They started out with an office in their kids’ rumpus room at their home in Clive in 2015, now Nicky and Kane Grundy have a Chamber of Commerce Business Awards trophy in their high-profile space at the Tech Collective in Ahuriri. The entrepreneurs, who have always owned their own businesses, have ticked off numerous goals since starting their video production company in 2015 including being a part of The Icehouse Owner Operator Programme.
Kate de Lautour spoke to Nicky Ross-Grundy about the opportunities for the business and how Grundy Productions are creating a shift in the way we think about recruitment.
You were the 2019 winners of the HB COC Small Business Award – just 4 years after starting the business. How have you done it?
The Icehouse has been a major contributing factor to the development of our business. The 12 month programme covered all the major areas of business which made filling in the business awards entry less daunting. It’s allowed us to be more conscious and purposeful in what, how and why we do the things we do and given us invaluable knowledge and structure.
The judges said they were impressed with our focus on quality in everything we did from all interactions with clients to ensuring that our staff are working in a brilliant environment. An important factor has been bringing the right people on board who share our values and vision. Suden and Ally are both talented, creative individuals who care deeply about what we do and our clients.
Recruitment videos for companies like Central Districts Pest Control have been incredibly successful with thousands of views. What are the key elements to good recruitment videos?
This is an area that really excites me because who you hire has such an impact on your business and the results our customers achieve are so positive. In today’s world recruitment is more about culture fit. Skills can be taught but matching the right values and mindset can ensure you’re hiring for the long term. The more our clients share with us the more real and creative we can be.
Also having a strategy to share your video and designing your recruitment process with your candidates’ experience in mind goes a long way.
How do you get that vision to portray each company in a way that captures people attention?
We start with researching the client to understand what makes them different and special. Then we drill down into who they want to speak to and why. That involves researching the potential target audience and then tailoring the client’s messaging to their audience.
With video we’ve found it far more impactful to keep the messaging simple, clear and targeted. For example, a brand video, telling the story of who you are, what you do and why is different to a recruitment video which articulates why talented individuals should work for you.
What are some of the challenges you face?
Working from home was challenging and, in the early days, when we didn’t have clear boundaries, we were trying to do everything. Kane has joined the coaching part of the Owner Operator Programme and he’s happy for me to work on the business while he works in the business although Kane does tell me not to talk about work at home! Finding that ideal balance isn’t always easy.
At a point last year I felt I needed to focus on our kids instead of spreading myself
too thin at work. The Icehouse coaching gave me the confidence and expertise to prioritise what was important. We can now be comfortable that we can say no to the projects that make room for the best opportunities.
What kind of growth are you experiencing ?
Financially we’ve met our targets and experienced year on year growth – a 244% increase from our first full year FY2017 to FY2020 and physically we will need extra office space. The Tech Collective has been really good for our brand, clients have enjoyed coming here and it’s a nice environment for the team so it’s likely we will be staying close to Ahuriri with Wallace Developments.
What is on the agenda for 2020?
We are seeing more and more export food businesses wanting to tell their story with visual impact. We are about to embark on training videos for large corporates. Rather than nuts and bolts training, these projects will be a story telling function to allow employees understand the “why” around the training they’re doing.
