A decade, that’s how long the High Performance team have been providing a high quality HR, Employment Law and H&S outsourced service to businesses in the UK. Founded in 2007 by our MD Victoria Brown, HPC will be turning 10 this year.
Starting out with a small head office above a beauty shop, the HPC team have had to move numerous times to keep up with our ever growing team. From the buzzing Baltic Triangle, to Old Hall Street, we now find ourselves set up in a snazzy open plan office at Brunswick Business Park, with plans to continue to grow and expand our team (who knows where we could end up next).
Outside of Liverpool we now have offices in London and Manchester with another HPC location soon to be opened in the midlands.
During these ten years we’ve had the pleasure of working with numerous companies from various industry sectors. From bars and law firms, to multinational manufacturers, we’ve had the privilege of helping to support companies both big and small, forming fantastic relationships with their people along the way.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients old and new for their support and loyalty over the years and we look forward to being able to continue to help and advise your businesses for the next ten years and beyond.
As HPC celebrates its 10-year anniversary we had a chat with our MD to find out how it all began…
“I am so proud of the HPC team today as I sit with you and look back over our 10 years of success. The journey started in a small office above the beauty salon I set up when I was a lot younger than I am today! We experienced the financial crash in 2008, brought 3 HPC babies into the world, 2 engagements, 1 wedding, quite a few break ups, lots of laughs and the odd tear.
I brought two people into the business very early on (you know who you are ladies) and I could not have survived without them. They quickly bought into the dream from the onset, and their determination, loyalty and support is one of the main reasons that I am sitting with you today. Thank you.
We now have offices in Liverpool, Manchester and London and offer a national service. We have grown in size but not in attitude and still remain as humble as we did on the day we had only £500 in the bank from a government grant.”
“I always knew that I was destined to run my own consultancy, I just didn’t expect to take the plunge when I did. I worked in a large HR department and also ran my own small business. I had my fair share of problematic staff, but fortunately knew how to handle their conduct in the right way. When I considered the options to outsource my HR needs for such a small business, they were pretty abysmal. The majority of providers just treated you like a number and didn’t genuinely care about your business, they just wanted to lock you into a long term contract and take your cash.
I sat in my office one day and thought I need to make a difference. I handed in my notice that afternoon and I always remember my Director (who was amazing by the way) sitting with me after shedding a few tears and saying “nothing I say is going to change your mind is it?”. I shook my head, so she then proceeded to say “well the world is your oyster kid, go get em.” The rest as they say is history…”
“We have stayed true to our values and our commitments to our customers. We had a 98% client retention rate in 2016, which is testament to the great team we have built at HPC. I think that maintaining a genuine, personal relationship with clients is what stands us out from some of our competitors. Too many HR firms sell their services on preparing for the worst – staff disciplinary issues, Employment Tribunals. Of course, these are very real dangers that business owners need to take account of. However, developing your people, retaining good team members and improving productivity. All these areas of HR should form part of the offering, and it’s what we do best.”
“Go for it! If you don’t you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Customer satisfaction is an absolute priority. The customer isn’t necessarily always right, but you need to listen to them and manage their expectations. You must deliver what you say you will, I get so frustrated by suppliers that over promise and under deliver. Second, cash is king. Processes, getting invoicing right and money in, is something that many entrepreneurs overlook, because they hate detail. But, without cash, your business is dead. Don’t get carried away with turnover either, it’s the profit that matters. Thirdly, surround yourself with good people, and people you can trust. Finally, I firmly believe that to every problem there is a solution. I have a rule within my team that if they come to a meeting with me with a problem and no solution, I tell them to turnaround and come back when they can bring some positivity to the room.”
“We have a very clear vision to be the number one boutique national provider of HR, Employment Law and Health and Safety. It is not about quantity for us, it is about quality. We don’t intend to client collect, we want to continue to grow at a comfortable rate that will not compromise our high quality service.
I must also note, that if I took on board all of the ideas in the HPC light bulb moment box from the team, then we will also have a mojito bar, yearly conference in NYC and an in-house make-up artist… I think we will just have to settle for a new coffee machine for now.”