I’d been running my own business for some time but could never quite seem to take the next step in significant expansion. I knew of James and his accomplishments, so after a chance meeting I decided to go into partnership with him. Over the next four years, with James’s support, guidance and management expertise, the company experienced a meteoric rise from £1 million to £50 million in sales. James is relentless in his determination to always push the bar higher. His passion for success was the vital missing ingredient that I needed to grow my business, making it possible for me to fully achieve my goals.


I was introduced to James in 1992 and was struck by how similar our companies’ cultures were. James had achieved significantly more success than I had, so he was clearly someone that I would be able to learn from. In 1993 James invited me to merge my business with his, which seemed a logical step for me to take. Instantly the business was positively affected by James and he played a huge role in helping me to reach my goals. From 1993 the business grew at a phenomenonal rate while, thanks to James’s steadying hand, always making significant profits. This is, obviously, the hardest task for any fast growth company.

 

By bringing a high level executive search methodology to the most cutthroat sector of the UK recruitment market we were able to produce sustainable growth of c100% per annum over a 5-year period. James’s input extended beyond influencing the strategic direction of the business to operational issues such as financial management, facilities provision and, most importantly, identifying and attracting talented people to enhance our team.

 

There were two key innovations that James developed. Firstly, the joint venture partnership concept whereby we were able to attract and, crucially, retain our most ambitious talented staff by backing them in their own business as part of our group. Secondly, there was the development of the solutions side of the business, allowing us to outsource the recruitment function of some of the largest corporate customers in the world.

 

Along the way we worked very hard but genuinely had a lot of fun and created an environment where people loved coming to work. In 1997 we were acknowledged by the Virgin Fast Track 100 as one of the UK’s fastest growing privately owned companies. Three years later the Ovum Holway report recognised us as the leading supplier of IT solutions.

 

In 1998 we decided to adopt an exit strategy, which James managed on behalf of the shareholders. In this capacity James really came into his own and having a partner with such a superlative attention to detail, high energy level and expert negotiation skills proved invaluable to myself and the other shareholders. Advent International took a stake in the company, valuing it at over £60m. From my perspective this was a superb accomplishment, one fulfilled in less than six years of going into business together.


Mike O'Flynn - CEO, Exposed Solutions Ltd