Not Working? .. Get Networking

My Advice to Start-Ups

If you haven’t been networking yet as a new enterprise you are doing yourself and your business a disservice. Admittedly it might seem a bit daunting and you might feel like a naive new kid on the block but I urge you to make every effort to find and attend a meeting near you.

I guarantee that the group you go to will be friendly and make you welcome. Many groups are free or £10 or less, so don’t let being skint be your excuse not to go. Some meetings are better than others but I’m yet to find a group where I left feeling like I had completely wasted my time.

Allow yourself to be supported

Don’t be afraid to admit it if you are struggling or have a particular problem either. I’ve encountered more than a few hiccups with We Want 2 Work but through networking I have met some fantastic people who have given me their time and expertise free or at a really low cost. I may be a sole trader but I am lucky enough to have a massive support group around me now. I know that if I need help, or even just an ear to chew, I can pick up the phone to any one of a number of people and they will hear me out and advise, sympathise or both.

Where to look 

If you are stuck for where to find a group near you check out the FSB website, you don’t have to be a member to go to their local meetings, although you might want to consider joining as they have some great member benefits on offer. Another place to try would be your local council; most, if not all, have a Business & Enterprise manager who I’m sure will know what’s going on in your area.

You could also try your local college and YMCA, many have Business Hub’s with really good facilities and resources. A call to Business Link would also help, they have loads of information on what events and groups are operating across the whole of the UK.

People Will want to help you

If I’ve not convinced you yet perhaps this list of the help that I have had so far will sway you:

  1. Help with Branding

  2. Help with PR
   3. Help with IT issues

  4. Help with Hosting my website

  5. Sales advice

  6. Marketing advice

  7. SEO

  8. Sales copy

  9. Coaching 

  and finally ...

 10. Some really cute balloon men to use as promotional items

Go on get out there and meet your new business family, they are waiting to meet you!

Links:

FSB

YMCA

Business Link

Why Everyone Should Have A Telephone Voice.

As a youngster I used to roll on the floor in hysterics when my Mum answered the telephone, her usual London accent with replaced with what I used to call her 'Pathe News' voice. H's made an apperance in her pronounciation and R's used to roll on forever, her usual 'Ello' became 'Hellow' and 'Darlin' never got a look in.

When I asked her why she spoke like that when she answered the phone she said it was because she didn't know who was calling. This was of course in the days before Caller Display or mobile phones so there was no way to know who was ringing. If it was anyone other than a friend or family she adopted her telephone voice not only so she sounded slightly posh but also so that she was properly understood.

I got to thinking about Mum and her Hyacynth Bucket voice recently while making calls to job applicants, I was amazed at how many people answered the phone with 'Alright' 'Ello' and 'Who's that?', considering I'm currently looking for Telesales staff I felt right from the get go that I was NOT speaking to a new member of our team. Mum was right (again)it is important how you sound on the phone, especially if you are unsure who is calling.

Next time your phone rings and you are not sure who is calling try to remember that you've sent off 101 CV's and that it may be a prospective employer calling to discuss your CV.

Starting at the Beginning

I thought I would start my blogging career by explaining a little about why We Want 2 Work was born. If you are an SME or a Job Seeker I think many of you may be able to relate to some of what I have to say about the recruitment process and how agonising it can be from both sides

I have been running a garden design and maintenance business for over 12 years, at one point I had 3 trucks on the road and employed 9 guys, it was an absolute bloody nightmare! Don’t get me wrong I had some great people working for me but it was a total headache, covering planned holidays was bad enough, let alone sick days!


It sometimes seemed as if not a week went past where I had some manpower crisis or other. 

I tried Job Centre Plus, who although lovely people, were practically useless. I’m sure they do their best but surely it’s a no brainer that you don’t send a guy just out of hospital after a stomach operation for a gardening job? It wasted his time and resources coming to the interview and wasted my time when I could have been interviewing a more suitable candidate.


I went on to try Recruitment Agencies. Now before I bring the whole industry down on me like a ton of bricks I want to make it clear that I am going to speak of my personal experiences and am in no way casting aspersions on Recruitment Agencies as a whole. However my experience was not great at all. First thing was the cost, on the few occasions I had no choice but to use agency staff it wiped out any profit I hoped to make on the job. Secondly once again I felt I was badly let down by the quality of staff they sent me.

I was left with the overall feeling that as I was unlikely to earn them thousands of pounds in commission each year, that they had little to no interest in my business. I stopped using them when they sent me a lad who stood and quoted me the Health and Safety guide book when he scratched his finger on a Rose thorn. He demanded antibacterial wash, antiseptic cream and a plaster, so I sent him home with the offending digit wrapped in a Kleenex!

It seemed that both main recruitment methods were lacking, probably by no fault of their own. The problem is no one understands what your business needs as well as you do. All businesses are as unique in what they need from their staff as fingerprints. Putting a middleman in between me and the staff I required just didn’t work for me.

I looked for a website where I could search Job Seekers and contact them directly, without any fuss or ridiculous charges


I never found one that came close to what I needed. I spoke to other SME’s at various networking events and found many were in the same boat. They needed to find new employee's quickly with the minimum of fuss and at a reasonable cost.

I chatted with Job Seekers who told me some horror stories from their point of view, the constantly having to chase them up, again their lack of understanding what a job entails or qualifications held, and finally the worst offence of posting ‘Ghost’ jobs to entice new candidates, all left them feeling pretty deflated.

It was obvious that the situation needed to change or at least be challenged with an alternative, after a year of nipping and tucking and squeezing and prodding; We Want 2 Work was born.


Take a look and tell me if I've got it right www.wewant2work.co.uk