YourBusinessWithJamesCaan2016 - 64

The young maestro

Thrown in at the deep end in a tiny office in Switzerland, James Absalom, 29, spent
six months on the phone in his flip-flops - and now his profits have grown 200%
hy did you go into
recruitment?
I actually started in sales selling digital
space. It was intense, you weren't
allowed to have a chair, it was quite
funny really and a great learning curve.
It gave me the ability to be tenacious
and build relationships with people. I
fell into recruitment when a job came
up locally that I enjoyed. I love being
the middle man, negotiating and acting
as an ambassador.
You worked in the Swiss banking
sector - how did they recruit?
I went there in 2011 and quickly
realised their recruitment process was
incredibly slow and uninspiring. It
would take three to six months to get
someone in at director level or above
and the clients just accepted this as
'this is how long it takes'.
What made you want to start your
own business?
I was 24 and working with senior vice
presidents of banks and companies in
Zurich and Geneva who were on £200K.
I went into a specialist vertical market
covering procurement, finance and
supply chain and within 10 days my MD
was let go. I spent six months in a 3m by
4m office in flip-flops, just ringing
around to build a network. I realised this

could be special but I needed support,
infrastructure and funding, so I pitched
to James Caan and in April 2015 Walter
James was launched.
What have you learned?
In the first year it was about building the
brand, keeping the sales as strong as
possible and creating a team. Now there
are nine heads. In year two it has been
about developing accounts. My strengths
are sales and business development,
building relationships and I'm a good
leader. The biggest thing I've learned is
not to do everything yourself, take a step
back and find someone better to do it.
Why has your business worked?
We concentrate on recruiting in the
retail, pharmaceutical, consumer goods
sector. We have made placements in
35 countries with some of the biggest
consumer and pharmaceutical brands.
The average salary is £100K, the
largest £500K. Even though the team
are all under 30 we are knowledgeable
about the network and sector and this is
by far the most powerful sales tool.
A lot of international clients view UK
recruitment as pushy and maverick
and we broke into that market by
showing we were knowledgeable and
pragmatic about executive search.
It seems to have worked.
All the team are under
30 and know their stuff

What has been the hardest part of
running your own business?
It has been stressful going from being a
billing consultant to concentrating on
everything to do with a business. It's a
huge job and you have to manage your
time well. I've worked on being
organised and making sure I hire the
best people. Finding a team who are the
right fit with commercial and business
acumen and have the dynamism to
succeed has been challenging.
What is your best achievement?
Building a lean and profitable business.
Many new businesses can be bumpy but
we've been making a profit since April
2015 and it's quite rare to cover costs so
early. In 18 months we've broken £1.5
million in revenue and grown our profit
200%. The access and relationships
we've built so quickly is phenomenal.
What has been your biggest lesson?
The value of other people's opinions.
When I was younger my way was the
only way. If you let people have their
say, they will work in ways that suit
them and you.
Best piece of advice you've had?
To have a team who can do what you
can't. Don't try to learn something that
you are never going to be able to do, you
will waste time and money. You need to
trust and give autonomy to others.
Advice to someone else thinking
of starting their own business?
Know your competitors and who are
the best and worst in the market. Be
the most knowledgeable too - if you
have the knowledge base other people
don't, clients will always remember
you for it - and that way you build
your reputation.

64

WORDS: GEORGINA MARIC

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