experience, want to put their own ideas into practice, and reap their own rewards. If you’re considering setting up on your own, think START.

S – Sound financial backing

So essential. To set up without a firm financial footing is a sure way to disaster. You’ll be taking a giant step from a regular pay cheque to the rigours of cash flow. Initially you’ll need sufficient funding for premises, computers and all the day to day things that make an office work, including furniture! But you need to consider the costs of trading, and have finances in place to allow you to operate until you begin to see real income. Ideally you need to avoid expensive loans and overdrafts, at the same time as being able to draw, even a modest, salary yourself. You’ve got to eat!

T – Trustworthy systems

This is vital. From the administration of candidate data, to client contracts, and through to the all-important invoicing, you need industry compliant, road tested systems that will allow you to deliver the service you’ve doubtless promised your new and prospective client base. You simply can’t start up without the software and systems that will make your business work.

A – Awareness

Always think about your brand. You’ll almost certainly have your own ideas about a company name, and maybe a logo. But, being the best recruitment consultant in the world doesn’t mean you’re a designer or writer. Don’t even think about launching until you’ve had professional help with your logo and strapline. The same applies to your website. And don’t forget, even in the digital age you’ll need printed material including business cards and a ‘leave behind’ brochure. All of that material needs to have a professionally designed and written identity, and it needs to be consistent across everything from your signage to your invoices.

R – Recruitment experience

Rushing in to a start-up business is pointless unless you know what you’re doing. You’ll need experience of the recruitment sector to start up on your own. If you’ve worked, or are working for, a consultancy or agency, think about your career to date. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Use your experience to write your own business plan, drawing on what you’ve seen happen. Focus on areas or sectors that you know well. Build on aspects of service that you think will make you stand out from the competition.

T – The business

Two things are important here. Firstly, you need to do your research before you start. What clients do you think you can attract from day one? What geographic area can you sensibly cover? What is the local employment climate like, and who is looking for what sort of candidates, and what sort of jobs?

Secondly, the only way you’ll build a successful business is to concentrate and focus what you do best, which is of course getting in front of people to generate contracts, placements and income. And the only way you’ll be able to give the business total focus is to be free of worrying about bank loans, overdrafts, cash flow, systems and paying the bills. Which is why you need to get all that backing, branding and systems in place before you – START.

We may be in a post-recession economy, or things might be slowing down a bit. It depends on who you listen to. What is plain though is that more and more businesses are gearing up for an upturn, even if they’re exercising some caution.

Is It The Right Time?
is it the right time – recruit ventures

‘Is it the right time to start your own recruitment business?”
We may be in a post-recession economy, or things might be slowing down a bit. It depends on who you listen to. What is plain though is that more and more businesses are gearing up for an upturn, even if they’re exercising some caution.

What we’re seeing is that, in a reportedly buoyant labour market, employers are recruiting but, high quality candidates aside, they’re looking for two things.

Firstly they want expert and cost effective service and advice. Recruitment can be expensive and short route to finding people, often at short notice, is essential.

Secondly, they want a recruitment provider who knows their area and has real local knowledge.

If you’re the sort of recruitment professional who is considering starting up on your own you’ve probably never been better placed to do it. You’ll have the experience, and you’ll want to set up shop on your own patch, where you can contain costs because you live there. More importantly you’ll know the local commercial scene and have the right contacts.

The Recruit Ventures business model will give you the branding, backing and back-up systems to start your own recruitment business with a firm financial footing, and without the need to borrow from the bank or plunder your savings – if you have any!

‘We recognise the entrepreneurial spirit that characterises many recruitment professionals’ – Recruit Ventures Managing Director, David Simons
Absolutely not a franchise, but a joint venture, this is an exciting opportunity that has seen a string of successful start-ups already operating across the UK. What’s emerging in the feedback from already up and running joint venture partners who’ve launched businesses with Recruit Ventures backing is that it’s the systems and software that are vital.

‘It’s been fascinating. We know that firm financial backing, back-up and creative input with branding are the main things that start-ups need. It gives them the freedom and peace of mind to concentrate on growing their businesses. But, time and again we’re finding that it’s the back-up that comes to the fore. As a Recruit Ventures start-up you get the full package of systems that means you can handle business as soon as you open your doors’, says David Simons.

It’s the excitement of doing it for yourself, with the security of an income. There’s never been a better time, and you’re already in the right place. Talk to us.

‘Our strategy is all about pr
oviding the brand, backing and back up to give them the opportunity to do it. It’s a big leap, but with the ability to take a salary from day one, and have fully compliant operational systems running from the outset, out joint venture partners have the building blocks in place to focus on building their businesses’.

You Deliver Better When You’re – You!
Be You – Recruit Ventures

David Simons has some views on the strengths of recruitment start-ups.
‘Starting your own recruitment agency is an aspiration for many recruitment professionals’, he says. ‘Our strategy is all about providing the brand, backing and back up to give them the opportunity to do it. It’s a big leap, but with the ability to take a salary from day one, and have fully compliant operational systems running from the outset, out joint venture partners have the building blocks in place to focus on building their businesses’.

Because he’s actively involved in helping professionals to start up, David Simons has his finger on the pulse of today’s recruitment sector, and he’s very positive about the opportunities for new players.

‘HR professionals are constantly looking for good working relationships with consultants and agencies, and that’s why it’s a competitive market. We’d never disguise that. But how often, as a consultant, do you promise a constant and consistent relationship with a client, and then see it change as you’re moved to another desk or department in the latest reorganisation? You want to deliver, but you’re often frustrated. Running your own show means you can control those relationships better. Backed and supported by the Recruit Ventures package you can do what you best. And want to do most. Get in front of your clients and maintain the relationship, your way’.

The success of Recruit Ventures and the individual start-ups that it’s backed is impressive. More than a dozen agencies are now up and running with more already in the pipeline.

‘One of the main reasons our joint venture partners succeed is because they’re motivated by the opportunity to deliver the level of service they actually believe in. The fact is that it comes from the heart. Starting up on your own means that it’s you you’re selling. And that makes a big difference’.

If you’re looking to start your own recruitment business with our support, contact us now.

‘Our strategy is all about providing the brand, backing and back up to give them the opportunity to do it. It’s a big leap, but with the ability to take a salary from day one, and have fully compliant operational systems running from the outset, out joint venture partners have the building blocks in place to focus on building their businesses’.
Recruitment Consultants
– The Secret Entrepreneurs?
questions

It takes tenacity, business acumen and the ability to spot opportunities…
At its simplest, in bad times there are fewer jobs around, and in boom times companies hire. Differences in seasonality, geography and individual markets will always make the picture more complex than that, but through it all there is one constant. Rain or shine the recruitment consultants, in agencies of all sizes, are out there finding companies they can help and candidates they can place.

It takes tenacity, business acumen and the ability to spot opportunities to survive in such a demanding arena, and that’s why I believe that inside most recruitment consultants is an entrepreneur just waiting to come out.

Think about it. Working as a recruitment consultant you need to be aware of market conditions and where they fit within the overall economy. You need to know your own geographical patch inside out, having total awareness of the companies who operate there, and what drives the local economy.

Then comes the classic CV clincher of ‘self-starter’. The reality is that if you can’t ‘work on your own initiative’ you’re not going to cut it in recruitment. Constantly adding to your portfolio of clients at the same time as developing the relationships with existing ones is like running your own business anyway.

It’s hardly surprising then that after gaining four or five years’ experience many recruitment consultants want to break away and start their own agencies. They’re natural entrepreneurs; business focussed and ambitious to reap the rewards of their own endeavours.

The trick comes with how they make the transition. It’s a big step from employee to employer. The route that seems to work best is building an environment where the consultant turned entrepreneur can concentrate on what they do best. Which is bringing in the business. That means having the freedom to not worry about the money, the marketing and the micro management.

In short, lots of recruitment consultants can and do realise their inner entrepreneur. The natural ability is there. What’s needed is backing, back-up systems and a strong brand. But then every entrepreneur knows that.

If you’re working as a recruitment consultant the key things you need are fairly easy to define. You need business research and knowledge. Communication skills are essential.

Running Your Own Recruitment Business: The Essentials

recruitment essentials

The things you need to be a recruitment consultant are the same things you need to run your own recruitment business.
Think about that. If you’re working as a recruitment consultant the key things you need are fairly easy to define. You need business research and knowledge. Communication skills are essential. Knowing how to put together job descriptions and person specifications are a daily need. You’ll have good networking and ‘new business’ awareness. And you’ll know all about hitting the targets to drive the bottom line.

Of course, at the moment you’re probably applying all those skills, with considerable effort, to drive someone else’s bottom line. It’s hardly surprising then that the recruitment sector is populated by people who often leave their job to start up on their own.

If you’re thinking along those lines, or if you’re beginning to wonder if working for someone else is worth it, then take a moment to consider your own attributes. Suppose you did consider starting your own recruitment business. What would you need?

You can see where this is going. You’d need business research and knowledge. Check. Good communication skills. Check. Job description writing. Check. Networking. Check. Winning new business. Check. And of course hitting the targets. Check again.

That’s a lot of boxes ticked.

Now look over the parapet. If you could find sound financial backing, preferably from someone who understands the recruitment sector, and get operational systems in place from day one, you’d do it wouldn’t you?

If you could make sure that your branding and website were up and running, and you had the freedom to get on with growing the business, you’d do it right away wouldn’t you?

So, maybe being your own boss is more realistic than you thought.

You’ve checked a lot of boxes. Do a bit more checking – and do it.

With successful recruitment agencies opening up across the country, Recruit Ventures is proving to be a game changer within the industry.
In the above video interview, John Buckman talks about the increasingly successful Recruit Ventures business model. Explaining why he launched the brand John gives his views on starting up a recruitment consultancy, and how his company can help experienced professionals do it their way.

‘I am a joint venture myself’, he explains. ‘And having built a successful organisation, managed by a dedicated and talented team, I wanted to allow like-minded entrepreneurs the opportunity to create their own business and brand’.

This rare chance to see Buckman interviewed reveals his passion for the recruitment business and his desire to help others succeed.

‘When you start a recruitment agency of your own you need sound financial backing, a solid brand and perhaps most importantly road tested and industry standard back office systems. We provide all that, together with a level of guaranteed income. That means people can concentrate on what’s essential, and what they love doing most; gaining clients and growing their business’.

Explaining that joint venture partners are definitely running their own show, John underlines that the Recruit Ventures business model is not a franchise. ‘This is a complete support package. Many people working in recruitment have a strong entrepreneurial streak, and we offer them the chance to start up on their own without bank loans or plundering their savings’.

With successful recruitment agencies opening up across the country, Recruit Ventures is proving to be a game changer within the industry.

When you’re as involved in the recruitment sector as I am it goes with the territory to keep up to date with current thinking, research and opinions. Looking online this week I discovered more than one forum agreeing onthree key points.

Starting A Recruitment Business Needs Experience – And Funding

experience

David Simons explains some of the obstacles in setting up.

When you’re as involved in the recruitment sector as I am it goes with the territory to keep up to date with current thinking, research and opinions.

Looking online this week I discovered more than one forum agreeing on three key points.

Firstly what they said was that if you’re thinking of starting up your own recruitment business, you were probably frustrated with your current role as a recruitment consultant.

What they went on to say was that if you do ‘go it alone’ two main considerations were experience and funding.

Taking them one at a time, yes as someone considering a start-up you probably are a recruitment consultant who feels you can do better yourself. That’s good. Firstly, it means you have the drive to run your own business. Secondly, it addresses that issue of experience. You have to know the business to run a recruitment business. It would be naïve to launch yourself into any sector without market knowledge, but it’s madness to do it in recruitment. Apart from anything else you’ll need your contacts and local knowledge to be credible. So tick that box. Experience is essential – and you’ve got it.

Funding is also key to any start-up in any sector. But consider how important it is in recruitment. Chances are that a new agency you’ll want to run a service for temps. It’s a valuable service for most employment sectors. The problem comes when you have to pay temps before the client pays you. It’s a cash flow trap that’s snared many a new recruitment business, and it goes like this. Temps (understandably) want to be paid weekly, and most client companies want 30 day terms with you.

Having funding in place to smooth out the cash flow, and enhance your fledging reputation is essential. Fail to pay the temps and you’ll lose jobseekers as customers. Lose the jobseekers (who will probably damage your reputation further by complaining to the employers as well) and you have nothing to offer, so you lose the employer clients.

If you get it right, in the business plan, it will work. So, use your experience to run the business, but use your business acumen to establish robust, mid to long term funding from a proven source.

Tick that box too and you’ve got a business that will work.

Even with all the experience you’ve gained in the recruitment business, going it alone means you now have to run a business. And that’s different. From now on you’re the boss. Your future new career is ahead of you.

The half-way house of a franchise often falls short of their dreams.
Becoming a joint venture partner makes it happen.

The Pitfalls Of A Franchised Recruitment Business
freedom

The half-way house of a franchise often falls short of their dreams.
Becoming a joint venture partner makes it happen.

If you’re frustrated at working as a recruitment consultant for someone else’s business and you feel that setting up on your own with the support of a franchise could be an option, beware as this might not provide you with the control and independence that you’re looking for.

‘A lot of what I earn goes to the owners.’
‘I’m working to somebody else’s rules.’
‘I don’t control the strategy.’
…Sound familiar?

Of course it does. It sounds like what you’re doing now. As an employee. The problem is that it’s also what your working life looks like as a franchisee.

For many recruitment professionals who want to go it alone, a franchise is often a tempting option. All too often though the result is that they don’t feel any more autonomous than when they were working for someone else. It’s like being in the same space. The only difference really is that they’ve parted with a hefty start-up fee, to get there.

The Recruit Ventures business model has been designed from the outset to be the antithesis to a franchise. It’s a proven formula delivering professional help with a brand, start-up financial backing, and road tested back-up systems to get you up and running.

All of that means you’re free of financial worry and able to focus on what you do best. Bringing in the business.

Recruit Ventures is not about franchises. It’s a joint venture operation with the sole aim of helping recruitment professionals set up on their own by providing the brand, backing and back up to let them concentrate on building their business. As a joint venture partner it’s your company, with the advance capital for the start-up becoming part of a formal shareholders agreement. Joint Ventures are then supported and helped to grow their business.

Recruitment consultants are highly motivated people, with an entrepreneurial spirit. The desire to set out on their own is driven by the objective of ‘doing it their way’. The half-way house of a franchise often falls short of their dreams. Becoming a joint venture partner makes it happen.