Exciting time setting up a new business

Oct 3 2007 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

ALEX RODGERS, 24, is head of operations for Skelmersdale-based Christopher Rodgers Home and Energy division. The Home and Energy division joins Christopher Rodgers’s existing portfolio of architectural and surveying expertise, and is currently a live project about to turn into a structured business, ahead of the UK’s introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs) and Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).

Despite the delays, HIPs and EPCs went live on August 1 for four bedroom homes, before it was extended to three bedroom homes on September 10.

6am: I wake up with a very strong coffee and take a few minutes to watch Sky News before hitting the shower. I stayed at my Leeds apartment last night, but have spent so much time on the road I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be with home comforts. A quick look at my Blackberry, punch my Leicester location into the sat-nav and I venture off to get some breakfast before the day starts.

6.30am: I’m in the car and on the road. I should beat most of the traffic at this time and with the sat-nav taking the strain and my somewhat eclectic mix of music on the CD player, the trip might almost be pleasant. Interviews start at 9am today and I’ll be seeing a total of seven prospective energy assessors. Lots has been written about the so-called energy assessor shortage, and we’ve been working hard to fill our quota of assessors. There’s no substitute for meeting people face-to-face as it gives a true reflection of the person.

9am: I arrive at the Marriott hotel in Leicester and find two extra people waiting for me in the hope of an interview. We’ve been using our website, discussion forums and PR to support our recruitment drive and have been getting an excellent response from people keen to consider a new career.

12noon: I finish the interviews and make some notes. Four of the five will make excellent energy assessors and I’ve been able to offer them full-time jobs straight away. As a business we have signed contracts which will see us deliver 250,000 instructions per year and so we’ll need around 250 energy assessors to do the job.

12.30pm: I grab a sandwich at the hotel and find a quiet corner so I can catch up with some potential new clients on the phone. We exhibited at the Mortgage Expo several weeks ago and cultivated a variety of new contacts, so it’s important to keep those relationships alive.

1pm: I’m back on the road again and heading to Maidstone for a series of extra interviews and to take part in a conference call with our IT partner Northgate.

3.30pm: I’ve made it on time but the interviews are only short, as it soon becomes apparent neither candidate is really suited. We need motivated self-starters and neither hit the mark, so I dial into the conference call early. The directors of the business are on the call, too, so we catch up on our recruitment figures. We’ve already hit our initial 100 target and we’re already charging ahead, a very positive message for a sceptical market.

6.30pm: I’m shattered but at least I’m staying at the hotel tonight so I’ll be closer to tomorrow’s appointments in the South. As I get to my room, I mull over a podcast I’ll be doing for an energy assessors’ website next week. It will be our chance to update potential energy assessors on what’s happening in the marketplace, and keeps Christopher Rodgers at the fore. I make copious notes and try to wind down after the day’s events.

8pm: I have some friends in the area so a quick shower and a change of clothes later and I’m off for a well deserved and relaxing dinner.