Business Action August / September 2019

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Is there ever a perfect time to start a business? Jayla Wilcox started Simple Recruitment in 2009 when she was three months pregnant and at the height of the global recession. Now the business has offices in Somerset, Wiltshire and North Devon and continues to grow. Recruitment mission “I was working for a large national recruiter and I was genuinely miserable,” says Jayla. “My father asked if I could do it better, to which I answered ‘yes’ and from that day onwards, this is what I have aimed to do. To give people an honest, reliable and communicative service that is ‘Simple’, where we care about what we do and who we work with.” Simple Recruitment’s head office is in Somerset and Jayla’s introduction to North Devon was on a caravan holiday to Bideford with her mother and daughter in June 2015. “We had such a wonderful weekend. The sun shone and we found Bideford to be so charming and the holiday park we stayed on not commercialised at all. It was wonderful. “We felt like we were on the other side of the world when we came the first time. We really relaxed and just loved being so close to the coast. The fact that it was just so peaceful saw us return.” Branching out in Bideford Jayla loved visiting North Devon so much that she decided to open up another branch of Simple Recruitment in Bideford. “We launched our Bideford office on 2 July 2018 in the hope that we could replicate the service offering we have developed in Somerset for the North Devon marketplace, for both clients and candidates. “Our first year has been NORTH DEVON Determination to succeed What is it that attracts business people to or back to North Devon? In this issue’s Magnetic North Devon feature editor Robert Zarywacz talks to Jayla Wilcox who was entranced by Bideford while on holiday and decided to open a new branch of her business there Jayla Wilcox and Big Juke fantastic. We have learnt a great deal and have been warmly welcomed by clients and candidates alike. We have had tremendous growth in these first 12 months, increasing our team to three, moving our offices to a more prominent location on the Quay and gaining the trust of new clients with each passing week.” Jayla has made contact by driving around the area and visiting businesses to introduce her team and the recruitment services they offer. Friendly welcome Jayla has found everyone extremely friendly in North Devon and is pleased with the response Simple Recruitment has received both from clients and candidates. Clients have complimented the team on their rapid responses and attentiveness when helping out with their recruitment needs, while candidates have praised the company for efficiency in providing placements. “We are building a reputation for a good solid service, communication, honesty, reliability and integrity.” Simple Recruitment specialises in permanent and temporary recruitment across industrial and commercial sectors. It provides temps on both a short and long-term basis, in roles from reception and PAs to production operatives, forklift drivers and more. Jayla is delighted with the success of the Bideford office and to have established a branch of Simple Recruitment in an area she loves. “I spread my time across the three offices, but I am lucky enough to have fantastic teams in place who work incredibly hard to ensure our service is delivered accordingly.” ■■Details 01237 439500 or simplerecruitmentltd.co.uk What attracted your business to Magnetic North Devon? Share your story to news@business-action.co.uk Call 01271 326694. info@boomboomedia.co.uk visit www.boomboommedia.co.uk 16 business action | August / September 2019 | business-action.co.uk
My name is Rosie, I’m 20 years old and I live in the small seaside town of Lynton. In my spare time (and when the weather allows), I love lounging in the sun on the beach, swimming and surfing. I first discovered my interest in marketing during my time at college, where I studied an extended diploma in business. I really enjoyed learning about marketing, as it enabled me to bring out my creative side. During the course, we had to conduct market research on the chocolate industry and use our findings to come up with an idea for a new chocolate bar. With me being a huge chocoholic, I was in my element and the task highlighted my interest in market research, which was one of the reasons that led me to apply to Turquoise Thinking for the apprenticeship position. Marketing apprenticeship I started my marketing apprenticeship through Petroc here at Turquoise at the end of March 2019. During this time, I have gained a pool of knowledge about market research and how the business operates. What made Turquoise stand out to me as a market research agency is their extensive cross-sector experience. They have worked with a mass of blue-chip clients in a wide number of sectors over their 30 years in the market research industry, and really understand how people work and what makes them tick. My first day I was thrown in at the deep end on my first day, where I was given the opportunity to travel to Somerset to attend a client presentation with my new teammates. On arrival at this highly secure site, we were invited to sit in a porta-cabin which had a poster on the wall with warning signs telling us to “run, hide and tell” if we were faced with any immediate threat or danger. Just the warm welcome I needed to settle my first-day nerves! However, we made it out alive after Laura delivered a fantastic presentation. Getting involved in client projects from the get-go has made me feel part of the team and allowed me to get a real taste for how Turquoise interacts with clients. APPRENTICESHIPS Diary of a market research apprentice Apprenticeships are fast becoming the best way for young people to start a career and for businesses to develop skilled people. This month Rosie Hayton writes about her first month as a marketing apprentice with Turquoise Thinking in Barnstaple Deep in thought at Turquoise: (from left) Lisa Ollerenshaw, Mark Harvey, Laura Scott, Rosie Hayton My introduction to the world of market research Since starting my apprenticeship, I have had the chance to work with different colleagues on an array of tasks each day, from data analysis to scripting questionnaires. This has given me an understanding of everyone’s role within the organisation and what part each person plays in taking a client project from start to finish. I was also given an exciting opportunity to experience a big kick-off meeting for a client in the water sector in Birmingham. The project set out to achieve objectives such as monitoring customer satisfaction and increasing awareness of service. Attending this meeting made me feel like I was a valued member of the team and gave me a greater understanding of the process that Turquoise goes through when undertaking a project. Getting on the phone! The team has helped to push me out of my comfort zone too. In my second week, I was given some training in the art of coldcalling . . . uh-oh! This took the form of first getting my head round the sales process, sales pipeline and how to introduce the Turquoise proposition to attract new business. We then moved on to roleplay which was particularly challenging, because let’s face it, who likes role-play anyway? However, the training paid off, and I had some good conversations, which actually resulted in being able to book a couple of appointments with universities who were interested to speak to us about our education sector market research experience with regards to upcoming research requirements. This really helped to build my confidence. Best bits My favourite thing about working at Turquoise is the variety that comes with the job. I get to work on tasks in different areas of the business, conduct research, present my findings to the team, and learn new things every day. I have really enjoyed my first month at Turquoise Thinking. I’m looking forward to what is to come and gaining experience and a full understanding of the market research industry. I would like to thank Turquoise for giving me the opportunity to help them expand their close-knit team and for being so welcoming. ■■Details 01271 337100 or thinkturquoise.com Cranford Business Services Limited www.accountsindevon.co.uk Old Stone, Cranford, Bideford, Devon, EX39 5QW 07896 204 857 Does your accountant... Listen to you and act on your needs? Explain your accounts in terms you understand? Arrange meeting at your convenience? Leaving you free to concentrate on what you do best! @businessactionm | August / September 2019 | business action 17
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Business Action August / September 2019

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