StartUp of the Week: Esprit Recruitment Services Ltd
We're proud to support a wide range of businesses across different sectors, many of which are putting a whole new spin on their industry or using their platform to do social good. One such business is Bootle-based recruitment business Esprit Recruitment Services. They specialise in placing people in the legal, healthcare and military industries, and part of their profit goes towards initiatives supporting ex-military personnel and disadvantaged children. We caught up with founder Ben over a cuppa.
Business name: Esprit Recruitment Services Ltd
Founder(s) name: Gareth Abbott and Benjamin Pitts
Loan funds received: £15,060
Based in: Bootle
Website: www.espritrecruitmentservices.com
1. Explain your business in the time it would take the kettle to boil or drink to be poured
Esprit Recruitment Services is a specialist recruitment agency operating within the legal, healthcare and ex-military industries. We aim to place highly skilled and motivated candidates into worthwhile employment. Within the growing Esprit brand, we also run a Community Interest Company (CIC) which works with unemployed ex-military personnel and disadvantaged children and young people.
2. Where are you based and why is it a good location for your business?
We're currently based within Bootle, Merseyside. Here there is an existing office, with experienced consultants and an established administrative and back of house function. The location of the business is important, as it is an attractive place to work within Liverpool for consultants to due easy access via both train and bus routes. The location of the office also offers good transport links for motorway use, as well as for trains and buses.
3. What’s the business model?
The business model is based around growing and expanding the current three revenue streams within military, healthcare and legal recruitment. In order to fully maximize the potential of the brand, a proportion of the company’s revenue will be made accessible for the CIC. This money will be spent on providing unemployed ex-military personnel with fully-funded training opportunities within logistics. A proportion of the core fund will be used to provide fully funded history tour experiences for disadvantaged children and young people. The core focus of this model is to provide people with beneficial experiences.
4. Who are your competitors?
Our business is a relatively new concept, and although there are a couple of military-based recruiters in the south there are none established in the North West.
5. What’s unique about your business?
It is very rare that a recruitment company will use its own profits to the benefit of unemployed ex-military personnel and disadvantaged children and young people.
6. What stage was your business at when you applied for the Start Up Loan?
I applied for the loan right at the start of the process, and in three months the idea has grown to large offices in Bootle with 13 staff.
7. How have you used it to grow your business?
The money is being used to develop a website and buy capital equipment such as computers.
8. Who is your regional delivery partner and how did they help you get a Virgin StartUp loan?
My delivery partner was Wirral Chamber of Commerce, and they were very helpful. They guided me through the application process ensuring that my business plan and financial forecast was correct and made sense before submitting.
9. Biggest achievement so far?
My biggest achievement so far is being able to grow the business rapidly so that now we employ 13 members of staff and occupy large offices. This has enabled me to take on even more contracts to continue to grow the business and ensure it makes a profit within its first year.
10. What’s next for your business?
The plans for the next stage of development are to continue to expand the client base within the three sectors, and to bring even more clients on board whilst delivering on accounts already secured.
