We did not hire our first permanent team member for ten years. That was not a strategy. It was survival, then foundation-building, wanting to get it right.
The early years were what early years always are - we had a young family, a young business, more uncertainty than anyone admits to at the time. The work we did had to be undertaken with precision. On-site structural load testing is safety-critical - results had to be accurate and reliable, and the responsibility for them was entirely ours. We hired temporary staff when work demanded it, to assist, but we were not ready to outsource any of the responsibility or to take the risks of hiring permanently.
Our first permanent hire came about organically. An engineer came to us with excellent skills, great values, and a work ethic that matched our own. Working with him was easy, inspiring. We could take on larger, more complex projects, and have fun working together. He made us think differently about growing - we saw an opportunity to build a team that not only did great work but loved doing it together.
That shift changed the physical shape of the business too. We outgrew working from home and bought an industrial unit - a workshop, open plan office, a kitchen where we often cooked together, a well-stocked drinks cupboard for after hours. A space that was for the team, to do more than their best work. It was, honestly, a magical time for me.
The ten years before the first hire were the foundation everything else was built on. At London Fixing Testing Ltd we test anchors, fixings and fasteners, adhesives and renders, beams and bespoke components. As independent test engineers we work on client sites across London and the UK. We learned our craft in those early years - not just how to apply engineering theory in practice, but how to communicate effectively, make commercially sound decisions, and establish a trusted and sustainable business.
Whether you are building alone, growing carefully, or wondering when to take the next step - those early years may be exactly what is needed to make the right decision for you.
Melanie Scholes, Co-founder, London Fixing Testing Ltd
