Month One: Building Something Different

Published 1st October 2025

Month One: Building Something Different

Month One: Building Something Different

Why We Started This

We’ve both been there. Missing the school play because of a client meeting. The gut-wrenching guilt when your child is sick and you’re stuck in the office. Coming back from maternity leave determined to prove yourself, only to be running on fumes from sleepless nights and the constant mental juggle of it all.

After we both resigned from our previous roles, we met for a drink. What started as a casual catch-up turned into something bigger. We kept coming back to the same frustration: the recruitment industry talks about diversity and flexibility, but where’s the real action? How many times had we seen talented women dismissed from processes? How many clients refused to even consider part-time or four-day weeks?

We looked at each other and thought: we’ve lived this. We know this gap exists. Why can’t we be the ones to fill it?

 

The Messy Reality of Month One

Let’s be honest—setting up a business from scratch is exhausting. Try doing it during summer holidays with five kids between you all demanding attention, snacks, and referee services for their arguments.

Everything matters when you’re starting out. The name, the website designer, setting up a business bank account, choosing a CRM, sorting accounting software, navigating all the legal requirements. It’s a steep learning curve, but we loved every minute of it (well, almost every minute).

Our mission was crystal clear from day one: create the opportunities we wish we’d had. But knowing what you want to build and actually building it are two very different things.

 

When Reality Exceeded Expectations

We thought day one would be quiet. Time to ease back in, get our heads around the systems, maybe take on a role or two if we were lucky.

We were completely wrong.

The response to our first LinkedIn post was overwhelming. Within days, we had four fantastic roles to work on. We honestly can’t put into words how much that meant. People believed in us immediately. They trusted us with their hiring needs before we’d even proven ourselves. That faith made us so proud—and validated everything we’d been feeling about the market needing something different.

Since then, more clients have come on board, all resonating with our mission. It proved to us, faster than we ever expected, that we’d made the right decision.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. We were still learning our systems. We’d never done the admin side before—that had always been handled for us. Suddenly we’re teaching ourselves VAT returns and reconciliations while trying to fill senior roles. It was overwhelming, but honestly? We wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Being thrown in the deep end forced us to figure it out fast.

 

What We’re Learning

The finance and accountancy market is strong right now, which means we’re working with brilliant candidates on genuinely exciting opportunities. We’ve found our voices on LinkedIn, shared the vulnerable moments, the real struggles, and the authentic version of ourselves. The response has been incredible.

But here’s what really matters: we’re proving to our kids that you can have a career without missing their moments. Every day, we do the school drop-offs and pick-ups. We work our diaries around when our kids need us. No more frantic dashes from the office to after-school clubs. No more collapsing at home with no energy left for quality time.

Of course, all five kids managed to get ill or injured in our first month. Because of course they did. But we navigated it our way. They came first every single time. And we’re building something we’re incredibly proud of.

 

The Business Case for Flexibility

Here’s what surprised us: businesses are far more open to flexible working than we thought. They just need guidance. They need someone to show them how it works, to present the business case properly, and to connect them with the right people.

When we show clients who’s actually in the market looking for four-day weeks or part-time senior roles, it’s eye-opening for them. And for us. The talent is there. The desire for different working patterns is there. It just needs someone to make the connection.

 

Let’s Talk

If any of this resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you’re a company wanting to embrace truly flexible working, a parent navigating your career, or an ally who wants to champion change—get in touch. We’ve got some wonderful things happening behind the scenes, and this is just the beginning.