We've hired.And others are still firing!

We've hired. And others are still firing!

Backup Direct's head office is part of a larger serviced office block called The Tramshed. I have written previously about the demise of the landlords, MLS and the uncertainty this created for our business. We had to take business continuity seriously - and, fortunately, found our own business systems to be robust.

MLS was liquidated - one of the victims of the recession...perhaps. But, in reality, the recession only hastened the end for what was a badly run, over-ambitious business - I can bear witness to the fact that MLS did not know how to look after its customers.

It was typical of many businesses that flourished - and perhaps only ever existed - as a result of the prolonged period of growth we experienced to 2008. But sadly, the recession has also taken some very good businesses under.

At The Tramshed, we see businesses are culling staff on a regular basis. Some have stopped trading completely. And we see customers of Backup Direct go into administration on a weekly basis. Fortunately for us (although it was planned and conceived to be this way), we have several thousands of valuable customers, spread across dozens of industries - so we are somewhat protected from the harshest impact of the downturn.

As a footnote to the MLS saga, The Tramshed was taken over and is now being very happily managed by Moda.

In one of my recent posts, I referred to the fact that we were still hiring - against the tide of emotions that call for caution - such emotions re-enforced by the sufferings of the many businesses close to us referred to above.

But despite the risks, we continued with the search for three new sales consultants - and I am pleased to report that we have now found three excellent graduates. Each has their particular qualities and character - and as a team, they will work well together. They will form the core of a new lead generation and qualification unit - something we refer to as the Q-Team (Q for Qualification). As they learn the art and craft of lead qualification, they will develop into professional sales consultants, providing solutions for our new and current customers.

Onwards and upwards...