We recently produced a white paper that explores the transition senior professionals make between the corporate and disruptive world and it reminded me of the time Nick and I launched Stanton House.
At the start of 2010 I was employed as the Managing Director of a globally recognised recruitment consultancy and at a stage in my career where I needed change. I pondered two ideas, the first would be to explore roles within other recruitment companies, the other was to create a start-up - a blank sheet of paper to bring to bear everything I had ever learned.
It was no contest. All of the feelings of excitement were to be found in the prospect of setting up my own company and so I took the plunge. I found a business partner first, funding second and suddenly the idea became a reality.
But, what unexpectedly hit us was the people challenges we would now face without the long-standing history of a well-known and well-respected company behind us.
We had a high bar and needed people to match this standard who would be prepared to risk everything to join our start-up in the middle of a downturn. Clearly this just wasn’t compelling for most people, and who could blame them?
While enthusiasm and passion are vital attributes of any entrepreneur, you need great people to make any plan a reality and when Nick and I were creating our own internal recruitment strategy, it dawned on us that we had nothing much other than a great idea. No clients, no candidates and no employees.
We had to think differently and provide not just a different commercial proposition to our clients but a completely fresh way of working for the consultants that would join us. We really had to change the way we approached recruitment and it is something that all start-ups need to contend with.
Over the first few years we were fortunate to attract people to Stanton House who were not just committed to our vision and strategy, but also understood how hard it was going to be to establish ourselves in our chosen markets, and were prepared to dig deep to make it happen. In turn we looked after them, gave them first class training and support, and a healthy vibrant environment to help shape and enjoy.
Established professionals may seek thrill and adventure in a new company, but they also need a safety net and your investment in them as the people who will take your business to the next level.
To request a copy of our white paper please follow the link below and join the conversation – how do start-ups attract talent?
