FROM her office in Bootle, Julie West owns and runs a number of property-related businesses, including AMR Property Recruitment, Zest Lets and Zest Rez.

Much of her own time is taken up running the recruitment arm which supplies job candidates to other companies in the property sector. This was her day:

5.30am:I get up and there is no time for breakfast. Get ready and head out for an early-morning BNI networking meeting in Liverpool. At BNI, you have to do a 60-second presentation about your business. The sessions are a chance to get your brand out there and it also gives you the chance to talk to other like-minded professionals.

I find the sessions very useful. It is said everyone knows 100 people, so if there are 45 people in the room then there is a lot of potential there.

9am:Arrive at the office in Bootle. Check my emails and messages. Zest Lets is run by Mark Philip Cooper and Zest Rez by Michelle Ramejkis, although I will get involved as and when necessary. I give most of my time to the recruitment business.

I will usually spend the next few hours vetting recruitment candidates. They could be anything from mortgage advisors to estate agents. Before I put them forward for a job, I will check them and their CVs thoroughly.

When you send a candidate to an interview they are representing you and it reflects badly on me if they turn up scruffy or unprepared.

11am:Face-to-face interview with a candidate. I will go through their CV with them and go through some interview techniques. The first impression is vital. I will also test their knowledge and experience. If they say they have done a particular role, I will ask them questions about it. I only want the best candidates for AMR and will only accept around 30% of the candidates that apply for positions.

Noon:I usually don’t have lunch unless I have a lunch meeting. Despite the recession, I have launched several new businesses recently. That has meant a lot of work and, as a result, I have lost three stone in the past few months!

1pm:We have a shop-front for the lettings/estate agency business so we have people coming in through the door. If other people are out, then I will step out to deal with any queries. It could be someone looking to us to let or sell their property, or maybe someone looking to rent or buy a home.

2pm:Sit down with staff from across the businesses to address any issues that may have arisen.

3pm:Go out and visit a potential client for the recruitment business. I like to go out and see what the business is like and how it is run. I like to get a feel for that. Our success rate for placing candidates with clients is very high.

5pm:Return to the office and go through emails again. At this time of the day, I will be sorting out candidates’ CVs and setting up interviews for them. I will also follow up on any candidates that have been previously placed with clients.

Usually I will contact both client and candidate after a couple of weeks to see how things are going.

7.30pm:Finally, leave the office. May go to a networking event, although I would normally go home for a bite to eat and try to be in bed for around 9.30pm. However, my phone is on 24 hours a day so I am always available for my clients.