Accountancy and Finance Systems recruitment for law firms

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25/05/2018

Balance celebrate 10 years in business!

Tuesday 29th May 2018 marks the official 10th birthday of Balance Recruitment!This is a HUGE achievement for Balance, and so we thought this would be a good opportunity to share with you the experiences of our founding directors and what they’ve made of the first 10 years in business. Richard and Kath first worked together back in 2006, and soon realised they shared an ambition to start a business, with each bringing different, yet complimentary skills and experience. We got them together in our City of London office to ask each other about reaching this milestone and here we share with you their thoughts on the journey so far!Richard’s questions to Kath…How has your role changed over the last 10 years?My role is constantly evolving depending on the needs of the business.  At the very beginning, my main function was setting up the actual business and looking after all the financial/tax/legal/regulatory requirements of a start-up and also being the only administrative/support person for the business.  I even spent time ‘outsourcing’ myself as an accountant to other clients – simply put, when it’s your own business you do whatever needs doing.  My current role is still very much looking after all the non-sales elements of the business, however I have now also absorbed more of the commercial duties including developing a more ‘numbers focused’ client strategy and running the sales meetings to allow the Sales Director more time to sell and consult.What does reaching 10 years in business mean to you? I honestly believe this is a huge milestone and one that really needs to be sung about!  We don’t pat ourselves on the back enough (in fact, never) and then when I speak to my friends outside of Balance, they all say what an amazing achievement it is.  To quote a stat, only 4% of start-ups will make it through to 10 years – so woohoo that’s us!  It also means it’s time to reflect and learn from the first 10 – and perhaps now be more confident as to what direction we steer the company in.What do you think is the secret to Balance’s success?I can’t actually answer this question without sounding ‘cringey’ but it really is the people.   Although we are a small team, we know that every member is right for Balance.  This, along with other factors of course, makes it very difficult to expand our numbers.  We’re not cliquey, but we need to fit and having the right culture is key.  I am certain the next few hires will be the most difficult!  It really is saying something that the team we now have on board have been around for an average time of 6.5 years – that’s just unheard of in recruitment!  What’s been your proudest moment over the last 10 years?Can I please not have, say, my top 3?1) Walking in to Suite 609 at the BE offices in Beech St with you on 29th May 2008, thinking WE’VE ACTUALLY DONE IT!2) Tracey winning her ‘Employee of the Year’ award in 2014.  Although I wasn’t ...