Max Jones’ Post

How do you balance being a "hunter" & a "farmer" in your recruitment startup? 😶 That's the topic of discussion in this week's mailer which has just arrived in the inboxes of our client base 📨 We often talk about the multiple hats that recruitment agency business owners must wear when running & developing their agencies - this is no more evident than in the day-to-day recruitment within your startup. Yes new business is important, yes you need to continually be on the hunt for the next client to add to your agency but not at the expense of the clients you're already lucky enough to be working with. This weeks mailer really focuses on effective client management. Some good insights in there from the Isotope team - well done everyone 👏🏻 #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

Here's one of the most underrated hacks when it comes to running your own recruitment agency ⬇️ & I know it might sound obvious. In some ways it is. & that's about the importance of having a clear & separate space to work on the business. It could be: A spare room in the house ✔️ A garden office ✔️ A co-working space ✔️ A full-fledged office for ABC Recruitment from Day 1 ✔️ Whatever "that space" might look like, having a separate space between work & life really does pay dividends in those first few months of trading. To directly quote one of our clients just the morning when I was having a chat with her about this very topic: "Looking forward to getting back into the office today, it makes SUCH a difference" Couldn't agree more 💯 #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

We work with a number of agencies that constantly hire into their startup agencies. Some hires come out trumps 💯 Others, less so ☠️ & that's because hiring into your recruitment startup is a really tough thing to perfect. Here are three things that, in my eyes, you ought to keep in the forefront of your mind when thinking about effectively hiring into your agency ⬇️ #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

Safe to say you've got more chance of surviving a real-world "Kill Bill" than you have trying to make any concrete plans as a recruitment agency following the Employment Rights Bill ⚔️ At this stage, I reckon you've got a better chance of fending for your life against Uma Thurman armed with a wet fish than understanding the real impact the latest Bill might have on your start-up agency 🐠 Why? Because we really don't know enough about the real-world impacts of the proposed Bill just yet. But that's not to say it's not incredibly important to understand what the impacts of the latest Bill might be over the next 12-18 months for you & your agency 💯 Which is why the latest mailer that went out to our client base yesterday outlining everything you need to know at this stage, was so important. Safe to say we've had A LOT of conversations over the last 24 hours about the impact that this may/may not have on agencies across the industry. Some positive conversations, some not so much. But important nonetheless 👏🏻 I suppose now.. we wait. Unless your name is Bill. If so, Uma is coming for you. #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

Wendover Woods. How it started vs how it ended 😂 Anyone in & around Bucks will agree, it's a lovely place to go. We hadn't been for a few months so took some time over the weekend to head over there. It's got a great little Augmented Reality Gruffalo trail as well for the kids as well 😎 You know, the type that keeps them engaged while you try & tire them out on a walk through the woods. Safe to say the little man had other ideas 😴 Wanting to be carried from the moment (& I mean moment) we started what ended up being a 5k walk uphill with a dead weight strapped to my left shoulder. Wouldn't have changed it though, he's such a little cutie. Plus the wife & I had a great time, scanning the various Gruffelo of Wendover 🐻 Next time it might serve us (or rather, my shoulder) to bring the pram though. #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

If I could encapsulate one of the feelings that I would want every agency we work with to feel... ... it would this ⬇️ 💯% We all know where the skillsets of the clients we're lucky enough to work with lie & we all know that the more time they can spend doing the things that they're great at, the more chance that agency has of succeeding. &, if we just look at that way is which Isotope are fortunate enough to earn their revenue, we'd have to be idiots not to try & get this as streamlined as possible for each & every single client 📈 Super pleased with the 5 star review that Olek Wyrodek, Director of Nexo Education, left us over the weekend. Really appreciate it mate & safe to say it's a pleasure working with - an absolute pleasure 👏🏻 #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

So it was a funny old Bill wasn't it? Kind of all smoke no fire at this stage, with the majority of the legislation not coming into force until 2026 🧓🏻 We're sending some information out to our client base today about the impact of the Employment Bill on recruitment agencies, but here are some of key takeaways from last week ⬇️ Unfair dismissal rights from Day 1 👋🏻 While still being subject to the probationary period, there will no longer by the two-year qualifying period for an employee before they can bring an Unfair Dismissal Claim to you as an employer. Interested to see how this one plays out I must say. Paternity Leave rights from Day 1 👨🏻🍼 Interesting development on the pat' leave front which now stipualtes that employees will no longer require 26-weeks of employment with ABC Recruitment before becoming eligible for Pat' Leave. Parental Bereavement Leave rights from Day 1 💌 Same stipulations as above here regarding employees no longer requiring 26-weeks of employment before being eligible for these rights. SSP rights from Day 1 🤒 No more waiting until Day 4 of Sick Leave, with Day 1 rights coming in regarding sickness absence. Zero Hour contracts ❌ A big talking point with our clients over the last few months that's for sure. Confirmation that Zero hour contracts will come to an end, with staff being entitled to guaranteed hour contracts, reasonable notice of shift patterns & any changes that might occur. Lots more to unpack of course but here were some of the key takeaways. A long time between "now" & whenever the above make it through Parliament but, as ever, some interesting talking points for agencies of all sizes across all sectors. Lots to digest that's for sure! #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

Clients that pay on the invoice due date. 👏🏻 Clients that pay before the invoice due date. 👏🏻👏🏻 Clients that pay on the day you raise the invoice & email you to confirm payment has been made. See gif ⬇️ #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

So it's been it's a good week here at Isotope HQ. But that's not to say it hasn't been tough. Like most weeks 😅 Don't get me wrong, we've had some fantastic bits "go on" this week so far Client progress has been really exciting ⬇️ We've had some clients sending out their first invoices since opening their doors this week, others have been recording record perm' fees (one just nailed a 26k placement in a business where, usually, the placements are about 50% of that!) & another one of our clients just moved into their first small little serviced office since opening their doors in May (S/O to you - you know who you are 🙌🏻). Internal successes have been a theme of the week as well ⬇️ Salary increases coupled with team expansion plans & reviewing the contracts for our second office - has meant this has been quite a "big" week in some ways which is always exciting. We also firmed up another Client extension with a client we've been working with since 2020, so there's so much to be pleased about. Oh & we're also sitting down & reviewing the brand new Isotope website which has been in production for the last few months now (more of that to come in the next few weeks for sure 💯) But it's also been pretty tough. & it would be easy to stop the post there but you & I both know that that wouldn't be a true reflection on a typical week for anybody, ever!... 😅 We're nearing the end of a long legal battle on behalf of one of our clients this week - their end client owes them a heafty fee & we've been seeking to recover this now for the last few months. This week was the deadline to submit evidence that will be used in the court hearing over the coming months so that's been stressful to say the least. We've also had to have a tricky conversation with a current client whose cash flow position is causing some issues for them & their business when it comes to "the taxman". It rarely happens but when a client gets in arrears with their tax obligations it's a tricky conversation to have. It's solvable for them don't get me wrong (it'll just be a few tighter months) but not an easy conversation to manage. We've also had to rearrange a final meeting with a super duper recruiter who was due to meet with us this week because of a few issues that have cropped up which is always a shame (as we're all so keen to meet after months of talking over the phone!) So yes, a great week here so far that's for sure. But not without it's challenges. A normal week then, no? #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

Want to know a consistent challenge that's felt by a number of our clients when they're running their own agencies? I'll tell you ⬇️ Getting the balance of servicing their current client base, all while keeping the plates of business development spinning. Both are the lifelines of startup success & yet there's always a slight element of business guilt if, as a business owner, you're spending too much time on one element & not the other. I'm sure we've all felt that from time to time? This week's mailer serves to address that challenge for our client base. It's arriving in the inboxes of our client base this afternoon & I think it'll help address some of the challenges so many of them face. Top work to the team for producing this 👏🏻 #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptip