Mini-series Ep 6 How to: start recruiting with Will Davies, Co-Founder of HBP Partners

07/13/21 • 20 min

A lot of people in previous episodes have talked about how bringing talent into their businesses has been a game-changer, not only for revenue but for morale as well.

In this mini-series I wanted to cover more practical advice, the ‘I don’t know what I don’t know’. In this episode, we hear from Will Davies, co-founder of HBD Partners as he not only works in recruitment but has also brought people into his business on PAYE. Will offers practical advice on how to tackle this very important area of starting a company.

Advice:

Before employing anyone make sure you have budgeted for at least six months of their salary
The advantage of employing a contractor is more flexibility - but the downside is they may have other jobs at the same time, so will be less focused on your business
Full-time employees involve more paperwork for the employer however are more cost-efficient
Take time to find the right person. A good first step is to write your company’s handbook, write a contract, identify exactly your company’s ethos and what sort of person will be a good fit.
An employee handbook, together with a contract and an offer letter, will help the employee with their expectations so they can start work with confidence and clarity
When interviewing, do not to be swayed by personality; if you need experience, then that is what to look for
An employer must be sure the candidate has eligibility to work in the UK; they must either have a British passport, or a working visa, or settled status. Go to the government website for advice on this
Check their notice period in their current job and consider whether you can wait
Check whether or not they currently have a hands-off clause which could hamper them when working for you
Check their references. You are entitled to ask the previous employer a few character questions, although they are not obliged to answer them
You will need to build a HR file, containing their signed contract, GDPR statement and bank details Make sure before the candidate starts that you have the necessary equipment so they can start right away
You will need to budget for National Insurance and pension contributions (as well as a possible one-off recruitment fee)
You may want to consider Employment Liability Insurance, and Professional Indemnity Insurance
If your employee is going to work from home make their targets clear
Endeavour to have a good relationship with your employees, take time to get to know them

You can reach Will via [email protected]

Head over to Speakpipe to leave your voice note for future guests too.
LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.
Google Workspace is brilliant for small businesses
Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory
Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.
For contracts check out Law Depot.

Edited by Renale Mathurin. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2021 founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason. MUSIC

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

A lot of people in previous episodes have talked about how bringing talent into their businesses has been a game-changer, not only for revenue but for morale as well.

Advice:

Before employing anyone make sure you have budgeted for at least six months of their salary
The advantage of employing a contractor is more flexibility - but the downside is they may have other jobs at the same time, so will be less focused on your business
Full-time employees involve more paperwork for the employer however are more cost-efficient
Take time to find the right person. A good first step is to write your company’s handbook, write a contract, identify exactly your company’s ethos and what sort of person will be a good fit.
An employee handbook, together with a contract and an offer letter, will help the employee with their expectations so they can start work with confidence and clarity
When interviewing, do not to be swayed by personality; if you need experience, then that is what to look for
An employer must be sure the candidate has eligibility to work in the UK; they must either have a British passport, or a working visa, or settled status. Go to the government website for advice on this
Check their notice period in their current job and consider whether you can wait
Check whether or not they currently have a hands-off clause which could hamper them when working for you
Check their references. You are entitled to ask the previous employer a few character questions, although they are not obliged to answer them
You will need to build a HR file, containing their signed contract, GDPR statement and bank details Make sure before the candidate starts that you have the necessary equipment so they can start right away
You will need to budget for National Insurance and pension contributions (as well as a possible one-off recruitment fee)
You may want to consider Employment Liability Insurance, and Professional Indemnity Insurance
If your employee is going to work from home make their targets clear
Endeavour to have a good relationship with your employees, take time to get to know them

You can reach Will via [email protected]

Edited by Renale Mathurin. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2021 founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason. MUSIC

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

Previous Episode

Mini-series Ep 5 How to: understand & embrace public relations with Katya Zemtsova, Founder of Elephant Production Management

When a founder is starting a business, they know that at some point they're going to have to tell other people what they’re doing and why, in order to reach their prospective clients and customers. Word of mouth is key. However, to reach further afield, marketing and communications will strengthen the launch, brand building and SEO. As part of the marketing mix, I find that PR is often considered but rarely embraced to its full potential - and often left to the last minute when it is too late.

I started Fallow, Field & Mason in order to combat the wariness that founders have of PR, coach them to own the function in-house and help them to understand what value it can bring to their search result rankings. As this mini-series is a more practical ‘how to’ it felt like the right place to speak about my day job, so I invited a fellow PR professional to discuss the topic.

In this episode I chat to Katya Zemtsova who runs her own marketing, media relations and project management company, Elephant, who set up and develop businesses in Russia, the CIS and the UK. She shares insights on why storytelling is so important and how it can support SEO, as well as common mistakes and misunderstandings business owners are guilty of when it comes to PR.
Katya’s advice:

PR, or public relations, already exists in all of your communications, it is simply spreading public awareness, so your word of mouth is also considered as PR
Words matter, they feed search engines (SEO)
Securing editorial content can not only build brand awareness but feed your search rankings
When starting out, use a professional copywriter to deliver high quality text as the written word is key
Remember to take into account lead times for the press, and think ahead with a three month lead time as a minimum
Public Relations is the means to secure editorial (not advertising!) in publications, however it is also speaker opportunities, awards, newsletters etc. too
Founders are always the best storytellers where their own brand is concerned so it is best to embrace this and conquer your fear of speaking to the press
Ensure you know how best to approach the press, when and with the right messaging
Be strategic in your approach with the media, make sure the publications are of high quality so when you’re searched, you’re affiliated with the right environment for your business
Be patient; it takes time to build relationships plus the press need time to research, write and pitch to their editors too

You can reach Katya via [email protected]

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2021 founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

Next Episode

How to start with B corporation in mind with Audrey Migot-Adholla, Founder of Yala Jewellery

In this episode, we hear from Kenyan-born, Bristol-based Audrey Migot-Adholla who founded jewellery brand Yala Jewellery in 2017. Named after the village in Kenya where her grandmother lived, the brand focuses on creating as little impact on the planet as possible.

I wanted to speak to Audrey about why the mission behind her brand is so important to her plus ask for advice on what new founders should consider when planning to do the right thing by the planet when starting a company with a view to becoming B Corporation Certified in the future.

Audrey's advice:

Think hard before turning a hobby into a business - it’s a big step
Don’t underestimate how hard it is; expect to take some time before showing a profit
Research your industry thoroughly; you will need to find the sweet spot between being true to your vision and producing a product people will want to buy
When you set up, go to B Corp for guidance on sustainability in every area of your business; you will have to keep records and it will be exacting but they will help you. Better to start by trying to match their high standards than try to retrofit your company’s systems later.
With B Corp, you will have to recertify every three years
Also helpful with ideas on sustainability are Oxfam, the Ethical Trading Initiative and Progress out of Poverty
If you are employing artisans to make your product, trust them to quote a fair price and be prepared to pay deposits in advance to help them source materials
Get to know them as individuals, foster trust
Invest in an accountant at the start, even if you think you can’t afford one
Later, when you can afford to, start to delegate because you can’t do everything yourself

You can reach Audrey via [email protected]

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2021 founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason. Edited by Renale Mathurin. MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod. Link & Licence

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show