Graham Howard
Frontline Health and Frontline Education Queensland
Reflecting on the company’s acquisition in 2020, Graham has nothing but praise for the process and the new owners.
“The old owners ran this for 25 years so it’s been different. I like to think of it as ‘we’ve had a fantastic house but now we’ve got solar, modern furnishings, it’s even better’.
“And having been in corporate I’ve never seen a changeover better handled.”
Graham first got involved with FRG as an executive looking for retail staff, and he loved the business model.
“It sowed a seed, it grew. It’s white collar, Monday to Friday, dealing with people, so I explored what was available.”
Graham has a background in health and, along with the Sydney franchisee, was the first to operate in this sector.
“I had no clients and no candidates. Systems and processes don’t mean a thing when you haven’t got anyone to talk to. When I look back, it was incredibly daunting, where do you start?
“Health is a behemoth so which sector do you go after? I started with the jobs supplement, and once I’d found the jobs I got in touch with the recruiter and put the jobs on our jobs board. Then I started to build up a database.
“The key to success in our business is the people we employ. If we don’t have the right people, it’s incredibly hard for anyone and a huge drain on finances if you get it wrong.
“The best part about our business, and the worst part about our business, is you’re dealing with people. You have to sell the job to the candidate, then sell the candidate to the business.
“You have to market yourself. While it has aspects of HR, first and foremost it’s a sales and marketing role.”
Over the years Graham and his business partner (who runs the education agency) have made friends with other agency owners.
“The greatest advantage to me has been the networking, sounding out ideas, best practice, sharing information, genuinely supporting each other. We’ve all been on a rollercoaster from the day we started.
“It’s our colleagues that rally around.
“I love my team, what I do, coming to work. In the next 12 to 24 months I’d love to step back a bit but I don’t see myself managing myself out of the business.”