2013 – Well they do say time flies when you’re having fun…

So the festive season is now in full swing! With just over two weeks to go until the Big Day, the spirit of the season has well and truly descended at SimkissGuy HQ.
The diary is packed with client catch ups, networking events and lunches during the day, and of course the odd festive drinks after work here and there. We have boxes of goodies piled high in the office to be personally delivered to all those candidates and clients who have been part of our amazing first year journey (with 60 gifts still to go in the next 2 weeks, I don’t know how Santa does it!).
Amongst the fun and festivities we really can’t believe that 2013 is nearly done and dusted. Thinking back to this time last year, we had no idea how SimkissGuy would be received as a brand new recruitment consultancy in, let’s be honest, a city already full of recruiters.
When creating our business plan for this year, we had optimistically hoped that by the end of this year we would be able to say we’d developed good relationships with around 20 employers in the region. We had in mind the idea that at the end of our first year, we wanted to say thank you to those candidates and clients who’d been part of journey so far.
It was only at the point of ordering our “Merry Christmas from SimkissGuy” gifts we realised that we needed over 60 boxes of goodies for our clients alone!
Now, we had known that this year had by far and away exceeded our expectations. We had a very clear plan of how we thought our first few months would be. This had changed by 9.30am on the very first day we opened the office, as we were recommended to meet with a brand new client who was keen to work with us and needed a permanent member of staff asap! So our very first SimkissGuy meeting took place whilst we were still having furniture moved into the office!
That then set the tone for the rest of the year. Amazingly, our clients now range from manufacturing SME’s and entrepreneurial start-up organisations, to leading charities, local NHS Trusts and a plethora of national law firms. We have worked with dynamic financial services organisations, expanding property consultancies, FMCG businesses, right the way through to iconic high profile arts and events organisations, whilst not forgetting SimkissGuy being invited to be a preferred supplier to the largest private sector employer in Birmingham!
But the highlights have not just been client focussed. In May I was honoured to be selected as a finalist for BYPY, it was an amazing experience to see our business up there alongside the brightest and best talent in the city.
We were also approached to go into several secondary schools, colleges and local universities to provide career and CV advice to students.
Of course the institution that is The Colmore Curry Club was founded and has grown from 20 guests at our first event in April to 42 guests at our end of year event in December!
It’s been quite a year. Exhausting. Exhilarating. We wouldn’t change a second of it. As for what 2014 will bring – we can’t wait!