How Kenect Recruitment NI Built a Successful Business and a Better Life

Kenect Recruitment NI (Northern Ireland) was launched by experienced recruiters Gary Braithwaite and Mark French through the Kenect Recruitment franchise model. Their challenge was to build an independent recruitment business without being overwhelmed by payroll, compliance, finance, HR and administration. With Kenect providing the operational infrastructure, the founders could focus on clients, candidates and growth. This led to £10m+ turnover, expanding from two founders to nine staff and securing 500+ five-star Google reviews in three years.

Their story demonstrates what can happen when experienced recruiters are given the freedom to build a business of their own, without being left to manage every operational challenge alone.

Proven Results:

• £10m+ turnover: Achieved in approximately three years.
• Team growth: From two founders to nine employees.
• Office expansion: Progressed to a fourth office.
• Profitability: Profitable from the first month of trading.
• Customer reputation: More than 500 five-star Google reviews.
• Geographical expansion: Kenect Recruitment Ireland launched.

The ambition to build something of their own

Before launching the Kenect Recruitment franchise, Gary and Mark had already built successful careers in recruitment.

Like many experienced recruiters, they reached a point where they began questioning why they were continuing to build revenue, relationships and successful desks for someone else.

They knew how to recruit, speak to clients, fill vacancies and manage busy accounts. What they didn’t want was to spend their time or money sourcing separate payroll providers, compliance support, HR advice, finance systems, administration services and funding arrangements.

Starting independently would have meant building an entire recruitment infrastructure before they could concentrate on growing the business.

The Kenect Recruitment franchise model offered a different route: the opportunity to own and develop their recruitment company, with established systems, departments and specialist support already behind them.

Gary explained:

“We run our own business, our own way, but we have the back-end support from Kenect.”

Two laptops, one desk and no windows

The beginnings of Kenect NI were far from glamorous.

Gary and Mark initially worked from a small room provided by family. There were no windows, no large team and no impressive office; just two laptops, one desk, a small whiteboard and two people determined to make the business work.

The room gave them somewhere to work together, pick up the phone and begin turning their experience and existing relationships into a business of their own.

They were not expecting success to arrive automatically. They still had to make the calls, earn the trust of clients and candidates and establish Kenect within the Northern Ireland market.

The Kenect Recruitment franchise model gave them a stronger foundation to do it.

Full control, with added support

For a high-volume recruitment business, reliable operational support is essential.

Supplying temporary workers requires sufficient funding, accurate payroll and invoicing, candidate compliance, contracts, right-to-work checks, credit control and debt collection.

Building all of these functions independently would have required considerable time, investment and external providers.

Through Kenect, Gary and Mark could confidently supply high volumes of temporary workers without having to establish their own payroll, compliance, finance and credit control departments. When questions arose, they had specialists at Kenect HQ they could call, rather than having to find and manage several separate providers. They could also draw on Kenect’s Marketing and National Accounts teams for additional expertise, opportunities and support.

With much of the operational infrastructure already in place, the founders could spend more of their time using the experience that had encouraged them to start the company in the first place.

The result was a business that became profitable during its first month and continued to grow.

“My advice for anybody trying to start their own business: don’t do it alone.”

Gary Braithwaite, Co-Founder, Kenect Recruitment NI

One concern people often have about joining a franchise is that they will lose control of the business.

They may imagine strict rules, limited earning potential or being told exactly which clients, sectors and pricing structures they must use.

That has not been Gary and Mark’s experience.

They have retained the freedom to choose the clients they work with, set their own pricing, recruit within the markets that suit their business and create a culture based on their own values.

They could also decide how and when to reinvest, who to bring into the team and which opportunities to pursue next. As the business has grown, they have benefited directly from the value created, with no limit to how successful the operation can become.

This has allowed Gary and Mark to build a local business with its own identity, service standards and working culture, while still benefiting from the strength of an established national recruitment network.

From two founders to a team of nine

As demand increased, Gary and Mark reached the limit of what two people could deliver while both managing busy 360-degree desks. Rather than remaining a successful two-person operation, they reinvested in people.

The company grew from two founders to nine team members and eventually moved into its fourth office; a long way from the small, windowless room where it began.

Their fourth office is now located up the road from the McDonald’s where Gary and Mark originally met for coffee to decide whether to start the business together. Three years after asking whether they should take the leap, they had their answer.

Building a reputation based on service

Growth has never solely been about adding more clients.

From the beginning, Gary and Mark wanted to create a service-driven recruitment agency built around long-term relationships rather than quick fees.

Their team takes the time to understand a client’s business, working environment and requirements before recommending candidates. Their recruiters are managed on results and service quality rather than rigid activity targets, which could encourage unnecessary calls or unsuitable CVs.

This approach has helped Kenect NI generate repeat business, referrals and organic growth.

It has also resulted in more than 500 five-star Google reviews from clients and candidates; one of the achievements Gary and Mark are most proud of.

Expanding across Ireland

As Kenect NI became more established, Gary and Mark began looking beyond the existing operation and considering where the business could grow next.

They identified an opportunity to expand into the Republic of Ireland and develop a presence on both sides of the border.

Kenect supported their plans, allowing them to pursue the opportunity in a way that suited their business rather than limiting where or how they could grow.

Kenect Recruitment Ireland was launched in November 2025, allowing the team to support clients across a wider geographical area and build on the relationships and reputation already established in Northern Ireland.

Success that changed family life

For Gary and Mark, the most meaningful outcome has not been an office move, a turnover figure or a growing client list.

It’s been the difference the business has made to their families.

As the company developed, both founders were able to bring their wives into the business. Working remotely gave them the flexibility to manage school runs, spend more time with their children and reduce some of the pressure surrounding childcare.

Gary described it as one of the proudest moments of the journey.

Business ownership has given Gary and Mark greater control over their own time too.

After putting in long days to establish the company, they are now building an operation that enables them to manage work around family life. Owning the business gave them the freedom to be present for the moments that matter most, from spending more time with their family to being there for milestones they may otherwise have missed.

One morning, Gary’s daughter unexpectedly told him:

“I’m really proud of you, Daddy.”

For Gary, that moment captured what the journey had created. He had the added benefit of not only a successful recruitment company but greater control over how he works, earns and spends his time.

You still have to build it, but you do not have to build it alone

Kenect NI’s growth wasn’t automatic.

The Kenect Recruitment franchise model didn’t replace their recruitment experience, commercial ability or determination, but rather allowed them to put those strengths where they would have the greatest impact.

Instead of spending their early months attempting to become experts in payroll, compliance, contracts, HR, finance, credit control, marketing and administration, they could concentrate on building the recruitment company they wanted to create.

They retained the independence to shape their own culture, pursue new opportunities and make decisions in their local market, while knowing specialist support was available when needed.

Today, the business has grown from two founders to nine team members, reached more than £10 million in turnover, progressed into its fourth office and expanded into the Republic of Ireland.

When Gary and Mark were asked whether they would make the same decision again, their answer was simple:

“Yes… but sooner.”