Having only ever had permanent positions what made me branch out by myself without the safety net of a regular salary, sick pay, benefits and all the other elements which come with the security of that kind of role?
It got me thinking that I should try to articulate the reasons, over and above wanting a change. Having sat and thought about it, I settled on 3 elements: challenge, client service and flexibility.
Challenge: I imagine that there is a real sense of satisfaction in creating a successful company. It gives me the opportunity to start something which reflects me and how I choose to operate – the sense of ownership is a powerful one. It also gives me the chance to dip into all aspects of running a business, the vast majority of which I’ve never had to address previously. Finance, marketing and legal aspects for example have never featured particularly highly in the roles I’ve had before. I relish this challenge and it will be interesting to see what areas I enjoy, what areas I find difficult and how to pull all this together to efficiently manage my company.
Client service: A lot of companies offer excellent client service but to me the best way to provide that service is by focussing on the role I’m there to perform and to help drive the company in the way that it wants to evolve. Additionally, setting up my own consultancy will allow my attention to be solely on the role, without having to support the additional consultancy requirements such as interviews, off-sites, brown bags and the like. To me this feels like an outcome where both parties win.
Flexibility: This is also a point that works for both parties. This allows each entity to gauge how long the contract will last. This flexibility also allows me to pick the roles which I find most interesting and allows me to set criteria and develop in a way that I would like to. Over and above duration and type of role, it allows me to select the type of institution I would like to work for. For example, my experience to date has largely been in investment banks but if opportunities arise in other types of financial institution – or indeed even outside of the financial markets – where I feel I can contribute I won’t feel that I need to stay in a particular box. Conversely, it allows the client to obtain access to a transient workforce to align with specific roles and requirements.
So, as I set out on this voyage with no idea how it will end, I do so with optimism, excitement, nervousness but crucially belief and I’d like to thank everyone who has been part of this venture both to date and in the future.