Laura:
I’m not entirely sure where the last six years have gone. I’ll still remember the day Liz phoned me up in the midst of the first lockdown and said, “Have you ever thought about owning your own business Laura?”. At the age of 26 the answer was mostly a no, although with my friend shortly taking over her own family’s business, it had crossed my mind a total of one time. At a push.
Since then, a lot has happened in my life! Firstly, a new furry addition to our family, Nala our fox red lab. Then I got married in 2023 (after about 9 years of badgering), and the thing that turned our lives completely upside down (even more so than getting a dog and taking on a company), our son Nate arrived in 2025.
So things have changed drastically in my life, but the one constant has been Dovetail, and in the best way. The clients I’ve worked with in the last 6 years, and even beyond that, have given me such a sense of fulfilment, and it has been great fun watching them grow, and evolve. I’ve also learnt how to cashflow, run an office, and write a contract or two!
I feel proud of how we work at Dovetail, and we are constantly seeing the markets shift in recruitment so there’s certainly no dull days! In the last 6 years, I’m honoured to say I’ve been trusted with some of the most senior vacancies a company needs, and also the most pivotal ones. It’s been great to keep learning, to brainstorm with my colleagues, and to make new connections with candidates, businesses and suppliers.
So here’s to the next 6 years, hopefully no more life changes, but I’m looking forward to some new challenges here! Thank you so much to everyone that has been a part of our journey! I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart, it is an absolute pleasure to be able to work with you all.
Suzi:
How has it been six years already? I honestly don’t know where the time has gone, but looking back, I feel incredibly proud of everything we have achieved. I’ll never forget ‘that Friday afternoon’ during lockdown. Like so many parents, I was working from home while juggling our four-year-old twins, when Liz called. She said she had been thinking, and she asked whether I would be interested in taking over the business, not to run it, but to own it, which was something I hadn’t ever considered before. Stepping from being a recruiter to a business owner would be a completely new experience. I spoke to a close family friend who has always taken an interest in my studies and supported my career. Their encouragement helped reassure Laura and I that it was an already excellent business, and a chance worth taking, albeit in a rather unusual time. Looking back now, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I have never looked back.
My role has given me the opportunity to learn so much more beyond recruitment itself operationally, whilst adapting to an ever-changing economy and recruitment market. We have continued to build lasting relationships with our loyal clients, welcomed many new ones, and we have had the privilege of supporting countless talented candidates on their career journeys. We have earned the trust to recruit many senior, business-critical roles, and we have taken great pride in helping our candidates find opportunities that genuinely change their personal lives and careers.
Six years on, and we have grown in so many ways; as a business, as joint partners, as people, and as mothers. On a personal level, I have also learned that it is possible to build a successful business while being a present mum. It hasn’t always been easy, but as someone very dear to us would say, ‘if it was easy, everyone would do it’. Finding that balance has been one of my proudest achievements.
Throughout it all, our values have remained the same. We believe recruitment is about people, trust, and long-term partnerships. Taking the time to understand our clients and candidates and building genuine relationships has been at the heart of everything we do.
Looking back at where our story began, I am very grateful for the opportunity, and I am incredibly thankful to Laura for being on this journey with me and for everything we have accomplished together.
Here’s to our next six years!
