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Having worked with Rachel and Neo as their marketing partner, I’ve always been fascinated by their journey with Ice Recruitment.
Their story of building a successful business while handling the complexities of a husband-wife partnership is inspiring.
I decided to record this podcast because their experiences offer valuable insights for other recruitment business owners, especially those considering working with their partners.
Rachel and Neo’s candid discussion about their challenges, triumphs, and personal growth provides a unique perspective on entrepreneurship and relationships.
Their journey from a crisis-driven start-up to a thriving 16-year-old business is not just about recruitment strategies; it’s a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the power of shared values.
I hope this conversation will inspire and guide others in our industry, showing that it’s possible to blend personal and professional lives with the right approach successfully.
So, let’s dive into the Ice Recruitment story and learn from this remarkable couple who’ve mastered the art of building a business and a life together.
The Birth of Ice Recruitment
The idea for Ice Recruitment came about when Rachel and Neo wanted to start their own business. They come from families where both sets of parents had their businesses, so it seemed like a logical step. Due to family commitments, Rachel had left recruitment and was freelancing while their children were younger, while Neo was working in the city.
In 2008, the financial crisis hit, and Neo lost his job. Getting another role at Neo’s level was difficult, so they set up their own business. They combined Neo’s sales and technology background with Rachel’s recruitment background.
Over a coffee in Starbucks, Ice Recruitment was born.
Rachel explains, “We naturally combined Neo’s background in sales and technology with my background in recruitment. Over a coffee in Starbucks, Ice recruitment was set up pretty much as quickly as that. We lasted longer than Starbucks. That’s not there anymore.”
Overcoming Early Challenges
The early days weren’t without challenges. Neo came from a $5 billion global company with 75 to 105 people under his umbrella. He was naive in thinking he could replicate that culture with just two people. The processes and approaches might have been spot on, but the execution, delivery, and demeanour of a smaller company, especially a husband-and-wife team, differed.
Neo reflects, “I was probably quite naive that I thought I could replicate that culture with two of us because it worked with 200. Why would it not work with the two of us? And the processes and approaches would have been spot on. But the execution, delivery, and demeanour of a smaller company and a husband and wife are that it will never work.”
There was a reasonable amount of “storming,” in which two people put their stakes in the ground. Rachel, a freelancer, felt she couldn’t be told what to do, while Neo, a sales director, felt he should be listened to. Neither was budging.
The sense of urgency was high. Due to the financial pressures, they had to get up and running quickly. It wasn’t a panic situation but one of urgency. They had to work hard and accept the problem to find ways around the challenges.
Neo adds, “From a financial perspective, you must get onto that treadmill quickly. It’s not a panic situation but an urgent one.”
Balancing Work And Personal Life
One of the biggest challenges was differentiating between work conflicts and personal life. For a long time, it wasn’t easy to separate the two. If this continues, many partnerships might crumble by year two, but for Rachel and Neo, it was still happening in year two, although becoming less frequent as the years went on.
Rachel shares, “For a long time, it was very difficult to differentiate between the work conflict and then, you know, making dinner. That wasn’t easy. And that was some of the conflict I think as a partnership; you have to get over if you are a husband and wife, wife and wife or husband and husband.”
They had to work through it and figure out how to turn off the laptop and leave work at work. If conflicts weren’t personal and directed at each other, they could close it and deal with it the next day. They learned to keep it business-focused.
They also learned to separate personal conversations from work conversations. They focused on work during work hours, saving personal discussions for evenings. This separation helped maintain a healthy balance between their work and personal lives.
Rachel explains, “We don’t talk about those things at work. We have conversations about work as much as we can. And then in the evening, oh, you know, so-and-so said, do we want to go to a concert?”
The Benefits Of Working Together
Despite the challenges, the benefits of working together far outweigh the downsides. Neo has never missed a sports day, parent’s evening, or any significant event in their children’s lives. This flexibility and ability to be present for family events is enormous.
Neo emphasises, “I’ve never missed a sports day or a parent’s evening. My son had a six-week trial down at Watford, and I went to all six trials and took him down there and never missed a game. We always went to the swimming tournament. We’ve never missed anything. Ever. For me, that alone is enormous.”
Another significant upside is how working together has brought them closer as a couple. Many couples grow apart over the years as they pursue separate careers. Rachel and Neo have grown closer because they both have to grow as people together.
Neo reflects, “We’re closer now than we were 15, 18 years ago because we must grow as people. The people who are most successful in relationships and the people who are most successful in business, whether it’s parenting, friendships, or whatever, are the people who have the best coping mechanisms.”
They’ve created a life sustained on their terms. They’ve balanced running a successful business with being there for their children’s activities and sports events. It’s been challenging, requiring early mornings, late nights, and working weekends, but they’ve made it work.
Rachel shares, “We had the business in the daytime, but my daughter was a swimmer, so I was up at 4:30 a.m. doing early morning swims. Our son is a footballer, and Neo is the coach. So off they would go from 6:00 a couple of times a week or on a weekend. That was a priority they got from us, and they could develop their sports as they wanted to.”
Advice For Couples In Business
Rachel and Neo offer some advice for couples considering working together. Rachel emphasises the importance of being prepared for challenges and having clear intentions. “It is give and take,” she says. “You’re not going to win everything. It’s not going to go at the speed you want it. There are going to be hurdles.”
Neo adds, “Be prepared for conflict. Be prepared for very dark periods. But you’ll get those if you work for someone else anyway.” He emphasises that the benefits far outweigh the downsides, but it’s crucial to stick to agreed parameters and be ready for personal growth.
They both stress the importance of having separate spaces and interests outside of work. Rachel, like Neo, has her own “tribe” of friends and colleagues. This allows them to maintain their individuality while working closely together.
The Highlights And Future Plans
For Rachel, the key highlights have been having a business they love and knowing they’re fortunate. They genuinely enjoy what they do, finding it rewarding to help people find the right job opportunities. Rachel says, “It’s so rewarding when you help someone. There’s something so rewarding about that. And that’s actually the essence of what we do.”
They’ve been able to create a life on their terms and are excited about entering a new era in their business. Rachel adds, “We’ve managed it. We look back now and go, wow, we seem to have done that bit. Let’s keep going. And we’ve got so many goals we still want to hit.”
For Neo, the highlights include their ability to do things their way and maintain their values of honesty, integrity, and trust. He’s proud of their standards of work and energy. He also sees their personal growth as a major highlight, noting how they’ve developed the ability to handle situations calmly that would have caused meltdowns years ago.
Neo shares an example: “There was an incident a fortnight ago that, without going into detail, had that same incident happened 15 years ago, I’d have had a meltdown. The ability to cope with something you couldn’t cope with before genuinely doesn’t mean you’ll get out of it because sometimes circumstances don’t deal with that.”
Looking ahead, they’re excited about the next phase of their business. With their children now grown and pursuing their careers, Rachel and Neo are ready to focus even more on growing Ice recruitment. They aim to accomplish in the next ten years what most people do in 30, building on the strong foundation they’ve established over the past 16 years.
Neo concludes, “The highlight for me is knowing what we want to do. I’m really proud of our standards of work and energy. The highlight has been how much we’ve developed as individuals. I think that would be it.”
Thanks,
Sharon
