How did helping a friend spark the start of your own business?

CAREER SHIFTING

"How did a small favour for a friend become the starting point for your own business project?" Yes, my own business.

How did I accomplish it?The truth is I have never imagined this, like,at the beginning of my career.

I've always wanted a steady job, and I did get one,and I was delighted to have it.

I used to say: "Here I am, sitting on a nice, soft, warm chair..." It was very well paid.

I was talking to a friend one day and he told me:"Madeleine, I'd like to double the amount of employees in my IT company".

I answered: "Sure,it's not easy on the IT field, but sure." He said: "Could you, due to your experience in HR,please help me?" I was like: "HR is a quite broad field, but let me see what I can do for you".

At that point, I was already interested in employer branding and job advertisements, even if they weren't part of my main job or my position.

After that, we took a look at the employment website and we edited some offers,but not excessively.

In my opinion, we didn't modify much at all.Some weeks after, I got a call: "Madeleine, the number of applications has drastically increased.

I can finally find people who I'd like to hire." It felt absolutely amazing.

He said: "You need to reach more people".I told him: "That's nonsense. What for?" "And as a freelancer?" "I don't have to"."I make a good wage, I'm doing well,I have just had a kid.

No, I don't need to do it." Despite all that, the idea remained engraved in my subconscious.

I couldn't get it out of my mind.Then, I went to the "Zukunft Personal" trade fair and I asked people about the employer-branding projects outlook how much they could pay to someone offering consultancy,how much it costed... In other words, everything that goes with it.

Because I couldn't afford to have an expensive hobby.

It was clear that if I started something, I had to make money one way or another.

Well, then I found out that people do spend money on that.

Companies truly spent great amounts of money on these projects.

That's when I realized I had a business case.I started to come up with workshops and think of great plans.

Well, actually, I started thinking workshops up when I was working full time.

At first, no one was interested because no one knew who I was.

And I tried to boost myself through friends and acquaintances but no one bought them.

In that moment I thought: "One way or another,I have to advertise myself".

I tried to do so on LinkedIn.I already had a profile with 200 contacts I knew from college and work, and then I started posting.

At first it's quite frustrating, probably to those who start on LinkedIn.

It's so frustrating that posts about studies or data barely get views,but then you post about your vacation, and suddenly it goes viral for whatever reason. I found that deeply annoying.

It truly got on my nerves.People who use this platform know what I mean.

In any case, I didn't surrender and I started posting texts about job advertisements. I started giving some advice.

In fact, that's what I recommend, discussing one topic per post.

It's very convenient. And that's how I became well-known in the job advertisement sector, because I got a client through LinkedIn a year or so after.

Because they had seen my posts.Then, I started with the job advertisement workshops.

That's how it all began.Well, yes, I jumped right in.

And it was during the COVID pandemic.Suddenly, no one seemed to mind that I did it all online.

It was one of my biggest fears. Having to travel when I had my little kid at home.

And the problem simply went away, because no one asked "Why online?" They just assumed it.

The problem suddenly dissipated.