Future Proof
Entrepreneurship
in action
Partnering between entrepreneurial organisations of
different sizes can provide benefits for both parties.
Alan Bourne
Olivier Vidal
Founder, Sova Assessment Founder, Fair Hiring Company
Relationships between established entrepreneurial
companies and innovative smaller players can be very
effective, but it’s often difficult for companies to find
the right fit; sometimes the larger player will be too
regimented about how they want to operate and that
doesn’t necessarily work for the smaller partner.
Alexander Mann Solutions is comfortable working in
an ecosystem with entrepreneurial providers that add
value for clients. In our partnership, there is mutual
understanding and willingness to adapt and work
together, rather than have set positions from the start.
Alexander Mann Solutions needs to take
their RPO partners on an ongoing journey of
development. There’s recognition of the need
to work with partners with an entrepreneurial
drive and space in a particular area, such as Sova
Assessment, which specialises in psychometric
assessment. Alexander Mann Solutions is able to
collaborate with partners doing interesting things,
without feeling the need to own the process.
Having a symbiotic, two-way relationship has
been key to making the partnerships a success. Small steps by big firms can stop good, fresh ideas from
foundering in the early days. Established organisations
can give new entrepreneurs credibility, a support
network and solid data on what the market wants.
Alexander Mann Solutions is effectively ‘incubating’
the Fair Hiring Project by providing expertise,
feedback and access to clients. Our recruitment
and coaching company helps businesses attract and
retain a broader range of talent by empowering every
candidate to engage, perform and overcome barriers.
Our candidate education platform looks at
fundamental skills, such as ‘telling your story’ and
‘communicating how you lead’. The vision is to
democratise knowledge, so that candidates and
corporates communicate properly across all sectors,
seniorities and geographies. When I approached
Alexander Mann Solutions, they had already decided
to work with product providers to enhance their
offering to clients. Innovation flows both ways: they
have a wealth of data, marketing and client knowledge,
while I’ve developed expertise in looking at talent and
inclusion challenges in an almost political way.
The partnership has accelerated our growth
and added sophistication. For Alexander Mann
Solutions, it’s a chance to offer their clients exclusive
innovation that complements their core services.
For me, it’s a confidence boost and source of stability
to handle the financial or psychological battles of
founding a business.
[email protected]
“Having a symbiotic, two-way
relationship has been the key to making
the partnership a success”
[email protected]
Issue 1 - 2017
51