BUSINESS ADVICE
by Ellis Bardsley , Action Coach
Business vs Busy-Ness ...
Are you a busy fool ?
Find yourself running your business on a 30-day cycle with meeting your financial obligations as the number 1 objective ? Then there ’ s a good chance you are in fact doing ‘ busyness ’ not business ! Often the brilliantly capable technician that starts up a business is likely to , in reality build a busy-ness that looks like this .
They are reliant on the owner to be the driving force , strategist , tactician , planner , book keeper , marketeer , sales person , administrator , HR expert , tax specialist etc etc .
The answer is to become a master of business . Design your business to work progressively , over time without you . Start with the following 5 steps : 1 . Define where you are going , when and how ! Set a destination . Be clear what it looks like when it ’ s finished ? When will you exit / sell , hand it over to the team or family ? 2 . Build 4 plans – a ‘ live ’ business plan , a financial budget , a targeted marketing plan and a people plan that defines how you will develop your individual team members . 3 . Build a dashboard - that shows cashflow forecast , Actual P & L per budget via your live business plan and track results against it , every month . 4 . Swap £ for Time – find a way to cash flow the essential delegation of basic ‘ work IN ’ your business . You should be working more
and more ON it , ensuring that your plans are being delivered . 5 . Get focused on delivery – create an operations manual , flow chart your processes , write them up systemise . Take a leaf out of the brilliant global businesses that have systemised businesses to deliver consistently around the world .
Life is a mirror ; if a business is chaotic , draining your time or underperforming it is because it ’ s been allowed to . Take control , design and build your business to allow you to enjoy growth , improved financial power and crucially to gain control of your time .
Start today and don ’ t be a busy fool !
For more info : www . actioncoach . com / ellisbardsley
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1st come , 1st served ? Why only qualified candidates count
CMD ’ s Dan Barfoot explains why unqualified CVs are bad for clients and candidates , and very frustrating for the reputable recruiter .
This year could be a difficult one for recruiters , and we ’ re starting to see weaker agencies struggle . Last year 9,000 new recruitment businesses launched and as employment is reaching record highs , we are operating in a candidate driven market . Client ’ s expectations are high , and the vacancies to fill are often urgent .
We work hard to bring the best possible candidates to an employer . We can ’ t guarantee that we ’ ll be the quickest , but we can guarantee that we will qualify the candidates we put forward and ensure we have their permission to represent them .
So it ’ s frustrating to hear back from a client “ sorry , we already had this CV .” Usually we then go back to the candidate to find out what happened , and learn that the candidate had a phone call saying “ congratulations , you have an interview ” for a role that they don ’ t know the details about . On some occasions , the candidate has not even been spoken to about the role , and simply put forward by the recruiter without discussion !
Some say that GDPR coming in should stop this completely , but I fear not , as some recruitment agencies basically use this as their business model .
“ If you throw enough CVs at a role one will stick .”
“ Many problems can be caused when the candidate hasn ’ t given permission for the recruiter to submit their CV for a job .”
Perhaps the application for this role undermines an application for a more suitable or senior role at the same employer , or maybe the applicant ’ s details will be available to someone who knows their current boss and causes a difficult conversation .
I understand that candidates are interested in getting the best work that they can , and so they don ’ t always object to a recruiter putting them forward for roles without their say-so . And sometimes , candidates may forget that they have applied to a role directly , which makes the recruiter wonder if the forgetful candidate is one they really want to represent .
But it is frustrating that some businesses operate a ‘ first come first served ’ policy for CVs without requiring that the candidate has been properly qualified by the recruiter , and given permission to be put forward .
I think candidates should kick back if this happens to them , as the recruiter hasn ’ t done their job if the CV has been sent without the candidate ’ s permission . How as a candidate can you tailor your CV to a role or prepare properly for an interview without having all the facts about a job ? In these cases we can end up with candidates booked for interviews without proper information , a stand off between the qualified and speculative recruiter , and a HR person caught in the middle .
When paying for a recruitment service , you want to ensure that the candidate experience is good , and that your business is being promoted in the best light by someone who knows your business well .
This is why we always ask for the right to represent , and can demonstrate to clients that we ’ ve confirmed that candidates are happy to have their details submitted for the vacancy . If your recruiter can ’ t do this then you may want to consider their position .
For more info : www . cmdrecruitment . com
36 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2018