“We all have the power within us to be whatever or whomever we want to be – and when that is aligned with self-belief, there are no limits.” – Denise Myers

Founder@ Interview

With Denise Myers

Credits @ Evenfields

“We all have the power within us to be whatever or whomever we want to be – and when that is aligned with self-belief, there are no limits.” – Denise Myers

Today we feature Denise Myers, the founder at Evenfields. We hear their story in their own words, their successes, their challenges and their insights.

Let’s start by getting to know you. Can you please tell us a little bit about you and what you do?

I am the founder and CEO of a couple of recruitment businesses: Murray Myers Recruitment, which focuses on matching candidates with employers within commercial and engineering roles, Evenfields Recruitment, which helps businesses and corporates diversify their workforce, and Evenfields Community where we work with emerging Black talent to engender them with a confident and resilient mindset that empowers them to plan and pursue ambitious careers in what can often be an intimidating and inherently hostile process.

I also recently launched the Black Talent Awards to provide a vital platform for championing both individual professionals and their achievements as well as employers and organisations that have made tangible and accountable efforts to improve diversity, equity and inclusion – whether in their own business or via wider societal initiatives that enhance the prospects and success of marginalised talent. The initiative has had valuable backing from Merlin Entertainments, EDF Renewables UK and Serco, whilst the judging panel comprised a mixture of directors, culture, people officers and DE&I leaders from organisations including Sky, NatWest Group, Institute of Directors, Grant Thornton, Lloyds of London, EY and the University of Warwick.

A great introduction and start to this interview. Can you please tell us, how did you start, from what age, and what made you decide to change direction and start?

I never initially intended to forge a career in recruitment. It wasn’t a childhood dream. In my youth I actually wanted to be a singer and dancer. As a teenager, when considerations about careers became more prominent, I thought about becoming a social worker because I loved the idea of helping people get their life together. But my form tutor said that such a line of work was out of my reach; I had to lower my sights and strive for something more achievable, like getting an office job at the local factory. The tutor’s feedback didn’t dampen my dreams though. It made me only more determined to prove him wrong.

Although I was fully aware of my own limitations and capabilities (for example, I knew that being a doctor or a scientist was not for me) I didn’t appreciate being discounted out of hand for wanting to be a social worker when I knew I possessed all of the fundamental traits needed for such a job. I’d say that this particular experience seeded the idea to get into recruitment. Another mobilising factor was experiencing, first-hand, employment discrimination. I remember being put forward for a role by a temping agency. The company in question needed someone to start imminently. Following a phone interview, the office manager couldn’t believe her luck; she said that I had everything plus more than she was looking for in a candidate. I was promptly invited to come to the office, and spend two hours with the person whose job I was to take, as part of a handover. I took the bus journey to what I thought would be my new job. On arrival, I pressed the buzzer. A voice told me to come up the stairs, turn left and the manager would meet me. As I rounded the corner, I saw how suddenly shocked and flustered the person who was greeting me had become.

Upon entry, I was immediately ushered into a conference room where I was left alone for 15 minutes. Upon their return, I was thanked for coming in but they had many more people to see and that they would let me know the outcome of the application via the agency. Goodbye. Afterwards, the recruitment consultant who thought they had successfully placed me in this position, was speechless. “You had the job. I don’t know what else to say,” I was told. I asked what they had said to the employer. Why was I suddenly unsuitable for the job at hand? The recruitment consultant looked blank. Nothing was said.

They had not called this out nor stood up for me. The sudden retraction of the job offer wasn’t questioned. But I think we knew the significance of the great unsaid. We all knew why this happened. It’s not without irony that I became a recruitment consultant and agency founder, and have since enjoyed a 22-year career in this field. If one needs to make a social change, that change has to come from within the very problematic systems in place. But mine was a convoluted journey. I became a single mother early in life and then studied for a degree when I became a parent. But it was the support of community initiatives in my native Birmingham that helped me raise my career aspirations, upskill and gain vital qualifications. I knew eventually that I would run my own businesses and equally harness the power of the community to support young people who lack confidence and feel somewhat directionless.

Thank you for that insight. So can you tell us…What does your business do and where is your company based?

All of my recruitment businesses are based in Birmingham, the city in which my Windrush generation parents settled and the place where I was born and raised. I mentioned earlier that my recruitment businesses are different in that it works holistically with organisations, and businesses across sectors and communities to improve diversity and inclusion and tackle employment discrimination. Meanwhile, the Black Talent Awards, whilst new, is really intent on promoting inspiring, successful yet relatable Black role models in business to show Black youths that success is possible despite what the detractors might say.

Black individuals, from the earliest of ages, are expected to underachieve and this belief can permeate into their sense of self so it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; if no one believes in them, then why should they have belief in themselves? ONS statistics show this. So the narrative needs to be recast with more inspiring stories about what is achievable in order to break this negative eco system.

What’s the story behind your success? What led to your aha moment? how did you get to where you are now?

I remember the precise eureka moment for starting up. I was sitting in a conference chaired by the Metro mayor and attended by private sector businesses in Birmingham, talking about inclusive leadership. Here, every single organisation that presented their “pledge” had shown improved success in meeting the majority of their inclusivity targets – from gender imbalances, and LGBTQ+ to disabilities – except for race. It was disheartening and I was incredulous but also curious about the issue.

I very quickly realised that the problem stemmed not just from recruitment inefficiencies but also the lack of retention and progression of employees from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds. I felt very strongly that there needed to be a dedicated, concerted effort to change these dismal statistics; to understand the determining factors preventing people of colour from applying for jobs, upskilling and progressing to properly engineer an impactful solution, not just initiatives that yielded vanity metrics. That’s what inspired me to establish the Black Business Awards. In terms of my recruitment businesses – disbelief in my abilities held by my tutor and employment discrimination galvanised me to do something to change things, rather than be a victim of my circumstances.

Thank you for sharing that. What’s been your life’s biggest lesson so far?

Not to put any limits on yourself – and when I say that I mean: do not immediately discount yourself from anything – whether that be a job, going to university, or following a dream. There are so many people out there already who are making assumptions and trying to put you into a box of what you are and aren’t capable of.

Definitely hire to your weakness, always look for someone who can fill the gap in your business. There is no point if you are all great at sales and rubbish at finance or processes – every business needs a balance and expertise in the main function areas such as sales, operations, finance, technology etc.

Credits @ Evenfields

If you were to go back in time, what piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

I would definitely advise myself to not be consumed with what other people think and have confidence in myself and my abilities. I think I may also give that advice to my current self too because dealing with imposter syndrome is such a drain.


https://www.blacktalentawards.co.uk/

We’re nearly halfway through our interview so it’s a great time to ask how does your business run. What three tools make your business run better?

Wow, that is a great question. I would say the main driver is the purpose – and that purpose will align with the customers and service users that we want to attract in order to make the business a success. We are targeted around making the purpose known, so having a strategy that uses tools for marketing, finance/revenue and processes is key for us. Personally, everything comes down to a process, which is really important when starting a business; that way what you do can be replicated by anybody and takes the pressure off you to do everything in the organisation.

What do you know now that you wished you had known before?

Definitely hire to your weakness, always look for someone who can fill the gap in your business. There is no point if you are all great at sales and rubbish at finance or processes – every business needs a balance and expertise in the main function areas such as sales, operations, finance, technology etc.



What has been your greatest or proudest achievement or moment?

I’ve become a successful diversity & inclusion advocate of sorts. In the summer of 2022, I won a pitching competition at the Black Business Show, sponsored by Lloyds Bank, and was also a finalist in the Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards. But, genuinely, considering where I started out from, I am proud of all that I’ve achieved – from the wonderful family I have to the businesses and initiatives I have set up and established. Being successful, I’m proud to have proven my teacher ‘wrong’ although, of course, it’s not about that. But I am proud of the fact that I was able to take negativity and convert that energy into something that has not only positively impacted my career but that of others too.

What future life goals do you want to achieve and why?

Career-wise, a big goal of mine would be to make a difference in the world and have a social impact that will change the lives of many. On the flip side, being able to breathe and enjoy life is important, so a personal future goal would be to spend 3 to 6 months of every year in the Caribbean living a simple and stress-free life.

To finish our inspire questions…”We believe that sharing inspiring words can inspire others.” If there was one positive thing you would say to someone to inspire and empower them what would it be and why?

We all have the power within us to be whatever or whomever we want to be – and when that is aligned with self-belief, there are no limits.

“Thank you it has been great learning more about your founder story and Evenfields”

To learn more about Evenfields Visit https://www.evenfieldscareers.co.uk/

Find on social media @

@DTheCareerCoach @DTheCareerCoach

https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-myers/

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