“It is satisfying to make an impact on small and medium businesses who really feel it”
Tania Howard of Talent Seed initially worked at recruitment agencies, and it was their lack of training (in anything except sales) and ‘focus on getting a bum in a seat’ that seeded the idea to start her own business. Tania says that their ethics were scary and she had had a humbling experience with a client that highlighted the adage “You don’t know what you don’t know”.
Tania moved on to an in-house recruitment role where she gained extensive best practice training. Fast forward a few years and Tania kept on bumping into small business owners who’d made poor hiring decisions through DIY recruitment… and they couldn’t afford agency help.
Tania wanted to provide a way for them to access hiring expertise affordably… and Talent Seed came out of that. Tania shares “It is satisfying to make an impact on small and medium businesses who really feel it.”
Tania provides recruitment support for small and medium enterprises who don’t have the experience, resources, time or confidence for DIY recruitment, nor the deep pockets to use an agency. At Talent Seed, Tania ensures they can access affordable expertise and create a great employment brand image when hiring, through end-to-end recruitment hiring toolkits and interview skills training.
“HerBusiness is making me revisit assumptions, vision, strategy and priorities. As a result I have more clarity and a better roadmap.”
Tania says about joining the HerBusiness Network “It is making me revisit assumptions, vision, strategy and priorities. As a result I have more clarity and a better roadmap. ‘Refine’ I think is the best word for it. There are some clever people in other businesses that can challenge my perspective and give insights into how my clients may think.”
Who’s your favourite entrepreneur and why?
Steven Bartlett. I like his DOAC podcast, how he attracts amazing experts who provide incredible information. He is a great interviewer, and is able to facilitate interviewers to share valuable information without making it about him. He appears to be humble, and a genuinely nice guy, and maybe this is an assumption, but it seems he has good ethics, which I value.
Why did you start your business and what gave you the idea?
Buckle up, I’ll try to be concise but it was my journey within recruitment that gave me the idea. I initially worked at recruitment agencies and didn’t like their lack of training (in anything except sales) and ‘focus on getting a bum in a seat’. Their ethics were scary and I also had a humbling experience (with a client) that highlighted that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I was then very lucky to start an in-house recruitment role where I gained extensive best practice training. Fast forward a few years and I kept on bumping into SME business owners who’d made poor hiring decisions through DIY recruitment… and they couldn’t afford agency help. I figured there must be a way for them to access hiring expertise affordably… and Talent Seed came out of that. Plus it is satisfying making an impact to small and medium businesses who really feel it.
What do you enjoy most about running your own business?
Freedom, being able to take my work anywhere in NZ if I wish. Having great relationships with my clients who outsource their recruitment to us… they really value our advice and we can see the value a great hire brings them.
What three pieces of advice do you wish you’d been given when you started?
- Get decent financial software. Spent 2 years on spreadsheets and another really average system… before swapping to Xero, which has been a game changer.
- Charge more (early on) wasn’t charging anywhere enough and that meant I paid myself pathetically. Still working on that…
- Focus on profit, recent advice I’m still working on. I thought if I could pay all my commitments and myself that would be enough, I should have focused on profit sooner.
What advice would YOU give someone thinking about starting a business?
I would hang on to whatever job you are in while you build it on the side… check it is feasible, and make your mistakes while you still have a salary. If you can’t afford to have a team initially around you and you’re an extrovert your energy will be impacted, it takes a few months to adjust to creating your own discipline and routines.
What skills and knowledge areas would you recommend those starting out in business get acquainted with quickly?
Sales – especially if you have big ticket items and to have solid templates built for proposals, so you’re not starting from scratch each time. AI to see what it can do for you… it could become your right hand person. Marketing as until you have an income it is costly to outsource.
What does your IDEAL business look like? Even if you’re not there yet, what would it look like if your business was ideal?
I would like to have online revenue which supports the ‘do it for you’ outsourced recruitment. I need to also get my contractors to take action in my absence… At the moment I am a bottleneck, the team wants to run things by me, and if I’m busy that slows down how fast something gets to the client. I’d rather clients had a quick turnaround even if it isn’t exactly how I would do it.
What problem does being a Member of the HerBusiness Network solve for you and your business? And, how?
HerBusiness is making me revisit assumptions, vision, strategy and priorities. As a result I have more clarity and a better roadmap. ‘Refine’ I think is the best word for it. Still early days but I think there are some clever people in other businesses that can challenge my perspective and give insights into how my clients may think.
Learn more about Tania and Talent Seed.
