NEWS2 August 2023
Occupational Health Assessment Ltd, a SETsquared Surrey member for two years, is proud to announce that is has become a certified B Corporation joining thousands of other businesses verified as meeting high standards of social and environmental impact.
MD Magnus Kauders says,
“Of all of the steps over the years I’m most proud of this one. There is so much more to being a successful business than just making a profit.”
Magnus and his expert team help HR and business professionals access high quality occupational health support to identify, mitigate or manage health risks. The business meets high standards of social and environmental impact, has been profitable since month three, and has grown organically month on month for the last three years.
Although delivering professional, responsive and robust occupational health support is a demanding and specialist area, Magnus explains that it is not an area that is cutting edge and pushing boundaries but rather it is risk averse and resistant to change. After twenty years of professional occupational health experience, including long periods in the financial heart of the City of London, supporting professional services firms or businesses with highly complex safety-critical environments, Magnus found himself wondering what could be done to improve efficiency and transform the service. He decided to look at using already well-proven technology to save travelling time, remove duplication and create other time and cost savings.
There were a multitude of other factors that led Magnus to founding the business. It was a chance to create something of value to society that could be passed on to others in future. He saw that he had an opportunity, the idea had been nibbling away at him and he felt that if he didn’t do something about it he would always wonder if it could have been amazing.
Magnus does not see himself as an entrepreneur. He says,
“It’s incredibly flattering to be called an entrepreneur. I’ve only ever really thought about myself as a business professional. I just had an idea and I’m taking steps to make it happen.
My father instilled in me the values of self-sufficiency. He ran his own business, inspiring me to be my own boss. The most profound learnings come from instances where things haven’t worked. I haven’t always been successful in my previous business ventures and I think this has provided the best education, alongside some of the support that I’ve received from Keith Dixon and the SETsquared team.”
The business was about nine months old when Magnus discovered SETsquared Surrey. Although Occupational Health (OH) Assessment was profitable and growing, Magnus did not have a background in technology and knew that he needed expert input to scale and grow. He searched on the internet via his connections and found SETsquared Surrey, with its technology focus, and was amazed at how perfect a solution this seemed. He has been a member for the last two years and says it has been incredibly useful.
“Keith Dixon has been utterly marvellous. Chris, Ian and Keith have all been very helpful, and have provided support and guidance in different areas in different ways. Although I have a successful sales background, they guided me through some thinking around articulating the business proposition and that made me realise I was missing some spectacularly obvious things. I went back and changed some of the information on our website, and our enquiry rate jumped 20% almost overnight. Keith and the team made me question what we were doing relentlessly, why we were doing it, and when we were going to do it.
I’ve taken part in many workshops, coaching sessions and free legal support sessions. I’ve had the chance to go through pitch preparations and been invited to take part in competitions with other businesses to see who can pitch the best. It’s a Dragon’s Den style of approach which is so helpful. Although the OH Assessment business has been self-funded to date, at some point I am likely to need external investment and the support to achieve that is excellent.”
Magnus says to succeed in business,
“I think you need a dollop of single mindedness, a dollop of pragmatism and a dollop of flexibility. And, the understanding that you don’t have the answers for everything. Listening to other people is vital. Add to that good timing, a great team and useful guidance from SETsquared Surrey.”
Magnus has exciting plans for the next year and beyond and fully intends to stay with SETsquared Surrey. He feels that the help and support is there when needed and it’s well worth the subscription fee.
“The plan for this year is to is to start scaling up and extending some of the work we have already done. That means funding the development which will involve using current business assets or going out to fundraise. I haven’t decided which route to take yet but the business is just taking off and keeps growing so there is huge potential for return on investment.
My sincere gratitude to all of the team at SETsquared Surrey. They are experts and genuinely kind human beings. You can work with advisers who will cover the basics but the team at SETsquared is different. There’s a real warmth and a commitment to the way that they work. We still have a long way to go but the progress so far is amazing and I wish I had taken this step years ago.”
AT SETsquared Surrey, member companies benefit from the support and experience of the whole SETsquared community. Advice, guidance and mentorship is available from the SETsquared team, business mentors and experts, investors, and from the other companies.
For more information on the SETsquared Surrey incubator, how to join, how to invest and how to become a mentor please click here