Heather Parkhouse did not get universal backing for her decision to launch Barker Munro Recruitment with business partner Dan Munday.

“A lot of my friends and family said ‘Are you sure this is the right time to open, in the middle of a recession?’. We thought if we could do it in a recession, we could do it any time.”

The pair decided to take the plunge and open their own recruitment agency in Maidstone in 2010, having worked together on and off for 15 years.

Specialising in insurance, it began with the two of them working in a small office in Sterling House in Ashford Road. They moved into a larger office on the same site in 2012 as they took on more staff and last month opened their headquarters in Kestrel House in Knightrider Street.

They have just employed their eighth team member and aim to expand to 14 people in two years.

“When you work for a large company you’re just a number,” said Mr Munday. “There were a lot of changes at the company we worked for and it moved away from supplying staff to local businesses.

“We felt there was still a market for a local agency. Having someone on your doorstep who knows your business, your staff and when you go on holiday is still something to be offered.

“Our previous employer told us to look after a particular type of recruitment but for the whole of the South. We lost that local presence.

“Heather and I briefly worked at different agencies and realised we were just competing against each other for the same clients. It was the right time to launch a business together.”

In the last three years, revenues have increased by 60%, with the majority of turnover coming from Kent. Having begun as a specialist insurance agency, it later opened a finance division, with plans for more departments.

"Having someone on your doorstep who knows your business, your staff and when you go on holiday is still something to be offered..." - Dan Munday, Barker Munro

“We deal with insurers, but if they need someone in marketing or HR we can still offer them that as a local company,” said Mr Munday, who is married to Michelle and has two children, Harrison and Poppy.

“The insurance market has probably shrunk over the last five years. That is why a lot of big recruiters aren’t in the area. It shows how well we’re doing.”

After years in a big corporation, Barker Munro’s two directors are keen to create a different atmosphere to the cut-throat world of many recruitment businesses.

“We never target consultants on calls or sending CVs out,” said Mrs Parkhouse, who is married to Joel and has two daughters, Izzy and Naomi.

“I work part-time and we all work normal hours, leave at 5.30pm and switch off.

“We consider ourselves more as consultants who advise companies. We certainly aren’t all about sales.”