For many small businesses, 2021 was the toughest and most challenging year to be in business. Yet, despite the uncertainty the pandemic brought, it was also the year that saw thousands of new start-ups launch as aspiring business owners took the plunge and followed their dreams.
As UKBF continues to celebrate the achievements of some remarkable women in business this month, we speak to UKBF member, Rachel Collar, about Haus of HR. A life-changing event forced this Northamptonshire business owner to reassess her life and future, leaving her high-powered corporate lifestyle behind to pursue her long-held dream of running her own business.
Thankfully, Rachel’s husband is now fighting fit, but the incident made Rachel reevaluate her life. In the week leading up to his heart attack, Rachel had been working excessive hours and not spending any time with her husband. After the shocking turn of events, Rachel kept asking herself, “What if the worst had happened? How could I forgive myself for putting my work first?”
For a week afterwards, Rachel tried to reduce her working hours. However, as will be a familiar story to so many people, she was quickly back on the road to destruction. The turning point came when her husband had another scare and was back in the hospital.
Rachel had always wanted to run her own business and put the idea on hold for over ten years. It was whilst her husband was recovering, she knew she had to make a change in the way she worked.
“Having worked from home throughout the pandemic, I began exploring how to set up an HR consulting business. I spoke with other HR professionals that had made the leap from the corporate world and quickly realised that it would fulfil my need to have greater flexibility and also allow me to be more creative and support my local community.”
Haus of HR is home to HR and people solutions for SMEs and start-up businesses. It ensures businesses have solid HR foundations, enabling them to grow and thrive through their people. As a talent retention specialist, it offers bespoke employee wellbeing development and engagement programmes that reduce employee turnover and absenteeism whilst boosting productivity. Haus of HR also helps businesses deliver enviable employee experiences to become known as employers of choice.
She said, “I had underestimated the commitment required for business networking. I didn't know the networking scene even existed whilst I was operating in the corporate world. I couldn't believe the number of groups that operated and the different formats, structures and commitment costs. Having to decide on which networking groups to invest in and attend became a matter of trial and error.”
Anyone who is thinking about starting their own business may want to take on Rachel’s advice and begin networking before leaving their current role. As difficult as that might seem, there are many breakfast business networking groups that meet early in the mornings, as well as others that get together in the evenings.
Along with the tougher lessons, there have been many joyful moments for Rachel, but one especially stands out, “Hands down, it has to be winning my first client! It felt like such a big win and, being the first, it had a special meaning. That’s when I realised that the hard work was starting to pay off. I even burst into tears – of happiness!”
“My one piece of advice for anyone who is starting their own business is to try everything once. Sometimes we need to make mistakes, so we can learn from them and become stronger for them.
Being my authentic self has been an important part of my business journey; opening up about my vulnerabilities, and hoping that I inspire others to do the same. I held back in the corporate world, but now I have fully embraced it and love every minute of it!”
Rachel said, “I'm now living my best life! My business journey so far has seen many highs, most notably the support of the business owner community and their willingness to collaborate and help each other.”
You can follow Rachel Collar on UKBF or find out more about Haus of HR.
As UKBF continues to celebrate the achievements of some remarkable women in business this month, we speak to UKBF member, Rachel Collar, about Haus of HR. A life-changing event forced this Northamptonshire business owner to reassess her life and future, leaving her high-powered corporate lifestyle behind to pursue her long-held dream of running her own business.
Reevaluating life and priorities
Rachel had been working in the corporate world of HR for over 20 years when her life took a dramatic turn in February 2021. Rachel’s husband suffered a heart attack the day before their first wedding anniversary and, because of the pandemic, she was unable to visit him in hospital as he recovered.Thankfully, Rachel’s husband is now fighting fit, but the incident made Rachel reevaluate her life. In the week leading up to his heart attack, Rachel had been working excessive hours and not spending any time with her husband. After the shocking turn of events, Rachel kept asking herself, “What if the worst had happened? How could I forgive myself for putting my work first?”
For a week afterwards, Rachel tried to reduce her working hours. However, as will be a familiar story to so many people, she was quickly back on the road to destruction. The turning point came when her husband had another scare and was back in the hospital.
Pursuing her dreams
Reflecting on this time Rachel said, “That's when I knew I had to make a permanent change. I decided to leave my role as the Head of HR at a well-known automotive company and pursue my long-held dream of running my own business.”Rachel had always wanted to run her own business and put the idea on hold for over ten years. It was whilst her husband was recovering, she knew she had to make a change in the way she worked.
“Having worked from home throughout the pandemic, I began exploring how to set up an HR consulting business. I spoke with other HR professionals that had made the leap from the corporate world and quickly realised that it would fulfil my need to have greater flexibility and also allow me to be more creative and support my local community.”
Haus of HR is home to HR and people solutions for SMEs and start-up businesses. It ensures businesses have solid HR foundations, enabling them to grow and thrive through their people. As a talent retention specialist, it offers bespoke employee wellbeing development and engagement programmes that reduce employee turnover and absenteeism whilst boosting productivity. Haus of HR also helps businesses deliver enviable employee experiences to become known as employers of choice.
Lessons from the first year in business
Juggling the launch of a new business during a pandemic, with managing the stress and worry of a loved one suffering serious illness, has inevitably provided Rachel with some important lessons about starting a new business.She said, “I had underestimated the commitment required for business networking. I didn't know the networking scene even existed whilst I was operating in the corporate world. I couldn't believe the number of groups that operated and the different formats, structures and commitment costs. Having to decide on which networking groups to invest in and attend became a matter of trial and error.”
Anyone who is thinking about starting their own business may want to take on Rachel’s advice and begin networking before leaving their current role. As difficult as that might seem, there are many breakfast business networking groups that meet early in the mornings, as well as others that get together in the evenings.
Along with the tougher lessons, there have been many joyful moments for Rachel, but one especially stands out, “Hands down, it has to be winning my first client! It felt like such a big win and, being the first, it had a special meaning. That’s when I realised that the hard work was starting to pay off. I even burst into tears – of happiness!”
Looking towards the future
Rachel is open-minded about where her business will organically take her. Whilst continuing to grow her HR retainer and project-based clients, Rachel sees her network of inspirational, like-minded business owners as a key part of Haus of HR’s future and hopes to collaborate in areas she would not even have considered during her corporate career.“My one piece of advice for anyone who is starting their own business is to try everything once. Sometimes we need to make mistakes, so we can learn from them and become stronger for them.
Being my authentic self has been an important part of my business journey; opening up about my vulnerabilities, and hoping that I inspire others to do the same. I held back in the corporate world, but now I have fully embraced it and love every minute of it!”
The importance of business community support
The HR profession is traditionally female-dominated with approximately 80% of the Chartered Institute of Personnel And Development (CIPD) membership being female. Rachel says that she has therefore spent most of her career surrounded by strong, like-minded women.Rachel said, “I'm now living my best life! My business journey so far has seen many highs, most notably the support of the business owner community and their willingness to collaborate and help each other.”
You can follow Rachel Collar on UKBF or find out more about Haus of HR.
