About EJM Investigations
Who Are We?

Owner of EJM Investigations, Edmund Magdziarek, explains where the company came from, the ethics, and where it is today:

“I was asked to write an “about us” page, to let the clients know what EJM Investigations is all about. Horror! I am an investigator, not a writer, where do I start? I know what we do, how we do it, and why I have a business which is going from strength to strength, but all that information is found elsewhere on the site. Pages which explain services, blogs which detail where those services apply to real life, and testimonials from clients saying what they like about us.. So….rather than more of the same, I thought I would tell the story of EJM Investigations, and give an insight into it’s history.

I was 18 when I first took an interest in becoming a private investigator. I had completed 2 years at college and walked away with 4 a-levels in science and maths. After joining university I quickly realised I wanted something fresh. I signed up to some online investigation courses and began to learn the trade. I quickly picked things up, finding investigation work was very similar to the science I had studied. All ideas, apply methods, analyse the results (or evidence in the case of detective work).

I started applying for jobs, only to find most detective agencies were small one man outfits, not wanting an employee. So where did the work come from?

Most private detectives are former police, or army surveillance officers. I was neither and lacked the contacts. I was 19, just dropped out from university and had little to invest in my own business. Working shifts anywhere I could I got my equipment together, got a car on the road, and some basic business cards printed up. I had a free one line advert placed in the yellow pages ( though that would be of no benefit until the next edition went to print).

I wrote to local Law firms but got little response. I spent a weeks wages from night shifts to pay for an advert in the local paper. The phone started ringing but any glee was short lived, the response to my advert was little more than people wanting money for advertising and some strange requests ranging from asking if I could get a DNA test from the queen, to “will you work for free as I’m skint”.

I then went back to all the firms I’d asked for employment. I offered to assist them when they had too large a workload, or needed a second man on a job. I contacted large city firms, offering to serve court papers in my locality at a reduced rate..

I got talking to a criminal solicitor in the pub, and he passed my details onto his family department. I had my first “proper” client. Eventually they recommended me to another local solicitors firm. My work from other agents increased as my reputation, for being willing to go the extra mile, grew.

It took 3-5 years before I was working full time hours. I was now in a position to re-invest into the business. Advertising brought in private clients, networking events brought in business clients. Things were good!

Then the recession hit. For the first year things didn’t affect me. I had an increase in process serving as people took to courts to try and recover money from people who couldn’t pay. Surveillance and general investigation enquiries declined but overall business was still viable. Then into year 2 things took hold. Larger firms cut back spending, clients went out of business and at the end of the year I had suffered a 75% decrease in work. Thankfully, being a small firm it didn’t matter much as overheads were pretty much non-existent.

I took EJM Investigations online, initially with a .com, but eventually with www.EJMInvestigations.co.uk and this is were the strengths of the business really shone through. Reviews are a big thing online, and allow people to leave feedback anonymously. It only took a year and business was as good as ever.”

So where is EJM Investigations today? On the surface it seems we have come a long way from our roots. We now boast clients including large solicitors firms from cities across the UK. We are used by local authorities, small, medium and large businesses. We take instruction from other detective agencies and private clients.

But take a look beyond the website, the logo, the much improved business cards and what do you have? The same set of ethics as way back in 2002. Hard work compassion, professionalism.

We still operate from a small home based office. We avoid unnecessary overheads to keep costs down. I, the owner, still personally meet clients for a coffee, a chat, even after the case is over.

With more than 10 years in the business I have met hundreds of people, I have lived through some key moments in their lives. From finding out a partner is cheating, to serving the divorce papers, and in the case of business clients providing a service of professionalism they can be proud to be associated with.

I’m not here to make quick money and know that I need repeat clients to maintain a successful business, whatever the economic climate and that’s why each and every client gets the personal touch.