We are delighted to welcome Katie to the MitchelLake team.
Katie will be bringing MitchelLake Group events to life, initially focusing on the Lake Republic event in Sydney.
Katie is a UTS graduate of Bachelor of Management in Events and Leisure. Previously Katie gained solid experience with Hicksons law firm within their Events and PR department.
Welcome to the team Katie.
Connect with Katie on LinkedIn.
David Ryan from Tech Tidal caught up with Mitchellake’s own Kyle McGinty to gain some early insights and experience on recruiting for startups. With Mitchellake specialising in the startup space, covering Australia’s east coast, and even out to Silicon Valley, Kyle has some key insights into this area.
This is what Kyle had to say…
WHAT SHOULD STARTUPS AND SCALING TECH COMPANIES CONSIDER WHEN IT COMES TO HIRING TALENT?
As a founder they say your first ten hires are the most important you will ever make. You are forming a partnership and those first hires are almost like a marriage, so you’re looking to really align your core desires, passion and vision for the future.
These first hires will essentially set the company culture and it is imperative that these individuals provide the right foundation for future success and growth as well as care about the space and the problems your business is looking to solve.
For a founder, particularly in those early periods the pressure between growth and hiring the right talent is very tricky, and the cost and time lost in getting it wrong is a driving factor in your success or not. If you have perhaps hired a person which is toxic to the environment/culture you have to let them go immediately but cautiously.
Taking more time and doing your due diligence up front will ultimately save you a lot of time, money, pain and suffering later. As a founder or hiring manager it is critical to take the time define the role, visualise the characteristics of the ideal candidate and make sure you collaborate with your relevant stakeholders throughout your hiring process.
ARE THERE ANY HACKS TO HELP SOURCING CANDIDATES FOR YOUR STARTUP?
Be careful of saving time and cost by hiring friends, family and past colleagues, as you need to take a hard look at whether they’re at all close to being as invested in your company and future success as you are.
If your only method to find candidates is by using job boards then you are clearly missing out on where the action is. Advertising on job boards alone wouldn’t solve your sourcing problems.
If you are occasionally tweeting about your jobs, you are not really getting the full benefit of a social media strategy for recruiting. The fact is, if you’re not using a multi-channel approach in your recruiting strategy, your recruiting activity is limited in its scope and just doesn’t have the thrust behind it to reach the kind of candidates you ideally want on your team.
Sometimes, startup recruiting means getting a little creative, particularly if you don’t have the resources or finances to execute a broad-scale recruiting campaign.
WHEN DOES A STARTUP NEED TO CONSIDER ENGAGING A RECRUITMENT CONSULTANCY?
Fundamentally recruitment is a strategic business activity and building the right workforce is going to drive competitive advantage for your business. There are no hard and fast rules of when you should identify and bring in a recruitment partner, but commercially if you can identify the ROI with your staff selection then perhaps engaging a recruitment partner will drive a stronger opportunity to secure that ROI.
Engaging an external recruitment agency can be seen as both an exercise in risk management as well as a cost effective investment in finding the best talent for the role. There are a range of reasons to engage the services of a reputable external recruitment company and a few of them include:-
Risk Mitigation – Provides further due diligence on the market and peace of mind that you are selecting the best possible individual for the vacant role.
Identify / Source / Attract Talent – with multi-channel approach’s it will broaden your talent net to include those superior performers you ideally want to attract.
Expertise – Recruitment is not your specialisation, you have a business to evolve, so why would you not build a relationship and place some trust in a Recruitment Partner at a commercially viable time.
Responsiveness – Fundamentally the right recruitment partner’s ability to identify, source, attract and validate candidates is a fraction of the time it would take you the client. They would ideally have existing relationships and current dialogue within the talent pools you are seeking to recruit into.
Advocate – As you evolve your business you are building an employment brand and any reputable recruiter can be a constant advocate of your brand which can be extremely powerful for your future growth. How they represent your business & the opportunity to prospective candidates is often the difference between obtaining the interest of the superior performers in the market and the average performers.
OUTSIDE OF TECHNICAL TALENT, WHAT SHOULD A STARTUP LOOK FOR WHEN ON BOARDING A SALES TEAM?
A poor sales hire will likely cost you for six to twelve months. The first sales hire should be at foremost a listener first, and you need them to go out there and validate your idea with potential customers and gather market information.
They need intellectual horse power, technical aptitude and reasonable product marketing knowledge so they can understand business value and technology – someone who can test positioning and understands what a product can do with a particular customer is critical. Culturally they should have some startup experience, and perhaps these attributes:
Communicate with clarity and openness
Have a genuine passion for customer success
Creativity to help tailor your go-to-market strategy
Someone that will just get in the boat and row with you
Tenacity to rattle the market to get the attention you deserve
HOW DOES BRISBANE COMPARE TO OTHER STARTUP MARKETS?
Some fairly obvious insights but from my perspective the rise and rise of the startup ecosystems across Australia is having a strong impact on the availability of progressive software engineers that have some level of creative and commercial flair to their skillsets. So particularly around the dynamic programming languages like Ruby, Python, Groovy, etc the demand is growing far beyond the availability in the Australian marketplace.
The other area driving huge demand is the DevOps arena. It is reshaping Enterprise IT. It’s a current buzzword that may well fade away but the collaboration between development and operations is here to stay.
In Brisbane, the startup eco system is still immature, and there are a very few successful entrepreneurs that have been involved in multiple startup ventures. So at that Executive & Co-Founder type level with proven success I can see that it’s a challenge for the ongoing development of entrepreneur landscape in South East Queensland.
Reflections on 2013 for the MitchelLake Group.
The MitchelLake Christmas staff party is one of those reflections points for me every year. It’s a moment in time where I am able to look back on the last 12 months since we last celebrated the end of the year and take stock of the highlights and lowlights for our business this year. We had our annual staff and partners gathering on Friday so I thought it would be worth throwing a few of my thoughts from 2013 out there.
We had our ups and downs like any business but without doubt, the Chinese year of the snake has been another one marked by growth, change and opportunity. Here are some of the highlights. (According to me of course)
Growth – Headcount (we’re now at 40 ‘Lakers’), revenues, offices and clients. All have gone up this last 12 months. We have seen further maturity in the startup sector in Aus and with our guys in San Francisco having their fingers firmly on the pulse in the world’s leading innovation and technology hub, we’re able to keep one step ahead of trends. Our San Fran guys have actually just moved into a new office as the old one was bursting at the seams so it’s been expansion all round. In the digital, innovation and online space it’s definitely one of those golden eras of growth we will look back on in years to come. We’ve now notched up 18 quarters of uninterrupted business growth at MitchelLake so no complaints there.
Structure – In our Aus based business we’ve hired a dedicated internal recruiter to help us continue to source great people and we now have a marketing team helping us spread the word into new and existing candidate and client audiences. Both teams have made a significant impact on how we’ve gone about future proofing our business this year.
When I joined 3 1/2 years ago, we had a global team of just 7 so to be able to boost the Head Office with this kind of expertise has already paid dividends as our markets continue to change and evolve.
Recognition – We’ve been fortunate enough to be recognised twice this year for our achievements. We were one of a handful of recruiting businesses included in the BRW Fast 100 list in 2013. Importantly, this is the second year in a row we had been in the top 100. An exceptional feat given the stiff competition. We were also awarded the ‘Best Boutique Agency’ of the year in the Recruitment Excellence Awards in October. We live and breathe specialisation at MitchelLake so this was also great recognition that our strategy is working and the experiences our audiences are having with us continue to add value.
Investments – Part of our focus on participating in the markets we work with is to put our money where our mouth is and back some of the startups and early stage disruptive businesses we partner with. We have an active investment strategy at MitchelLake which has increased our stable of businesses we have put some of our own money into throughout the year. We now have equity stakes in nearly 20 businesses. (Hopefully the next LinkedIn or Facebook is amongst them!) As you can imagine this creates a different level of relationship and a closer bond when working on talent strategies and growth plans with these teams.
Events – We love putting together events where our networks can come together and share knowledge and hear the latest global trends in our specialist area. We were overwhelmed by the interest in a panel discussion we put together on Growth Hacking this year (190 people crammed into the Sydney pub rooftop we had booked) and we had a number of great breakfasts through the Innovation Bay Angel investment network we are involved in. Innovation Bay These included talks from Spotify, Malcolm Turnbull, Ali Baba and a bunch of leading venture capitalists from the valley. Always great to be able to bring people together. We were also very proud to be invited onto the panel for StartUp Weekend a volunteer organised event on the Gold Coast which is part of a global movement in over 478 countries with 1100 events. 80 people attended and there were 28 pitches (4 of which were from children under 15 years of age) proving that you can never be too young to be an entrepreneur in our space.
Disruption – Which businesses are now not being affected by digital disruption? This time last year there were still (unbelievably) doubters in some sectors as to the power and possibilities of the brave new digital world. With 13 years experience focusing just on this market, and the battle scars to prove it, we’ve been referred into and executed assignments across new clients covering such diverse markets as Media, education, retail, e-health, music, travel, pet food, finance, insurance, health and fitness to name a few. The digital disruption net has finally reached all verticals and market sectors in 2013.
Fun – As well as the Christmas party last week, we’ve also been able to squeeze in time to celebrate this year. Our annual global overachievers’ trip to Hawaii in October saw a bunch of consultants and support team members from both Aus and our US office meet up for cocktails and various “business strategy” sessions. No photos appearing on this post from that trip! A team of us also hobbled through the Sydney Tough Mudder event a few months ago. A great thing to do as a team and the cold beer at the end was one of the most deserved of the year.
Giving back – We were also able to give some of our time as a team this year to some great organisations helping those less fortunate than ourselves. Our Melbourne guys spent an afternoon at the Salvation Army’s Hamodava centre helping prepare meals and the Sydney team recently helped wrap hundreds of Christmas presents for underprivileged kids with the Oasis Youth Support Network project. Great effort everyone and time well spent.
Wow, no wonder I need a break, amazing how much you get done in a year.
What about 2014 for the MitchelLake group?
Well, we are still hiring to meet the market demand we continue to have so give us a call if you want to hear more!
We will be launching in Asia early in the year – exciting and scary at the same time but we already have clients asking us to help them grow their businesses there with great digital and technology talent. A new office on the east coast US is also looming based on client and market demand so our upward trajectory looks set to continue. More global searches, networking events and lots of fun along the way I’m sure. Personally I’m looking forward to our continuing growth and making sure I keep up to date on this crazy market space we operate in.
Before then, a short break to switch off and recharge the batteries – looks like next year is going to be another bumper one.
Best wishes for the Christmas season and 2014 from myself and everyone at the MitchelLake Group.
See you out there in 2014.
Mike
Parallels with climbing mountains and business leadership.
Once or twice a year I have a chance to recharge my batteries and get away from my normal work and family routine.
My passion is climbing mountains. I thrive on spending some time in the wilderness and actively seek out those places where you can’t be permanently connected to the world by smartphone, email and the web. Having a few weeks away from this always makes me realise how easy it is to forget the really important things in life.
Although I’ve climbed in New Zealand a few times before I hadn’t yet attempted Aoraki / Mt Cook, the highest peak in the country (Aoraki is the traditional Maori name for the mountain). So with a reasonable forecast ahead of us Jono my climbing buddy and I set off a few weeks ago to test our middle age fitness out against the wild Southern Alps.
So there I was, perched on a steep ice slope looking at the amazing scenery around me and realising how only a few days before I was buried in To Do lists, emails and reports. It was then I started thinking how different but in many ways very similar climbing mountains is to business leadership. Both have risk and reward, challenge and disappointment. The more I thought about it, the more the parallels came into focus. Here are some examples.
1- The importance of planning.
Just as good businesses plan well, so do good climbers. You can’t just turn up at the foot of a mountain face and expect to get to the summit without a plan. You look at the prevailing conditions, where others have gone before and how your fitness and equipment are suited to the route. Just like in business you formulate a plan and try and stick to it but as with budgets and market plans, the minute you lock it in, something changes and you have to readjust your plan. Flexibility is key in both worlds.
2- The need for stamina
Business success is more a marathon than a sprint. We are still reinventing ourselves at MitchelLake after 13 years of operation, which is one of the things I love about the professional services sector. You have to be committed to the long term and have the stamina and willpower to stick with it. Climbing usually involves hardship, long, days out in the elements and not much comfortable sleep. Determination and fortitude also therefore go a long way in mountaineering.
3- Selecting the right equipment
The tools you have in your climbing pack often determine how efficient and effective you can be on the mountain. Although it may not be about ropes, ice axes and crampons in the corporate world, (although some sharp ice axes could come in handy at times) the same rules apply. Keep your toolkit up to date and learn to use its contents properly.
4- Having the right people around you
When you’re climbing a mountain, the level of trust you have to have in those around you is extremely high. Having confidence in your partners’ ability, knowing that they are looking out for you at all times and everyone being 100% clear on the outcome you’re aiming for are all traits I look for when growing the MitchelLake team, just as I do when I’m choosing who to climb with.
5- Fuel intake
Fuelling your brain in business with the right knowledge, reading and education is critical for success. The energy and calories you burn when climbing also need constant upgrading and replacement. A big day in the mountains will see you get through an enormous amount of food and liquid. With the right intake on a regular basis you will make more informed decisions and have higher energy levels both of which are critical on and off the mountain.
5- Constantly assessing conditions
The business landscape we live in today is moving quicker than ever before. This is especially so in the digital, innovation and startup space that MitchelLake specialises in. What appeared to be the right direction last week may now be fraught with danger as new disruptive technologies are established and become the norm. In climbing the same rules apply, snow and ice conditions change all the time, crevasses can open up unexpectedly, the weather is usually fickle and you have to always have one eye on what’s going on around you and be prepared to change your intended route at any time.
6- The summit is only the half-way point
Achieving a stated business goal always comes with further challenges opening up.
The real test is perhaps what you do next? Reaching the summit of a mountain is the same as it’s only the half way mark. More accidents happen on the way down than on the way up, just when you get too relaxed and take things for granted. The real success is when you get to the bottom again with nothing having gone wrong.
So maybe my initial desire to take a break from the norm actually bought both worlds closer together. I’ve certainly come back with a greater appreciation of these parallels and maybe the two worlds are not as far apart as I used to think.
And as for our attempt on Mt Cook, a 12:30am start on a frozen night and 12 hours of climbing later, Jono and I were lucky enough to stand on the summit for a few precious minutes ( see the photo above). Conditions were perfect and we could see the oceans on both sides of the majestic South Island, a rare and spectacular sight. Another 7 hours to get down meant a 19 hour round trip. A big day but totally worthwhile.
As for what’s next, the list is long and there’s always climbing plans to make but for now I can perhaps use the experience outside of the office to get even better at taking the steps towards the summits in business we are aiming to climb. Maybe I will bring my ropes and ice axes into the office after all.
On Friday 22nd November, the MitchelLake Sydney team took part in a day of goodwill. A team of thirteen volunteers ventured over to the Big W Distribution Centre at Hoxton Park for a day of Candle Bag Packing. These Candle Bags, valued at $100 per bag are put together by volunteers and sold for $15 at Australia’s largest free Christmas concert – Woolworths Christmas Carols in the Domain.
The money raised from these events is put into The Oasis Youth Support Network which is The Salvation Army’s response to youth homelessness in Sydney. In 2012 there were over 9,000 Candle Bags sold which raised over $125,000, this money means that young people are offered hope and helps them turn their lives around.
The MitchelLake team were put through their paces by setting up packing station, packing bags, tying the bags, breaking down used materials and cleaning up the warehouse. The Oasis Youth Support Network were extremely helpful and well organised which made the day thoroughly enjoyable.
Please get down to the Carols in the Domain event on Saturday 21st December and pick yourself up one of these expertly assembled Candle Bags.
Also, check out the various volunteering opportunities with Oasis Youth Support Network.
Nassim Khadem of BRW speaks with Phaedon Stough on Silicon Valley investors and companies being more attracted to Australian start-ups and engineers than ever before.
Source: BRW
Phaedon Stough is Co-founder of MitchelLake Group as well as Co-founder of Innovation Bay, a non-for-profit networking group that has raised over 10 million in seed investment.
‘I believe the appetite for importing experienced digital marketing talent will continue for at least the next 12 months as key talent proves hard to find in Australia’ says Mike Page, Managing Director of MitchelLake.
Shortlist’s Hannah Gartrell talks to Jon Tanner, co-founder of the MitchelLake Group, on how a purpose-driven approach generates around 80% of business from referrals.
How to generate more work via referrals
Digital, media and technology recruitment company MitchelLake generates around 80% of its business from referrals, thanks to an approach that focuses on the purpose of recruitment, not the processes, says co-founder Jon Tanner.
Large-scale recruitment is always under threat from change and new technology so the only way recruitment companies can build a real, defendable growth opportunity, outside of highly technical niches, is through their intellectual property, Tanner told Shortlist.
For MitchelLake, this IP is market knowledge and expertise so its recruiters can bring more to client interactions than just recruitment processes, he says.
“The main thing that we’ve always done is focus on the purpose of what we do, rather than the process. We’ve seen over the last decade recruitment get commoditised at the lower end so it’s all about volume, process, margin and those sorts of things,” he says.
Instead, MitchelLake approaches client interactions with a view to helping them succeed in their own businesses, which includes hosting educational events and introducing clients to other businesses that could be potential suppliers or customers, says Tanner.
“For us, it’s very much relationships over records, purpose over process, and participation over just being a supplier. We aim to be part of the eco system rather than just a supplier to it.”
Purpose-drive approach constrains growth at times, but breeds referrals
Read the full article here.
Source: Shortlist
