I left recruitment completely in 2010 after a number of years, when I decided I wanted to start a family. I figured working for myself would give me the flexibility I’d need with young children and the luxury of time to focus on my family. I’ve always enjoyed gardening and already had an allotment with a strong interest in horticulture. I hoped I could combine my passion whilst earning, so I enrolled on a gardening course and went back to college to study for a Royal Horticultural Society qualification. I had a plan to push my new business for a couple of years and then have children but it didn’t work that way! I fell pregnant whilst at college; it didn’t work out quite how I’d planned but certainly gave me the flexibility I craved whilst raising young children.
Obviously, recruitment and being a gardener couldn’t be more different! I always knew I’d miss recruitment. There were lots of pros working for myself, the flexibility and enjoying being outside, but I missed working with people, being competitive and working in a fast-paced environment. I started to think about moving back into the industry and how that could work for me and my family. As fate would have it, Dominic Cassidy approached me around this time (we had worked together in my early recruitment career) and I can honestly say I jumped at the opportunity to have a discussion about moving back into the industry. Broster Buchanan kindly took me on 3 days a week so I could keep up my gardening commitments 2 days a week; over the winter period I flex up with BB to 4 days and then during Spring, back to 3.
Working for an employer who can give me all the flexibility I had being self-employed is like a breath of fresh air whilst keeping up with my gardening. When it’s raining, I’m looking forward to sitting at my laptop, and when it’s sunny I can’t wait to be back outside. I have regular gardening customers who I support with their vegetable patches, orchids, flower gardens and much more, I love it. I have the added bonus of 4 CSR days a year at BB, which means only last week I took a few hours off to volunteer at a local community woodland, orchid and forest school to get it ready for visitors as the weather gets better. I did this on BB time which I’m very grateful for!
