Step 1
Understand the skills
We start by understanding the person or company’s skills and services — and what the business is looking for — so any introduction is a considered fit, not a casual connection.
Joint Association Referral System
The right introduction, properly managed.
JARS connects businesses with vetted people and companies who have the skills they need — and stays involved from first conversation to a clear, fee-based agreement.
What JARS does
When a business needs a particular skill or service, finding the right person is only half the work. The introduction has to be well judged, the commercial relationship has to be clear, and someone has to stay close enough to see that it is working.
That is what JARS is for. We take time to understand what a person or company actually provides, match them with a business where those skills are a good fit, and manage the introduction under a JARS agreement. Fees are charged on a transparent, fee-based model.
For example, when one of the founders needed someone experienced in production and manufacturing, JARS was able to identify a good fit.
How it works
A straightforward process, designed so both sides know where they stand.
Step 2
Put it under agreement
Before work begins, both sides are brought under a JARS agreement, so the relationship and the commercial terms are clear from the outset.
Step 3
Introduce and manage
We make the introduction and stay involved, so the relationship can be managed properly and both parties know how it is progressing.
Step 4
Invoice
JARS invoices its fees under a transparent, fee-based model once the introduction is in place and the agreed work is under way.
Who it is for
For businesses
If you need someone with a specific skill or service — an experienced specialist, a trusted adviser, or a company that can deliver a particular piece of work — JARS can identify a vetted introduction and manage the relationship that follows.
You are not left with a name and an email. The introduction is made in a structured way, under agreement, with JARS remaining involved.
For specialists and introducers
If you offer a skill or service, or you make introductions in your own network, JARS can place you under agreement and connect you with businesses where you would be a good fit.
The aim is a clear, professional relationship: your expertise is understood, the introduction is properly made, and the commercial arrangements are transparent.
Founders
JARS is owned equally by Rick Smith and Jimmy Armitage, and is operated through JARS 8 Ltd.
Rick Smith
Co-Founder & Director, JARS
Investor, Entrepreneur & M&A Practitioner
Rick has been forming, running, acquiring, listing and selling businesses since 2000, bringing over 25 years of hands-on entrepreneurial, investment and commercial experience to JARS.
The Founder of Forbes Burton, a UK business advisory and restructuring firm that has helped over 3,000 business owners through stressed and distressed businesses since 2009, Rick has extensive first-hand experience of business acquisitions, restructuring, recovery and commercial transactions.
Rick sits on two boards and is a member of the international Veblen Directors Programme. He is also one of just 15 Ambassadors and one of three mentors for the M&A Harbour Club, an international community of more than 3,500 members, connecting him with business owners, investors, acquirers and specialist advisers across global markets.
Since 2022, Rick has also been a mentor for the UK Government’s Help to Grow scheme, supporting business leaders with growth and strategic development.
Through JARS, Rick combines his practical business experience, commercial judgement and trusted relationships to connect people with the expertise and opportunities that can make a meaningful difference to their businesses.
Jimmy Armitage
Co-Founder & Director, JARS
Founder, Your Wavelength
Jimmy is a co-founder of JARS and the founder of Your Wavelength, a boutique firm that provides commercially intelligent sales hiring for founder-led businesses.
After more than 11 years working around sales hiring, Jimmy had seen too many important appointments made on weak evidence — a job description, a CV, a good interview and gut feel — leaving founders waiting months to find out whether the decision had been right. He built Your Wavelength to make that decision more commercially intelligent: starting with the business rather than the vacancy, assessing candidates against agreed success criteria rather than CV strength or interview confidence alone, and remaining involved through the first 120 days after the person joins.
Jimmy’s role is not that of a high-volume recruiter. The work he regards as most useful is understanding the commercial problem, challenging assumptions, defining what success requires, assessing behavioural evidence, and staying close enough after the appointment to understand what is really happening. Your Wavelength is deliberately designed to remain boutique, protecting founder involvement, direct accountability and honest challenge rather than competing on CV volume or the cheapest fee.
That approach has been used in long-term client relationships, including supporting Papirfly’s commercial recruitment over five years, during a period in which the business scaled substantially and ultimately achieved a £100m+ exit.
Through JARS, Jimmy brings the same emphasis on a well-judged, properly managed introduction — so that both sides know where they stand, and the relationship is not left to chance after the first conversation.
Contact
If you would like to talk about an introduction, or about joining the JARS network, please get in touch.