Employment Agency

Hi there

You're right in thinking there is more to it!
You obviously have got good business skills in that you already have a good business running at the moment and some infratructure for administration side of recruitment.
Where the challenges lie is in winning new business! although not impossible; in the present climate it is a very tough and harsh environment to be entering as a new company.
Its is very candidate heavy meaning there are more candidates in ratio to the jobs available the best way forward in my view would be to establish a niche maybe marry it to the accountancy contacts you have already made and specialise in that area only.
I was in recruitment for many years made quite of bit of money and looked last year at setting up my own consultancy, after much thought, research and contacting I decided it wasn't viable even though I knew how to set one up and run with it.
Apart from the said problem re candidate V client ratio is one of reasons behind it, we all know were in a recession and companies do still hire in a recession however many companies who historically use agencies are either looking for other ways to do that hiring inhouse or otherwise such as using established agencies or ones they have dealt with before, so for a new kid on the block to make it's mark is very very tough.
That said it is not impossible as in anyhting if you are that determined and focussed to make it happen then go for it, my advice would be just be very clear what you want before you jump in.

I hope that's of some use

Regards

Endeavour

Hi

When you say most of your costs are covered do you mean day to day running Admin etc or do you mean advertising/promoting? if its the former then great you got a ready made infrastructure that will kick in when you are dealing with all the behind the scenes stuff, just need to factor in your advertising costs.
If the latter then that's doubly great as everything is pure profit however your margin should reflect that and then some! talking of which I agree that setting what you bill the client is a tricky one! too high and no one will look twice as they've never heard of you and better the devil you know and all that, too low and you don't come across as credible and you're struggling to make your margin and you have the added problem of raising your costs in the future. that said I personally would not undervalue my services I've met many a client in the past who has said to me you're not the cheapest but we get good value for what we do pay or words to that effect, you might be able to say something like 'let us show what we can do mr client' and if you consistently deliver to their satisfaction you can always justify raising your fees at a later stage because the trust and reputation has been established, I have done this with varying degrees of success.
As for Advertising there are lots of variables it depends if you are niche or general (ala High street style) it can sometimes depend on your locality, I personally think your idea of the mailers is a good one but you raised an important point re the follow up etc it is crucial to follow up with a call or visit to get anything out of mailers, 99.9% of the recipients will not call you of the back of recieving it.
The email idea is totally valid as well the lady is absolutely right about sending candidate profiles to potential and existing clients because bottom line is you don't want your message to be just 'I'm a recruitment company use me' you want to understand your client what there needs are and then match them to your candiates needs that's what recruitment is about really in its simplest form 'matching'.

Now depending on what degree of speciality you trade you may also want to consider door knocking not in the literal sense but just getting out there and seeing what's in your local area and speaking to people.
This will do 2 things firstly it will get you in contact with the decision makers (or at least find out their name) of all your local companies and secondly it will allow you to map the area as well so you will become an expert in what surrounds you; it will also allow over time for you to be in the know when positions become availalble! of course this is coupled with constant contact and follow up.

All the above is focussing on the client perspective, the candidate aspect of your business has to be consistent with your vison for your company, if you are niche why would a Mr/Mrs/Miss Candidate choose you over your competitors? if your are general then you'll find lots of candidates sign on with loads of agencies at once but the the question is stilll valid even more so in a way because why are you going to do more for them than the other 20 agencies they've signed up to?
I know in the present climate you shouldn't have to much trouble finding candidates esp if you are general what I'm saying though is I'm sure you would want to stand out from the crowd.

Apart from all of the above what are the bit's you can't comprehend you mentioned? are there specific things you've come across already?

Lastly I hope what I've said hasn't dampened any enthusiasm you might have it's not my intention I personally think you should go for it if your are that determined, generally people who are that committed and determined to a idea/project usually succeed in making it work.
Recruitment can be a good living, the margins can be really good and it can also be alot of fun as well.

I just thought you should have a bit of insight of what I've experienced, trouble with recruitment agencies is that some have really have a bad rep but when you get a good one they are really good so then its a win win win situation.

Hope that's useful and I haven't gone on too much

Kind Regards

Endeavour

Some great idea's you have to kick start it! All the very best in your venture. I'll pm you with a few recommendations