Dan McGuire will be a name you recognise if you work in Recruitment or the Online Job Advertising industry, if you haven’t – then please come out from under that rock! His interview below shows us just why he is so successful and we hope you will gain some inspiration from reading it. In November 2007 he was named CBI/Real Business Magazine Young Entrepreneur of the Year. He is also a regular public speaker and has delivered speeches at The HR Software Show (CIPD), The Recruitment Conference and several Onrec events.
- You are the Owner and MD of Broadbean Technology: tell me a little more about the nature of your business and your role within it
Broadbean is the leading distributor of online job adverts in Europe. We currently serve over 1.5m adverts and process around 2m candidate applications every month. My role involves the day to day running of the organisation but I’ve got a great team around me so it doesn’t take all of my time. That leaves me to work on our international expansion, specifically our European operation and my business partner, Kelly Robinson, and I are currently at an advanced stage with our US launch.
- How has your role changed over the last 5 years?
Five years ago it was just me in an office on my own with a contract techie working from home. I did everything except technical development. At the time certain sites like Monster wouldn’t let us post to them so those adverts went through the system, into my inbox and I had to manually add them. It was a great way to spend the first 2 hours of my Friday night I can assure you! We hired our first proper staff towards the end of 2003, had 4 people (including me) by the end of 2004 and I was responsible for 100% of our sales right up until well into 2005. Now my role is much more about developing the management team and ongoing strategy for the business. 5 years ago we were talking about one day becoming the number one player in the UK. Now we’re actually in the process of becoming the number one player in the world.
- Where did your business idea come from?
Kel had 15 years experience in the recruitment industry. He didn’t think any of the companies offering advert distribution at the time were particularly good so he started building his own, brought me in and the rest is history.
- What’s the best thing about working in your industry?
From a technology perspective we have to stay at the forefront and keep innovating. I love that. Internet technology evolves at such a fast pace and knowing you’re in the leading pack gives you great satisfaction. On a personal note, getting to deal with so many down to earth people right across the market is great fun. Plus, most people I know like doing deals in the pub which always works for me.
- Complete this sentence: “An MD of a successful, ever evolving company is never without ………”
A bloody big smile on his face and an attractive lady on his arm. Well, certainly the first part of that is true!
- Greatest challenge:
I never really saw it as much of a challenge at the time because I spent most of 2003 running round with an excited grin on my face but that first year - overcoming the doubters and the cynics, getting by with hardly any money, convincing people to actually pay for the service, making the overdraft last forever - looking back that was the biggest challenge I’ve ever had to deal with.
- Favourite aspect of your work?
How much I still enjoy coming to the office every day. It’s been nearly 6 years and I’m having more fun now than I ever have. A lot of that is down to the people I work with. We just got back from a weekend in Poland and you’d never have guessed we were work colleagues, more like lifelong friends.
- Who do you most admire?
In a business sense I hugely admire self-made entrepreneurs. I could list people all day. They’re my inspiration and I’ve always got an autobiography of someone who’s been there and done it nearby. It’s great that I’m in a position where I get to meet a lot of those people now. More recently I’ve realised how much I admire people that work with kids. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple of years talking at schools and colleges and the teachers and youth workers have such a hard job. Plus they get paid rubbish money and it really annoys me.
- What would you do, as a career, if you weren’t working in the New Media and Recruitment industries?
It’s hard to say as I got into recruitment at 18 straight from college. I always wanted to start in something sales related and always wanted to have my own business so I kind of followed the path I wanted to follow. If you took Broadbean away from me today I’d... actually I’m not going to say because I’m saving that for myself in the future.
- Any recommendations/advice for job-seekers looking to work in online advertising?
It’s a great industry, lots of fun and there’s plenty of opportunities for the right people. At Broadbean, we’re much more interested in hiring people with the right attitude than specific skills or education. We can teach you the skills we need you to have, attitude is something you have to get right yourself.
- Previous Jobs:
My CV is pretty straight forward: worked as a Recruitment Consultant between the age of 18 and 21 and have run Broadbean since then. Before I was 18 I did a paper-round, washed-up in a pub, sold sweets at school, worked in a kitchen in an old people’s home, put up CCTV cameras and worked in a cafe. I sold so many ice creams in that cafe they put me on commission. I got £2 an hour and 1% of all ice cream sales.
- What was your new years resolution and have you stuck to it?
I don’t bother with New Year’s resolutions. They’re pointless and no one ever sticks to them. Why should it take the start of a new year to make a change in your life. If I want to make a change I just do it. Last October I decided it was time to sort my diet out and start eating properly so I went to a nutritionist, learnt what I needed to know and changed my diet accordingly. I learnt a long time ago that to make a change you have to really want to do it and not just do it because you think you should or everyone else is.
- Favourite Film?
Love, Honour and Obey with Ray Winstone. That film gets a lot of airtime in my house.
- Tipple of choice?
Usually bottles of lager, although I’ve become very partial to good Cognac over the last few months. That said, if I’m in a club late at night, which is quite often, it’s nearly always JD and Redbull. I once heard it described as the drink of champions. Actually, it was me that said that.
- Any unfulfilled ambitions?
Because I went straight into work at 18 I never went travelling and that is something I’ll definitely do at some point. I’d also quite like to get drunk with Lily Allen.
Thank you very much Dan for taking the time to share your experiences with us.
- You are the Owner and MD of Broadbean Technology: tell me a little more about the nature of your business and your role within it
Broadbean is the leading distributor of online job adverts in Europe. We currently serve over 1.5m adverts and process around 2m candidate applications every month. My role involves the day to day running of the organisation but I’ve got a great team around me so it doesn’t take all of my time. That leaves me to work on our international expansion, specifically our European operation and my business partner, Kelly Robinson, and I are currently at an advanced stage with our US launch.
- How has your role changed over the last 5 years?
Five years ago it was just me in an office on my own with a contract techie working from home. I did everything except technical development. At the time certain sites like Monster wouldn’t let us post to them so those adverts went through the system, into my inbox and I had to manually add them. It was a great way to spend the first 2 hours of my Friday night I can assure you! We hired our first proper staff towards the end of 2003, had 4 people (including me) by the end of 2004 and I was responsible for 100% of our sales right up until well into 2005. Now my role is much more about developing the management team and ongoing strategy for the business. 5 years ago we were talking about one day becoming the number one player in the UK. Now we’re actually in the process of becoming the number one player in the world.
- Where did your business idea come from?
Kel had 15 years experience in the recruitment industry. He didn’t think any of the companies offering advert distribution at the time were particularly good so he started building his own, brought me in and the rest is history.
- What’s the best thing about working in your industry?
From a technology perspective we have to stay at the forefront and keep innovating. I love that. Internet technology evolves at such a fast pace and knowing you’re in the leading pack gives you great satisfaction. On a personal note, getting to deal with so many down to earth people right across the market is great fun. Plus, most people I know like doing deals in the pub which always works for me.
- Complete this sentence: “An MD of a successful, ever evolving company is never without ………”
A bloody big smile on his face and an attractive lady on his arm. Well, certainly the first part of that is true!
- Greatest challenge:
I never really saw it as much of a challenge at the time because I spent most of 2003 running round with an excited grin on my face but that first year - overcoming the doubters and the cynics, getting by with hardly any money, convincing people to actually pay for the service, making the overdraft last forever - looking back that was the biggest challenge I’ve ever had to deal with.
- Favourite aspect of your work?
How much I still enjoy coming to the office every day. It’s been nearly 6 years and I’m having more fun now than I ever have. A lot of that is down to the people I work with. We just got back from a weekend in Poland and you’d never have guessed we were work colleagues, more like lifelong friends.
- Who do you most admire?
In a business sense I hugely admire self-made entrepreneurs. I could list people all day. They’re my inspiration and I’ve always got an autobiography of someone who’s been there and done it nearby. It’s great that I’m in a position where I get to meet a lot of those people now. More recently I’ve realised how much I admire people that work with kids. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple of years talking at schools and colleges and the teachers and youth workers have such a hard job. Plus they get paid rubbish money and it really annoys me.
- What would you do, as a career, if you weren’t working in the New Media and Recruitment industries?
It’s hard to say as I got into recruitment at 18 straight from college. I always wanted to start in something sales related and always wanted to have my own business so I kind of followed the path I wanted to follow. If you took Broadbean away from me today I’d... actually I’m not going to say because I’m saving that for myself in the future.
- Any recommendations/advice for job-seekers looking to work in online advertising?
It’s a great industry, lots of fun and there’s plenty of opportunities for the right people. At Broadbean, we’re much more interested in hiring people with the right attitude than specific skills or education. We can teach you the skills we need you to have, attitude is something you have to get right yourself.
- Previous Jobs:
My CV is pretty straight forward: worked as a Recruitment Consultant between the age of 18 and 21 and have run Broadbean since then. Before I was 18 I did a paper-round, washed-up in a pub, sold sweets at school, worked in a kitchen in an old people’s home, put up CCTV cameras and worked in a cafe. I sold so many ice creams in that cafe they put me on commission. I got £2 an hour and 1% of all ice cream sales.
- What was your new years resolution and have you stuck to it?
I don’t bother with New Year’s resolutions. They’re pointless and no one ever sticks to them. Why should it take the start of a new year to make a change in your life. If I want to make a change I just do it. Last October I decided it was time to sort my diet out and start eating properly so I went to a nutritionist, learnt what I needed to know and changed my diet accordingly. I learnt a long time ago that to make a change you have to really want to do it and not just do it because you think you should or everyone else is.
- Favourite Film?
Love, Honour and Obey with Ray Winstone. That film gets a lot of airtime in my house.
- Tipple of choice?
Usually bottles of lager, although I’ve become very partial to good Cognac over the last few months. That said, if I’m in a club late at night, which is quite often, it’s nearly always JD and Redbull. I once heard it described as the drink of champions. Actually, it was me that said that.
- Any unfulfilled ambitions?
Because I went straight into work at 18 I never went travelling and that is something I’ll definitely do at some point. I’d also quite like to get drunk with Lily Allen.
Thank you very much Dan for taking the time to share your experiences with us.
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