#WIB - Q&A With Kirsten Halcrow Co-Founder Of Encapsulate Consulting -

1. Can you please tell us more about your business?

A. Encapsulate Consulting is an 88% woman-owned business established in 2017. We are an assessment solutions company offering a range of psychometric and competency-based assessments to assist our clients to improve their talent decisions; selection, development, succession planning, and team interventions.

2. When, how and why did you start your business?

A. Our partners have been in business together for over 10 years, sold our initial business to a listed company, underwent a merger, and then started over together in 2017.

3. What is your role in the business?

A. I am responsible for business development, all the sales, and marketing functions of the business.

4. Where did you study and what did you study?

A. I did a BA in Psychology, went on to my Honours in Psychology and a psychometric internship. I never formally registered as a psychometrist as I got caught up in the business management side of things.

5. How did you finance your business?

A. Our business was self-financed.

6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

A. An average workday is spent working on tenders, prospecting and meeting potential clients (mostly remote these days), putting together client proposals, designing marketing collateral, and keeping social media platforms updated.

7. How do you balance your home life and your work life?

A. Since the initial lockdown, our business has moved to a completely remote working model. This change has been positive in that I work from home and am closer to my family and what is happening at home. Remote working needs to be managed as it can potentially lead to overworking without the right boundaries in place.

8. What drives you and inspires you?

A. I am driven by our business growth. I love watching our company grow one client at a time, no matter how big or small. I know that with each new client we will add immense value to their business and it’s fulfilling to see the positive impact our solutions have on them. Although we have a small team, I love that we get to create employment opportunities, one person at a time.

9. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

A. I tend to get my ideas when I am running, it is my time to think.

10. Where and how do you market/advertise your business for sales leads?

A. I use LinkedIn to connect with HR professionals and business owners and I use this platform to connect and share our value proposition. We also use Google Adwords and we are fortunate to get great referrals.

11. What is next for your business?

A. We are in the process of implementing systems and minor automations in order to improve our customer experience and internal processes.

12. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business?

A. I believe it is important to have a good support network/ mentor/s for advice and guidance. There are plenty of people who have made it in business and they are more than willing to share ideas, there is no need to go down a road that has already been navigated before. There are so many affordable technologies available today that make doing business so much easier too.

Short bio:

An entrepreneur at heart, Kirsten was instrumental in the building and growing of South Africa’s oldest background screening company, EMPS. Kirsten was a shareholder and the CEO of EMPS for over 15 years, involved in day-to-day management, sales, and marketing initiatives and overall business strategy. in 2012 Kirsten was instrumental in establishing an assessment division, as a value-added service to EMPS clients. In 2015, EMPS was bought by EOH Group of Companies.

In September 2017, Kirsten, together with the other co-founders started Encapsulate Consulting with the vision to build on years of experience in pre-employment background screening. Kirsten is mainly involved with developing and implementing the sales, marketing, and growth strategy at Encapsulate Consulting and has a strong focus on strategy and new product development. Kirsten holds a BA Honours in Psychology from the University of Johannesburg.