The benefits of working in an owner managed business

We are currently in the process of a HUGE recruitment drive at Four, with ambitious plans to grow by 100% in the next 12 months.  We have seven new starters joining us this month along – in a variety of roles from director through to trainee – and with another recruitment drive in September, we are always looking for the right people who will suit our business.  

I’ve recently been given the chance to work on the internal recruitment project at Four.  Having worked at Four for the past three years, my role has developed fast from Recruitment Consultant to Divisional Manager (and everything in between!).  I really see the benefits and huge advantages to working in an owner managed business. You get complete exposure to opportunities/roles that you wouldn’t in a large, corporate company and everything you do is extremely valued, making a huge impact on the business and being seen as a key player in the company and not just being another ‘consultant’ 

I have seen first-hand the great opportunities that are available in a business like Four both for people looking to either develop or start their career in recruitment.

Flexibility

The structure of a small business is often more flexible than those of large businesses. After gaining trust from management you have complete control over your own diary, including the opportunity to work from home, to work away from the office, to take extended lunches, late starts or early finishes, and balance your work and personal life. Some of my colleagues have children and they work reduced hours/days each week to fit around childcare – a rarity in our industry but something we offer to staff who are capable of managing their own diary

Your role: 

Rather than having a strict and straightforward title attached to anyone, in an owner managed business there are many other opportunities available and a real chance to make a role your own, or even have a newly created role to fit around your own skill sets and the business needs. This could be managing additional projects internally, championing well-being programmes or initiating a CSR campaign, the list is endless. In a smaller business these opportunities are more readily available allowing you to be a driving force in the company’s success and giving you the ability to receive more responsibility sooner.

Your future: 

You are competing for a higher position with less people and in complete control of your own career if you establish yourself and work hard. Within a smaller company your voice is heard by the owners of the business rather than having to go through layers of managers, senior managers, directors to get your points across. If you eventually move on, employers love seeing small business experience on a CV. A candidate with this kind of experience is usually more of a self-starter, company-focused, driven, tenacious and used to putting forward their own ideas and even implementing them.

You are more than just a number

Dedication, innovation and ambition does not go unnoticed, it will be seen directly by the owners of the business and rewarded  Four have created divisions, senior roles and many more for some of their most entrepreneurial members of staff, including myself who took on a brand new role of Divisional Manager – Lancashire earlier this year. This role completely plays to my strengths which have been spotted by the Directors over the last 3 years I have been with Four.

I hope this has given you a little more insight into the benefits of beginning or continuing your career in recruitment in an owner managed business, please do drop me a line if you’d like to know more about the opportunities available at Four.

abbie@4recruiting.co.uk