We talk to Gavan Burden of search and selection firm Burden Dare about finding people in Selfridges, hard work and "Sod's Law".

Explain your business so my mum would understand it.

Companies come to me when they have a shortage of skills at executive level. I find and place people (either permanent or interim) who fill those skills gaps for as long as necessary to make things happen.

Why did you start a business in the first place?

Because I like the freedom I have by being my own boss. I can do what a client really wants and needs rather than having to provide products and pricing that someone else, for example the boss of that recruitment company, has set.

What surprised you most about starting up?

The immense amount of red tape and barriers the government put in your way to creating profits to pay their taxes.

Was there anything you would do differently now?

Probably not; except I might have got more assertive with the red tape and peak cap brigade!

What was your strategy at launch, and have you stuck to it?

To provide exactly what clients want in a way that is mutually beneficial. Yes, it’s working.

What’s been your biggest hurdle or stumbling block so far?

My time being diverted from client facing / revenue generating to dealing with all of the niggly things you have to do when starting a business.

…And your luckiest moment?

Finding Katie, my office manager, in Selfridges.

Where are you now with the business?

I set out to provide a service that would truly stand out from the established 'crowd' and I feel that we're achieving this - for example one particularly prestigious client, Nigel Perry, of H J Heinz is happy to give a public endorsement of the service we provide. This confidence in us is becoming more typical of our client base and I'm now in a position to hire one or two more people to fuel the next stage of our expansion.

What does the future have in store?

A lot of hard work, but much more fun and enjoyment – mostly seeing satisfied clients and happy candidates.

What’s your best piece of advice for someone who’s about to launch?

Plan carefully and have the courage to stick to your guns. There are some age old sayings you need to plan around:-

Sod’s Law; if anything can go wrong it will go wrong. Murphy’s Law; even if it can’t go wrong, it probably will. O’Toole’s comment on Murphy; Murphy was an optimist!

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By LaunchLab.co.uk  on   Jul 14,2008

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Keywords

staff    recruitment    skills    talent    Selfridges    skills gap   

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