The recession certainly hasn’t dampened the spirits of the founder of Southampton-based shipping specialist SDW Recruitment Group.

Steve Wyeth, founder and managing director, has just completed the first phase of the group’s expansion plans with five new members of his team - James Chandler, Jason Cook, Simon Cook, Laura

Neilson and Jock Bindloss - and a sixth person for March.

“The recession has obviously had an effect on the shipping and freight industries,” Wyeth told Recruiter, “but it hasn’t been too much of a hindrance. Sales positions are definitely now on the rise again.”

However, his plans to grow the business don’t just stem from shipping recruitment. “By the middle of last year, I wanted to expand but didn’t have the capital to invest in traditional growth, so I came up with the SDW Recruitment Group proposal - giving other entrepreneurs a ’half-way house’ between the safety of a salaried desk and total independence,” he explained.

The intention is that each new team member will grow their market sector to such a size that they themselves take the helm, become directors and form a subsidiary SDW company, controlling the total running of that company, from pay and rewards to advertising. Wyeth takes a financial interest in the divisions and offers back-office support.

So far, the sectors which SDW Recruitment specialise in are shipping, defence, renewables, oil & gas and engineering and construction.

James Chandler was the first associate to join Wyeth. He told Recruiter: “We’re all completely autonomous in the way we build our ’divisions’. If we want to work from home, that’s fine, or come into the office in Southampton one or two days a week - it’s up to us.

“There are no target figures as it’s our choice how far we want to grow our business.”

Wyeth is already in talks with four new members (individuals and groups) in line with SDW’s second quarter target.