A Stratford entrepreneur of two who turned her ‘kitchen table’ enterprise into a million pound business in just three years, is celebrating her first national award.
Charlotte Pitts won Service Provider of the Year for her business The HR Consultants, based in Warwickshire.
The business, which was established just a few months before the pandemic hit, provides outsourced HR support to business owners and HR Managers.
The latest recognition marks the fourth anniversary of the business and follows its recent growth, including the launch of a new recruitment business The Recruitment Consultants.
Charlotte, who walked away from the corporate world at the age of 35, is proud of her journey, but admits it has not been without its challenges.
She said: “After a career climbing the corporate ladder, and becoming Group HR Director, I realised I was sitting in a role that I’d been working hard to achieve all my adult life, that actually I wasn’t doing something I was passionate about.
“After having my two daughters, now aged 7 and 5, I decided it was time to scratch the itch I’d been trying to ignore for the last five years and there and then, The HR Consultants was born. The next six months saw work building steadily – and then the pandemic hit – what a time that was!
“We have grown the business – we’re now a team of ten – through extremely difficult times (Covid, multiple lockdowns, furlough, cost of living crisis, recession, etc) and throughout it all, the service we provide has been at the heart of all our decisions and every action we take.
“Growth hasn’t been easy in a time when recruitment is difficult for all businesses. I am so proud of the revenue goals we have set ourselves, and continued to hit – when I started the business, I didn’t think this kind of revenue would be possible.”
Today, as well as celebrating her own company’s continued significant growth, Charlotte takes pride the role they’ve played in growing clients’ businesses, despite difficult trading conditions.
The entrepreneur was one of 35 winners chosen from hundreds of nominations from across the country in the fifth Ladies First Awards, run by Tracey McAtamney, from Balsall Common. The awards, which were held at Coombe Abbey Hotel in Coventry, recognise and celebrate the achievements of women in the business, creative arts and charity sectors.
Reacting to her award, Charlotte said: “The service we provide means absolutely everything to us and it’s a real team effort; we’re consistently focused on ensuring our service is on-point so we can take the HR and people-pain away from our clients, enabling them to succeed through their people. As we approach our fourth birthday, being recognised in this category means so much to the whole team, and we’re absolutely thrilled.”
