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Life at Atkins Search
Reflection, Graft and What Comes Next
Author: Antony Rowe, Managing Director
As we enter our 10th year in business, I’ve found myself reflecting on how quickly the time has gone, while feeling genuinely optimistic about what lies ahead.
What felt like a daft idea back in 2016 starting a recruitment business with no clients, no candidates and no recent reputation to lean on, has without a shadow of a doubt, consumed me ever since. Not always for the better, but as someone who can only really operate at either zero or one hundred, it was always going to be all in, I just didn’t know it at the time.
I’d love to say starting this business was my true calling, but that wouldn’t be true.
My real calling was to play centre midfield for Nottingham Forest, but a lack of footballing ability kiboshed that plan.
After a number of years playing non-league football, I needed a “proper job”. That led me to the lace industry, a Business degree, DBH Commercial Property, Michael Page, Barker Ross, and eventually Atkins Search. Not exactly a seamless career path, but one driven by a desire to be more than “just” another factory worker from a long line of factory workers. For clarity, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, some of the best times and people I have ever met came from those days and I do sometimes miss the simplicity of it. I just always felt there was more for me in the world of work.
Construction Recruitment has been my home for now 20 years and to say I’ve seen everything would be an understatement.
Michael Page was a brutal, but brilliant training ground, 7:30am starts, 7pm finishes, black shoes, blue suits, no pockets on shirts, and if you were lucky, a bit of commission. Five years at Page felt like twenty anywhere else, and those learnings carried through Barker Ross and ultimately into Atkins Search.
Why did I start Atkins Search?
I’ve asked myself that question more than once. Truthfully, I was only going to give it six months as I thought it was a bad idea at the time and I had always I liked the idea of moving into business consultancy, but then the one hundred percent of me got involved, and failure simply wasn’t an option.
So, from a standing start, we were off.
No real plan. No direction. Just a couple of computers and a small office at Ransom Wood in Mansfield. By the end of year one, it became clear there was space in the market for a permanent appointments business within construction, because work just kept coming our way.
We became more established, built great relationships and many of whom I now class as personal friends to this day. Then faced the next question, how do we take this to another level?
Then Covid struck.
From the fear of losing your own livelihood, and that of your team, somehow we rode it out and strangely, came out better for it. I’ll never forget watching Rishi Sunak’s announcement, then Googling the word “furlough” and feeling genuine relief once I understood what it meant.
Covid gave us time to reflect, reorganise and reset. It gave us greater purpose, clarity and direction. In many ways, Covid sorted us out.
We grew the team, refined our sectors, and doubled down on doing recruitment “differently” focusing on quality over quantity and being the best we could be across our vertical markets.
We made some great hires along the way.
Laura Belcher was bumped into at an NMCN quiz night, and professionally bringing her on board was one of the best decision I have ever made. Stevo and Liv arrived with youth and enthusiasm, and they both turned into diamonds. We also picked up some coal along the way that stayed coal but you can’t win them all.
The move from Strelley to Chilwell changed us again, Nic joined the team, another great decision, and for the first time it genuinely felt like a proper business. We knew who we were, what we did, and how to do it well.
Lessons from the Journey
If this journey has taught me anything, it’s that most business owners are simply riding the punches taking the blows and getting back up again.
Some hard-earned lessons along the way:
- Don’t be a victim. Shit happens. Take responsibility and crack on
- Make hard work your friend – graft solves problems
- Build a brand that actually means something
- Focus on the journey, not just the destination
- Choose people you “like” to work with as life’s too short to deal with idiots
- The less a client wants to pay, the more problems they’ll give you
- Only work with companies people want to work for and that pay their invoices
- Be proud, even when things don’t go to plan
- It has to be about more than money, build a legacy
- Be resilient, no matter the challenges don’t let your face be a mood hoover
- Fight then, fight now, and keep fighting. Don’t let them grind you down.
- You’ll make some great friends and meet some absolute twits. Prioritise the friends.
- Finally, be genuine, I like Nottingham Forest and a pint and I also like to win
The Next 12 Months
As we move into our tenth year, the focus isn’t on looking back, it’s on what comes next.
The next 12 months are about intentional progress. We know who we are now, what we stand for, and where we add value. That clarity gives us confidence not to chase everything, but to focus on doing fewer things better.
For the business, this means continuing to build a high quality, permanent appointments recruitment business across the construction industry, staying disciplined in the sectors we operate in and the clients we choose to work with. Quality over quantity isn’t a slogan for us, it’s how we operate.
For the team, the next year is about development, accountability and ownership. Everyone has the opportunity to grow here, regardless of age or experience, but that growth has to be earned with hard work. The only thing that will hold you back at Atkins Search is resistance to hard work, change and a lack of commitment to your own development.
For me personally, the next 12 months are about leading with greater clarity and purpose. Continuing to invest in my own development, staying curious, listening more, and making sure the business grows in a way that’s sustainable for the team, our clients and ourselves.
We’re not chasing rapid expansion for the sake of it. We’re building something that lasts. A business people are proud to be part of. A business with standards, values and a reputation that actually means something.
Year ten isn’t a victory lap, it’s a platform.
Onward.
