As we celebrate a quarter-century in business, we look back at the foundations of who we are. Our MD, Vish Jain, opens up about the 25-year climb from a £200 startup to a £100 million group. This is the honest account of the setbacks, the breakthroughs and the unshakeable belief that transformed a humble bedroom office into the industry leader we are today.
‘My journey has never followed a straight line academically, professionally, or personally. I left school without GCSEs after being excluded at a time when I was living with undiagnosed ADHD. What was often labelled as disruption or lack of focus was in reality a mind that simply did not fit the traditional system. At that age I didn’t understand it. Neither did the system around me. However, those early experiences planted the foundations of resilience, independence and an unshakeable drive to prove that labels do not define potential.
With no qualifications to fall back on, I entered the world of work early. I found my way into recruitment at the age of 20, joining a small independent agency local to our head office in Sutton Coldfield. From day one I immersed myself in the industry. I learned by doing, by failing, adjusting and trying again. The pace, pressure and people-focused nature of recruitment suited me. Within 18 months my results led to being headhunted by what was then the largest national recruitment agency in the UK. At just 22 I found myself operating at scale on a strong salary with a sense that I had finally arrived.
But success I learned quickly is not just about performance. I struggled within rigid corporate structures and found it difficult to be managed. I questioned instruction. I challenged process. Ultimately I realised that I was never meant to build someone else’s vision. I left after 18 months on good terms with the support of the CEO, knowing that the only way forward was to back myself.
At 23 I set up my own recruitment business from my parents’ bedroom with £200 from my back pocket. My wife, Leander, stood beside me from the very beginning, offering belief and stability when there was none. Those early days were humbling. The phone didn’t ring. There was no roadmap. I sat alone wondering whether I had made the biggest mistake of my life.
Six or seven weeks later the first booking came in. The profit was £21. To anyone else it may have seemed insignificant. To me it was everything. It was proof that something could be built. Back then systems were basic. Payments were processed by fax. CRM systems were unaffordable. For the first two years, Thursdays were spent driving between banks to pay drivers’ wages in person while juggling sales, credit control and being on call day and night. For nearly four years there was no off switch, only commitment.
Eventually I moved into a rented office and took on my first staff members, including payroll support. Momentum followed. The business grew rapidly: £1 million turnover in the first year, £2 million in the second, then £3 million and £4 million in years three and four. By 2010 turnover had reached £6 million. Margins were strong. From the outside everything looked like success.
Then everything collapsed.
The market crashed. A major contract was lost. The finance company we relied on went into liquidation. With little understanding of what was happening and no real support, I was forced into administration. Almost overnight a £6 million business was reduced to nothing. It was devastating professionally and personally. I questioned everything.
But giving up was never an option.
What followed was the hardest decade of my life. I rebuilt from zero. I was back on the phones, cold calling relentlessly, working through the night, often at two or three in the morning. It was exhausting, isolating and relentless. But it was also transformative. Experience replaced optimism. Discipline replaced instinct. Resilience became non-negotiable.
Twenty-five years after starting with £200 in a bedroom, that same business has grown into a group of companies, Winner Recruitment, Jain Holdings and Winning Driving Solutions, now turning over £100 million. None of this was achieved alone. It is the result of exceptional people: senior leaders, ground staff, loyal clients and a culture built on trust, accountability and shared belief.
This journey has been anything but easy. It has been shaped by rejection, failure, self-doubt and persistence. Every setback became a lesson. Every challenge became fuel. Every chapter reinforced one belief: that success is not defined by where you start but by the courage to keep going.
As we look ahead I remain grateful, grounded and driven by what is still possible.
Here’s to a great 2026.’
Our Path Forward
As we celebrate this 25-year milestone, we want to thank every client, candidate and team member who has been part of our story. We aren’t just celebrating a number; we are celebrating the resilience that defines us.
