#NEENTREPRENEURS
THE BIG QUESTION What were the initial hurdles to building your business and how did you overcome them?
Samantha Vassallo, Horizon Works
Paul Card, Paul Card Recruitment
Going from just operating by myself to recruiting and building a team was daunting. But from the start, I had a clear vision of where I wanted the business to be, what I wanted to achieve and the values, ethos and culture I wanted Horizon Works to embrace. Because all of that was in place, I was able to recruit the right staff - people who I knew would buy into that vision.
Ensuring we had robust terms in place to protect our business and help us grow. We joined our industry’s leading professional body, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), who provide regularly updated model contracts for all areas of permanent, interim and temporary recruitment, which we can then adapt to suit our business. This was, and remains, a great investment. I still shudder when I recall the 4.30am finish that it took to get everything in place!
Laura Weaving, DUO Global Consulting
Ean Parsons, Parsons Containers
Kimberley Cattin, WestBarn Co
David Porter, Surge Marketing Solutions
I think the biggest challenge, and to some extent still is, is that our business model challenges a lot of the traditional HR, recruitment & business consultancy models. As an example, one of our first service offerings was helping our clients build an in-house recruitment strategy. This requires companies to be more proactive and to really think ahead to predict future recruitment needs for it to work. This change requires a different level of thinking.
In the early stages, raising finance for business without a track record which we overcame by knocking on lots of doors and not taking no for an answer. When we started to expand the business there were internal obstacles to growth, one of which was raising finance again which we achieved through determination and keeping our sights set on the long-term goal. Finding the right talent has been time-consuming but it is an ongoing challenge we are keen to get right.
One of the biggest hurdles we experienced was being underestimated. We were continually told that the competition in the beauty industry was too fierce. Having faith and belief in our brand and unwavering determination has allowed us to break through that barrier. Having an unshakable support network of family and friends was also key to our success.
I started the business in 2011 from home with nothing more than a phone, a PC and a vision of growing a business. The biggest hurdle was being a one man army and having to be everything myself with no experience in running a business. I made a lot of mistakes but the key to success is not to dwell on the past, learn from your mistakes and they will make you stronger.
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