If anyone wants to know how to start a business and grow it successfully, then they should ask Julie Payne, Managing Director of Apex International, a recruitment company that specialises in filling vacancies within the pharmaceutical industry, primarily providing pharmacists and scientists.
Julie’s company began trading in 2002 but the work started long before then. Keen to research and provide a solid foundation for the business, Julie started by putting together a comprehensive business plan and building a database. As she explains, it was critical that she got it right: “I’ve been involved in two set-up businesses in the past so I knew what I was letting myself in for, but on this occasion I was providing the finance myself. I had no investors, nor did I take out loans. My whole financial security rested on the accuracy of my homework!”
Not wanting to miss one chance of making these plans work, Julie seized the opportunity to attend a ‘Planning Your Business’ course organised by the Colchester Business Agency (Colbea). She had heard about Colbea from a friend and despite the fact that Julie already had her business plan, the course forced her to think hard about issues such as advertising and IT. Her plan was ambitious – to build from the ground up and re-coup her investment after just 12 months. It was tempting for her bank and accountant to think she was being overly optimistic, but Julie proved them wrong. Apex International was in profit before the year was out; today it employs six people and has a turnover of £1.6 million.
The involvement with Colbea did not end with the Planning Your Business course. Julie was keen to take up a unit in the Colchester Business Centre, which is managed by Colbea. Her husband, Michael, has run his own company for some time, and when two adjacent units became vacant at Colbea, it seemed like the natural choice. “It was great to have him and his staff nearby”, says Julie. “Setting up a business can be a very lonely occupation.” Since that time, Julie has made full use of training on offer via Colbea, expanding her knowledge of issues such as VAT, employment legislation, and business management skills. In fact, she can’t praise Colbea enough: “The Colbea team has been fantastic. They have introduced me to seminars and courses without which I would have found growing my business difficult to manage. Even when they don’t have the right course, they will go out of their way to find it. Having premises at the Business Centre has been extremely helpful as the business advisers from Colbea are always on hand to offer support and good advice if I needed help.”
Unlike many small businesses, Julie didn’t start with just one desk and one computer. She immediately purchased four of everything, confident in the knowledge that the business would soon be employing others. Her confidence was not misplaced. Within eight months other members of staff were on board, and by the end of year one Julie was revising her business plan to take account of the rapid increase in turnover.
With a 16-year background in the recruitment industry, Julie saw a niche for pharmaceutical placements and has exploited this in the best possible way. She deals with major pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, prisons, the MOD and the private sector and has managed to create a reputation for excellence that gets her many word of mouth referrals. Her company is accredited with Investors in People and aims to achieve an ISO mark within the next year. Julie is justly proud of the fact that she is one of only 2% of recruitment professionals that have been made Fellows of the Recruitment and Employment Federation.
Julie emphasises the loyalty of her employees and how important their commitment has been in making the business a success. In response to hard work, Julie believes firmly in incentives and rewards. Having reached the first quarter target this year, in addition to generous bonuses, everyone at Apex International enjoyed dinner at the luxurious Hintlesham Hall. The second quarter target was rewarded with a spa day at the Greenwoods Estate in Stock, where serious R&R were the order of the day. The third quarter target has already been achieved and the team is booked for a luxury weekend in Paris travelling First Class on Eurostar! Julie expects the target for the last quarter to be met much sooner than at the end of the company’s financial year in April so as you may have guessed, she has a very special treat in store for this milestone: a shopping trip to New York! Julie says “I value my staff very much and make sure that they are always supported and generously rewarded for a job well done. I never ‘move the goal posts’ and as a result, I have a happy, loyal and productive team!”
A measure of Julie’s admiration for Colbea’s work is shown in her recent corporate sponsorship of the Agency. Although Colbea is funded through Business Link and local government, the support of local businesses like Apex International help the Agency to market its services effectively and reach more small business start ups – the life blood of the economy.
For more information about Apex International, call Julie Payne on 01206 369973 or visit www.apexrecruitment.com.
