Trailblazers

Exchanging Adversity for Euro Diversity
By Denise Beurskens

My situation is not unlike many of the tales told by expatriate spouses. In March 2000 we moved to the United Kingdom from the Netherlands to begin a new life. Feeling settled in my home environment and making headway in my job as a Recruitment Consultant, the change was no longer as attractive as it used to be. It involved sacrifice and disruption to my career. Weighing up the investments against the benefits is a fine balance. My big question was "how can I make myself employable within a new and foreign job market?" While for some of us this is a reasonably straightforward task, for others it may involve a tough and undefined challenge.

The best thing about this whole process was the positive way in which it forced me to look closely and honestly at my strengths and areas for improvement. Identifying my talents, abilities and evaluating my existing qualifications was a challenging process. However, I believe strongly that realisation is half way to improvement. I was ready and eager to begin working. Career management organisations steered me in the right direction. The evaluation provides an objective assessment of your capabilities and can then direct you to a suitable career path.

I needed to identify how I wanted to spend my day and what my core motivation was. In doing so it involved evaluating the resources I had available to me. A real sense of vocation is a great rarity but fortunately for myself, I had identified two real needs. I needed to work full-time, and for personal reasons I also needed to have flexible working hours. After a series of job interviews, I realised that starting my own recruitment business was an exciting solution. It would provide the career challenge I felt ready for, and allow me the flexible working hours. Most importantly it gave me a great sense of enthusiasm about what I wanted to do.

Coming up with the idea, is only the beginning of your challenge. I was apprehensive at first. The excitement of my new venture thrilled me while the unknown robbed me of some confidence. Once I starting putting pen to paper I realised my goals were indeed realistic and attainable. The more involved I became, so my confidence grew.

I came to contact the Portobello Business Centre. Business centres such as PBC are spread across the country and offer invaluable support and advice. Many of the business consultants have insight into financial programmes which may provide you with an interest free loan or business grant. In my experience many of the consultants are well-informed entrepreneurs with a persuasive business record. They are people who have asserted themselves and are well-informed about what is happening in the market. Such a combination of coaching and mentoring can only strengthen your chances. Business network evenings are an excellent way of increasing your contacts. The business centres are non-profit organisations which are subsidised by corporate companies such as Shell. It provided and excellent starting point for me.

The first network evening was one which left a deep impression. It presented such a colourful diversity of businesses and opened my eyes to how creative and entrepreneurial some individuals can be. One lady leads a very successful company sorting space. The concept is simple. She contracts her services out to businesses and homes to re-arrange furniture, cupboards etc., to create more space and order. A more touching reality was a refugee woman and her husband who had lost everything in a frantic escape to preserve their lives. With a little help they started a catering business, while waiting for permits and a business premises. She would go to people's homes and cook for them in their own kitchen. The reasons for hiring her cooking skills varied tremendously from hosting parties to simply helping out a busy mother.

From my own experience, I believe that any startup business is only as strong as its business plan. A well thought out plan is the best way to improve and develop your ideas as it forces you to think about target markets, competitors, cashflow forecasts, financial requirements, communication plans and so on. Your plan should include your every idea, aspiration and how to get there. At the time, I felt putting together my business plan involved a huge effort, which, made me wonder whether the input would match the outcome? It certainly is the best way to maximizing your chances of success. Taking a short cut at this point could cost you dearly at a later stage of development.

Another challenge is the arrangement of finance. You will quickly learn that this is the most difficult part of small business start-ups. Banks are rather reluctant to provide loans and overdrafts. Only a strong business plan will help to argue your case. Having approached four different banks I learned that it pays to shop around. There is a considerable difference between banks and the terms and conditions they apply. It is interesting to bear in mind that the interest rate; duration of the loan/overdraft; bank charges and service agreements are all negotiable. What is helpful is if you are able to put up part of the funding and only make up the budget difference through a loan/overdraft.

Other matters to consider when starting are registering your company as a Limited business, selecting an accountant and bookkeeping package, company marketing and branding, stationary and printing, designing and developing a website, arranging insurance and legal coverage.

I decided to open a Multilingual Recruitment Agency specialising in Diversity Recruitment. We offer temporary and permanent career prospects across a wide sector of professions, targeting corporate companies in the integrated European market. In addition Euro Diversity Recruitment offer Supporting Services:

Psychological Assessments
Testing is to provide a deeper understanding of an individual's ability, personality profile and Emotional Intelligence quotient. This flexible combination of psychological assessments can be altered to suit your needs.

Work Permit Applications
We ensure all our non-British candidates possess the relevant work documents necessary to work legally within the United Kingdom or will advise and actively assist you with the necessary documentation and steps required to submit a work visa application

Curriculum Vitae assistance
You will generate a better response with your curriculum vitae, if it is well organised and packed with relevant information. Preparing an effective Curriculum Vitae presents a unique challenge, which, we are here to assist you with if required.

For further information you can contact us on the number provided or visit our website (http://www.eurodiversity.com.)

PO Box 4092, London W1A6SB
Tel: 020 7224 8080
Fax: 020 7258 3513
mail@eurodiversity.com