Tom Sweeney is referring to the decade spent at technology recruitment agency Crew Technology Recruitment, the business he co-founded in Dunedin with Cory Richards in 2015.
Mr Sweeney is leaving the business, which merged with Potentiate Group early last year to become New Zealand’s largest locally owned IT recruitment business, this month to establish a new startup in a different industry.
“The business is in a great spot, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve built, the people, the culture, the growth, the memories.
“It’s the perfect time for me to hand things over to the current leadership team, who are already taking it to the next level,” he said.
Mr Sweeney, who grew up in England, met Mr Richards, who grew up in Central Otago, when both were working in Sydney.
They both moved to Dunedin for lifestyle reasons and established the IT digital recruitment company with two desks and a telephone each, their bank balance dropping to $246 within their first eight months of business.
The business kept growing, the pair started employing staff and it featured three times on the Deloitte Fast 50 index. They had stuck to their guns and did things their way, he said.
After becoming the largest technology recruitment agency in the South Island, Crew set its sights on the North Island and the merger with North Island-based Potentia created the largest locally owned IT recruitment business.
Mr Sweeney, who had previously moved to work from Crew’s Christchurch office, and Mr Richards joined the board of the new Potentiate Group.
Mr Sweeney’s role moved from more strategic to customer-facing again, building new relationships, and it made him realise where his strengths were, he said.
While he was staying on the company’s board and would remain a shareholder, he would no longer be involved operationally. Mr Richards continued to work from the company’s Dunedin office.
Over the past few years, Mr Sweeney discovered a passion for productivity; New Zealand’s labour productivity has lagged behind other developed countries in the OECD.
He and several business partners from Australia were setting up Ilaria, a business to help medium to large-size organisations improve productivity through automation and intelligent AI solutions.
He described it as a very exciting venture and he would remain in Christchurch, focusing on Otago and Canterbury where he had networks.
Mr Sweeney believed the business decisions and experience over the past decade would help establish Ilaria more quickly.
His two business partners had also set up companies before and, when it came to growth, he hoped there might be 20 to 30 people on board within two to three years.
He was “unbelievably” proud of what he and Mr Richards had achieved, saying they were “two blokes just wanting a better life”.
He reflected on the number of people they had connected with, the positive impact they had, and the companies they had helped.
Dunedin was a great place for businesses starting up. The community was very supportive and there were so many networking events for people to get involved in and understand who else was doing business. The startup scene was “massive”.
Mr Richards remained his “best mate” and Mr Sweeney believed the pair’s differences were behind why the business was so successful.
“If we both agreed on everything, we’d be going down one path,” he said.
“He’s amazing, one of the best leaders I know and I’m not just saying that as a friend. He’s been an inspirational person to be around. As a mate, it’s great to see him grow.”
