Behind the Scenes with the Managing Director of CPM Peoples Part I

Behind the Scenes with CPM People's Managing Director, Solomon Williams - one of the umbrella company industry's longest-serving MDs.

Solomon Williams tells Contractor Supermarket why he thinks it's still a great time for umbrella companies, despite all the legislation and lack of government recognition of the huge contribution contractors make to the economy.

Given the prevailing financial uncertainty, and the host of competitors jumping onto the bandwagon, why is CPM People expanding now?

Solomon Williams: I think there are three significant reasons for it. Fundamentally of course, the need is there. In spite of all the gloom-mongering, there are still plenty of good opportunities for contractors. So much so that we've simply got a lot more people looking to us to help make their freelancing lives as simple as they can be.

• We're doing more work with contractors overseas too. As they look further afield for the perfect opportunities, we're on hand to help them work in accord with local regulations, wherever they may be.
• CPM People now offers support and advice for people working throughout mainland Europe, North America, Australia, and parts of Africa.

As for the issue of there being more umbrella agencies now, I think we're actually seeing an interesting situation develop. The better, more established and more knowledgeable players are being sought out by clients who want proper reassurance that their affairs will be properly dealt with, efficiently and in full accord with the law. Ultimately, I think quality will prevail.

But why the recent change of name from CPM to CPM People?

Solomon Williams: It was just the right time. The company has grown such a lot over the last two years and we really wanted to reflect that. Added to that, we had a new website in development (which is now live), we were opening an additional office in London, and we were taking the opportunity to restate our aims and our global reach. So it was really the culmination of a lot of things.

It was also timely given the changing state of freelancing in this country. Never mind the economy; we genuinely feel that freelancing is gaining a stronger foothold than ever before. And, as an umbrella company, working with all these people and a lot of first-time freelancers too - we felt our name should feel bit more inclusive. Perhaps even more welcoming - which, I hope you'll agree, CPM People is.

Is there a particular gap in the market you are filling which you believe the other umbrella companies are missing?

Solomon Williams: Again, I think this comes back to experience and reliability. So long as we continue to provide honest, effective services for our clients, we don't have to worry about how big the umbrella market gets. Freelancers will always have a need for informed and empowering services that help them make the most of their working way of life.

• That said, we are very proud of our unique ExpressPay scheme which allows freelancers to get paid almost immediately, without them having to chase employers or agencies. It's the kind of innovation that really fulfills our aims of making freelancing as easy as possible for our clients.

Check out part II of the CPM People's MD interview, and get a bit more of Solomon's wisdom!