MySheffieldJobs brings MySuccess!

by Glen Chapman

My idea was to launch a local job website so over a six month period I talked to many potential and existing contacts and ran the idea of a local job site by them to gauge their potential interest. I also spoke to someone who had tried to do something similar in Surrey and had failed. This opened my eyes to potential pitfalls and made me realise that the key to this success would be our sales skills and our understanding of the market place, both combined allowing us to portray an effective message to both candidates and clients.

I was also aware that we were taking the theme of already successful online strategies, such as Monster, and our USP would be the local branding of our sites, and the development of what needed to be sold as a community resource.

I learned that this product needed to be sold effectively with a simple, clear and concise marketing message. No matter how cutting edge the technology was, I realised without the correct people and strategy it would not be a success. This is where business planning comes in.

Getting the finances right was crucial as we had to budget for candidate attraction and marketing using online and offline methods. This is where we had to learn about search engine optimization and e-marketing strategies. But first, we had to understand our competition and not least, the potential size of our market. You have to accept that your product or service is not right for everyone and concentrate on your target market.

Like everyone, we encountered setbacks and soon learned this was part of running your own business, and we also learned not to take the knock backs personally! The big thing in business is to make best use of the opportunities and resources around you. If they’re free, that’s great, but also be prepared to have to invest your own money too. From small acorns comes big oak trees and this is how I did it:

· Mid 2004 the idea was born

· In January 2005 I started to research the idea and by March decided to go for it!

· I sourced a web developer and contact SENTA for any free business advice and support - which I got!

· In May I took on my first 2 employees

· By June 2005 the first website was launched and in July I banked my first cheque.

· After employing my third person in August, I was able to launch the second and third websites in September.

· By December 2005 I had broke even and launched the fourth website

· In January I was able to repay the Directors loan.

· And so by December 2006 here I am, with 17 staff, 8 job websites, with a total revenue of circa £800k

· And what’s next? Well in 2007 we plan to source new offices, and double the amount of websites and staff, projecting an annual turnover approaching £2M - did I make that sound easy? It was hard work, working 15 hours a day every day, but with determination and commitment to my idea I can truly say I have been successful.