Steinbeis Consultant provides support with journey into self-employment
What can be done to counteract the increasing shortage of skilled workers? And what can companies to do retain their most important assets – employees? In the highly competitive labor market, startups and small companies in particular face challenges positioning themselves as attractive employers. This is precisely where business founder and HR expert Violetta Passon comes in, tailoring her offering to this target group and supporting companies with the planning and optimization of HR processes. Before setting up her company, a number of important issues had to be clarified. She was supported by Steinbeis consultant Doris Deichselberger from the Steinbeis Consulting Center for Change Management and Business Coaching.
“It’s high time something was done about the shortage of skilled workers. That’s why Ms. Passon’s startup was such a heartfelt project to me,” explains Doris Deichselberger. The number of people entering retirement already outnumbers the number of people entering the workforce – by a long shot – and this gap will continue to widen in the coming years. Compared to the past, fewer and fewer people will have to plug this gap in the future. The skilled-worker shortage has now reached almost all occupational groups and sectors of industry. Little surprise then that industry observers are seeing a sharp rise in the number of companies interested in running their HR functions professionally with a stronger focus on the future. Aside from recruiting, HR is focusing more carefully on staff loyalty, which should be not only a corporate goal, but also an important task of management. Companies are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit new people, and associated costs are rising steadily. As a result, it’s becoming more and more important to keep hold of well-qualified and experienced employees.
Individual and adaptable consulting – the basis of successful HR processes
This is exactly where Violetta Passon comes in with her broad of range of expertise. Her portfolio of services spans a variety of areas, including employer branding, HR marketing, personnel selection, and the development of individual staff loyalty programs and talent management. This involves everything from designing recruitment ads to match the target group to optimizing careers websites, onboarding processes for new employees, and the planning and organization of individual benefit and HR development programs. One aspect Passon places particular emphasis on is preparatory meetings to discuss and work through the requirements and challenges of each individual company in order to gear advice and support to their particular needs. After studying business, gaining many years of experience as an all-round HR specialist at small companies, and undergoing further training as a systemic business coach, Passon offers the required competence and tools of the trade not only to provide professional advice, but also to support startups and small companies with the development and expansion of HR processes.
The first step into self-employment begins with startup advice from Steinbeis
Before embarking on her venture into HR consulting, Passon sought advice on getting her self-employment off to a smooth start by turning to Doris Deichselberger, Steinbeis Entrepreneur at the Steinbeis Consulting Center for Change Management and Business Coaching. The professional support Passon received enabled her to plan a systematic roadmap for her undertaking. Together, the two discussed concepts, aims, and aspirations. They also continued working up the portfolio of services, which were underpinned by the required marketing and sales measures before pulling together the results to form a meaningful business plan. Two areas in which Passon particularly benefited from the support of the experienced Steinbeis specialist – whose expertise spans HR topics – were marketing and customer acquisition. “Doris Deichselberger was a professional sparring partner for me, making it easier for me to deal with the challenges of preparing for the startup and take the first steps into the market,” says Passon.
The Steinbeis management consultant sees herself as a supporter and enabler in the early stages of successful startups. “It’s particularly important when you’re taking the first steps to have access to the expert knowledge of a startup consultant. Every startup has to find its own way first. I felt particularly attached to Violetta Passon’s startup project because it’s high time something was done about the shortage of skilled workers,” explains Deichselberger.
Financing of the project was partly organized through Business Start-up – the Steinbeis Consulting Center, based on the Exi startup voucher program offered by the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg (Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Tourism) – and partly financed through the European Social Fund.
Contact
Doris Deichselberger (author)
Steinbeis Entrepreneur
Steinbeis Consulting Center: Change Management and Business Coaching (Stuttgart)
www.steinbeisberatung.com