Day 1
I started Volition on the 13th of January 2023. It also happened to be the 1st anniversary with my partner Claire.
I was so excited about launching the business… that I forgot the anniversary. So Day 1 was spent very much in the dog house. I remembered it this year, and it was a much better day. The 13th of Jan is now firmly etched into my brain, but for the right reasons.
Family > Work. Remember that.
Client acquisition
January 2023 was already slowing down. I had a few non-competes still in place and then SVB and Credit Suisse news hit. It felt like the market just died.
I’m not sure I was doing anything wrong, but roles were scarce and super competitive. Always open to BD tips for slow markets — feel free to share.
Tech
I was basically mis-sold a tech product.
Love the tool, but I was told it integrated with my CRM/ATS — it doesn’t. And it would cost me $99/month for the API just to make it work, which I refuse to pay on principle.
Lesson learned: double check integrations in demos and ask more questions.
Now I have two tools, two data silos, and more work than I had before. Tech should simplify workflows — not add to them.
Accounting
I think my accountant is good?
Every time I ask him questions, he just says everything is fine and not to worry. But I want to understand the process, not be fobbed off.
I’m filing the first round of corporate accounts soon and still don’t know what the process really involves. Time to go sit down with him properly and get some clear answers.
Bad business
Volition was never meant to be a big business. The goal was to only work with invested clients where the roles made sense.
Did I stick to that? Honestly, no. A few examples:
Sales
New client gave me 13 minutes to discuss two roles. When I asked questions, he said “sorry I don’t really have time for this.”
I was excited about the company so I pushed through and built shortlists anyway — without the context I really needed. Sent them over, and was told the roles had already been filled. Waste of time. Lesson learned.
CTO
Asked to find a CTO for £100k + 20% bonus, 4 days a week in London, with global team experience. Instead of just saying “that’s totally unrealistic,” I gave it a go and got laughed at by every candidate I spoke to.
Jumping the gun
If I get a spec and think I can hit it quickly, I sometimes start without full context. That buzz of getting early traction doesn’t usually lead to actual placements.
Don’t be scared to say no.
Personal goals
I’m not overly stressed running Volition. I enjoy the work. But when I left my old, more intense job, I promised I’d invest more in myself — gym, meditation, being present.
Physically, I started 2023 at 94kg. Started 2024 at 101kg.
Mentally, I still spend too much time thinking about the past — what could’ve or should’ve been. I need to let go of that. It doesn’t serve who I am today.
Professional goals
I flip-flop between wanting to grow Volition into a team… and just keeping it Jack & I.
I think staying small makes the most sense. But you can’t help feeling like you’re not really successful in this industry unless you’ve built a big team.
Try not to care what other people think.
Marketing
We’ve been posting more on LinkedIn and I genuinely enjoy it. It’s brought in candidates, clients, and revenue.
But outside of impressions, I know next to nothing about marketing. If you’ve got book or podcast recs, I’m all ears.
Product offering
I spent time building out a productised offer for clients. It’s on the site.
But truthfully, I’ve barely mentioned it to anyone. Contingent has kept me busy.
I do think the extra services have value, though so I need to actually talk about them more in 2024.
