Kate Bagnall and Louise Hopkins

With 16 years’ recruitment experience between them, Kate Bagnall and Louise Hopkins left the relative security of life as consultants in a large company, to be their own bosses, and set up their own specialist recruitment business, Bagnall Hopkins in Wakefield, working initially as a team of two.

“We wanted to do it for ourselves, to feel we could shape the way we did things, and establish a work life balance. For these reasons, we wanted the flexibility of owning our own business.” Kate explains.

With no previous experience of how to go about setting up a company, an entrepreneur friend provided invaluable advice and insight, including dealing with the bank, and on the legal and tax requirements of a new venture.

“You really do need a bit of a mentor,” explains Louise.

Investing their savings to set up their office, its systems and equipment, they were both absolutely realistic about business costs, their expectations, and the possible need for sacrifice in the early days:

“It’s a long term thing, Kate explains, “You’ve got to invest in the first few years before you can reap the rewards. Don’t expect a quick fix and to be making loads of money when you start. Louise and I had fully expensed company cars when we worked at our previous company. At the moment we are sharing one.”

Focused and ambitious, Kate and Louise’s specialist accountancy and office support recruitment business, looks set to flourish. Less than a year after set up they employed a full time administrator and will shortly be joined by another senior consultant. With plans in the pipeline for steady growth, they are setting their sights on a solid local market from which they might look to expand their business reach. Louise explains:

“One of our key selling points is the personal service we provide to companies and organizations who deal with us, so we’re initially concentrating on being really well known and well regarded within the Wakefield & Five Towns District.”

Whilst both Kate and Louise agree that starting their business has involved a lot of sacrifice and hard work, there’s no question in their minds that it’s the best thing they’ve ever done!