Entrepreneur Steve Rossiter has become the first person to successfully strike a deal with Wirral Wolves, a new investment initiative aimed at North West start-ups.
The idea for Wirral Wolves came from Justine McLaughlin and Nik Ellis, directors of Whitfield Business Support (WBS), a Heswall-based SME incubator service that provides its 200 clients with marketing and design services, office space and virtual office functions.
Making use of a £50,000 investment pot and years of experience supporting small and medium-sized firms, Justine and Nik decided to use their commercial savvy and financial clout to help fledgling and growing businesses realise their true potential.
Steve Rossiter’s start-up, Lacuna Recruitment, is the first business to secure investment from Wirral Wolves. A skilled recruiter with a wealth of experience, Steve has spent 17 years working with clients across all sectors from SMEs to conglomerates alike.
In return for an equity stake, WBS is providing office space in Heswall, building Lacuna Recruitment’s website and managing registration, marketing, social media, full accounts and general administration. It has further provided a cash injection to bridge the finance gap between Steve’s previous employment and the first fees generated by the new venture.
Nik said: “We’re thrilled to have made our first investment as Wirral Wolves. Steve has a wealth of experience to draw on, along with the drive and commitment that it takes to be successful in business. His exciting new approach will without doubt provide many small and medium-sized firms with the kind of bespoke recruitment service they’ve been unable to find elsewhere and we’re delighted to be joining Lacuna Recruitment on this journey.”
Rather than following a traditional model of set fee percentage work, Lacuna Recruitment is bucking the industry trend by breaking down the hiring process into key areas. Each client receives a bespoke package by selecting specific services, such as guidance on advertising or help interviewing candidates.
Steve said: “The concept for this business and the passion that Nik and I share is that there needs to better transparency for SMEs, and particularly growing businesses, as to what they receive from a recruitment consultant.
“With us the client pays for the service they receive. If they want an end-to-end traditional recruitment process we can do that. Alternatively, they might only require a CV sift. It’s completely transparent and it also means that control remains with them – our role is to manage the parts of the process they don’t want to do, reducing the risk of a bad hire and the cost that can bring to a business.”
Lacuna Recruitment’s approach centres around sourcing employees that fit into a company culture, rather than focusing purely on skills or qualifications. The business also offers a monthly retainer model, providing greater value to larger companies making several hires throughout the year. Steve said for these clients, his firm acts in much the same way as an in-house recruiter.
Steve and Nik began talking more seriously about joining forces earlier this year before finally shaking hands on the deal. In all, it took Steve two years to make the final decision to launch Lacuna Recruitment, and he says entrepreneurs looking for investment shouldn’t worry about having to make such an important decision overnight.
“It could take a long time to get things over the line and shake hands,” he said. “But that time is spent building up a relationship and trust, as I did with Nik and Justine. When you start a business some of the early challenges are things like what will the logo look like and what will I call it? What about a website and business cards? I have received excellent support in all these areas. From a mentoring point of view, being able to sit down and discuss ideas with Nik and Justine and get their input, that’s a really important element.”
Justine added: “Steve’s plans for Lacuna Recruitment immediately captured our imagination and we’re keen to hear from other start-ups and micro businesses, particularly those based around Wirral, Cheshire and North Wales. Wirral Wolves is made up of entrepreneurs who have the skills to help firms succeed – we’re eager to use that knowledge and experience to help like-minded individuals for mutual benefit.”
For more information on Whitfield Business Hub visit www.whitfieldbusinesshub.co.uk or contact Wirral Wolves on 0151 342 0679. Discover Lacuna Recruitment at www.lacunarecruit.com.