Slice Solutions founder Lisa Betsworth on carving out her own path in the recruitment industry…
Lisa Betsworth never set out to work in recruitment – and certainly didn’t plan to build one of South Yorkshire’s most people-focused recruitment and HR businesses. But after years of industry experience, personal setbacks and the conviction that “there’s a better way to do this”, she launched Slice Recruitment – and hasn’t looked back since.
“I think like most people, I fell into recruitment,” Lisa says. “I was working in the pub trade and just needed a job. I went into A for Appointments to register, and got chatting to a woman on reception – who turned out to be the MD. She saw something in me and said, ‘I think I can train you to do this really well.’ That was it.”
Starting out at the Sheffield-based independent gave Lisa a solid grounding in what she calls “real recruitment”, before moving on to national firms where she learned how to scale and systematise. “I learned true recruitment at a busy independent – and how to scale it up with the nationals.”
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing – far from it. After years of working her way up to middle management, Lisa was made redundant – just 48 hours before her wedding day. “I was literally dropping off payroll paperwork at head office when they called me upstairs. I thought I was getting a wedding present – it was a P45.”
That unexpected moment sparked a shift. “I just thought, I’m sick of my work life being in somebody else’s hands. I have to do it their way, when I think there might be a better way.”
So, Lisa set out on her own. However, her first solo business journey came with the biggest challenges yet – both in a professional and personal sense. “I could recruit with my eyes closed, but I’d never run a business before. I made a lot of mistakes and trusted the wrong people. Then I found out I was pregnant – and later diagnosed with cancer.”
Despite grappling with severe illness, Lisa kept the business going as best she could through cycles of chemotherapy. “Week one I could work, some clients didn’t even know what I was going through. Week two, if I got to my laptop I was doing well. Week three I was just about coming back to normal. I sort of worked it around that.”
Once in remission, she made the decision to close her first business and leave recruitment behind – or so she thought. “I was telling everyone I was going back into beauty therapy. But clients kept calling – asking if I could help, just while I made up my mind. And I only said yes if I liked the project. That’s how Slice began – it was never meant to be permanent at first.”
But the freedom to be selective in her work changed everything. “Six years on, I still haven’t taken that beauty course,” she laughs. “But Slice took on a life of its own – and that mindset of working only with people we felt aligned with and on projects we cared about has stayed with us.”
Slice is now co-led by long-time friend and HR professional Emily, who joined first as an employee and is now Lisa’s 50/50 business partner. “I was getting fed up with it all being on my shoulders. Emily already felt like a number two. Formalising it gave me space to breathe again.”
Their approach deliberately steers away from the ethos of high-street recruiters and corporate HR. “We’re not here to chuck CVs at clients or bombard them with corporate BS. We want to help businesses thrive – and we don’t charge the earth. We’re often told we ‘disrupt the industry’, and we love that.”
That disruption includes honest conversations with clients – even if it means telling them they don’t need recruitment support. “We’ve said to people, actually, you don’t need us. You might need a VA. Or you might already have someone who could step up.”
Looking ahead, Slice is growing again, with new hires in HR and VA support, and a renewed focus on maintaining their culture. “We’ve always said we want people to be able to walk the dog at two o’clock if they need to. We practice what we preach.”
Above all, Lisa credits their success to staying rooted in real relationships. “Our values have always been about honesty, realism and getting to know people. That’s what makes the difference.”
If your business is buried in admin, stretched too thin, or bogged down by people challenges and day-to-day distractions, it might be time to speak to Slice. Their Virtual Assistance, Recruitment and HR services are designed to help businesses achieve more – with a lot less stress. Find out more about what they offer at www.slicesolutions.co.uk, call 01709 213013 or email info@slicesolutions.co.uk.
