Celebrating our tenth business anniversary, the Astute Team are looking forward to hosting our Birthday Party in Derby this Thursday evening. We are trying to get round to as many candidates and clients who have supported us to say a huge thank you and celebrate with us over a couple of complimentary drinks and some cake!

At the helm of Astute Recruitment are the two MDs, Sarah Stevenson & Mary Maguire.

Sarah said, “It’s amazing to think that with just a couple of laptops and my redundancy money, we are now one of the leading accountancy and finance recruitment businesses across the East Midlands. Its all down to our brilliant team and I know I speak for Mary when I say I’m really proud of what we have achieved together.”

Astute Recruitment Ltd celebrate their 10th anniversary in business!

If you would like any information, please contact Mary Maguire either in the office on 01332 346 100 or on her email [email protected]

Avoid storm clouds – Why cashflow is key

Why cash flow is THE most important issue facing SMEs and UK PLC.

If the sudden collapse of Fly BMI on the weekend ignited my curiosity on this subject, the disturbing news today of JLR’s £4bn losses fanned the flames. Cash flow. The lifeblood of all business.

Whether an SME business or an iconic British brand, begs the question, “Why isn’t cash flow at the front and centre of every company’s and government’s business strategy?”

Tata’s executive board deserve to hang their heads in shame pillaging increasing dividends when their cash cow needed strong cash flow metrics and tighter corporate governance.

The lessons from BMI and JLR are obvious, brutal examples of what happens when a decent business, with great branding, lacks cash flow B- plans. I’m going to be controversial now, bare with me.

Fly Bmi didn’t go to the wall because of Brexit. It sank because they didn’t have a plan B for their cash flow, losing their talented team & hardworking staff.

Let’s hope JLR, their owners & Directors can craft better cash controls or UK PLC will lose another, much larger iconic brand forever and with it hundreds of supply chain businesses & jobs. A great credit controller and accounts team have never been so important.

Written by Mary Maguire

Astute Recruitment Ltd

First published on LinkedIn

Why Awards Can Make You Win Big Press Article Written By Mary Maguire MD Astute Recruitment Ltd

Mary Maguire, Managing Director at award-winning Chamber Member Astute Recruitment, assesses how business can improve their chances of award success – and what winning can do for your business. This article was featured in the EMC’s Business Magazine.

Let’s go back to March 2014. I was a new business owner who had tried entering awards for the first time. I wasn’t consistent. I wasn’t disciplines. I did not have a strategy or plan. However, this changed the following year when I was encouraged to re-think my approach.

Scroll forward to 2018. It has been an amazing four years with awards successes from the IoD, ICAEW and the Chamber’s own Business Awards in 2011, 2015 and 2017. At the end of 2017, we won a couple of prestigious global awards too.

Entering and winning awards has introduced the company to a bigger audience, gaining credibility and new business in the process. Our company is now more appealing to potential hire. We have achieved a record year of turnover, secured record amounts of new clients and hire two new, experienced recruitment experts into our team.

I recently talked to fellow Chamber member Owen Conti, Founder of Code 56. Owen recently won Marketing Derby’s Rising Star Business Award 2018, and I asked Owen what winning the award meant to his business in real terms.

He said: “To be recognised as the winner means experienced business professionals have heard and trusted our story. You can’t buy that kind of third party trust that this panel of business leaders have given to me and my Business.”

“People are already taking us more seriously. For example, contracts I have built up over the past year have come back with requests for how we can help develop their business strategies using the latest technology. “

“My audience reach has increased on social media which in turn has driven increased enquiries and new business. This award acted as a catalyst in inspiring confidence for other businesses to use my company, so if you have recently started your own business, entering awards is an accelerated pathway to increased awareness of your brand and what you stand for.”

The institute of Sales & Marketing Management discovered more than 70% of consumers are influenced by awards when buying products and services, so unlock this potential for your business.”

So, what are you waiting for? Enter your business for an award. You have nothing to lose and may just win a lot more than a trophy.

Four Key Steps to Successful Awards Entries

Recognise what makes your company successful.
Select the right awards to enter. Local awards recognising local businesses are the best way to start. Make sure the awards you choose have categories that play to your strengths.
Read and then answer the questions – not what you think they want to hear. Be clear, concise and passionate. Judges are not looking for the next poet laureate but love to hear your passion and enthusiasm come across.
Leave enough time. Awards take a lot of time to complete. There are often word limits and specific financial information you will need to provide from your annual accounts. This all takes Time.

Our Managing Director, Sarah Stevenson, was delighted to be asked to feature as one of the “Leading Ladies” in the latest issue of Derbyshire Life. The popular local magazine ran a feature highlighting the leading ladies in the region highlighting how Derbyshire women mean business! In the article they turned the spotlight on some of the county’s most successful businesswomen – and discover what makes them tick. The article featured several influential women in business across the Derbyshire region including Sarah!

From the article….

Sarah Stevenson, Managing Director and Founder of Astute Recruitment

SARAH STEVENSON

Managing Director

Astute Recruitment

Sarah is one of the founders of Astute Recruitment and has built an unrivalled reputation placing candidates in this market since 1997. Recent winner of the East Midland’s ‘Institute of Directors’ Director of the Year award and the Derbyshire Times’ Entrepreneur of the Year award.

What was your first job?

“Working in a bar! I must have been destined to work with people even back then.”

What is the best part of your current job?

“Getting a job offer for someone after all these years and knowing I have personally made a difference to the person. I still get a buzz when a candidate tells me they are thrilled! It is even more special when they have been looking for a while and its because my team or I have gone the extra mile for them.”

Whats your best piece of business advice?

“Never give up and surround yourself with people who have different talents to you.”

If you could change one thing, what would it be?

“Not to be so impatient!”

If you could go back and tell your 13 year old self something, what would it be?

“Patience is honestly a virtue!”

How do you unwind?

“Unwinding with my beautiful horses. I compete at shows in the Ridden Hunter class and whether competing or just taking them out by myself – its the closest thing to perfection and totally relaxes me after a hard day at work!”

This article was first published in TheBusinessDesk.com

Astute Recruitment is an accountancy recruitment business specialising in working with SME business owners across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Its co-founders Sarah Stevenson and Mary Maguire set up the business in 2009 at the height of recession after facing redundancy. Here, Maguire shares the lessons she’s learned running the company during that time.

Be positive and honest
If you have a great business idea, pursue it! You never know where it can take you. Remember to be a doer not a watcher. When we were made redundant in 2009 I was devastated for a couple of days before asking myself: “What am I going to do now?” I knew I was skilled in my sector and I knew I had a great reputation. It seemed clear to me that I should set up on my own and so I approached my now business partner, who I’d worked with for several years and trusted.

Surround yourself with talented people and keep hold of them
Staff recruitment, retention, training and motivation are all absolutely key to a successful business. Any organisation is only as strong as the staff it employs. Everyone in a business is important and need to feel fully engaged, on board and valued by their firm. Remember that you need to have some fun too and always reward success.

Remember: cash is king
It is a brutal fact that even if you have the best business, product or service in the world; without money in your bank account you are unable to pay your suppliers, creditors or staff – let alone yourself.
You need to have a firm but fair approach to cash flow management and a constant eye on your bottom line, all of the time, not just at the end of the month or quarter! You need to scrutinise your debtors and maintain a strong and clear line of communication with your creditors to ensure you and any business partners, are always on top of your current cash position.

Truly understand your business
You have to know what makes your business unique and what makes your specific service or product stand out. You should have USPs which set you apart from your competition such as our unique Triple Point Guarantee. Consider new USPs you can offer and constantly ask yourself: “How is what I am doing now benefiting my business?” “Is what I am doing now is the most effective use of my time?”

Engagement is key
Social media is constantly evolving alongside all methods of communication, branding and marketing. To support your company you need to constantly engage with your target audience in a meaningful, educational and non-confrontational way – your business needs to be synonymous with quality and professionalism. Think about what message you, your team and your social media channels are communicating about the brand and business.

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Mike

16:04 13 Mar 23

Highly recommended! Josh and Sarah have been fantastic at Astute. They've found and placed me in 2 jobs now between them, both really responsive and excellent at keeping you up to speed with things. Very knowledgable about the roles and happy to talk to companies with any queries you have.

C R.

10:45 27 Jan 23

Great agency one of the best ones I've worked with! Liz has been a great help and support in helping me towards a new direction in my career life. She is very attentive and keeps me in the loop at all times! She makes the extra effort to work with my preferred requirements for work and even if it isn't completely attainable she meets me in the middle and does as much as she can to help! Also Liz is very funny might I add 😂 and I'm happy that I can now put a face to the name after all these years! Thank you again Liz for all your help and support! 😊

Christine

10:32 20 Dec 22

Josh and the Astute team was very swift to help me to find roles that matched my profile. They are really reliable and will help through every step of the recruitment process going out of their way to assist and follow up when needed. Could not find a better recruitment agency!

Helen Pinegar

16:19 18 Dec 22

Fantastic recruitment agency.. Josh was extremely enthusiastic, encouraging and clearly knowledgeable about what was needed from both the employee and the employers point of view. Extremely supportive especially in regards to interview preparation and endeavoured to procure feedback promptly. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Astute in the future to both candidates and recruiting businesses particularly for the right fit for the role!!!

Lisa Leigh

11:56 30 Nov 22

I have worked as a candidate for Astute and they have been excellent. Super friendly service and professional agents keen to fit the right person to the right job. It has been a pleasure dealing with them and I would happily work for them again in the future. Highly recommend this agency.