There is a lot of press at present about supporting small businesses. There is currently a #MyHiddenGems initiative, and, guess what? We are one of those! With my surname, we are very literally a ‘Small’ business!
We have recently grown in size with the addition of Chloe to our team and are now up to the dizzy heights of having four staff. Prior to Chloe joining the team, Naomi, Stuart and myself have battled through the toughest year of everyone’s lives and now feel that we are coming out of the other side of this pandemic. We can only hope we are right and that you are all feeling the same.
I had a really nice chat earlier with a client who asked how are we getting on and what has it been like for us as a small business. So, what is it like being a small business?
I think the first point is that everything is personal. The worst thing for you to hear from anyone when you are doing your best to run a small business, is ‘it’s nothing personal’. It absolutely, 100% is personal. It’s a bit like hearing ‘it’s only a game’ when your team has just lost in sport!
The second point is that you do find yourself being accountable for other people’s livelihoods and well being and having to put them before yourself and your own families interests. Tough to take sometimes but it is the only way to work things.
The third point is that weekends, evenings and holidays are a thing of the past. You cannot switch on at 9am and switch off at 5pm, close the lap top and stroll off into the sunset without a care in the world. Your business is on your mind 24/7 and more often than not results in the middle of the night wake up after realising that you have forgotten to do something.
All of the above is relevant for all small businesses in any sector. In recruitment we do have our own additional frustrations as all industries and these become magnified further in a pandemic. In all that we do, we are trying to help people achieve their goals. Whether that goal is to secure a new role for an individual or for a client to find the next addition to their team, we put in the same amount of work and effort to achieve the best result for our clients.
Our mantra has always been to listen, consult, act and deliver. This will remain the same, and while we do not claim to be perfect, we always give it a good go!
In summary, being a small business is tough. It always has been and always will be – pandemic or no pandemic.
But…. guess what, we love it! For every down there is an up, for every high there is a low but I would not change it for anything. We love what we do and we love our market place. Get in touch with us to find out how we can help you or your business.
