Recruiting, hiring, employing, taking on.  While all of these terms refer to a common process which many of us attend to quite regularly, how often does one sit back and consider the way in which this process is actually designed? Who it favours? 

As 2020 draws to a close, half of the UK workforce is working from home (ONS). Thanks to remote work, companies suddenly have access to a wide-ranging talent pool. Having multiple opinions, ideas and cultures represented within a company not only improves productivity and boosts innovation but also creates ways to attract a broader audience.

As we continue to navigate our way through this lingering pandemic and an impending second lockdown, startups are trying to figure out the most effective way to run their businesses.

Hiring a freelancer for a bite-sized task with a very clear brief is a relatively straightforward process. A data-entry job or a simple coding fix has a clear start and end point that is easy to explain, manage and measure.  Finding freelancers who provide creative work, feel passionate about the client’s mission, communicate well throughout the process and provide much more than just the service they were hired for, can be a bit more challenging.

"You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too." - Sam Rayburn Rules, restrictions, recommendations, measures, advice. Words we’ve been hearing on repeat from government officials since Covid-19 hurtled into our lives at the beginning of the year. 

Next month marks the end of the Coronavirus furlough scheme (31st of October to be precise).  For startups who have furloughed workers over the past few months, the end of this scheme may result in a shock to the system as well as the bank balance.

Being a founder of a startup can be a lonely existence. Even if your startup is well established, boasts a strong team of staff and is based in a busy co-working space, it’s easy to understand why you may experience bouts of loneliness from time to time.

Whether you’ve just launched your startup or you’ve been running it for years, the idea of taking on a co-founder has likely crossed your mind.  Maybe you put a bit of time into looking for potential founders, but hadn’t really sussed out what kind of person you were looking for, so stalled your search? Or perhaps you want to take on a co-founder but you weren’t really sure where to start your search?