Case Study - Britt Recruitment
In conversation with Peter Everett
My name is Peter Everett, and I'm the Managing Director of Britt Recruitment. Prior to forming Britt Recruitment, I was a specialist headhunter to the building industry for 7 years.
Inspiration
Britt Recruitment are a specialist building developer and main contracting headhunting company. The idea actually arose from my previous employment where I was a headhunter for 5 years, and I wished to evolve that process. I wasn't able to do that through my previous employer, so I decided to start my own company and develop that idea.
My main motivation for going into business was to provide a better service. I have a history of high performance and I've actually got a Civil Engineering degree prior to going into recruitment, which is quite unusual, and I just felt that recruitment could be delivered at a higher level. I didn't have a plan, it just developed and I took the plunge.
The journey
I started Britt Recruitment by myself at the end of 2015 in my living room that I was renting with my brother, and it has been an upward trajectory from there. There was only one way it could go, which was up. The journey has its ups and its downs. When you're working for yourself, it's definitely developmental. You need to be resilient and I've learnt a lot, I've really enjoyed it, continue to enjoy it and I've grown a lot.
The growth curve
The growth curve my company has gone through since start up has been steady. I've achieved the growth through continued hard work, and being available constantly. Clients respond well to that, and I think that has enabled me to continue to grow the company, and that is something I will continue to do, to always be available. It can be a challenge, because it's demanding, but if you can rise to that challenge, then you will see good results.
Challenges
I don't think there's one particularly large challenge, I think it's challenging having to work for yourself. I think it's very different, but I think you need to meet those challenges and I think you are constantly being challenged, but if you enjoy that, which I do, and I think you can learn to enjoy it as well, I think it can be a process that you look forward to. So, there are a lot of challenges, I wouldn't say there's one biggest one. But if you look at those challenges in the right way it can be a positive thing.
Highlights
I'm proud that companies want to use Britt Recruitment, I think that was something that was potentially concerning at the beginning; that companies would want to come back, and they do come back. I'm extremely proud to say that some of our clients are some of the biggest building developers in the UK and in Europe, and that makes me proud and it surprises me.
But I think I'm past the 'being surprised' stage now, and I'm just happy with that and proud of that. The best thing about my job is being able to deliver for the clients. That is the best thing about the job, and that is the most rewarding thing about the job. Recruitment is hard and headhunting is hard, but to actually satisfy the customer is very rewarding. The more I do it, the more it makes me happy.
The future
The future of Britt Recruitment is evolvement. It's been an evolvement over 7 and a half years, and it will continue to evolve, I've evolved with our clients and I would foresee that would continue to happen and I predict a lot of growth for us. Over 7 years, our service has continually improved, and when I compare our lean service, our efficient service to our competitors, I do think we are the best at what we do, so I think it is only inevitable that we continue to grow. So, I predict growth for us and I predict good things.
Advice
I would recommend to anybody starting a company to do the research first and act after.
Using 1st Formations
I chose 1st Formations after first conducting some research. I had to establish which legal route, which legal identity, to give to Britt Recruitment – what best suited Britt Recruitment - and also what best suited me. Once I had established that, what legal route to go down, whether it be a limited liability partnership or a limited company, I then had to decide whether to form the company myself or use a formation company.
After some more research, it seemed there were legal steps you needed to follow, and I think at that stage, it came back to what I was doing at that time. I was a novice, and 1st Formations and formations companies have experience of taking you through the correct process, so on consideration I decided to go with a formation company.
The reason I chose 1st Formations was because I thought it had a professional feeling, and also my confidant, the person I took advice from, actually recommended 1st Formations to me. And also, 1st Formations was really reasonable, and also have a London address. All things considered, I felt confident enough to move forward with 1st Formations, so I did, and 1st Formations were very quick and very efficient. I wanted to move quickly at that stage, and I can't remember exactly, and I'm pretty sure it was within a couple of days I had the paperwork from Companies House, and I was a business owner at that point. It was incredible, I couldn't actually believe it, and 1st Formations helped me to do that.
Our company formation process
I found it an easy process to form the company, once I started to speak to 1st Formations, and once I had done the research. 1st Formations were great, I would recommend them to anybody, and I have recommended to companies and friends in the past.
I think it's quite daunting when you go to start a company, and I think you feel you could easily do it wrong, and 1st Formations helped to give me that confidence, and I think they would help to give you that confidence when you are going to start a company. It's easier than what you think, but perhaps 1st Formations made it look easy.
1st Formations today
I use 1st Formations today for a Service Address and a Registered Office Address and I have done for 7 years. It suits my company, we have offices and we have addresses, but it suits my company. You have got a professional postcode and also the continuity of using this postcode and address for 7 years. One of the reasons I continue to use 1st Formations is the customer service I have received and continue to receive.
You are very consistent, and for a company, whether you are a startup or an established company, you need reliable partners and 1st Formations have been very reliable. And also, you have a UK team, which isn't as widespread as you might think, and it does make things a little easier and you do need to deal with issues. You have been very professional, and I do recommend 1st Formations highly, and it is one of the reasons I continue to use 1st Formations.
