This year Chiltern Relocation is celebrating TWENTY years in business. As we reflect on this milestone anniversary, I wanted to share what I have learnt about taking the plunge and setting up my own business from scratch. I hope it will inspire others to also take a leap of faith and fulfil their career dreams.
Embrace the scary, and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. When I set up Chiltern Relocation, I called 30 established relocation companies and asked one question. What is the best advice you could give me about setting up a relocation company? It was a bold move, and I did wonder if they would speak to me – let alone give away valuable insights to a potential competitor. But I can tell you, that 25 out of the 30 call recipients couldn’t have been more helpful. This is why I always give my time to new relocation companies coming into the industry. I have enjoyed watching them grow and become award-winning businesses.
Make decisions and jump into your new venture. You’ll never be ready to start your business; you’ll always have one more thing to do first. My advice is to jump before you are ready, and things will fall into place. I set up a cheap website to get myself started which led to my first few clients. I was then able to upgrade the site with the additional knowledge of what exactly was needed to drive the business forward.
Network. The people you meet at networking events may not directly fuel your business, but being in a room full of entrepreneurs – many of whom have started from scratch – is enlightening and offers a great resource of contacts. Just getting out there and speaking to other business owners is great for confidence and gaining a wide range of ideas.
Be open-minded and flexible. I had a fixed idea as to how my business would evolve: I would help to find homes for clients moving out of London. I would work for the buyer as opposed to the seller and my wealth of knowledge would build my private client base. However, I was contacted by a number of corporate companies asking if we offered assistance relocating their staff to the UK for job moves. Although this was not part of my original plan, I said yes, and now the business is 50% house purchases and rentals and 50% employee relocation.
Be the person who you would want to deal with. Kindness, consideration, integrity and respect are cornerstone values for me. Treat everyone with kindness – property is a people business, so I strive to always be the person who clients want to work with.
Celebrate the successes and acknowledge there will be tough times. My very first house purchase was a thrilling time. I helped a client in Dubai to buy a property in the UK. After all the personal and financial investment in setting up Chiltern Relocation, the joy in helping our first client was unmatched. However, like all businesses there will be times that are tougher than others and the cyclical nature of the housing market means that we can never rest on our laurels. During these times, keep in close contact with your network, brainstorm ideas and ask don’t be afraid to ask for advice.
Employ a team who excel in different areas than you do. Being around a fantastic team is a huge motivator. Identify areas where an employee not only compliments your work but also helps you to look at things from a different angle. I am Dyslexic and my team are brilliant at working around my challenges.
Apply for awards. We are thrilled to have received 11 awards over the last 20 years. Most industries host annual awards for a wide range of categories and it is a fantastic opportunity to see how you compare to the competition, where you can improve and what has worked for you. I often use the award question criteria as part of our annual business plan in order to give a focus for our goals. Awards demonstrate that you are a credible, high achieving business fully engaged within the industry. Awards are also valuable in terms of free advertising your business.
Find extra motivation. In addition to wanting to run my own business and help those struggling to find their ideal home, I also have another driver. I made the commitment to give a percentage of our income to charity. So, for me, I have an even greater motivation to work harder – the more I achieve the greater the benefit for my designated charities.
Word of mouth is as important now as it was 20 years ago. Time is short to research options, and hearing recommendations from people you trust is the best way to connect with the right people and businesses. Word of mouth is also a huge driver for us, as we are grateful that many of our clients go on to recommend our services to their friends and colleagues.
Acknowledge that you will be continually learning. In the last twenty years, technology has changed beyond recognition! It has been a hugely steep learning curve for me but I have learnt so much about Search Engine Optimisation, algorithms, social media trends, Corporate responsibility, AI and so much more. I love the daily opportunity to grow my skillset alongside the business.
If you are on the cusp of setting up a business and want a chat, then please do let me know. We have helped to mentor a number of start-up businesses and have enjoyed watching them flourish.
Good luck!
Books I found useful in my business journey:
How to win friends and influence people – Dale Carnegie, The 7 habits of highly effective people – Stephan Covey Atomic Habits – James Clear, The 5am Club – Robin Sharma, The tipping point and Blink – Malcolm Gladwell, Who moved my cheese Dr Spencer Johnson, The diary if a CEO – Steven Bartlett, Why has nobody told me this before – Dr Julie Smith
Which books would you recommend to a business start up?
If you need help to find your ideal home then we can help. With over 20 years’ experience in sourcing property and unrivalled local knowledge, Chiltern Relocation can take on the stress of the search and guide you through the all the steps to finding exactly what you are looking for.
For more information call 01494 672086 or
