WOMEN 'CAN WOMEN HAVE A FAMILY AND A CAREER'

Well E2W think you can and they have based their model on that concept.

E2W are based in Capital Space’s Churchill Square Business Centre in Kings Hill. By using a bit of genius and a lot of innovation, E2W have created a business model around extraordinary people, flexibility, a gap in the market and a positive work/life balance.

E2W spotted the opportunities of recruiting differently and employers need to wake up to this talent pool as E2W are leading the way. They have tapped into a dedicated demographic of employees that has enabled their business to grow rapidly and expand internationally into new markets.

Firstly, the dynamic leaders of this inspiring company are Tina and Mark Freed – an entrepreneurial team that spotted an opportunity back in 2002. Tina spent many years working in the City at the London Stock Exchange and Credit Suisse, a high-flying mother who sold her soul to the daily commute. Mark sold financial software to global financial institutions – both of them travelling, working long hours and juggling parenthood. A familiar story in many UK households!

Then in 2002, with the desire to gain more control over that balance of work/life, Mark and Tina had their ‘light bulb’ moment – they spotted a gap in the market, a missing link between the financial software clients that Mark worked for and the financial powerhouses that Tina worked for.

It’s a complex concept. E2W build relationships with ‘C’ Level contacts in financial institutions on behalf of their clients who benefit from a reduced cost of sale and increased revenue. E2W create a bridge of relationship building and sector insight.

They are not a telemarketing company or a sales generation company – they are so much more and that is where their uniqueness lies. And this model really works – they now have offices in the UK, North America, and Singapore and have recently opened in Switzerland.

E2W’s business model is dependent on a lot of factors but one of them crucial – the extraordinary people they employ. Each financial software customer has a ‘Client Manager’ who works exclusively at relationship building within their clients top target financial institutions. Client Managers need to have an in-depth knowledge of the City with at least ten years experience.

With Tina’s desire for a healthier work/life balance, their ‘genius’ decision was to base their business model on employing people who want a ‘2nd Career’, who built their careers in the City but now have a family or other areas of interest. The daily commute and long City hours generally aren’t conducive to a happy home life so many people are left with no options but to opt out. This was an opportunity for E2W, so they target these people who want a fulfilling career, are highly qualified and experienced but need to achieve a balance in their lives.

The office hours are 9.30am – 2.30pm but because they are employing people that are used to juggling and multi-tasking, are efficient and experienced – they generally get a full day’s work done in five hours without compromising other important aspects of their lives and time with the family.

Quote from Tina…..

“In 2002 I was faced with a dilemma, I wanted to return to work and to continue my career, something I felt I had earned during my city days, but I did not want to compromise on my responsibilities of being a Mother. I wanted it all and knew I was not alone. So we set-out to create a City based environment in Kings Hill but with the flexibility and understanding of the needs of the people we employ.

Financial Institutions, even today, are missing out on a significant, qualified resource pool. They just don’t understand or can’t accommodate the ‘working parent’ into their business or recognize people as more than ‘an employee’. Their loss is our gain.”

The location of where they base their offices is also crucial as they need to tap into this dedicated workforce without them travelling too far and this is where Churchill Square in Kings Hill comes into it’s own.

When they opened the North American office, the objective was to find a ‘Kings Hill location like Churchill Square’ just outside New York – which has worked out very well. This scalable business model was then replicated in Singapore and Switzerland.

The key message from this story is that employers should open their eyes to this source of talented employees. There is a way to achieve a better work/life balance and have a fulfilling career; it just takes an innovative employer to spot the opportunity!

This topic seems to be a theme in the press at the moment and certainly for women in financial services there is a lot being said about it, read more about it in why ‘ women struggle along the path between home and career’ recently published in Financial News.

And to visualise the subject a great infographic from LinkedIn, that really depicts how woman feel about having it all, results are via a recent survey on LinkedIn …. enjoy!