Entrepreneur in Focus – De Poel boss Sanders targets lending sector
A RELENTLESS determination to simply “find a better way” of delivering products and services is the driving force for entrepreneur Matthew Sanders.
The 39-year-old co-founder and owner of fast-growing and profitable Cheshire recruitment optimisation consultancy de Poel, is turning his focus on the lending sector for his next venture, which is part of his Brookfield Rose Group.
Mr Sanders, who hits 40 in October, says his lending business, MyMate, and will operate “ethically” as a short-to medium term funder for consumers currently not served by traditional banking solutions.
It will go live in the next few weeks and will then offer commercial loans within a year.
While de Poel’s revenues this year are on track to top £500m and it remains the largest part of Brookfield Rose, Mr Sanders has launched several other business, which all share the common goal – of shaking-up their respective markets and doing things better.
The other brands are: tempo, an industry alliance for recruitment agencies promoting best practice within the temporary recruitment industry; placeability, which aims to changing the employment landscape for disabled people; flo, a software business for recruitment agencies; paraplus, a payroll umbrella company for contractors and agencies, while outside recruitment, there is deliveryquotecompare.com, which is seeking to transform the way individuals and businesses access courier services.
Wirral-born Mr Sanders, who in his spare time enjoys horseracing, football and classic and super-cars, modestly says: ” It is a very busy time, but also exciting too.”
Having bought out Mike Campbell, the co-founder of de Poel several years ago , he likes the autonomy and ability to make long-term decisions quickly 100% ownership brings, and says he has “no plans” to change this status quo.
de Poel – which takes its name from his grandfather, a Dutch Naval officer who came to Liverpool to fight with the Allies during World War 2 – is currently focused on an ambitious international growth plan.
The business has launched in the Netherlands and is opening in the US before the end of the year, followed by the Far East in 2015
“I think we have actually only just begun to scratch the surface, there’s a lot to go at in terms of growth. My goal is to get to £1bn turnover by 2017 and I’ll be disappointed if we don’t achieve it.”
So what drives him? Mr Sanders explains: “I just really, really enjoy the challenge of business and looking for new opportunities, it’s good fun.
“I like the concept of building a business – in this country and in the US there’s a culture of building a business for sale, but if you look at Germany for example it’s different. Nothing would give me greater pride than to hand over to my daughter in 20 years’ time.”
In the year to December 31, de Poel posted underlying pre-tax profits of around £8m on revenues of just under £500m. That was up from profits of £5.6m on a £378m turnover in 2011.
Mr Sanders said he hopes sales would surge to closer to the £600m mark this year, with earnings set to come in around the same level, with the company having invested in its expansion during the period. De Poel has also grown staff numbers from 120 to roughly 140.
A finalist in EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2012, he said he had enjoyed meeting other regional executives and learning about their businesses.
“It was a very interesting and stimulating process to be a part of. I was a finalist with Music Magpie, which is just a brilliant idea, and I also got to know Peter Schofield (from Tetrosyl) and he’s a really great guy.”
Tim Morris, M&A partner at EY in Manchester said: “Matthew has a continuous drive for improvement, which has allowed him to bring added value and innovation to the recruitment market.
“Recognised at EY’s North Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards 2012, the judges commended his investment in people and teams. A determined and passionate individual, Matthew has a very clear vision for revenue growth and expansion overseas.”
