Moving from large to small (but growing!)

My name is Scott Moran, and I am the Surveying Director at Nuven Surveyors. I have been working in residential surveying and valuation for 21 years, 19 of those previously working for a large corporate surveying firm.

So why did I make the move? I spent 19 years at my previous employer starting as a graduate trainee and finishing as the head of the Central London valuation team so I’m not someone who hops from job to job!

I joined the Nuven Team in January 2021 while the country was still in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, I remember on my first day Boris holding one of his now infamous press conferences to announce the nation was to enter another lockdown. “Great timing” I thought – going from a relatively secure position in a large company to a small company in times of such uncertainty. In hindsight, the housing market saw unprecedented activity, but we did not know that then!

There is no doubt that working in a large corporate surveying firm gives a fantastic base of training and knowledge. I was lucky enough to work with many fantastic surveyors and leaders during my time that passed on their knowledge and experience to me that I still draw on today.

However, it has become clear in the last two years that a smaller company has some fantastic benefits. Being smaller we can be agile. A former Managing Director once likened running a large corporate firm to sailing a large ship. You start by getting it pointed in the right direction and then make small adjustments along the way to maintain that course. But a larger vessel is not so easily manoeuvrable. This is not a criticism – just the nature of a large corporate structure.

The Nuven ship may be smaller but that means we can react quicker and make decisions to adjust to changing market conditions and employee working preferences. The crew may be smaller but that means we are a close knit team who support each other and genuinely pull together to achieve our common goals.

It may sound a bit corny but there is very much the feel of a “Nuven Family”. This has been illustrated so many times in the last two years overcoming a number of obstacles that world events have thrown up for everyone both in the workplace and in our personal lives. We have navigated choppy waters involving COVID, lockdowns, self isolation (don’t mention the Christmas party where we all caught COVID!) and school closures admirably and most importantly – together as a team.

The company really values individuals and as part of a smaller team you can expect to be treated as one. We appreciate that there is not a “one size fits all” way of working and where we can, make adjustments and work with team members to allow a true work/life balance. All whilst offering an attractive salary package and transparent, simple to understand commission scheme.

The good news is that the team is growing and there is room on HMS Nuven for additional crew members. If you are a surveyor perhaps looking to leave that large corporate environment for a smaller but ambitious and growing company where you can be treated as an individual – I would recommend it.

Come and join us near the start of our journey. We may need to get a bigger boat but for us that’s a nice problem to have!