Aaron Hawthorne
With experience as both a developer and recruiter into tech teams, Aaron Hawthorne formed iXL to bridge the knowledge gap in tech recruitment. Putting the sales and tech community at the core of iXL’s ethos, Aaron’s growth plans for iXL are incredibly exciting. We caught up to discuss why he started his own recruitment business, what motivates him, why giving back is key to his company culture and why anyone considering starting their own business needs to zero in on their “why”.
KEY REASONS:
- Always wanted to to start my own recruitment business.
- Realised in 2022 that the time was right. I don’t want to look back and have any regrets.
- Wanted to work with someone who takes the pressure off my shoulders so I can focus on recruitment.
- Want to grow the business to 10+ heads and focus on both sales and tech recruitment into SaaS and tech businesses.
- Working with people who care about what they do and have strong ‘why’ is a big thing for me. I want to build an inclusive culture where people can learn and grow.
- My goal is to give back to the sales community while building long lasting relationships and delivering best in class service.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW:
KEY QUESTIONS:
Why did you decide to start your own business?
- I always wanted to start my own recruitment business. I love recruitment and I just thought it was a good synergy between what I’m good at and what I like. In 2022 I reached the point where I was “right, I’m going to go and set up my recruitment business and that was it. ”
What is your aspiration for the business?
- Within the second year I want to get up to at least 10 people very much focused on SaaS sales. Once that’s up and running, I want to create another division to focus on tech. Having a background in sales and tech recruitment, as well as being a developer beforehand means I can both internally coach the team effectively and have in-depth conversations with clients and candidates.
What do you look for in a partner?
- Having someone who’s been there and done it to lead and guide you through what is needed takes the pressure off your shoulders. I can now focus on recruitment, fully supported by their finance and operations teams.
TOP TIPS FOR SOMEONE WHO IS PREPARING TO START UP:
- Check why you want to do it, because if, you’re just doing it for the money and the bright lights, I think that’s gonna be the wrong attitude to go in because the money will come.
- RecruitHub takes all the headache away. So I can focus on the main thing, which is what I love selling, speaking to people, building relationships, delivering a quality service, delivering the right candidates.
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