Last year experienced recruitment specialists Heather Croft and Vanessa Slater undertook the biggest challenge of their career when they completed a Management Buy Out of their employer’s business, KES Solutions UK.
Here they tell EDB editor Leanne Fawcett why the move came at the right time for them, stepping out of their comfort zones and their plans to grow the business…
With a combined 30 years’ experience working as recruitment consultants and managers, there isn’t much businesswomen Heather Croft and Vanessa Slater don’t know about their industry.
So, when the opportunity to buy out their boss Kelly Swann was presented to them last year, they knew it was too good an opportunity to miss.
Everything felt right.
And sitting down in their Houghton-le-Spring offices to chat to them, it’s evident that their knowledge and expertise is backed up by passion. They clearly love what they do and that comes across from the outset.
Heather, from Peterlee, said: “When Kelly told us that she was keen to sell the business so she could pursue new challenges, and asked whether we would be interested in undertaking a management buy out, we were both so excited.
“We knew the business inside and out, having each worked here for a number of years, and as recruitment consultants we were very experienced.
“Kelly knew she was handing the business over to safe hands, to people who loved it as much as she did. And that was proven by the reaction of the staff, who cheered and had happy tears when they were told we were buying the business.
“But of course, the hard work then started — not only to complete the management buy out but also to get our heads round running a business rather than working for it. We definitely were stepping out of our comfort zone.”
With different areas of expertise within the industry, Vanessa historically focused on the placement of temporary staff while Heather looked after permanent recruitment. Their skillset complemented the move perfectly.
And given the business was in a good place, firmly established as a specialist provider of personnel to industries including automotive, chemicals and petrochemicals, warehousing and logistics, and manufacturing and engineering, with a turnover of £3.7m, the businesswomen knew they were steering a steady ship.
Vanessa said: “When Heather and I sat down with Kelly last year to discuss her plans, we were so excited and a bit nervous too as it was a big step for us.
“We both loved working for the business anyway. It was such a nice team, and our clients really value us.
“So, in that sense it was a no-brainer really.
“It was the right time for us, the right time for Kelly to step away and the right thing for the team.
“The biggest challenge we faced was getting our heads round the things that come with running a business, for example the finances, the management and the business development.
“But we work so well together and over the past few months we’ve really started to understand everything and are feeling very positive about what the future holds for KES Solutions UK.”
Vanessa, from South Shields, and Heather are both keen to point out that the approach they take puts the candidates and the companies they work with first.
Heather added: “We think of ourselves as an extension of our client’s team and pride ourselves on understanding their business inside out. It’s what ensures we find them the candidates that are right for them, not right for us.
“Honesty and integrity are so important. We won’t rush through an appointment if it’s not going to work for them long term, and our clients really appreciate that.”
Vanessa said: “It’s not a square peg, round hole approach.
“We want every appointment to be right for the client. They are trusting us to know what it is they’re looking for when sometimes they don’t necessarily know that themselves.”
Now seven months down the line since the management buy out was completed, how are they finding things now they’re at the helm?
“I think we’ve now formed a firm plan as to what we’d like to achieve,” said Heather.
“Our approach is to make subtle changes and target organic growth. The business is well established and we’re very good at what we do so we don’t need to try and fix something that isn’t broken. It’s simply about doing what we do but better if we can.”
Vanessa added: “We recently undertook our first recruitment for the business, taking on Shannon O’Brien as a recruitment resource to support the team. That was exciting for us, as it’s probably the first big step we’ve taken as directors.
“We’re both ambitious and want to help the business to grow, but in the right way — not too fast, too soon. It has to be right so that we can deliver what we promise and every client always feels as valued and important as the next.”