By his own admission, Andrew McGeorge’s first attempt at starting a recruitment business was a ‘spectacular failure’.
But they say the best lessons are those learned from mistakes and when he decided once again to launch a recruitment start-up he knew exactly what pitfalls to avoid.
Andrew set up healthcare sector recruitment agency Carestaff Bureau in September 2016 with the help of The Recruit Venture Group, a business dedicated solely to helping talented recruiters start their own enterprises.
This time around, the business has been a ‘spectacular success’, delivering revenues that are meeting Andrew’s ambitious targets and seeing a second office open after just 18 months of trading.
Based in Hastings, East Sussex, and with the new office launch in Eastbourne safely under his belt, Andrew explained exactly how The Recruit Venture Group made the difference.
“My first failed business in the East Midlands cost me a lot of money. I learned quickly that I was not that good at the ‘back office’ stuff – the payroll, the HR, the accounts, the marketing, and other distractions from running your business. In the end, I just got bogged down, but it taught me that I’m a recruiter at heart – that is what I’m good at, and it was an important lesson.”
“So when the opportunity arose for me to have another go, I knew I needed help. The Recruit Venture Group took care of all of the finance I needed to start Carestaff Bureau and handled all of those administrative back office tasks that would otherwise be so costly in terms of time and money.”
“The Recruit Venture Group is all about enabling businesses to flourish and I simply would not have taken this second chance at running my own business without them.”
Andrew has 25 years’ experience in the recruitment industry, and prior to starting Carestaff Bureau he was back in salaried employment as a senior operations manager for a large recruitment firm. But when this previously family-run business was bought out he found himself routinely at loggerheads with bosses who he thought were driven more by money than care and was working 80-90 hour weeks, travelling across the country.
“I realised it was a long way from the job I wanted to be doing, and now was the time to act,” said Andrew.
“I contacted The Recruit Venture Group in 2016, and they replied to my email within two minutes. The whole process, from that first contact to the business starting, was seamless – they project managed the whole thing.”
Andrew already had a good contacts book of trusted clients and soon found he was hitting his turnover targets through his business strategy and company values and ethos.
“With Carestaff Bureau we have found a place in the market between the large corporate, rather expensive and soulless agencies and the cheaper, less reliable ones,” he said.
“We are a local business with local knowledge supplying local clients with a gold-plated service. It sounds clichéd, but it really works. We are one big happy family – people love working for us and clients love working with us.”
The other advantage for Andrew has been the impact on his home life.
Andrew said: “People say you have to put in the hours to run your own business, and you do, but now I have far greater flexibility in life.
I have three children so working locally and being able to take time out when needed for family matters is a huge advantage. That’s a huge transformation from what life used to be like.”
Paul Mizen, Recruit Venture Group Managing Director, said: “I was delighted when Andrew emailed us to say he was interested in starting his own business. He had all of the experience you could want, and a very sound and ambitious plan for expansion.”
“Once I explained how he could start his business risk free, with 100% of the financial support as well as taking care of those back office functions that had tripped him up before, he was more than happy to take the plunge.”
“What Andrew and his team have done in the healthcare staff recruitment sector in just 18 months is remarkable, and the plans for growth – four to six offices within five years – are well on course.”
“Carestaff Bureau is a perfect example of what people can achieve in business if they are liberated to focus on what they do best. The 42 other successful businesses we support are also testament to this fact.”
If are thinking of launching your own recruitment business then partnering with The Recruit Venture Group will put you at an unrivalled advantage.