The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast

Scott Lechley started Lechley Associates with £10,000, a new baby at home, and six months of recruitment experience. Twenty four years later he is still the only person in the business, and he is on track for the best year he has ever had.

Lechley Associates places the people who run the UK's biggest construction and infrastructure programmes. Framework directors, board level hires, the leaders behind HS2 scale rail and new hospital builds. Clients like Laing O'Rourke, Balfour Beatty and Hochtief. One retained search at a time.

Six months into this year Scott had already cleared £300,000, with another £150,000 confirmed. He did it by doing something most recruiters never attempt: going fully retained, staying completely solo, and building an AI stack that means he now wakes up to a BD intelligence report, an automated outreach system, and a dashboard of ranked opportunities before most people have made their first coffee.

He also did something almost no recruiter would admit to. This year he deliberately lost £40,000 in fees by talking a client out of a hire he did not believe in, and it does not cost him a minute of sleep.

On this episode of The RAG Podcast, Scott breaks down exactly how the stack works, why 24 years of saying no to the wrong things is the real engine behind the numbers, and what a solo business actually makes possible when you stop trying to grow headcount.

Scott is 54, having the best year of his career, and building a community for the next generation of construction professionals on the side. He is not slowing down.

If you have ever wondered whether the pressure to build a team, hire more people and grow headcount is actually the only way, this episode is your answer.

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Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, a CRM that actually understands context.

Atlas captures everything you say, hear, read and write. Every interview, every client call, every LinkedIn message, email and WhatsApp, automatically. Not because you typed it up, but because Atlas was listening. Then it goes one step further and tells you the next action to take.

So when you need to fill a role, People Search ranks your best candidates and tells you why, no digging required. That same memory turns your BD into a shortlist of exactly who to chase and why, so you win more clients. And when you want to see your pipeline, you just speak to your dashboards and Atlas builds the view for you in real time, tracking only what you care about.

Whether you place permanent or contract, Atlas covers both. Its Contract Suite means you never chase a timesheet again, with live margin visibility across every placement. And with its new MCP and API, Atlas plugs straight into your LLMs and the rest of your stack, so the low-value admin that keeps you from billing gets done for you.

This is not theory. Atlas customers are seeing 50% higher candidate response rates, a 35% increase in new clients won, 15+ hours saved every week, and monthly billings jumping by 85%. Some agencies are hitting 130% of their annual revenue target after building their business around Atlas.

So if you're thinking you need to bolt AI onto your CRM, don't bother. Take a look at Atlas instead.

Head to https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ to find out more.

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Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn, but AI has turned templated posts and outreach into a commodity. When everyone sounds the same, the market stops listening. The recruiters winning now are the ones the market trusts.

At Hoxo we help recruitment founders become the most influential name in their niche, using AI to multiply output while trust stays the product. Our clients turn their existing networks into £100K to £300K in new billings within months. Watch the free RAG listener training to see how: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Louise Archer spent more than twenty years as a contingent recruiter. She believed retained was probably smoke and mirrors, something dressed up to justify a bigger fee, and definitely not a pool she was ever going to swim in.

Then her employer handed her a project called Most Money Soonest, with a brief to make the permanent division's revenue predictable enough to survive a major acquisition. She and one colleague started visiting clients, asking better questions, and converting them to retained one conversation at a time.

The division went from five million pounds in annual revenue to twelve million, all of it retained, from a standing start of zero retained revenue. Then Louise walked away and set out to teach the rest of the industry how to do the same.

Since founding Retrained Search in 2018, she has trained more than fifteen hundred recruiters across thirty-one countries. In December 2024 she completed a management buyout with her three directors, and the target now is three point four million pounds in revenue by the close of 2027.

On this episode of The RAG Podcast, Louise breaks down how the retained conversation actually works, why exclusivity is the worst model of all, and why the industry is now splitting in two.

Louise Archer did not just theorise about retained search. She built the proof of concept inside someone else's business, walked away, and has spent the last eight years showing thousands of recruiters around the world how to do the same.

The numbers do not lie. The contingent model is under pressure, the industry is splitting into trusted advisors and commodity suppliers, and the window to move is still open.

If you have ever looked at your fill rate and thought something feels wrong, this episode has the blueprint.

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Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, a CRM that actually understands context.

Atlas captures everything you say, hear, read and write. Every interview, every client call, every LinkedIn message, email and WhatsApp, automatically. Not because you typed it up, but because Atlas was listening. Then it goes one step further and tells you the next action to take.

So when you need to fill a role, People Search ranks your best candidates and tells you why, no digging required. That same memory turns your BD into a shortlist of exactly who to chase and why, so you win more clients. And when you want to see your pipeline, you just speak to your dashboards and Atlas builds the view for you in real time, tracking only what you care about.

Whether you place permanent or contract, Atlas covers both. Its Contract Suite means you never chase a timesheet again, with live margin visibility across every placement. And with its new MCP and API, Atlas plugs straight into your LLMs and the rest of your stack, so the low-value admin that keeps you from billing gets done for you.

This is not theory. Atlas customers are seeing 50% higher candidate response rates, a 35% increase in new clients won, 15+ hours saved every week, and monthly billings jumping by 85%. Some agencies are hitting 130% of their annual revenue target after building their business around Atlas.

So if you're thinking you need to bolt AI onto your CRM, don't bother. Take a look at Atlas instead.

Head to https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ to find out more.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn, but AI has turned templated posts and outreach into a commodity. When everyone sounds the same, the market stops listening. The recruiters winning now are the ones the market trusts.

At Hoxo we help recruitment founders become the most influential name in their niche, using AI to multiply output while trust stays the product. Our clients turn their existing networks into £100K to £300K in new billings within months. Watch the free RAG listener training to see how: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

In 2022, EVONA had eighty staff, a Manchester office, a six-hundred-thousand-pound monthly cost base, and had just spent three hundred thousand pounds flying the whole company to Monaco. Tom Kelly calls it the moment four first-time founders lost perspective.

What followed was one of the more honest rebuilds you will hear in recruitment. Contract team gone. Marketing team gone. Management team restructured. Tom moved to the US, took the wheel as sole decision-maker, and rebuilt around two metrics: twenty-five interviews per person per rolling four weeks, and a thirty-day close on every job.

Three years on, EVONA is projecting ten million pounds net fee income this year. Three and a half million EBITDA. Thirty-five people. Two inbound client enquiries arrive every single day.

Tom Kelly has been in the space sector since 2018. He has never taken outside investment. And last month was the largest in the company's history.

On this episode of The RAG Podcast, Tom breaks down exactly how they got there.

EVONA is now the dominant name in space sector recruitment. Ninety-five percent US clients. No cold outreach. No single client above nine percent of revenue. A thirty-two day average time to fill on roles that take competitors sixty.

Tom Kelly is thirty-nine. He does not have a rigid three-year exit plan, but he does think there is a short window, and he does believe AGI changes the calculus for anyone thinking about an acquisition in this space. What he is building now is the version of the business that is worth something, the lean, high-output, brand-trusted version that took cutting fifty people to find.

If you have ever wondered what it actually looks like to rebuild a recruitment business properly after it nearly breaks, this episode has the blueprint.

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn, but AI has turned templated posts and outreach into a commodity. When everyone sounds the same, the market stops listening. The recruiters winning now are the ones the market trusts.

At Hoxo we help recruitment founders become the most influential name in their niche, using AI to multiply output while trust stays the product. Our clients turn their existing networks into £100K to £300K in new billings within months. Watch the free RAG listener training to see how: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Mike Ames built his first recruitment business from scratch in 1989 with six months of industry experience and two partners. One of them died in a car accident after 18 months. He became MD. He had a breakdown. He rebuilt the business entirely around scalability, removed himself from the centre of it, and sold to a NYSE-listed company for £24 million at the age of 38.

He thought that would feel like the finish line. It didn't. Within six months he was so low he could only manage one task a day. His therapist's parting advice: "Well, Michael, just get a job and you'll be fine." So he started again at 38, built a second business, sold that to Harvey Nash in 2017, and spent the next fifteen years working out why most recruitment founders never build something that truly works for them.

"I'm having to live a lot of my life through my grandchildren because I miss my children. Don't be that guy, right?"

This week on The RAG Podcast, Mike Ames breaks down the PLW model: what a Profit, Lifestyle, Wealth recruitment business actually looks like, why the 360 model is structurally flawed, and what the "magic number" is that every founder should know before they spend another year grinding for a goal they have never properly calculated.

Mike Ames is not selling a formula for a nine-figure exit. He is arguing for something harder and rarer: a business that runs well, pays you properly, and leaves room for the life you are actually trying to live.

If you have ever wondered whether the business you are building is working for you or the other way around, this episode is the one.

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Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn. Most can't answer this: how much revenue is it actually bringing in? At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn. Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K-£300K in new billings within months. Fill in the form today at https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

At 28, Oliver Paull runs Rec Gen completely alone from his flat in London. £209K in year one at an 81% profit margin. £298K in year two. Past £270K already this year. Close to £800K in under three years, with no staff, no office and no cold client outreach.

It did not start that way. In his first recruitment role he was on target to bill £650K and leaving the office to have panic attacks three times a week. He quit to join his best mate Jez Heard's startup, Scale Genesis.

Two years later, in a phone call just before Christmas, Jez closed the company down and told him to start his own.

His dad, a jeweller, refused to lend him the £3,000 he asked for. "Do you believe enough in yourself to invest your own money to allow you to be successful?" He did. First deal: £27,000 in month one, closed standing at his breakfast bar.

On this episode of The RAG Podcast, Ollie breaks down exactly how one recruiter, a podcast and an AI stack replaced an entire agency.

Olly is not building headcount. He is building a brand, a system and a lifestyle, and the numbers say it is working.

If you have ever wondered whether you could build a serious recruitment business completely alone, this episode has the blueprint.

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Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

--------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn, but AI has turned templated posts and outreach into a commodity. When everyone sounds the same, the market stops listening. The recruiters winning now are the ones the market trusts.

At Hoxo we help recruitment founders become the most influential name in their niche, using AI to multiply output while trust stays the product. Our clients turn their existing networks into £100K to £300K in new billings within months. Watch the free RAG listener training to see how: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Mathew Gollop found Hong Kong in the back of Recruiter magazine. A glossy advert, a Chinese temple, a palm tree. He flew out, signed the contract, and landed in February 2001.

The dot-com bubble had just burst. Then 9/11. Then SARS.

Within a year the founder wanted out, and Mathew took the business over. It was the only way to keep his job.

When the market finally turned, it turned hard. Connected Group went from 7 people to 85, across 5 offices inside 5 years.

Then the financial crisis hit. £800k gone in little over a year. Six months of runway. An investor brought in, his shares diluted, offices closed one by one.

“I had dumb confidence, I think, at that time.”

On this episode of The RAG Podcast, Mathew Gollop breaks down the full arc. The scale, the near collapse, and the decision that rebuilt the business: giving recruitment away for free.

Mathew is the first to admit he loved running 85 people across five offices, and wasn't actually good at it.

If you have ever wondered whether purpose can survive a brutal market, this episode has the blueprint.

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Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn, but AI has turned templated posts and outreach into a commodity. When everyone sounds the same, the market stops listening. The recruiters winning now are the ones the market trusts.

At Hoxo we help recruitment founders become the most influential name in their niche, using AI to multiply output while trust stays the product. Our clients turn their existing networks into £100K to £300K in new billings within months. Watch the free RAG listener training to see how: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Greg Fischer did not plan to spend ten years in recruitment. He joined a solo healthcare practice in LA as employee number one, figured it would pay the bills, and planned to open a gym someday. He never left.

Instead he built one of the most profitable staffing businesses in the US. $4.2 million in NFI, $1.4 million net profit. 38 people and a seven-figure equity stake with a $50 million exit on the horizon.

But he walked away with nothing!

The push toward the exit had quietly changed how the business ran. “I think we started looking at people as much more like resources and just a means to an end than actually people.” Greg had spent a decade building his career on the opposite belief. But the drift was so gradual he hadn’t noticed it.

“I couldn’t be the person I wanted to be and be in a good, healthy working dynamic. It was going to be one or the other.”

On this episode of The RAG Podcast, Greg Fischer, founder of Well Oiled Machine, tells the full story. The gym that cost him $150,000. The 10 years building someone else’s company. The walk away. And how he built a lean, profitable rec-to-rec from a mountain town in Colorado with no cold outbound and twenty clients in year one.

Greg Fischer is not chasing the big exit this time. He is building something small, profitable, and built entirely around the person he decided he wanted to be.

If you have ever wondered what it actually costs to chase a number, and whether the person collecting it is still someone you recognise, this episode has the blueprint.

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Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn, but AI has turned templated posts and outreach into a commodity. When everyone sounds the same, the market stops listening. The recruiters winning now are the ones the market trusts.

At Hoxo we help recruitment founders become the most influential name in their niche, using AI to multiply output while trust stays the product. Our clients turn their existing networks into £100K to £300K in new billings within months. Watch the free RAG listener training to see how: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Paul Strouts has run a business of four people.

His first business, James Harvard, quickly grew beyond 100 people and sold to Hays for approximately £20 million at 32.

He then spent a decade running Hays Life Sciences globally. Got headhunted to PE Backed Acacium and quickly made two strategic acquisitions.

He now runs:

3 brands.

250 people.

12 countries.

Contingent, SOW, RPO and Solutions revenue

Predicted £45 million GM in 2026.

£12 million EBITDA target.

He has seen every stage of headcount growth. The good version and the expensive version.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Paul Strouts gives the most direct answer we have had on this show about when headcount creates value and when it just creates cost.

We cover:

- The first question Paul asks any founder who wants to grow from 5 to 20 people

- Why you need a minimum of £500K to grow headcount properly, and what happens if you don't have it

- When headcount genuinely creates value in a recruitment business, and when it becomes a cost

- The ceiling Paul believes exists in life sciences, and why going beyond it risks diluting everything you built

- How Acacium Life Sciences grew from 160 people to a £45 million GM operation through two targeted acquisitions

- Why Paul sold James Harvard to Hays three years ahead of plan, and whether it was the right call

- What working inside a global corporate taught Paul that founding a business never could

- Why AI will not kill specialist boutique recruitment, but will change the lower end of the market permanently

Growing headcount is not the right move for every recruitment business. Paul is the first to say that. But if you are building a people-based business and you want to know exactly what it takes to do it properly, what it costs, when to bring in outside funding, and where the ceiling actually is, this is the episode.

If you've ever wondered when headcount creates value and when it becomes a cost... this episode has the answer.

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Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

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Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Sending outreach.

But here's the problem. AI has turned all of that into a commodity. The same templated messages. The same AI-written posts. The same automated outreach landing in the same inboxes.

When everyone sounds the same, the market stops listening.

The recruiters winning right now are not the ones shouting the loudest. They are the ones the market actually trusts.

That's what we build at Hoxo. We help recruitment founders become the most influential name in their niche. A niche audience that knows you, respects you, and comes to you when they need someone in your market.

We use AI to multiply your output. Faster content, smarter research, better engagement. But trust is the product, and trust cannot be automated.

Our clients are turning their existing networks into £100K to £300K in new billings within months. Not through volume. By becoming the recruiter their market comes to first.

To show you how it works, we've made a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn, how small, niche teams build the kind of trust that generates consistent inbound, and how to turn LinkedIn from a commodity channel into your most profitable one.

Fill in the form today to see how this could become your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Nathan O'Connell spent nine years as a British military officer. Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan. He finished on the withdrawal with 16 Air Assault Brigade and left the forces two weeks before his 30th birthday with no sales background, no LinkedIn profile, and no recruitment experience of any kind.

He got into rec-to-rec by accident. Spotted an advert on his wife’s Instagram, joined R2R Global, and was given a cold desk focused on energy and renewable energy recruitment companies in London. Within 12 months he was their top biller in London. By year two, he was number one globally.

Then he left. And instead of replicating what he’d done, he built the opposite. O’Connell Search Partners runs retained mandates with a maximum of four clients per geographic region. A team of four billing from Liverpool, covering London, New York, and Texas. In four months they invoiced £427,000.

“I had nothing to sell at the time. So it was truly just a genuine interest.”

This week on The RAG Podcast, Nathan breaks down how a military background shaped the most deliberate rec-to-rec model you will hear about this year.

We cover:

Nathan O’Connell is not building a rec-to-rec empire. He is building a business designed around financial freedom, genuine relationships, and a small team where everyone bills.

If you run a recruitment agency and you have ever wondered what a rec-to-rec headhunter actually thinks about your business, your culture, and your ability to attract talent, this episode will tell you.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Emily Angeloni co-founded WOW Recruitment in Sydney at 22. No salary for six months. Just her laptop, working from a building set for demolition. Nine years later: a team of 18 across every major Australian state, New Zealand, and the United States. One of the most respected boutique sales and marketing agencies in the country.

The year she became a mother, her co-founder told her he was leaving. She came back from maternity leave to a business that had saved every problem for her return, hit a serious road block, and stood in a strategy offsite thinking she could not do it anymore. She needed to rediscover her why.

She did. WOW has since had its strongest period in nine years. But then she had a valuation done. And as she says herself: valuations can be a pretty uncomfortable truth.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Emily breaks down what it actually looks like to lose a business partner, build something you are not sure you even want to continue, find the clarity, and watch everything change.

We cover:

- How a co-founder exit right before maternity leave forced Emily into the driver's seat for the first time

- Why she seriously considered walking away from nine years of work, and what made her stay

- The rookie hiring model that cost WOW its billing average, its culture, and its margins

- How she redesigned her role entirely around what she loves: external focus, 18 people, zero internal ops

- The five-year plan to build an asset with freedom of choice, not a job she cannot leave

- Why a recent valuation was an uncomfortable truth and what it sharpened her focus on

- What AI is actually changing for WOW's delivery model right now

-Why personal brand has been her competitive advantage since 2017 and how it converts to real revenue

Losing a co-founder. Building something you are not sure you even want any more. Then getting clear on the why and watching everything change.

More founders have been down this road than would ever admit it. Emily is just prepared to say it out loud. Nine years in, she is building something worth having on her own terms, and working out exactly what that is worth.

If you've ever wondered what it looks like to rebuild a business around a life you actually want to live, this episode has the blueprint.

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Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply looking for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K-£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Charlie Saffro started CS Recruiting by accident. Pregnant with her third child, out of a job overnight, doing free matchmaking from the school carpool line in Chicago. Her first placement fee was $1,200 with a year-long guarantee.

Sixteen years later, she had built a $5 million logistics and supply chain recruitment firm with 48 employees at its peak. Inc. Best Workplaces honouree. TEDx speaker. A brand built entirely on the idea that business is personal.

Then the market turned. Three brutal years, 2022 to 2024, forced her to halve the team. On Thanksgiving 2024, she took a walk with her husband and said the words out loud for the first time: "I'm done."

She sold CS Recruiting on December 1st 2025. The same year her oldest son left for college. Within weeks, the woman who had been needed by everyone suddenly wasn't needed by anyone.

"Who am I without these titles? Who am I if I'm not in charge of my kids, if I'm not in charge of my team?"

This week on The RAG Podcast, Charlie opens up about the reality of selling a recruitment business and what comes after.

We cover:

How an advertising career in downtown Chicago accidentally led to a logistics recruitment firm

Why her first big client needed 200 hires and she had zero recruiters

How personal branding on LinkedIn generated more business than any marketing budget

The moment on Thanksgiving that triggered the decision to sell after 16 years

What it actually takes to sell a recruitment business that carries your name

Why she describes life after the exit as "grieving"

The parallel between sending your kid to college and handing over your company

How she navigates being an employee inside someone else's business after being a founder

What she wishes someone had told her before she signed the deal

So many recruitment founders think about selling one day. Very few actually do it. And almost nobody talks about what happens after the champagne stops flowing.

If you have ever wondered what it really feels like to sell the business you built from nothing, to hand over the team you hired and the brand you created, this episode is the most honest answer you will hear.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Let’s be honest. Admin is one of the biggest drains on growth in a recruitment business. That’s where Atlas comes in.

Atlas is the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies that want to scale without adding more manual work. It doesn’t just track CVs and calls.

It captures every conversation - emails, interviews, client calls - and makes it fully searchable.

With Magic Search, you can literally ask:

Who mentioned they’re open to relocating next year?

Who talked about wanting a four-day week? Who’s worried about their commute? Atlas searches across real conversations, not just keywords on a CV, and gives you answers instantly.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier. With Opportunities, you can track and grow client relationships using generative AI, all inside your existing workflow. And this isn’t hypothetical.

Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost information.

Just faster shortlists, better hires, and more time spent on the work that actually drives revenue.

If you want to see what the future of recruitment looks like, unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at: https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ __________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn. Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks. But here's the question almost no one can answer: How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business? Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash. That's the problem we solve. At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics. Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process. To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners. In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn: Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Blaine Daws started in data centres in 2008 with a stack of papers and a wired phone. By 25, he was billing £475k a year as a solo 360 recruiter. At a family Christmas party in December 2019, he met Karl Chatterjee, a man who had already sold two recruitment businesses for multi-millions. Karl said: "Why are you going to line someone else's pockets?" Four weeks later, WNTD was incorporated. Two weeks after that, the world went into lockdown.

Like so many other founders back then, he dropped his niche, went after every market he could find, and started to make money. They grew to 20 people and had a huge office in the post-Covid boom. But lost a foothold in their niche and over a quarter of a million pounds doing it.

Then he stripped everything back. Let everyone go. Rebuilt from scratch around the one market he knew inside out: the Nvidia ecosystem and the global data centre buildout powering the AI revolution.

WNTD is now 75 people, generating £15 to 20 million in revenue, and running a £100 billion GPU infrastructure deployment across Europe. Blaine is 35, working 7 days a week, with two young children at home.

"I want to make as much money as possible. So then in five years time, when I'm 40, I don't have to do it anymore."

This week on The RAG Podcast, Blaine Daws tells the real story behind one of the most unusual businesses in recruitment.

We cover:

Blaine went from nearly shutting the business down to running one of the most specialised agencies in the world's fastest growing market.

If you've ever wondered what it actually costs to build something extraordinary... this episode has the answer.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Andy Strong spent 10 years in retail selling mobile phones. Then 17 years building the biggest delivery team at a SaaS recruitment firm in Dorset. He became one of four divisional directors. His team placed 82% of the company's US hires from Poole. He drove 400% growth in North American placements.

And then he went to therapy.

Eight sessions later, he ended an eight-year relationship, resigned from the only recruitment business he had ever known, and started a company from a shed at the bottom of his garden.

Strong Search launched with no brand, no pipeline, and no office. Four retained roles landed in month one. By the end of year one: $1 million in revenue, 39 placements, 100% placement retention, and a team of seven. He turned down work with one of the largest software companies in the world because it did not fit what he stands for. He hired an operations and marketing manager before he hired another recruiter. And he recently appointed a Managing Director for North America who previously held senior roles at Coupa, Icertis, Yahoo, and Clari.

"I spoke to a venture capitalist in May. She said, what you're gonna learn is what's more important is what you say no to than what you say yes to. She was right."

This week on The RAG Podcast, Andy Strong breaks down how he built a seven-figure recruitment business in 12 months and why trust, not volume, is the only model that survives.

We cover:

Andy built something from nothing in 12 months. Not through cold calls and volume. Through precision, trust, and the courage to finally back himself.

If you have ever sat in someone else's business wondering whether it is your time to go... this episode has the blueprint.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn't be slow, stressful, or expensive. That's why there's Remote Recruitment - the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don't just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that's ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitment has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, they're helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

RAG Listeners: Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session atwww.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn. Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Jon Woolley spent nearly a decade at Vantage Consulting. He opened their US arm, built a team of eight, and scaled it to $1.6 million. Then, three weeks before his third child was born, he walked away.

No team. No clients. No pipeline. Just £30,000 in savings and a niche most recruiters have never heard of: industrial automation. The people who programme the machines that make the stuff, from pharmaceuticals to Amazon warehouses. Average fees of $20,000 to $22,000 a placement.

Year one at Candid Talent he billed £112,000. Year two, $500,000. And then Q1 of year three: over $350,000 in a single quarter. Solo. From a farmhouse in Staffordshire. Three kids under seven. 25 hours a week. Almost all inbound from LinkedIn.

"Honestly, it's wild. Compared to the stress of year one... coming into year three with that kind of quarter. It's awesome."

This week on The RAG Podcast, Jon breaks down how he went from employed recruiter to solo founder billing over $1 million in just two years, whilst being more present for his family than he ever was in agency life.

We Cover:

Jon Woolley is not running a massive agency. He's not chasing headcount or office space or awards.

He's building a business that lets him be present for his family whilst billing more than most teams.

If you've ever wondered whether you could leave an established desk, start solo, and build something that works around your life rather than the other way around... this episode has the blueprint.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

This is not a typical RAG episode.

Christian Mather is not a recruiter. He has never filled a role, run a desk, or managed a team. He is a wealth planner. And since niching into recruitment founders about two and a half years ago, he has become one of the most in-demand advisors in the industry.

Since January alone, he has had over 100 enquiries and spoken to 60 founders about the same thing: how to turn business success into personal financial freedom. Not through selling the business. Not through scaling to 50 heads. Through understanding one number.

He calls it your freedom number. The amount you need in assets to cover your lifestyle for the rest of your life. And most founders massively overestimate what that number is.

His simple formula gives you your starting point. In this episode Christian walked through real examples of his clients goals and challenges.

A founder who thought he needed £5 million but actually needed £1.2 million. A 29-year-old woman billing half a million on her own, working 20 hours a week, about to hire staff she didn't need. A business doing 1.6 million net fee income with 16 staff but only £150K EBITDA because the founders were doing 80% of the work.

Only 0.3% of recruitment agencies ever successfully sell. That number comes from the REC, and Christian has built his entire practice around the other 99.7%. His argument is simple: your business should fund your wealth, not be your wealth.

We cover:

Christian and I also get into our own stories and share our personal strategies for wealth creation.

If you have ever wondered what your number actually is, or whether you are closer to freedom than you think, this episode has the blueprint.

-----------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn't be slow, stressful, or expensive. That's why there's Remote Recruitment, the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don't just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that's ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitment has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we're helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

- Up to 60% productivity boosts

- 300% ROI on BD roles

- 30% faster completion of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

RAG Listeners: Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

-------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn. Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

- How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

- Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

- That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K to £300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

David Bloxham first appeared on The RAG Podcast in March 2020. That episode was recorded the week before the world went into lockdown. He had 130 staff, a fresh MBO behind him, and a business that was growing.

Six years later, he is back. Same seat. Very different business.

In the years since, David has navigated a pandemic, a post-COVID hiring boom, a brutal tech slump, and the rise of AI. Each time, his response was the same: strip the model apart and rebuild it stronger.

GCS is now 100 people across 10 global offices, generating over 12 million in revenue with 95% coming from contract. 50% of the team now operates from offshore delivery centres in Cape Town, Mumbai, and Delhi. The permanent division that drove record numbers in 2022 has been deliberately wound down.

"Year on year, since 2019, our contract number has grown year on year. The perm has gone up and down, but the contracts kept rising."

But perhaps the most striking part of this conversation is what comes next. David is building an AI-enabled recruitment tool designed to sit alongside his traditional business, one that could eventually generate the same revenue as his human team. He is not waiting for disruption. He is building it himself.

WE COVER:

If you have ever wondered whether resilience is a strategy or just a word people put on their LinkedIn profile, this episode has the answer. David Bloxham has been at the same company for nearly 30 years. He has rebuilt it three times. And he is about to do it again.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Ben Richardson & Mike Bott: Why LHi Group appointed two CEOs

For 25 years, LHi Group had one CEO.

Founder Tom Glanfield built the business from scratch with Jim Denning taking over in 2020 and leading it it through COVID.

A global recruitment group, LHi has

5 brands.

300 people.

9Offices across the US and Europe

Ben Richardson and Mike Bott had both spent their careers inside LHi.

Both joined as entry level recruiters

Both built desks, teams and international offices from the ground up.

Both eventually became global recruitment directors.

And both had their eyes on the same job.

"I wanted to be CEO about a week after I joined LHI in 2007."

When Jim Denning stepped down, the expectation was simple.

One of them would get the role.

Instead, the board made a call neither of them had anticipated.

They would run the business together.

Co-CEOs.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Ben and Mike break down how the decision happened and what it actually takes to make a leadership structure like this work.

We cover:

How two recruiters who joined the business years apart both ended up competing for the CEO jobThe moment they were told they would be sharing the role instead of one of them taking itWhy the board believed the co-CEO model would work for LHiHow they divide responsibility running a global recruitment businessThe leadership principles that allow two CEOs to operate without conflictWhy ego is the biggest risk in a structure like thisThe level of trust required to make joint leadership work long-termWhat founders should think about when planning succession inside their own businessesWhy promoting from within can be a competitive advantage in recruitmentWhat the next phase of growth looks like for LHi Group

This episode isn’t really about recruitment.

It’s about succession.

It’s about trust.

And it’s about whether the traditional idea of a single CEO is always the right answer.

Because if you’re building a recruitment business and thinking about who should lead it next…

This conversation might challenge the way you think about it!

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Lucy Robinson: Fired from her job, now running a £650k global search firm

Lucy Robinson runs LCR International, a global executive search firm specialising in fresh produce across six continents.

Today, the business is doing around £650k in revenue, but the story really started in December 2019 when Lucy was fired from her job for not hitting targets.

At the time, she had no savings, a three-year-old at home, and had just spent months trying to build a new desk for an agency she’d previously worked for.

Two weeks before she got fired, her husband had said something half-jokingly:

"The only way you’ll ever start your own agency is if you get sacked."

Two weeks later, that’s exactly what happened.

Starting a business at that point didn’t exactly look like the sensible move.

Lucy had a young family, no financial buffer, and was launching into a market she already knew was competitive.

But she did it anyway.

She launched LCR International, working three days a week, just as the world walked into COVID.

The first year, she billed £100k and was mostly filling contingent work.

She wanted to move into retained search, but it wasn’t really working.

In 2023, she decided to change the model completely and invested in proper search training and it changed everything.

The business moved to around 90% retained search, margins improved, and growth accelerated.

Revenue went from £250k to £500k to £650k across three years.

Now the focus isn’t on scaling faster.

It’s about building a profitable, sustainable business that works for her family as well as her career.

The business currently runs at around 20% net profit, with a small team and clients across the world.

And Lucy has no interest in building a huge agency just for the sake of it.

Instead, she’s focused on growing the business in a smarter way - using better positioning, retained search, automation and AI rather than simply adding more headcount.

Her goal now is £800k this year and £1m next year, whilst keeping the business lean and flexible.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Lucy shares the full story.

We talk about:

• Getting fired with no savings and a young child at home

• Starting a business just before COVID hit

• Building £100k in the first year working three days a week

• Taking maternity leave twice whilst growing the business

• Why contingent search stopped working for her

• The training that helped shift the business to retained search

• Growing from £250k → £500k → £650k

• Running a global niche search firm across six continents

• Raising two young kids whilst building the business

• Why she prioritises flexibility over building a massive team

• Her focus on profitability and a 20% net margin

• Using automation and AI instead of headcount

• Her plan to reach £1m revenue without sacrificing family life

What I really liked about Lucy’s story is that she’s building the kind of business more founders are starting to want.

A niche firm.

A strong reputation in a specific market.

Good margins.

A small team.

And a business designed around life, not the other way round.

It’s a great example of what a modern recruitment business can actually look like.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Let’s be honest. Admin is one of the biggest drains on growth in a recruitment business.

That’s where Atlas comes in.

Atlas is the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies that want to scale without adding more manual work.

It doesn’t just track CVs and calls. It captures every conversation - emails, interviews, client calls - and makes it fully searchable.

With Magic Search, you can literally ask:

- Who mentioned they’re open to relocating next year?

- Who talked about wanting a four-day week?

- Who’s worried about their commute?

Atlas searches across real conversations, not just keywords on a CV, and gives you answers instantly.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier. With Opportunities, you can track and grow client relationships using generative AI, all inside your existing workflow.

And this isn’t hypothetical.

Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost information.

Just faster shortlists, better hires, and more time spent on the work that actually drives revenue.

If you want to see what the future of recruitment looks like, unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at:

https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

In June 2023, Jory Humphreys and Sam Hope launched H People with limited capital but an insane energy to work hard.

Within 25 months, they'd built a $25 million business. $8.2 million in year one, $15.5 million revenue and $1 million in EBITDA in their second full year. They're now Australia's number two fastest-growing company.

But what makes their story different isn't the revenue. It's the model they built to get there.

Most founders choose between growth and sanity. Jory and Sam chose leverage.

From day one, they integrated an offshore team from the Philippines. Not as a cost-cutting exercise. As a strategic partner. One offshore resource supporting one onshore consultant.

This involved structured daily huddles, clear shared targets and the growth of a real partnership culture.

The offshore team handled high-volume screening, candidate qualification, compliance and administration. The onshore consultants handled what only they could do: client relationships, business development, negotiation, and revenue generation.

This operating model has been the foundation of their success.

As Jory explains: "If it was just me and Sam battling it out without offshore support, we would have only made half the amount of placements. They enabled us to deliver a better service."

Today, H People is 21 people strong, expanding nationally across Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, and they're running one of the most profitable recruitment operations in Australia. They've also launched Wingman Recruitment, helping other agencies replicate the offshore model with the same rigour.

Inside this unique story, we cover:

- How two bootstrapped founders went from zero to $25M in 25 months

- Why the offshore model isn't about cost-cutting - it's about leverage

- The exact structure: one consultant, one resource, shared targets

- How they grew 16 net new contractors every single month

- The culture piece: why their offshore team outperforms typical VAs

- How they built $1M EBITDA in year two (without venture capital)

- Why they split focus between H People and Wingman Recruitment?

- The real numbers: revenue, GP, EBITDA, and what's actually possible

- How they managed family life while scaling a $25M business in 25 months

- The future of recruitment: onshore consultants + offshore leverage + AI automation

This is a story of two recruiters who understood their market, built the right operating model, and scaled with intention. It’s super inspiring and I can’t wait for you to listen!

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Emma Storey: How 2 part-time working mums billed £500K in their first 2 years!

Emma Storey never thought she'd still be in recruitment after having kids.

She'd never worked with a mum in the industry. Never had a role model who'd done it. The assumption was always the same: have a baby, and your recruitment career is over.

But after successfully juggling recruitment and becoming a mum inside the pandemic, in 2023 she launched her own agency with colleague Nicola Morse, a fellow working mum.

They launched Hera with the plan to both work part-time, and within months, Emma soon fell pregnant with baby number 2.

Inside the first 2 years, working part-time around school runs, nursery pickups and a maternity leave, they have billed £500K.

That's £150K in year one during one of the worst recruitment markets in a generation, and £350K in year two with Emma off for three months and working three days a week for the rest.

But what makes Emma different isn't the revenue. It's the reason she built the business in the first place.

Female candidates regularly tell Hera they're nervous about wearing their wedding ring to interviews because they know it signals they might want children. Hiring managers have told them directly: we don't want people from that age range.

Emma lived it herself. In one agency, a mum who left at three o'clock was met with the same comment every single day: "Thanks for coming."

So Emma and Nicola built Hera around a guarantee most agencies won't make: a diverse shortlist on every single role. They positioned diversity and inclusion not as a side project but as the commercial engine. And it worked. Every client they've won has bought into it.

Their target is £500K this year. They have no plans to hire a team. No plans to scale beyond two. No plans to stop billing.

Inside this unique story we cover:

Why Emma assumed motherhood would end her recruitment careerThe "thanks for coming" culture that still exists in agenciesWhy female candidates hide their wedding rings in interviewsHow two part-time working mums billed £500K in their first two yearsThe diverse shortlist guarantee that wins every clientWhy they target £500K a year and have zero interest in scaling beyond thatHow shared parental leave changed everything for their familyThe co-founder relationship that started at kids' swimming lessons

This isn't about scaling fast or building an empire.

It's about two women who were told, directly and indirectly, that motherhood and recruitment don't mix. They billed half a million pounds in two years working part-time and proved it wrong. Without sacrificing bedtimes, school runs, or being present for their kids.

If you're a female recruiter wondering whether you can have children, build a business, and still love what you do, this episode is your blueprint.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Let’s be honest. Admin is one of the biggest drains on growth in a recruitment business.

That’s where Atlas comes in.

Atlas is the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies that want to scale without adding more manual work.

It doesn’t just track CVs and calls. It captures every conversation - emails, interviews, client calls - and makes it fully searchable.

With Magic Search, you can literally ask:

Who mentioned they’re open to relocating next year?

Who talked about wanting a four-day week?

Who’s worried about their commute?

Atlas searches across real conversations, not just keywords on a CV, and gives you answers instantly.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier. With Opportunities, you can track and grow client relationships using generative AI, all inside your existing workflow.

And this isn’t hypothetical.

Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost information.

Just faster shortlists, better hires, and more time spent on the work that actually drives revenue.

If you want to see what the future of recruitment looks like, unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at:

https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedInHow small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demandThe 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

In 2022, Avetis Antaplyan was absolutely flying...

HIRECLOUT, his global recruiting firm with 30 employees across the US, Colombia, Armenia, and India was breaking record after record.

Two-time Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company, his best year ever and he felt everything was working.

Then when the market hit hard in 2023-2024 and every other founder was doing layoffs, Avetis refused to cut people.

Instead, he took most of his profits out of the business to keep his team employed through the downturn.

He genuinely believed loyalty would be returned. That when things turned around, they'd kill it together.

It didn't work that way.

"Those were the first people who resigned when we put some pressure on," he admits. "All it did was burn my profit."

For two and a half years, he broke even. The money was gone. The people left anyway. But that failure taught him something most founders never learn: protecting average people doesn't build loyalty. It destroys capital.

Now he's building the opposite.

His new obsession: take exceptional people (circa $500-600k billers) and use AI, systems, and tools to turn them into $1m producers.

He's recently hired a principal on executive search, a director of business development, and is planning a head of consulting…. Serious hires for a new phase of growth.

In this episode, we cover:

- Why he chose loyalty over layoffs (and what it cost)

- Two and a half years of breaking even

- The moment he realised protecting people was destroying capital - How he rebuilt with "bar raisers or nothing"

- Building AI to turn $600k billers into million-dollar producers

- Why he's never burnt out (and why most founders do)

This story highlights a founder who made a decision based on loyalty, watched it blow up in his face, and chose to learn instead of blame the market.

If you've ever wondered what happens when you prioritise people over profit, this episode may change how you think about loyalty. __________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Peter Kornberg: How a Non-Recruiter Built $1M+ Revenue 15 years in a row (with Just 6 People)

Peter Kornberg never worked a day as an agency recruiter.

He worked in Advertising and Marketing and became a Chief Digital Officer.

He ran a product design agency in New York City. Clients started asking for talent they couldn't afford to engage the agency for. So Peter said: "We can provide you some people."

That was 15 years ago.

What started as an ad hoc favour became UX Hires -a staffing and recruitment firm that's done $1M+ in revenue every single year since (with a team of six).

But it wasn't always lean and profitable.

In 2021, they had 60 open roles. A full team of employees. An expensive New York City office. Peter hired a leader to run the recruitment business.

"He didn't bring in any business. He wasn't particularly effective at managing," Peter admits.

"Didn't really fulfil that potential."

They were grinding. Burning out. Taking on everything that came through the door.

"We didn't effectively weigh the roles that came in as we saw everything as money. Everything was opportunities. So we just went for everything."

The team wasn't profitable, this model wasn't working.

So Peter stripped it back.

He kept only his best recruiters and sourcers. People who could deliver exceptional outcomes regardless of market conditions. No 360 recruiters, only delivery consultants with him focusing on winning all new business.

"Really focus on people that can deliver great outcomes," he says. "I can handle the rest around that, which is client relationships."

But here's what makes Peter different.

He split his team between sourcing and recruiting. Sourcers find people; that's all they do. Recruiters manage clients and placements. It's all relationship-based building.

60% of his revenue now comes from contract and he's rebuilt his entire approach to work: "I could probably get more done in five hours of really productive work than 15 hours of grinding away and burning out."

He doesn’t believe in “hustle culture” and he’s not trying to build an empire. He’s quietly built a sustainable, profitable role business that gives him his life back.

We cover:

- Why never being a recruiter became his biggest advantage

- The 60-role mistake that nearly broke the business

- How he rebuilt around just 6 people and hit $1M+ consistently

- The split desk model (and why he refuses 360 recruiters)

- Why 60% contract revenue changed everything

- The failed leader hire (and why BD roles are so hard to delegate)

- Time blocking and the 5-hour productivity principle

- How AI is reshaping UX and product design recruitment

This isn't about scaling fast or an exit strategy.

It's about a non-recruiter who stumbled into being a recruiter, nearly burned out chasing growth, and rebuilt a million-dollar business around what actually works: small team, high margins, client relationships.

No investment decks and growth-at-all-costs. Just profitability and freedom.

If you've ever wondered whether you can build a 7-figure recruitment business without the complexity, the burn-out, or the endless headcount - this episode will help!

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

At 21 years old, Alex Hashash was managing 15 people and 18,000 hours of temporary nurses every single week.

By his early thirties, he had 120 staff. Most of them offshore.

But it didn't start with a playbook. It started with 3 am phone calls, traumatic Blackberry ringtones, and weekend rotas that never seemed to end.

When his company decided to build an offshore capability, Alex didn't manage it from a distance.

He moved to India for eight months to build the team from scratch.

Night shifts. Culture clashes. Teaching people who'd never worked in recruitment how to fill nursing shifts at 2 am UK time.

He's spent over a decade learning what separates the founders who make offshore work from those who give up after six months.

Most treat it like a cost-cutting exercise. They hire one remote person, hope for the best, and blame the model when it fails.

Alex took the opposite approach.

"If someone makes a mistake, it's really easy to blame them because they're so far away. But if that was a colleague on your desk, would you be as harsh?"

The problem isn't the talent. It's the leadership.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Alex tells the full story.

We cover:

Why most recruitment founders fail at offshore within six months How to build culture when your team is thousands of miles away The biggest mistake UK consultants make when managing offshore staff Why hiring people without recruitment experience often delivers the best ROI How to structure probation and promotional targets for offshore hires The leadership buy-in you need before going offshore How he scaled to 120 staff with the majority based offshore

This isn't theory. It's a decade of hard-won experience across three continents.

If you've ever wondered whether offshore could work for your agency - or why your previous attempt failed - this episode has the blueprint.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K - £300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedInHow small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demandThe 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Logan Naidu runs Kernel Global-a multi-brand recruitment group with 200 people across London, Hong Kong, Charlotte and New York.

We first spoke in April 2021. He had 180 people. The market was about to explode.

2021: £7 million EBITDA. 2022: £10 million EBITDA. Headcount doubled to 300.

Then March 2023 hit. Logan closed a second PE deal. Paid out over £30 million to staff. The biggest individual payout? Multiple millions.

One month later, he started making cuts.

"I remember talking to my father-in-law saying I'm really embarrassed by this. I've just taken on a load of money from new investors and we're already talking about making cuts and the business shrinking."

By the end of 2023, Logan had cut 100 heads—a third of the business.

But here's what makes this story different: he saw it coming.

December 2022. Their Christmas party. Logan stood up and said: "I think we've forgotten how hard this industry can be. We've had a record year, but we're cutting corners. We're taking clients for granted. That's going to bite us if we don't get back to it really quickly."

It was poorly received. Then 2023 happened.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Logan breaks down the full story.

We cover:

Scaling from £4.9M to £10M EBITDA in three years during the boomWhy he warned his team in December 2022 that they'd "forgotten the basics"Closing a PE deal on a Saturday morning hours before Silicon Valley Bank collapsedMaking 100 cuts across two waves (and why the second wave was harder)The criteria he used to decide who stayed: character, work ethic, client treatmentWhy his sleepless nights dropped from 2–3 per week to 2–3 per yearRebuilding to 2022 levels by 2025 with a completely different foundationHis approach to AI, offshoring, and why he won't chase every new toolWhy he still hires graduates despite the cost and cultural shiftsThe plan to double the business again by 2029

This isn't about avoiding pain.

It's about a founder who moved fast, made hard decisions early, and came out the other side with a business built to last through cycles.

If you've ever wondered how the best operators stay level when everyone else is drinking their own Kool-Aid, this episode is the blueprint.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Ryan Gorman: How He Built £250k in Fees Without Making a Single Cold Call

Ryan Gorman launched Lofthouse Group in January 2021 with a newborn daughter at home.

His wife asked him one question: "What sort of person do you want Isla seeing? Do you want her growing up seeing work as something you love, or just something you do to earn money?"

Year one, solo, working part-time around his newborn: £93k invoiced. £60k profit. Home for every bath time.

"Everything has been warm. I've never had to sit down and just cold-call tons of people."

While other recruiters smashed the phones, Ryan built a podcast as a BD tool. Used LinkedIn to warm every approach. And went to Instagram to find architects who weren't even on LinkedIn.

Four years later? £250k in fees. Average placement of £12k (market average is £7.5k). 85% repeat business. 70% net profit.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Ryan tells the full story.

We cover:

Why he left tech recruitment to go back to architectureThe question his wife asked that gave him the push to startHow he used Instagram to find candidates not on LinkedInWhy he's never made a cold call and still bills £250kHiring his first employee after four years soloHow his first hire billed £50k in two and a half monthsHis plan to become number one in architecture recruitment

If you've ever wondered whether you can build a profitable recruitment business without grinding the phones, this episode is for you.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Stuart Mitchell: How he built $3M in 3 years (then realised he hated his own job)

Stuart Mitchell launched Hampton North in September 2022.

$1.6 million year one. $2.5 million year two. On track for $3 million plus in year three.

Now 10 staff and projects $1m profit for next year.

I interviewed him on the show in the middle of 2023, and things were flying.

But over the following 18 months, he nearly broke.

His dad died. His wife fell pregnant. And the VP he'd promised her-the guy who was supposed to take the pressure off-pulled out in January.

"I had to go home to my newly pregnant wife and have a really hard conversation."

For 6 months, Stuart ground it out alone. High expectations, low empathy. The worst version of himself.

Then at a wedding, his old running mate Greg Anderson said: "I think we should do this again."

Greg joined in June and immediately told Stuart the truth: "There is nothing here. No process. Nothing written down. You're making it impossible for anyone who joins to actually do well."

This week on The RAG Podcast, Stuart tells the full story.

We cover:

Launching just before the 2023 downturn and hitting $1.6M in the first yearLosing his dad and how it derailed him for two monthsThe VP hire that fell through one week after his wife fell pregnantWhy he admits "I had my own company and I didn't like my job"How one hire professionalised a business built entirely on talentBuilding a $3M agency with 10 people (and why he'll never scale past 25)Why he takes profit first and doesn't care about a big exitThe role this LinkedIn profile and brand played in attracting top-tier talent

This isn't about sacrifice for success.

It's about a founder who built a multi-7-figure business, then redesigned it so he could pick his kids up from school.

If you've ever wondered whether you can have both profit and peace, this episode is the proof you need!

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedInHow small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demandThe 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Pete Watson: 22 years as a solo Rec2Rec in Australia (and why he'd never do it again)

Pete Watson is the longest-serving boots-on-the-ground Rec2Rec in Australia.

22 years running Mint R2R. Thousands of placements. A recognisable name across the entire Australian recruitment market.

But 18 months ago, he was at the gym when he asked himself one question:

"Would I do it all again?"

His answer was immediate: "A fast no."

Not because he failed. But because of what success actually cost him.

"Even though people look at 22 years as a business owner and go 'that's amazing, congratulations' - it's been brutal. It's been lonely. It's been isolating. It has not been good for mental health."

So that afternoon, he knocked up a logo on Canva and launched Recruitment United.

Within a week, 70 agency owners joined a WhatsApp group.

Within four months, 500.

Today, there are 330 subscribing members accessing weekly training, mate rates discounts, and a proper community of peers.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Pete tells the full story.

We cover:

Why 22 years as a solo Rec2Rec nearly broke him mentallyThe gym moment that changed everythingHow he built a 500-member community in four months with zero planWhy the majority of his members have no intention of scalingThe rise of lifestyle businesses over exit strategiesNavigating divorce, becoming a stepdad, and buying back his family home13 years alcohol-free and why he finally started talking about it

This isn't about building an empire.

It's about a founder who realised that isolated recruitment success was killing him—and built something to solve that for himself and others!

If you've ever felt lonely as a solo founder, or wondered whether there's another way to build, this episode is for you.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That’s why there’s Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn’t only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it’s entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that’s not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don’t miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer athttps://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Michael Green: How he made $700K in year one (after not billing for 6 years)

Michael Green spent six years running teams of 100+ recruiters.

Building offices. Managing people. Zero placements.

When he launched Unico in April 2024, he had to go back to basics.

"I had to do role plays to myself. I hadn't qualified a candidate in six years."

Day one was brutal. Just him, his house and a dog.

But Michael had something most recruiters don't: a genuine answer to "what makes you different?"

While everyone else competed on job boards chasing $30K fees, Michael went the opposite direction.

Senior positions only. Architect level and above.

New York Location only

His average fee jumped from $30K to $60K overnight.

His biggest placement? $170,000.

12 months later: $700K gross profit. Solo.

Year two: $1.5M with just four people.

But here's what makes Michael different.

He's not scaling headcount - he's scaling quality.

Ultra-niche: ServiceNow and bleeding-edge SaaS. One technology. Total focus.

Last week, a major partner messaged him: "I've seen your posts. I've heard your reputation. We want to use you exclusively."

He'd never spoken to them before..

He's now targeting growth15 profitable recruiters and $3M in 2026.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Michael tells the full story.

We cover:

- Why he walked away from running 200 people to start from scratch

- How he made $700K in year one after six years out of recruitment

- The "top 3%" model that clients can't say no to

- Why he pivoted from $30K to $100K+ fees overnight

- The AI screening tool that's changing his close rate

- His LinkedIn strategy that generates 70% conversion rates

This isn't about scaling fast.

It's about a man who had to relearn his own trade, doubted himself daily, and built a

$1.5M business in 20 months that doesn't require 100 heads to hit seven figures.

No venture capital. No growth-at-all-costs.

Just profitable headcount over vanity metrics.

If you've ever wondered whether you can start your own agency after years of management - or if there's a smarter way to scale than just adding bodies – this episode has the blueprint.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That’s why there’s Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn’t only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it’s entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that’s not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don’t miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Jen Gaster: How she sold her business to her team (and kept the tax bill at zero)

Jen Gaster launched HR Heads in 2008 at the height of the financial crisis with a six-month-old baby and zero income security.

17 years later, she runs three brands, 22 people, and just completed an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) transaction.

Tax-free exit, 5-year payout. The employees own the business when the mortgage is paid off.

One week after they completed the deal, Rachel Reeves changed the rules.

EOT payments are now taxable for anyone doing it after the budget.

Jen got in just in time.

But here's what makes this story different.

She built the business with her husband Rupert. Same office but separate brands and working processes (They've literally only attended one client meeting together in their entire lives!)

This week on The RAG Podcast, Jen tells the full story.

We cover:

This isn't about building an empire.

It's about a founder who wanted to reward the people who built the business with her and managed to do it without a tax bill.

If you've ever wondered whether there's another way to exit, this episode has the blueprint.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Helen Buchan-Connor on why she's building offshore teams and hitting $600K revenue

"All I wanted to do was make £100,000. That's it"

Helen Buchan Connor started her recruitment business in September 2020.

Her husband had just been diagnosed with lymphoma.

COVID had locked down Singapore a week earlier.

She was working from her lift lobby because there was no space for an office.

Most people would've waited for a "better time."

Helen didn't have that luxury.

First year: $350K revenue, $50K profit.

But then 2023 hit. The market turned. She lost $200K.

She'd taken investment. Signed a JV with a well-known player in the industry.

The advice she got?

"Work harder. Do more calls."

But you can't bring UK-style metrics into Southeast Asia and expect them to land.

"In Southeast Asia, trust is built off relationships. In the West, it's built off performance."

So Helen stripped it back. Looked at what the big tech companies were actually doing.

Amazon. Google. The major media agencies.

They were all offshoring. Quietly.

She decided to do it loudly.

Today:

- Three-person team

- $600K revenue

- Phone off at 7 pm

- Present mother and wife

- Building offshore hubs for ad tech clients across Southeast Asia

This week on The RAG Podcast, Helen breaks down exactly how she built it.

We cover:

- Why she started in the middle of a pandemic with a seriously ill husband

- How she turned $350K Year 1 into a $200K loss in Year 3

- Why the JV investment model failed her (and what she learned)

- The Southeast Asia + Philippines combination that changed everything

- How she's consulting clients OUT of hiring decisions (and still growing revenue)

- Why "surviving is thriving" when you're a working parent building a business

This isn't about grinding harder or scaling to 50 headcount.

This is about building a recruitment business that fits your life.

Not the other way around.

"Surviving is thriving. If you've got it together at the end of the week, you're good. If your kids like you, you're good. If you've got a couple of clients and you can invoice them, you're good."

If you want to understand how to build profitably without sacrificing everything else, this episode is essential.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That’s why there’s Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn’t only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it’s entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that’s not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don’t miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Emily Van Eyssen on why she's firing staff and replacing them with AI

"I automated someone's entire job out of my business."

"They're gone. That role doesn't exist anymore."

Emily Van Eyssen isn't talking about the future.

She's talking about last month.

She had no recruitment experience when she started.

Zero training. Never worked for an agency. Stumbled into it during the pandemic through a government contract she still doesn't understand why she won.

Most people would have crashed and burned.

Emily placed 200 young people into employment, made a lot of money, and accidentally built a completely virtual recruitment business.

When the pandemic ended and the scheme shut down, she had a choice.

Go back to managing Airbnbs (which she hated), or figure out how to make recruitment work.

Three years later:

But here's what makes Emily's story urgent.

She's not planning for an AI future. She's living it right now.

South African talent + AI super users = roles disappearing overnight.

She fired someone last week for refusing to use AI. That job is now gone forever.

One of her team automated their own role out. They're still there. The role isn't.

She's training 5,000 people per month in South Africa on AI (and employing none of them).

She's targeting 100 placements per month by Easter. Same 8-person team.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Emily tells you exactly what's coming.

We cover:

This isn't a prediction about 2030.

This is happening right now. In Emily's business. Today.

And if you're not preparing for it, you're already behind.

If you want to understand what the next 12 months actually look like for recruitment, this episode is essential.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That’s why there’s Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn’t only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it’s entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that’s not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don’t miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer athttps://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Mark Thomas walked away from a six-figure salary without a concrete plan.

Three co-founders. One investment. Strict 9-month covenants.

Then came March: dozens of pitches, everyone loved the vision, but almost no one was buying. 

The retained leadership search model wasn't landing. They started questioning everything.

One week later, four retained searches landed. Revenue hasn't stopped climbing since.

12 months in: £1M+ revenue, 75% retained work, and a business model nobody else in insurance recruitment is executing at this level.

In this episode:

This isn't a scale-to-50-people story. This is about building a boutique firm where being the worst recruiter in the room means you've hired brilliantly.

For recruitment founders who want quality over quantity and believe 10 great people beats 50 average ones.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That’s why there’s Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn’t only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it’s entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that’s not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don’t miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer athttps://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Chris & Gemma built a 7-figure agency by saying NO to 90% of clients

Chris walked into a client meeting. Got the job brief. Then said "No way."

The client looked at him like he was insane.

"You haven't shown me the office. I don't know your team. I can't work on this job."

She'd just told him they were more expensive than every other agency.

He didn't care.

This is how Chris and Gemma built Mixos - a husband-and-wife recruitment agency that operates completely backwards.

They REFUSE to take briefs over email. They WON'T work with clients who rush them. They'd literally rather go bankrupt than cut their fees.

And somehow? Rookies from retail are billing £50k+ quarters. They've grown to 15 people in 18 months. Their LinkedIn DMs are full of warm leads.

In this episode:

This isn't about growth hacks or AI tools or scaling fast.

This is about two people who set impossible standards, refuse to compromise, and somehow built an agency where saying NO is their superpower.

For every recruiter who's tired of competing on price and wondering if there's another way.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That’s why there’s Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn’t only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it’s entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that’s not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don’t miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer athttps://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Mick Donaghy: How he built $1.4M from $7K (after his partnership collapsed)

Mick Donaghy's mother died when he was in his twenties.

Life's too short became his operating system.

He left Ireland. Moved to New Zealand. Became a top-billing recruiter! 

A few years later, he got his shot at ownership. A partnership to launch an Australian business for the agency he worked. 

For many reasons, this partnership didn’t work, so Mick paid back his business partner and walked away with $7,000 in his bank account.

No business. No plan B.

This time, he was doing it alone.

GEDON was born - named after his Mum.

Ultra-niche: quantity surveying and cost management. One discipline. Total focus.

But here's what makes Mick different.

He's not building an empire.- he’s building freedom!

Currently has 9 people, 5 offshore making 40%+ profit margins.

Last week, he won 3 new clients from his personal brand. Zero cold calls.

He just bought a 100-year-old house in Belfast. Cash.

He drives an old Toyota Corolla, does 30 minutes in the sauna daily and is two and a half years into rebuilding his relationship with alcohol.

He’s now set a new and incredible target: 20-hour work week. $300-400K profit annually.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Mick tells the full story.

We cover:

This isn't about scaling fast.

It's about a man who lost his mom young, tried a partnership that collapsed, and rebuilt everything from $7,000 into a million-dollar business that gives him his life back.

No investor decks. No growth-at-all-costs.

Just freedom over headcount.

If you've ever wondered whether there's another way to build a business—one that doesn't trap you -this episode has the blueprint.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer athttps://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Jordan Shlosberg: Why agency recruiters will win (and internal TA won't)

Jordan Shlosberg runs Atlas CRM—the fastest-growing, AI-native recruitment platform in the world.

Thousands of recruiters use his technology every day. Real-time data. Real billings. Real problems being solved.

If anyone knows what's actually working with AI in recruitment, it's him.

"Internal talent teams have a lot to worry about. Agency recruiters? There's a renaissance coming."

Here's why:

Agency recruiters have years of candidate conversations. Reference calls. Market knowledge built through relationships. The ability to cut through 1,500 AI-generated applications with actual insight.

Internal TA has a resume. Sometimes a screening call. That's it.

But here's the problem: agency recruitment only represents 7-8% of all hires in Europe.

We could grow our share massively. Or we could shrink into irrelevance.

The difference? How quickly we become AI-literate.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Jordan and I go deep on what's actually happening in recruitment AI.

We cover:

This isn't another "AI is coming for your job" panic post.

This is strategic intelligence from someone watching what actually works across thousands of recruiters every day.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer athttps://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Ricky Burns: How to build £1.1M profit in year one (after losing it all at 32)

Ricky Burns made incredible money at 28

Then he drank it all away.

Partied it into oblivion and got hit with a massive VAT bill he couldn't pay.

Most people never recover from that kind of failure, but at 32, he decided to shut the business down and start again.

He went back into employment for 11 years.

Ran European divisions. Watched. Learned. Took notes on what actually works.

Then in September 2024 he launched Pulse Group with his co-founder Tony.

12 months later:

I don't know anyone who's achieved these numbers in year one.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Ricky breaks it all down.

We cover:

This isn't your typical "I scaled fast" story.

This is brutal honesty about failure, sobriety, and building something sustainable the second time around.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That’s why there’s Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn’t only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it’s entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that’s not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don’t miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer athttps://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Matt Fox achieved a life-changing exit and walked away in 90 days!

Matt Fox was 72 hours from a multi-seven-figure exit when COVID killed the deal.

What followed: a complete breakdown, 2 years of therapy, and a total rebuild.

But he did it differently the second time.

Cut from 30 stressed employees to 10 people he loved. Stripped costs. Turned it into a cash machine. By 40, he'd cleared his mortgage and bought Spanish properties with cash.

Then, in November 2024, he sold the business and walked away in 3 months.

In this episode:

This isn't your typical scale-and-sell story. This is what it really takes to lose everything, rebuild on your terms, and exit with your sanity intact.

For recruitment founders running 5-30 person agencies, wondering what happens next.

Chapters

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That’s why there’s Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn’t only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it’s entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that’s not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don’t miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer athttps://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

This week on The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Nick Hoadley, founder of Insurance Search, a specialist executive search practice in the global insurance market.

Nick quit a successful broking career nine years ago and launched a recruitment business with zero agency experience. Since then, he has shifted from 100% contingent to 100% retained, built a lean team, and maxed out a seven-figure practice while holding 50 to 60% profit margins. He is now expanding in the US with a partner model designed to scale without fixed overheads.

We talk about:

- How he went from insurance broker to founder with no prior agency experience

- The playbook for moving from 100% contingent to 100% retained

- Why a podcast and thought leadership now drive executive mandates worldwide

- Building a lean delivery engine, research and board search that sustains 50% plus margins

- The US partner model that scales without headcount or fixed overhead

- What to productise next, from human capital research to peer forums

- Practical advice on letting go of delivery to win bigger work

If you are aiming to grow an executive search practice while protecting profit, this is the episode to watch.

Chapters

00:00:30 Nick Hoadley's Journey

00:01:00 From Contingent to Retained

00:01:28 Impact of Podcasting

00:01:57 Aligning Personal and Professional Goals

00:02:27 AI and the Future of Recruitment

00:02:57 Building Client Trust

00:03:27 Scaling with a Partner Model

00:03:59 The US Market Expansion

00:04:28 Conclusion and Future Outlook

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That’s why there’s Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn’t only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it’s entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that’s not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don’t miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer athttps://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

This week, on episode 1 of season 9 of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Samm Green, co-founder of Few & Far, a UK-based product management recruitment business with 22 people and a powerful story of resilience.

Samm was the very first guest I ever recorded on The RAG back in 2019, and at that time, he had big plans to scale to 40 staff and eventually exit. While some of that came true, the road since has been far from smooth.

In this episode, Samm opens up about:

- The financial and emotional toll of losing over £350,000 during the market downturn.

- How burnout and stress led to physical illness and a trip to A&E.

- The decision to rebuild and focus on profit, not just growth.

- Why transparency and community have been key to recovery.

- How he’s turned the business around to be on track for £1m EBITDA in 2025.

This is one of the most honest conversations I’ve ever had on The RAG. It’s a story about resilience, leadership and learning what success really means when the pressure hits hardest.

Chapters

00:00 Sam Green's Journey

02:53 The Growth and Challenges of Few&Far

05:55 Navigating the Post-COVID Landscape

09:00 The Impact of Financial Loss on Mental Health

11:27 Lessons Learned from Redundancies and Business Cuts

14:36 Rebuilding and Regaining Profitability

17:20 The Importance of Mental Health in Business

20:17 Strategies for Business Development and Community Building

23:16 The Future of Recruitment in a Changing Market

26:00 Personal Reflections and Future Aspirations

28:48 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Admin is a massive waste of time. That’s why there’s Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn’t only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it’s entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply look for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that’s not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don’t miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer athttps://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

This week on The RAG Podcast, I am revisiting my episode with Anthony Webster, Managing Director of DVF Recruitment and board member at Career Legal.

Anthony and I go way back - we worked together for five years and even planned to launch Hoxo together before his journey took a different turn. At that point, Anthony made a life-changing decision: he came out as gay after years of hiding his true self.

We talk about:

Anthony’s story is powerful, personal, and incredibly inspiring. It’s about resilience, honesty, and the importance of creating safe and inclusive spaces in recruitment.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the RAG Podcast and Guest Introduction

01:28 Anthony's Journey: Coming Out and Career Choices

03:36 Career Path: From Recruitment to Managing Director

08:25 The Drive for Success: Personal Background and Motivation

11:19 Building Relationships in Recruitment: The Importance of Consistency

15:28 The Decision to Come Out: Personal Struggles and Growth

19:03 Navigating Life After Coming Out: Personal and Professional Changes

22:51 Integrating into the LGBTQ Community: New Experiences and Friendships

33:00 The Future of DVF Recruitment: Growth and Inclusion

48:58 Creating an Inclusive Environment in Recruitment

01:00:01 Looking Ahead: Future Plans for DVF and Personal Life

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

This week on The RAG Podcast, we are revisiting my episode with Laura Clark, CEO of OA Group.

Laura’s journey is one of the most unique I’ve ever shared on the show. She grew up watching her mum build Osborne Appointments (now OA Group), joined the business at 19, and earlier this year bought it from her mother to take over as CEO.

We talk about:

This was the first time I’ve had a guest who has bought their business from a parent, and it raises so many relatable themes for any founder, from negotiating long-term relationships to building a business that truly reflects your values.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to The Rag Podcast and Laura Clark

02:21 Laura's Journey in Recruitment and Family Dynamics

12:03 Early Career Challenges and Growth in Recruitment

18:19 Transitioning to Management and Leadership

28:38 Taking Over the Family Business

32:44 Navigating Business Challenges

34:37 The Emotional Dynamics of Family Business

38:35 Reflections on Business Exits

41:30 Post-Acquisition Vision and Growth

49:54 Balancing Remote Work and Team Dynamics

55:03 Gender Equality in Leadership

59:43 Juggling Work and Family Life

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

This week on The RAG Podcast, I’m revisiting my episode with Ben Wallin and Dan Cox, founders of Edison Smart.

When I spoke to them in August 2022, they’d already hit £1.7m revenue and built a team of nearly 20 in just over a year. One year later, they scaled to 31 employees, expanded into the US, put boots on the ground in Dubai, and built a structure that no longer relies on their own billing.

We talk about:

For any founder asking how to become more operational and scale sustainably, this episode is a clear roadmap.

Chapters

02:58 Edison Smart's Growth Journey

06:01 Operational Structure and Leadership Dynamics

09:11 Market Challenges and Strategic Responses

11:57 Hiring Strategies and Team Expansion

15:09 Navigating Market Changes and Client Relationships

17:58 Headcount Growth and Recruitment Strategies

22:03 Geographical Expansion: US and Dubai

25:10 Branding and Rebranding: Edison Smart

27:47 Operational Working Arrangements and Company Culture

30:57 Key Takeaways and Future Vision

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

This week on The RAG Podcast, we are revisiting Episode 1 from Season 7 with Kevin Frater, Director at Stable10 and a recruitment leader with over 18 years of experience across Allegis and Frank Group.

Kevin built his reputation as a fixer, turning underperforming offices into high-performing teams. Most notably, he grew a team in Germany from 12 to 180 recruiters over six years, creating one of the most successful divisions within Frank Group globally.

We talk about:

Whether you’re a manager looking to build and lead bigger teams or a recruitment business searching for a leader to drive growth, this episode is packed with insight.

Chapters

03:02 Kevin Frater's Journey in Recruitment

08:25 Transition from Allegious Group to Frank Group

14:32 Leadership and Team Growth Strategies

20:10 Turning Around Underperforming Teams

31:50 International Experience: Asia and Germany

40:37 Challenges and Successes in the German Market

48:32 Scaling the Team from 12 to 180

55:35 Reflections on Career and Future Opportunities

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

This week on The RAG Podcast, I’m revisiting my episode with Joe Jani, founder and CEO of Metric Search, one of the fastest growing recruitment firms in the world.

Joe launched Metric in 2019 and in just six years has scaled to 90 heads across the US and UK. At only 31 years old, he’s already closed a private equity deal, taking seven figures off the table while setting the business on course for a $100m valuation.

We talk about:

Joe’s story is proof that with the right vision, culture and commercial focus, you can scale globally at pace while still building a business that lasts.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Joe Jarny and Metric Search

02:09 Joe's Journey in Recruitment

11:52 Launching Metric Search and Navigating COVID

22:03 The MBO Process and Growth Strategy

35:14 Private Equity Deal and Future Plans

49:21 Personal Life and Work-Life Balance

01:00:38 Myths in Recruitment and Leadership

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

This week on The RAG Podcast, I’m revisiting my chat with Jordan Shlosberg, founder of Atlas, the first AI-first CRM built for the recruitment market.

Jordan’s no stranger to scale. Before Atlas, he founded Prosapien, growing it to $40 million in revenue in just five years before exiting. He’s now bringing the same disruptive approach to recruitment technology.

We talk about:

Jordan’s mission is to give recruiters more time to do what they do best, building relationships and making placements, while Atlas handles the admin.

If you’re questioning whether your CRM is keeping up with AI’s potential, this is one to watch.

--------------------------------------

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to The Rag Podcast and Guest Jordan Shlosberg

02:51 Jordan's Entrepreneurial Journey and Background

05:57 The Birth of Atlas and AI in Recruitment

08:51 The Role of Family Background in Entrepreneurial Drive

12:03 Transition from Finance to Entrepreneurship

15:03 Building ProSapient: The First Company

18:06 Growth Strategies and Challenges in ProSapient

20:55 Technology's Impact on Business Operations

23:52 Navigating Funding and Investment Rounds

26:41 The Evolution of Leadership and Management

29:47 The Future of Atlas and AI in Recruitment

43:54 Navigating a Competitive Recruitment Landscape

45:31 Building Software for Recruitment Success

48:48 Innovating in Recruitment Technology

50:31 The Future of Spec CVs and AI Integration

58:30 Streamlining Administrative Tasks with AI

01:00:27 Enhancing Data Management and Reporting

01:08:37 Customer Support and User Experience

01:17:42 Vision for the Future of Atlas

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

This week on The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Stuart Mitchell, the founder of Hampton North, a specialist cybersecurity search firm based in the US.

Stuart launched his business, and in just nine months, he had already surpassed the seven-figure mark. There were no cold calls, no marketing spend, just LinkedIn and a consistent commitment to personal branding.

We talk about:

Every one of Stuart’s hires so far has approached him directly after following his content. He’s building an Avengers-level team of high performers who believe in his approach and are now reaping the rewards of it.

If you’re running a recruitment business or thinking about starting one, this is the episode to watch.

Catch it live on my LinkedIn at 12 pm on Wednesday or listen back afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Stuart Mitchell and Hampton North

02:53 Stuart's Journey into Recruitment

06:08 Building a Personal Brand

08:59 Transitioning to Cybersecurity Recruitment

11:57 The Launch of Hampton North

14:34 The Role of Recruit Hub

17:36 The Impact of Personal Branding on Business

20:40 Navigating the Recruitment Landscape

23:28 Hiring and Building a Team

26:46 Work-Life Balance as a New Parent

29:40 Advice for Aspiring Recruitment Entrepreneurs

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

Chris Redmond is back on The RAG for the third time and his story keeps getting better.

When I first interviewed Chris in 2019, he’d just gone fully remote and was chasing a digital nomad lifestyle with no fixed office. At the time, I thought he was mad.

Then COVID hit, and while the rest of the industry scrambled, Chris and his team were already built for the new world.

Fast forward to now, Redholt is a retained headhunting firm running at 60 percent profit with just 8 people. Chris lives in Dubai, has transformed his health (losing 35kg in six months), and is building towards something much bigger: a business that runs without him and can one day be sold.

In this episode, we cover:

Watch the episode live on my LinkedIn this Wednesday at 12 pm or catch up afterwards wherever you get your podcasts.

If you're a founder thinking about long-term value and lifestyle alignment, this one’s not to be missed.

Watch our ten-minute video on “The most profitable way to grow your recruitment agency in 2025” here:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Apply to be on the next RAG season here:https://hubs.ly/Q03yjlLd0 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to The Rag Podcast

03:23 Chris Redmond's Journey and Business Evolution

10:13 Red Hole's Unique Recruitment Methodology

17:56 Scalability and Future Plans for Red Hole

22:02 The Impact of Moving to Dubai

29:06 Personal Transformation and Health Journey

50:36 The Power of Social Media in Business

01:04:30 Future Vision and Exit Strategy for Red Hole

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

What I’ve learned from 40 recruitment founder interviews in a year

This week’s episode of The RAG is a little different - it’s just me

After 40 in-person interviews across the UK, Dubai and Sydney, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what I’ve learned in season 8 and what’s next for the show.

Here’s 3 key learnings that I cover in this solo episode:

If you’re a founder who's rethinking what growth really means and you want to build something profitable, sustainable and enjoyable - then this will help

Watch our ten-minute video on “The most profitable way to grow your recruitment agency in 2025” here:https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Apply to be on the next RAG season here:https://hubs.ly/Q03yjlLd0 

Chapters

00:00 Season Reflection and Future Plans

02:48 Shifts in Recruitment Success Metrics

05:44 Personal Business Transformation and Insights

09:01 Profit Maximization Focus for Future Seasons

11:43 Engagement and Community Building

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

Would you walk away from recurring revenue to chase a bigger opportunity overseas?

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Jamie Trevett, founder of Just Construction. Jamie was last on the show in 2022 when his UK construction recruitment firm had 25 staff and a growing contract book.

Fast forward to today and Jamie has completely transformed the business. He shut down the contract side in the UK and relocated the company’s focus to the US market, where he now runs a similarly sized team doing 95% of their work stateside.

In this episode, we discuss:

If you're thinking about scaling into the US or questioning how to futureproof your business in a changing market, you’ll get real insight from this one.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Jamie Trevett and Just Construction

02:59 Transitioning from the UK to the US Market

05:56 Challenges in the UK Construction Recruitment Market

08:49 Shutting Down the Contract Side of the Business

12:07 Building a Stronger Focus on Permanent Recruitment

14:57 Navigating Time Zones and Work Arrangements

17:53 Strategies for Expanding into the US Market

21:04 The Impact of AI on Recruitment

23:43 Future Plans and Potential Sale of the Business

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

What’s the point in building a business if you lose everything at home?

On this week’s episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Matt Tyson, founder of Knockout Consulting and former owner of two successful payroll companies.

Matt has achieved what many founders dream of—two life-changing exits in 15 years. But behind the success was a personal cost he never expected. In his pursuit of business growth, he lost sight of the very reason he started—his family.

In this deeply honest conversation, we discuss:

If you’re a founder chasing an exit or deep in growth mode, this is a powerful reminder to check in on what really matters.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Growth and Balance

02:52 Matt Tyson's Journey and Business Philosophy

06:03 Transition from Banking to Payroll

09:08 Building and Exiting Businesses

12:01 The Importance of Compliance and Contractor Welfare

14:54 Navigating Business Growth and Personal Life

17:47 The Emotional Impact of Business Success

20:54 The Role of Family and Support Systems

23:49 Establishing Walker Smith and Growth Strategies

27:01 Innovations in Contractor Support

29:41 The Journey of Building a Group of Businesses

32:56 Recognizing Personal Struggles and Changes

35:48 Reflections on Work-Life Balance

38:43 Conclusion and Lessons Learned

42:43 Navigating Business Exits During Uncertain Times

45:38 The Importance of Financial Control and Cost Management

49:27 Identity and Purpose After Selling a Business

50:39 The Emotional Impact of Business Transitions

56:52 Lessons Learned from Personal Relationships and Business

01:00:44 Finding Balance: Work, Life, and Personal Fulfillment

01:09:29 Key Strategies for Business Growth and Exit Planning

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

Why most recruitment businesses fail to attract top-tier leadership talent

On this week’s episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Dan Grim, founder of Inside Recruitment.

With 25 years in the industry and two previous equity partnerships under his belt, Dan now runs a solo rec-to-rec firm helping recruitment businesses hire the kind of leadership talent that drives real scale.

In this episode, Dan explains:

If you're thinking about stepping back from the day-to-day or need someone to drive your next phase of growth, this is essential listening.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to The Rag Podcast and Dan Grimm

02:36 Dan Grimm's Journey in Recruitment

09:52 Transitioning from Recruitment to Business Leadership

18:35 The Importance of Values in Business

25:57 Understanding Roles and Responsibilities in Business

31:26 Navigating Business Partnerships and Agreements

38:10 Personal Challenges and Career Resilience

40:21 Navigating Expat Life and Family Dynamics

43:11 Career Transitions and the Role of Networking

47:13 Challenges of Leadership and Personal Struggles

51:25 Reflections on Career Choices and Business Dynamics

55:07 The Importance of Self-Reflection in Leadership

59:44 Building a Business: Insights and Strategies

01:05:47 Finding the Right Fit: Recruitment and Company Culture

01:10:17 The Value of Retaining Top Talent

01:15:23 Final Thoughts on Leadership and Business Growth

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

Most recruitment founders try to do it all and burn out in the process.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Martin Smith, founder of Talent Group, who shares how he's structured his business to double down on what he's best at and handed over the rest.

Martin runs TalentDrive and Talent Finance, with a 12-person team across the UK. In this episode, we talk about:

Martin’s also brutally honest about the personal side of business, living on the South Coast, navigating the loneliness of leadership, and staying motivated through tough times like COVID.

If you’re a founder who’s still figuring out where you add the most value or how to step back without slowing down, this one’s a must-listen.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Growth in Recruitment

02:15 Martin's Journey: From Recruiter to Founder

11:11 Transitioning from Agency to In-House Recruitment

18:35 The Decision to Start Talent Group

21:56 Navigating the Early Days of Entrepreneurship

24:21 Navigating Challenges During the Pandemic

27:32 Building Resilience and Community in Business

31:46 Leadership Lessons and Team Dynamics

35:30 Scaling the Business: Growth Strategies and Challenges

39:57 Adapting to Market Changes and New Ventures

46:51 Defining the Role of a CEO and Business Strategy

47:57 Navigating Life on the South Coast

50:07 Balancing Remote Work and Team Dynamics

52:05 Future Growth and Business Strategy

55:26 The Role of AI in Recruitment

01:01:16 The Human Element in Recruitment

01:04:30 Motivation and Personal Values in Business

01:10:11 Finding Balance in Work and Life

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0 to get started. See you there!

What happens when your 15-person agency runs out of cash and you have to start over from scratch?

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Philippa Smith, founder of Silver Swan Recruitment, a luxury staffing agency for ultra-high net worth individuals.

After growing her team to 15, COVID and poor cash flow caught up with her. In August 2024, she made the entire team redundant and scaled the business back to just herself.

Nine months later, Philippa is now generating more than £1 million in pro-rata EBITDA. She's happier, more focused, and running a business built around lifestyle and profit, not just headcount.

In this episode, we cover:

If you’re questioning whether scale is really the goal, this episode will give you a new perspective.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Silver Swan Recruitment

02:04 Philippa's Journey into Recruitment

07:52 Transition to Silver Swan Recruitment

10:00 Growth and Challenges in Recruitment

18:22 The Impact of COVID-19 on Business

22:01 Navigating Revenue Challenges

24:05 Strategies for Business Development

24:17 Building the Team: Structure and Challenges

25:08 The Turning Point: Running Out of Money

27:19 Facing Reality: Making Tough Decisions

30:01 The Aftermath: Adjusting to Change

32:10 Rebuilding: A New Business Model

34:12 Commitment to Change: Charging Upfront

39:04 Success Redefined: Filling Roles Effectively

41:21 The Power of Personal Branding

46:47 The Power of Podcasting in Recruitment

49:00 Building Communities for House Managers

52:58 Creating Value Through Events and Networking

56:58 The Balance of Work and Personal Life

01:01:02 Lessons Learned and Future Aspirations

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

From recruiter to CEO and majority shareholder, Matt Murphy’s journey at Levy Global is nothing short of remarkable. Now, with Rory McGowan joining from Opus as COO, the business is entering what they call "Levy 2.0" - a new chapter focused on scale, structure, and serious wealth creation.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Matt and Rory, who now lead a 50-person business headquartered in the UK with offices in Amsterdam and Belgium.

Matt shares how he joined Levy as a recruiter 22 years ago, led two management buyouts, and transitioned from top biller to CEO. Rory explains why he left a global leadership role managing 150+ people to join a high-margin, high-growth business with a clear trajectory and massive opportunity ahead.

In this episode, we discuss

If you're thinking about scale, succession, and what comes after strong performance, this episode is full of lived experience and strategy.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Levy Global and Its Growth Journey

03:03 Matt Murphy's Transition from Recruiter to CEO

06:05 Rory McGowan's Move to Levy Global

08:54 The Management Buyout Experience

12:03 Challenges and Lessons from the First MBO

14:49 Building a Leadership Team and Managing Growth

18:00 Navigating COVID-19 and Its Impact on Business

21:12 Cultural Differences in Professional Environments

25:11 Transitioning Leadership and Team Dynamics

28:41 The Drive for Growth and Legacy

36:36 The Role of a COO in Scaling Business

41:27 Navigating Change and Building a Strong Team

49:09 Financial Strategies and Preparing for Growth

50:57 Navigating Unique Deal Structures

52:05 Personal Reflections on Career Transitions

54:51 Exploring Business Opportunities and Challenges

57:58 Initial Impressions and Early Contributions

01:00:23 Gathering Insights from Team Members

01:02:22 Combining Business Models for Growth

01:05:08 Strategic Changes in Client Management

01:10:59 Future Vision for Recruitment and Growth

01:17:25 Advice for Future Leaders

01:23:49 Closing Thoughts and Future Aspirations

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0 to get started. See you there!

__________________________________________

What does it take to bill over $1 million a year for seven years straight, while leading the highest-performing team in your company?

On this week’s episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Jay Wynter, SAP Practice Lead at Precision Sourcing in Australia. From a tough start in recruitment to becoming a standout performer, Jay has built an elite billing record and helped shape a team known for its consistency and culture.

In this episode, we discuss

If you’re serious about high performance in recruitment—either as a biller or a leader—this is the one to watch.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to The Rag Podcast and Guest Introduction

01:07 Jay Wynter's Journey to Australia and Recruitment

07:25 Transition from Football to Recruitment

14:29 Early Challenges in Recruitment

19:45 Adapting to COVID-19 and Leadership Response

23:02 Embracing LinkedIn and Personal Branding

27:29 Early Wins and Building a Personal Brand

28:52 The Power of Podcasting in Recruitment

31:37 Leadership and Team Dynamics

36:19 Value-Driven Recruitment Strategies

41:36 Work-Life Balance and Family Impact

47:55 Future of Recruitment and Business Growth

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

What does growth really look like in 2025's recruitment market? For Dan Moussa, it means combining consulting skills, AI adoption and personal branding to move the industry forward.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I'm joined by Dan Moussa, founder of Talesca, a specialist recruitment business in Australia. Dan’s story is one of consistent adaptation, leaning into the tools and strategies that add genuine value in a fast-changing space.

In this episode, we discuss

If you’re a recruitment founder looking to evolve your business, sharpen your commercial edge or understand how to futureproof your brand and delivery, this episode is well worth your time.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Rag Podcast

01:50 Overview of Talesca and Its Growth

03:36 Reflections on Recruitment Career Beginnings

09:14 The Importance of Consistency in Recruitment

20:28 Current State of Recruitment and AI Impact

28:53 The Value of Time in Recruitment

31:12 Consulting Skills in Recruitment

34:29 The Future of Recruitment: Data and AI

39:16 Changing Recruitment Models

44:01 Defining Success in Recruitment

49:05 Building a High-Performing Team

55:35 Community Building and AI in Recruitment

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0 to get started. See you there!

What does it take to go from running a cleaning business to founding a global recruitment firm? Leon Mitton shares how he launched Agnes Cole Consulting during COVID and is now using AI to drive scale and efficiency in a way few are even attempting.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Leon Mitton, founder of Agnes Cole Consulting, a specialist SAP and S4 HANA recruitment firm based in the UK and operating globally.

Leon started with no background in business and built everything from the ground up. In this episode, he opens up about his journey, the role of personal fulfilment in entrepreneurship, and how he’s using AI to build a lean, high-performing business for the future.

In this episode, we discuss

If you're thinking about what recruitment could look like in five years or want to hear a story rooted in grit, innovation, and purpose, this episode is not to be missed.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Leon Mitton and Agnes Cole Consulting

02:14 Leon’s Journey: From Cleaning Business to Recruitment

10:01 Navigating Recruitment During COVID-19

12:29 The Transition to Entrepreneurship

15:05 Establishing Agnes Cole Consulting

17:12 Growth and Challenges in Year Two

19:11 The Messy Middle: Managing a Growing Team

24:28 Reflections on Business and Personal Fulfillment

27:08 Creating a Legacy for Future Generations

30:46 The Role of AI in Recruitment

32:19 Intentional Parenting and Education Choices

34:36 The Evolution of School Systems

37:04 Communication Skills as a Superpower

39:10 The Impact of Technology on Recruitment

41:44 AI's Influence on Client Relationships

46:18 Adapting to Change in Recruitment

51:00 The Future of Recruitment and Business Structure

55:23 Finding Joy in the Recruitment Journey

01:01:20 Inspiring Others Through Personal Stories

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0  to get started. See you there!

What happens when scaling your recruitment business doesn’t bring success, but stress? Tom Warner opens up about the highs and lows of building GroTech and why going solo was the best decision he ever made.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Tom Warner, founder of GroTech, a specialist go-to-market recruitment agency for SaaS businesses in the Nordics.

Tom launched GrowTech during the COVID-19 pandemic, experienced two strong years of growth, built a team of seven and then decided to scale it all the way back to just himself. Now he's billing over £500K annually and loving the freedom and focus of a lean model.

In this episode, we discuss:

If you’re a recruiter who’s scaled, stumbled, or simply wondering if bigger is always better, this episode offers a refreshing and honest take on what success can really look like.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to The Rag Podcast and Guest Background

02:52 Tom Warner's Journey to Founding GrowTech

05:46 The Early Days of GroTech and Initial Success

08:52 Challenges of Scaling a Recruitment Business

11:59 Navigating the Recruitment Landscape During COVID

15:06 Reflections on Growth and Future Plans

20:50 Navigating Recruitment Challenges

23:01 The Impact of Hiring Decisions

26:08 Crisis Management in Recruitment

29:57 Building a Personal Brand

34:03 Future Growth and Scaling Strategies

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0 to get started. See you there!

James Waissel set a modest goal of £125K in year 1 of launching his own agency. Instead,  he ended up billing over £300K in revenue in just seven months.

On this week’s episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by James Waissel, founder and CEO of Huntsman Consult, a construction and real estate recruitment business based in London.

James started the business in June 2024, backed by a couple of key clients, and has built a small but growing team of three. In this conversation, he shares what it’s really like in the first nine months of running a recruitment agency: the wins, the lessons, and the pressure of getting it right.

In this episode, we discuss:

If you're in the early stages of launching a recruitment business (or thinking about it), this is a must-listen.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to The RAG Podcast and James Waissel

02:31 James Waissel's journey into recruitment

10:02 The decision to start a business

16:54 Building a recruitment business from scratch

25:29 First steps and early successes

33:23 Achieving growth in a challenging market

34:27 Transitioning to a 360 role in recruitment

37:30 Leveraging LinkedIn for business growth

41:34 Exploring new business verticals

44:16 Building a partner network for growth

46:47 The role of AI in recruitment

49:44 The importance of quality over quantity

52:45 Understanding client needs for business success

56:35 Lessons learned from past experiences

01:00:06 The importance of financial management

01:03:36 Combining sales, AI, and brand for success

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Hoxo

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

Join the FREE 7-day LinkedIn Challenge today and start unlocking the opportunities already in your network.

Head over to https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0 to get started. See you there!

What happens when you go all-in on a niche? Graham Cosgrave shares how MatchMedics transformed from a traditional agency into one of Ireland’s leading medical recruitment brands by focusing solely on doctors.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I'm joined by Graham Cosgrave, Director at MatchMedics, a recruitment business specialising in placing doctors from across the globe into roles in Ireland.

Graham began as a recruiter and is now helping lead an international brand that’s relocating entire families, not just individuals. From six-figure results driven by content to high-stakes international events, MatchMedics is proof that a focused strategy and great storytelling can fuel serious growth.

In this episode, we discuss:

If you're looking to grow your brand, go niche, or build an international talent pipeline, this episode is packed with practical insight and inspiration.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Graham

03:13 Graham's journey in recruitment

05:53 The impact of relocation on lives

08:56 Transitioning to a niche market

11:56 Building a brand and marketing strategy

15:14 The evolution of roles and responsibilities

18:05 The power of content and online presence

20:49 Nurturing relationships and ambassador networks

23:49 The decision to focus on doctors only

26:57 Global recruitment strategies

29:56 Conclusion and future outlook

31:17 The impact of international medical professionals

34:06 Challenges in South African healthcare

37:40 The power of storytelling in recruitment

40:34 Building credibility through real experiences

43:00 The role of podcasts in recruitment

46:02 Navigating the Irish job market

49:19 Engaging with South African doctors

52:05 Investment in recruitment events

54:04 Long-term vision for recruitment success

01:01:51 The future of medical recruitment

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Hoxo

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

Join the FREE 7-day LinkedIn Challenge today and start unlocking the opportunities already in your network.

Head over to https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0 to get started. See you there!

Starting a recruitment business at 25 with just three years of experience takes serious courage. 

Haseena Mooncey did exactly that – and she’s built something special.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I'm joined by Haseena Mooncey, co-founder of CHR Life Sciences, a modern boutique recruitment firm focused on niche roles across the UK, Ireland, and Europe.

Haseena launched the business with a former boss as her co-founder, stepping into entrepreneurship with limited experience but a clear mindset and strong values. Her story is rare, especially as a young woman in recruitment. And it’s incredibly inspiring.

In this episode, we discuss:

If you’re in your 20s and thinking about starting your own business - or you're just looking for a story that proves age and experience don't define success, this episode is one to tune into.

Watch the full conversation live on my LinkedIn this Wednesday at 12 pm or search The RAG wherever you get your podcasts!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Haseena Mooncey and CHR Life Sciences

03:00 The journey of starting a business at 25

06:03 Navigating early challenges and building a network

09:05 The decision to transition from employee to entrepreneur

12:05 Establishing CHR Life Sciences and initial struggles

14:56 First deals and market expansion

18:11 Building a business from the ground up

20:54 Reflections on growth and future aspirations

22:00 Building relationships in recruitment

24:32 Navigating market changes and opportunities

26:06 The challenges of remote work and team dynamics

28:06 The importance of hiring and team growth

30:20 Learning from experience: hiring strategies

32:32 The impact of market fluctuations on business

36:52 Managing stress and maintaining team morale

44:54 Building a values-driven recruitment company

48:13 The role of AI in recruitment

50:22 Pharmaceutical industry insights

52:31 Navigating the future of work

55:23 Life goals and work-life balance

01:00:13 The importance of relationships in recruitment

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within seven days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this, too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder and CEO, Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

From Albanian refugee to running a seven-figure recruitment firm by age 27.  

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I'm joined by Klajdi Bega, founder and CEO of Luminary Group, a life sciences headhunting firm operating across the UK, Europe, and the US.  

Born in Albania and raised in North London, Klajdi’s story is one of grit, vision, and relentless drive. After starting in sales at 16 and entering recruitment six years ago, he launched Luminary just two years back—and hit £1 million in revenue in his second full year!  

In this episode, we discuss:  

- Klajdi’s journey from refugee to successful founder  

- How he’s building a high-performance, values-driven team  

- The lessons learned from year one versus year two of trading  

- Balancing marriage, family life, and business ownership  

- The power of mentorship, goal-setting, and staying focused on a clear vision  

If you're in your 20s and thinking of launching a business—or if you just want to hear an incredibly inspiring story—this episode is not to be missed. 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Klajdi Bega and Luminary Group

02:59 Klajdi's journey from refugee to CEO

06:01 Early life and challenges in North London

08:55 Career beginnings and entry into recruitment

12:13 The transition to entrepreneurship

15:08 Building Luminary Group: vision and strategy

17:52 Navigating the recruitment landscape

21:01 Growth and future plans for Luminary Group

24:03 Navigating marriage and business

27:10 Year one: achievements and expectations

29:29 Training the next generation

32:10 Building client relationships

34:48 Year two: growth and recognition

39:02 Balancing work and family life

45:03 Navigating recruitment challenges

47:56 The impact of AI on recruitment

50:08 Global expansion and client relationships

52:02 Scaling for success

55:06 Building a strong company culture

56:56 Vision for the future

59:53 Personal growth and work-life balance

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Hoxo

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

What happens when you cold email Lord Sugar asking for investment? Tom Johnson did exactly that…and it worked!

On this week's show, I am joined by Tom Johnson, founder of Hernshead Group, a recruitment business he launched six years ago with backing from Lord Alan Sugar after watching The Apprentice.

In this episode, Tom shares the full story – from that bold email to building and scaling Hernshead Group, launching (and closing) multiple brands, and recently completing a management buyout to take full ownership of the company.

In this episode, we discuss:

If you're looking for investment, currently working with a business partner, or planning for long-term ownership and growth, this is an episode you need to hear.

Chapters

00:00 The journey begins: Tom Johnson's entrepreneurial path

03:08 Investment and growth: Partnering with Sir Alan Sugar

06:14 Navigating challenges: The impact of COVID-19

08:56 Expanding horizons: The launch of multiple brands

11:56 Learning from failure: The downfall of new ventures

15:03 Refocusing on core strengths: The future of Hearnshead Group

30:06 Scaling the team and business growth

31:03 Implementing effective processes and training

33:14 Leveraging AI and technology in recruitment

34:21 Balancing AI assistance with human touch

36:33 Data-driven management and performance tracking

39:05 Overcoming fear and building confidence in sales

44:04 Strategic business decisions and future planning

49:09 Equity and incentives for team growth

52:50 Vision for the future and sustainable growth

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within seven days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this, too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder and CEO, Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

What if recruitment agency growth didn’t mean adding headcount?

Helen Yarrow has spent over 30 years in recruitment—and for most of it, she felt like she was falling short of the industry’s definition of success.

Why? Because she never scaled a big team.

Despite launching her business 14 years ago and building a strong reputation in the B2B events space, she carried a sense that staying solo meant she hadn’t really “made it”.

That belief stayed with her until her 50s.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Helen shares how she finally let go of the pressure to scale, and found clarity in building a business that fits her life—not someone else’s idea of success.

In this episode, we cover:

- Her journey from Rec2Rec into B2B events recruitment

- The realities of raising a family while running a business

- The turning point that helped her stop chasing a model that didn’t feel right

- Why staying solo might actually be the most powerful decision you can make

If you’ve ever questioned whether bigger really means better, this one will resonate.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Helen Yarrow and Jackson Barnes

02:58 Helen's Journey into Recruitment

06:02 Career Progression and Challenges in Recruitment

09:11 Transitioning to Motherhood and Work-Life Balance

11:51 Establishing Jackson Barnes and Finding Clarity

15:07 The Shift to Conference and B2B Events Recruitment

17:52 The Role of Conference Producers

20:55 Building a Business Around Family Life

24:00 Reflections on Success and Team Building

34:51 Redefining Success in Business

37:12 The Journey of Solo Entrepreneurship

39:34 Reflections on Parenting and Work-Life Balance

42:57 The Importance of Self-Awareness

45:00 Navigating Parenting Challenges

50:20 The Impact of COVID-19 on Business

54:58 Finding Fulfillment in Work

01:01:12 Marketing as a Game Changer

01:03:43 Advice for Women in Recruitment

01:07:52 The Importance of Open Communication in the Workplace

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Hoxo

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

Join the FREE 7-day LinkedIn Challenge today and start unlocking the opportunities already in your network.

Head over to https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0 to get started. See you there!

Founders fall out. Niches get blurred. This is what no one tells you about before you launch your own recruitment agency

On this week's show, I am joined by Tom Essex, co-founder of Kigyo Solutions, a recruitment business based in Amsterdam focused on logistics and renewable energy.

Tom launched the business in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. What started as a niche SAP agency quickly became a generalist business that lost its direction. In this episode, we break down how he and his co-founder navigated a tough few years, rebuilt their relationship, and refocused the business to find traction again.

In this episode, we discuss:

If you're thinking of starting a business with a partner, or you’re in the early stages and feeling the pressure, this is a conversation you need to hear.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within seven days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this, too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder and CEO, Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

Marc Cohen scaled his recruitment agency in the US and secured an 8 figure exit.

On this week's RAG Podcast, I am joined by Marc, founder of ConSol Partners, who achieved something that 99.9% of recruitment founders will never do.

Marc and his co-founder Graeme built their agency with an exit strategy in mind from day 1, navigating economic downturns, and predicting the success of future markets.

In this episode, we discuss:

If you have ambitions of scaling and selling a business—especially in the US—this episode is essential.

Chapters

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Hoxo

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

Join the FREE 7-day LinkedIn Challenge today and start unlocking the opportunities already in your network.

Head over to https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0 to get started. See you there!

Here is a recruitment business that doesn’t rely on outbound sales

Kyle Winterbottom has done things a little differently to the rest

Kyle and I sat down for this week’s episode of The RAG Podcast to discuss how his business has evolved since he was last on the show in 2022.

He’s built a global community of 1,500+ Chief Data Officers, driving all of his revenue through inbound relationships. 

His brand, Driven By Data, isn’t just attracting clients – it’s making his business an acquisition target.

In this episode, we break down:

If you’re serious about building a recruitment business that thrives on brand, credibility, and inbound opportunities, this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to growth in recruitment

02:56 Kyle's journey and business evolution

06:08 Market challenges and business adjustments

09:01 Streamlining operations and team structure

12:00 The importance of community in recruitment

15:07 Revenue insights and business sustainability

18:10 Future vision: recruitment landscape shifts

21:06 Driven by data: building a community

23:58 Monetising community engagement

28:53 Removing bottlenecks and building community

30:00 The power of quality networks in recruitment

31:50 Monetising community engagement

33:43 Sponsorship and revenue growth strategies

35:06 Consistency as a key to success

37:09 Building trust and credibility in recruitment

38:11 The importance of inbound relationships

40:11 The role of brand in sales

42:23 Long-term strategies for community building

44:55 Facilitating knowledge and connections

45:33 Valuing community in business acquisitions

47:28 The power of audience in monetisation

50:35 Expanding community beyond borders

52:44 Purpose beyond placements

54:30 Balancing short-term and long-term strategies

57:20 Future opportunities and business value

_________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

_______________________________________

Episode sponsor: Hoxo

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

Join the FREE 7-day LinkedIn Challenge today and start unlocking the opportunities already in your network.

Head over to https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0 to get started. See you there!

In 2022, Lloyd Gordon had just acquired Cognitive Group, bringing his team to over 100 people.

Over the past 3 years, he has had the challenge of successfully integrating the two businesses.

On this week’s episode of The RAG Podcast, I am joined for the fourth time by Lloyd, CEO of Focus Cloud Group, and this time we discussed:

If you're interested in scaling a business through acquisition, managing post-merger integration, or leading a company through rapid growth, this episode is a must-watch.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:24 Lloyd Gordon's journey and business overview

05:15 Personal life and work-life balance

12:31 Transitioning from acquisition to integration

18:05 Cultural integration and team dynamics

24:51 Technology and systems integration

40:12 Transitioning to a unified CRM system

42:04 Challenges in back office integration

44:34 Implementing Workday Financials

48:50 Navigating market challenges and workforce adjustments

55:01 Leadership decisions in tough times

59:51 Evolving leadership roles and responsibilities

01:07:55 Future vision and strategic planning

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Hoxo

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

Join the FREE 7-day LinkedIn Challenge today and start unlocking the opportunities already in your network.

Head over to https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0 to get started. See you there!

Why 400 recruiters apply to work with Alex’s business every single week.

On this week's show, I am joined by Alex Dick, founder of Alexander Lyons Solutions.

Alex built a £1m legal recruitment desk for nearly a decade before a personal event led him to rethink everything.

Now, he’s on a mission to scale with a revolutionary recruitment model – one that sits between the traditional agency and incubator structures.

With 13 recruiters today and ambitions to grow to 200+, he’s a pioneer of what’s possible in recruitment in 2025!

In this episode, we discuss:The unique commission model that’s offering recruiters up to 80% take-home pay.

If you’re interested in scaling a recruitment business, challenging industry norms, or finding new ways to attract top talent, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Watch the full conversation live on my LinkedIn this Wednesday at 12 pm or search The RAG wherever you get your podcasts!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:23 Alex Dick's unique recruitment model

03:23 Early career and transition to recruitment

06:40 Building a successful legal recruitment business

16:04 Life changes and business realisations

24:14 Shifting focus: from legal to recruitment

30:34 Creating a flexible and rewarding work environment

37:13 Recruitment strategy and ideal candidates

41:47 International hiring and recruitment strategies

48:42 Building a company culture remotely

01:01:11 Personal health challenges and their impact

01:07:21 Future plans and business growth strategies

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Hoxo

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

Join the FREE 7-day LinkedIn Challenge today and start unlocking the opportunities already in your network.

Head over to https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0 to get started. See you there!

On this week’s episode of The RAG Podcast with Harry Portch, founder of HM Staffing.  

Harry’s journey is anything but ordinary. He started his business at just 20 years old – almost by accident – while playing FIFA! 

Now, six years later, he’s built a leading sales and marketing recruitment agency, transitioned to a fully remote model, and became a LinkedIn Top Voice.  

In this episode, you’ll hear about:  

- How Harry started his business + the COVID-19 challenges he had to face right from the start

- Why he wanted to take the risk and launch a business so early in his career (and the lessons he learned from his mistakes) 

- How Harry is building a recognisable personal brand and staying authentic online  

- His insights into managing business growth, going fully remote, and dealing with industry negativity  

If you’re interested in building a business, growing your personal brand, or scaling a company with Gen Z talent, this episode is for you!  

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Harry Portch and HM Staffing

02:46 Harry's journey into recruitment

05:01 The accidental entrepreneur

09:00 Early challenges and growth

14:40 Navigating COVID-19 and its impact

19:47 Scaling the business post-COVID

21:11 Building a personal brand on LinkedIn

25:50 The importance of authenticity in content

30:00 Handling negativity and staying positive

34:21 Introduction to Atlas and Founders License

35:19 Negotiating with clients: the art of influence

36:14 Handling unsolicited opinions

37:09 The trade-off of public exposure

38:35 The emotional journey of content creation

39:34 The shift from private to public identity

40:58 Authenticity in online presence

42:21 The impact of remote work on lifestyle

44:14 The challenges of letting people go

45:37 Navigating business growth and challenges

46:35 Transitioning to a remote work model

49:20 The benefits of remote work culture

52:12 Future hiring strategies

54:05 Balancing work and family life

57:31 The realities of business ownership

01:00:18 Vision for the future of the business

----------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

If you’re a recruiter who’d love to listen and learn from some of the greatest recruitment owners and leaders, then you need to listen to The RAG Podcast!

We’re having real and raw conversations with successful recruitment entrepreneurs about what is happening in their businesses right now and their plans to navigate market changes.

Episodes are released every Wednesday at 12 pm 

https://www.youtube.com/c/HoxoMedia?sub_confirmation=1

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Hoxo

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

Join the FREE 7-day LinkedIn Challenge today and start unlocking the opportunities already in your network.

Head over to https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0 to get started. See you there!

The fastest-growing LinkedIn account I have ever seen in the recruitment industry!

This week I sat down with Andrew MacAskill.

From launching Executive Career Jump to becoming Chief Commercial Officer at Fraser Dove, Andrew has built a personal brand that’s led to over 105,000 LinkedIn followers, a published book, and global business success.

 What we cover in this episode:

If you’re serious about growing your LinkedIn audience, building a business that scales, or leveraging personal branding for success, this one is a must-watch!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Andrew McCaskill and his journey

05:48 The rise of personal branding on LinkedIn

10:06 The impact of writing a book

14:52 The importance of purpose in business

19:04 Building a personal brand for competitive advantage

24:51 Navigating the emotional side of content creation

29:08 Transitioning back to recruitment: The Fraser Dove experience

34:27 The intersection of food, exercise, and mental health

35:49 Navigating company culture and growth strategies

37:46 Expanding into new markets: The US and Switzerland

39:37 Building relationships with private equity firms

41:05 Balancing personal branding and professional growth

43:30 Challenges in the life sciences sector

45:54 Leadership dynamics during difficult times

48:40 The emotional journey of founders

51:34 The importance of self-awareness in leadership

53:01 Triggers for change in leadership dynamics

54:58 The cost of recruitment and leadership investment

56:25 Finding opportunity in recruitment

58:48 Creating community beyond transactions

01:01:41 Building purpose-driven communities

01:03:07 Long-term value creation in recruitment

01:06:34 Evolving the purpose of the show

-----------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

Join the FREE 7-day LinkedIn Challenge today and start unlocking the opportunities already in your network.

Head over to https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0 to get started. See you there!

Introducing the Top 100 most influential recruiters on LinkedIn...

This week, I am re-joined by Jordan Shlosberg, founder of Atlas, for an unmissable episode of The RAG Podcast.

Since we last spoke in September, Atlas – the world’s first AI-powered CRM for recruiters – has skyrocketed to nearly £1M ARR in just 9 months! 

But this episode isn’t just about AI: it’s about how recruiters can leverage technology, brand building, and social selling to drive real revenue.

 Here’s what we cover:

If you’re in recruitment and want to understand how AI, branding, and content can transform your business, this one’s for you!

Check out the ELITE TOP 100 list by Atlas & Hoxo discussed in this podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q035mrPg0

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the RAG Podcast and Atlas

01:55 Atlas's growth and AI integration

10:36 Customer base and SaaS metrics

12:02 Balancing work and personal life

16:20 The Atlas and Hoxo partnership

20:37 The importance of social selling

25:23 The role of opinion in recruitment

29:03 The future of recruitment and AI

33:37 Navigating recruitment challenges in 2025

34:58 The power of building an audience

36:53 Personal growth and brand building

39:14 The importance of consistency in recruitment

41:32 Understanding market dynamics

43:54 Purpose beyond placements

46:21 The role of authenticity in content creation

49:47 Crafting engaging content and hooks

53:39 The importance of authenticity in communication

56:36 AI's role in recruitment and sales

01:01:28 Delayed gratification in building relationships

01:05:41 The future of recruitment and brand building

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Recruiters: are you sitting on a goldmine of LinkedIn connections without knowing how to turn them into real opportunities?

Most recruiters spend hours every day on cold outreach and endless scrolling, hoping for replies that never come. But what if LinkedIn could work for you instead?

The Hoxo 7-Day LinkedIn Challenge is a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you:

Transform LinkedIn into an inbound lead generator in just 7 days!

This challenge isn’t about writing viral posts or spamming DMs.

It’s about small, proven actions that take just 20 minutes a day – and start generating results from day one!

Ready to unlock your LinkedIn potential?

Over 7,000 recruiters worldwide have already used this framework to generate inbound leads, grow their pipeline, and win more business. Now it’s your turn.

Join the FREE 7-day LinkedIn Challenge today and start unlocking the opportunities already in your network.

Head over to https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0 to get started. See you there!

Some recruitment founder stories end with an exit.

This one starts with it falling apart.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I am joined by James Sanders

James built PSR Solutions from his bedroom to:

Then came an unexpected call:

£3M due. 7 days to pay.

But some key lessons came from all of this and in this powerful episode, James candidly shares:

This candid conversation dives into the highs and lows of running a recruitment business, offering valuable insights for entrepreneurs navigating challenges in any industry.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to PSR Solutions and James Sanders' Journey

02:49 Early Career and Transition to Recruitment

06:14 Branch Management and Leadership Style

09:09 The Decision to Start PSR Solutions

12:05 The First Year of Business and Initial Challenges

15:00 Building a Brand and Establishing Reputation

17:52 Growth and Expansion of PSR Solutions

20:47 Navigating Challenges and Market Changes

24:10 Leadership Changes and Strategic Decisions

27:03 COVID-19 Impact on Business Operations

43:12 Navigating the Pandemic: Building Loyalty and Transparency

45:08 Strategic Acquisitions: Expanding into Healthcare

47:33 Innovating Through Technology: The Birth of Novello

51:20 Challenges in FinTech: The Impact of Market Changes

56:30 Crisis Management: Facing Financial Turmoil

01:01:56 Rebuilding After Administration: A New Beginning

01:08:24 Stability and Future Growth: Lessons Learned

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you’re a recruiter who’d love to listen and learn from some of the greatest recruitment owners and leaders, then you need to listen to The RAG Podcast!

We’re having real and raw conversations with successful recruitment entrepreneurs about what is happening in their businesses right now and their plans to navigate market changes.

Episodes are released every Wednesday at 12 pm 

https://www.youtube.com/c/HoxoMedia?sub_confirmation=1

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I am joined by Hemish Ilangaratne, founder of RX Group, a specialist life sciences recruitment agency.

In this candid episode, Hemish sheds light on his inspiring journey: 

Hemish’s story is a testament to resilience, strategy, and the power of believing in yourself – even when doubt creeps in. 

If you’re considering launching your own business or want to learn how to thrive in 2025, this episode is for you!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Hemish Ilangaratne and RX Group

06:49 Career development at S3

12:26 Transitioning to management roles

17:58 Challenges in leadership and team management

21:01 The decision to start RX Group

25:19 Navigating family expectations and career choices

29:49 Transitioning to entrepreneurship

32:38 Starting the journey

34:04 Building a personal brand

35:58 Leveraging LinkedIn for success

37:30 Quantifying revenue growth

39:54 The importance of leadership

41:21 Balancing work and personal life

43:17 Enjoying independence in business

45:29 Future growth plans

47:53 Hiring strategies and team dynamics

49:19 Creating a meaningful impact

51:54 The bigger picture of business goals

53:27 Attracting talent in a niche market

55:31 Building confidence before quitting

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Beyond the Founder.

What is the essential senior hire you need to make to increase revenue and protect your recruitment business as it grows? 

Let’s be honest, building and scaling an agency isn’t just about billing more. It’s about putting together a leadership team that you trust to help you take your business to the next level. 

That’s where Beyond the Foundercomes in. 

They specialise in placing leaders who make an impact– whether it’s a Managing Director to shape your vision, a Sales leader to boost revenue, or an Ops expert to streamline your processes. Their no-nonsense, tailored approach is designed to save ambitious recruitment founders time and to deliver results.

Paul, the man behind Beyond the Founder, has over 20 years of experience scaling recruitment businesses himself, so he understands what’s at stake for his clients. 

What Paul and his team do so well is relieve that pressure. 

They help you remove your biggest obstacle to growth: finding and securing your key hires. And they do it in a way that supports your long-term business goals.  

So, if you’re serious about growing your recruitment agency or if you want to build a business that suits your lifestyle, you need to contact these guys. 

Head to beyondthefounder.co.uk or email them directly at paul@beyondthefounder.co.uk

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

This story is unlike anything I have heard in over 300 episodes of The RAG Podcast.

On this week’s episode, I speak with Nick Asbridge, founder of Asobbi, a UK-based AI-focused recruitment company. 

Nick shares his incredible journey:

Nick’s story is packed with insights on creating a sustainable, enjoyable business while embracing technology and modernising recruitment processes. Whether you're an existing recruitment agency owner or an aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is a must-watch!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Nick Asbridge and Asobi

07:05 Nick's journey into recruitment and early challenges

15:11 Transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship

24:09 Building Asobi: vision and early success

31:58 Creating a unique company culture at Asobi

36:18 Building a sustainable business model

39:04 Embracing brand building and technology

42:20 Growth and community building

45:24 Productising recruitment services

49:13 Navigating client relationships

52:07 The importance of quick decision-making

55:59 Developing a strong team culture

01:00:01 Future aspirations and work-life balance

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

This is exactly what I see happening in the recruitment industry in 2025…

This week is a special solo episode of The RAG Podcast, where I reflect on the challenges and lessons from 2024 and share my predictions for 2025.

In this episode, I’ll dive into:

2024 was a tough year for many in recruitment, but it’s also been a time of growth, change, and opportunity.

 If you’re a recruitment founder, leader, or anyone looking to align personal and professional success, this episode is packed with insights that will resonate with you.

Click here to access our free 7-Day LinkedIn optimisation challenge: https://hubs.ly/Q031DT2s0

Chapters

00:00 Reflecting on 2024: A year of challenges

10:35 Embracing change: The evolution of recruitment businesses

18:04 Personal transformation: A journey towards better living

26:02 Looking ahead: Goals and aspirations for 2025

The man who’s helped me live alcohol-free for the past 12 months!

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I am joined by Keith Cronin, the founder of Alcohol Free Living.

Keith has been my personal coach for the past year and supported me in quitting the booze for a better life.

In this honest conversation, he shares his powerful journey from struggling with alcohol to living a purpose-driven, alcohol-free life.

In this episode, Keith and I discuss:

Keith’s story is a testament to the power of self-reflection, personal growth, and breaking free from societal norms. 

If you’ve ever wondered how an alcohol-free lifestyle could elevate every area of your life – or how to help others do the same – this conversation will inspire you.

Our industry has always been centred around “working hard and playing hard”, but slowly, things are changing!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Keith Cronin and alcohol-free living

01:59 Keith's journey with alcohol

05:20 Cultural perceptions of alcohol in Ireland

10:00 Personal experiences with family and alcohol

13:14 Transitioning from teaching to recruitment

18:23 Realisations about alcohol and mental health

22:09 The decision to stop drinking

29:01 Building a business around alcohol-free living

36:05 The journey to alcohol-free living

39:09 Finding purpose in coaching

43:31 The impact of alcohol on life choices

49:06 Transforming relationships and health

53:19 The power of taking a break from alcohol

01:00:46 Building a successful alcohol-free business

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Beyond the Founder.

What is the essential senior hire you need to make to increase revenue and protect your recruitment business as it grows?

Let’s be honest, building and scaling an agency isn’t just about billing more. It’s about putting together a leadership team that you trust to help you take your business to the next level.

That’s where Beyond the Founder comes in.

They specialise in placing leaders who make an impact – whether it’s a Managing Director to shape your vision, a Sales leader to boost revenue, or an Ops expert to streamline your processes. Their no-nonsense, tailored approach is designed to save ambitious recruitment founders time and to deliver results.

Paul, the man behind Beyond the Founder, has over 20 years of experience scaling recruitment businesses himself, so he understands what’s at stake for his clients.

What Paul and his team do so well is relieve that pressure.

They help you remove your biggest obstacle to growth: finding and securing your key hires. And they do it in a way that supports your long-term business goals.

So, if you’re serious about growing your recruitment agency or if you want to build a business that suits your lifestyle, you need to contact these guys.

Head to beyondthefounder.co.uk or email them directly at paul@beyondthefounder.co.uk

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES!

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire.

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ

__________________________________________

Hoxo Message

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

What does life look like on the first day after selling your business? 

In this week’s episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Chris Peace, founder of Peace Recruitment, a specialist construction and engineering recruitment agency based in Scotland.

Chris recently exited his business through a vendor-initiated management buyout (VIMBO) – a unique process that allows founders to sell their companies to their teams without the need for external financing or debt.

In this candid conversation, Chris shares:

💡 How he structured the VIMBO process to ensure a smooth transition for the business.

⚙️ The key considerations founders need to plan for when preparing to sell.

📈 The benefits of this approach for boutique agencies looking to empower their teams.

💪 The impact of coaching on leadership, team happiness, and business growth.

🔑 Insights into his leadership journey, the challenges of letting go, and his plans for life beyond Peace Recruitment.

Whether you’re dreaming of your next chapter or seeking a stress-free exit strategy, this episode offers actionable advice and real-life inspiration for boutique recruitment owners.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Chris Peace and his journey

02:51 The vendor-initiated management buyout process

06:05 Early career and entry into recruitment

12:13 Launching Peace Recruitment

21:02 Growth and challenges in business

29:03 Coaching and personal development

33:52 Translating personal skills online

34:21 The journey of building a brand

35:19 Evolving leadership styles

36:15 Authenticity in leadership

37:38 Coaching and empowering teams

39:02 Vision and business growth

40:58 Navigating business offers

42:51 Leadership structure for exit

45:18 Impact of COVID on business

48:40 Personal struggles during crisis

49:36 Management buyout process

52:29 Structuring the buyout

55:15 Tax implications of selling a business

57:40 Future plans and new ventures

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low-value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 7000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 7000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

How to build a thriving solo business while still being the best possible parent: This is Catherine Roughan’s inspiring journey 

What if success in recruitment wasn’t about scale or exit – but about happiness, balance, and doing it your way?

This week on The RAG Podcast, I sit down with Catherine Roughan, founder of Kidmore Recruitment, a specialist Rec to Rec in the legal recruitment sector. Catherine has built an incredibly successful solo business while raising two boys, proving that you don’t need a massive team or a big exit plan to thrive.

Here’s what you’ll hear about in this episode:

👩‍💻 How Catherine runs a profitable, solo recruitment business in a competitive niche.

🤝 The power of building genuine client relationships over chasing scale.

💡 Insights on balancing family life and career without compromising either.

🎙️ Catherine’s deeply personal journey through pregnancy, miscarriages, and finding her path in recruitment.

📊 Why metrics like happiness and flexibility are just as important as profit.

In an industry obsessed with growth and exits, Catherine’s story is a refreshing reminder that there’s no one-size-fits-all path to success. If you’re a recruiter looking for inspiration to craft a career that aligns with your life values, this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Catherine Rowan and Kidmore Recruitment

03:12 Catherine's journey into legal recruitment

06:07 The challenges of managing a recruitment team

08:51 The decision to start a business

12:11 Personal struggles and family life

15:07 Navigating pregnancy and miscarriages

17:56 The impact of family on career choices

21:06 Building a business while raising children

23:55 Work-life balance and parenting challenges

33:45 Sponsorship and recruitment insights

35:06 The importance of family in business

36:35 Leveraging LinkedIn for growth

39:46 Revenue growth and work-life balance

42:08 Metrics for success in recruitment

46:58 Managing time and client expectations

49:11 Building relationships in recruitment

51:34 Future plans and personal growth

01:01:04 Consistency and the art of headhunting

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes daily and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 7,000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO, Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp, which has seen over 7000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

What does it take to grow a global recruitment company, secure private equity investment, and aim for a £100M valuation – all by the age of 31?

On this week’s The RAG Podcast, I’m sitting down with Joe Jani, founder and CEO of Metric Search, one of the world’s fastest-growing recruitment firms.

Here’s what we uncover:

🔥 How Joe scaled Metric Search from zero to 90 staff across the US and UK since 2019.

💰 The story behind his seven-figure private equity buyout, de-risking his future while fueling growth.

📈 His strategy to hit a £100M valuation in just three years.

🤝 The importance of building a high-performance culture to attract investors.

🌍 How Joe turned the pandemic's challenges into massive growth opportunities.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Joe Jani and Metric Search

02:22 Joe's early career and move to New York

06:08 Transition from Charlton Morris to Metric

08:23 Ambition and entrepreneurial spirit

11:45 Navigating the pandemic and business growth

14:54 Vision and strategy for growth

22:03 Completing the MBO and future plans

25:26 Scaling the business and leadership dynamics

30:43 From billing to business leadership

33:01 Innovative features of Atlas 

34:01 Navigating private equity opportunities

35:57 Balancing family life and business growth

39:47 The private equity process explained

42:41 Building a high-performance culture

46:23 Hiring and developing talent effectively

48:08 Securing growth capital and its implications

51:57 Future plans and strategic goals

55:19 Understanding valuation multipliers

58:11 Personal life and work-life balance

01:01:34 Debunking myths in recruitment

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low-value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

If you are a recruitment founder planning on spending time and money on LinkedIn next year, then chances are, you’re likely to make this one critical mistake – and it will cost you big time.  

On this week’s episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m sharing insights from my live talk at the Recruitment Agency Expo in Birmingham.

I’m revealing how recruiters can use traditional methods to unlock LinkedIn’s full potential in 2025.

Here’s what you’ll learn:  

🔑 The #1 mistake recruiters make on LinkedIn (guaranteed).  

📊 Why traditional recruitment methods are losing their edge.  

💡 How to fix the mistake and drive inbound leads in 2025

This is my secret to building trust and recognition in a crowded market. It has delivered incredible results to the over 7000 recruiters around the world I’ve taught it to since 2020. Now it’s your turn!

I’m sharing simple, actionable steps using the tools you already have. This episode is a must-watch for anyone serious about leveraging LinkedIn to grow their business in 2025! 

Chapters

_______________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ

_______________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes daily and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 7,000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

4 bite-sized training videos that can immediately help you boost your business on LinkedIn

Exclusive access to Hoxo 20:10:5 warm leads tracking template

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp, which has seen over 7000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

This week on The RAG Podcast, I’m sitting down with Jim Sloan, CEO and founder of Navartis a specialist recruitment agency in the infrastructure sector. 

Jim’s journey is an incredible story of growth to a team of 110+ across multiple countries and significant profits of £2M EBITDA

Here’s what we discuss:

🔑 How Jim started the business as a new brand within a larger group

💼 The pivotal MBO process that happened shortly after and set the stage for exponential growth.

📊 Why understanding net margin could save your business.

🚀 How to build a scalable model that doesn’t depend on you.

🏆 The secret to balancing massive growth with your personal life.

Whether you’re in the trenches scaling up, bouncing back from setbacks, or planning your future exit when the time is right, this episode is full of actionable advice.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Jim Sloan and Navartis

02:25 Jim's Journey into Recruitment

06:42 The Entrepreneurial Spirit and Early Challenges

10:48 Navigating the Recession and Business Growth

13:59 The Management Buyout Experience

20:05 Post-MBO Growth and Expansion

26:34 Strategic Growth and Profitability

32:39 Investing in Future Growth

35:29 Identifying Market Opportunities

39:02 Building a Business for Better Returns

43:27 The Importance of Management in Growth

48:13 Effective Communication in Recruitment Management

55:31 Balancing Business Growth and Personal Life

01:04:33 Learning from Mistakes in Leadership

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low-value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 7000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 7000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

On this week’s episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Craig Whiting, founder of RLS Search, who shares his incredible journey from solo billing to building a 15-member team specialising in tech talent for investment management.

In this episode, Craig opens up about his transition from running a small operation with his partner—billing £1.5 million annually over 6 years—to managing a growing team, expanding internationally, and learning to "step off the tools." 

Here are just a few reasons to tune in:

If you're looking to build a global recruitment team, you won’t want to miss this!

_______________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ

_______________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes daily and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 7,000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp, which has seen over 7000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

Ever wondered what it takes to build a thriving recruitment business with your partner? 

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, Kate Cross joins me to reveal the highs, lows, and secrets to creating sustainable contract revenue while maintaining a successful personal relationship.

Kate is co-founder of Harvey Jacob, a construction recruitment agency that’s generated over £500,000 in contract revenue annually for the past 17 years. 

Kate worked alongside her husband Simon as a recruiter before they made the bold decision to start Harvey Jacob together. 

Now, through her new venture, Coral Coached, she’s on a mission to help other recruitment businesses find sustainable success for themselves.

💡 Why you should listen:

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to The RAG Podcast and Kate Cross

01:44 Kate's journey into recruitment

03:39 Transitioning from banking to recruitment

05:32 The move to Sydney and business setup

11:02 Challenges of running a business with a partner

15:20 Navigating personal and professional life

19:18 Rebranding and business growth

22:51 Managing a family business

27:49 Overcoming relationship challenges

30:39 Reflections on business and personal growth

32:36 Navigating stress and expectations in recruitment

35:24 Personal struggles and professional growth

38:40 The journey of motherhood and coaching

43:22 Life changes and returning to business

46:36 Evolving business strategies and realisations

51:25 The transition to coaching and supporting others

57:14 Building a sustainable business model

01:00:29 Lessons learned and future aspirations

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low-value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...x

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 7000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 7000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

From no recruitment experience to solo founder billing £1m a year– @Paul de Rozarieux’s Journey in Recruitment

This week on The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by an incredible guest, Paul de Rozarieux, founder of Fusion Search. 

Paul’s story is truly one of a kind. 

With zero recruitment experience, Paul built his business from scratch, growing it into a seven-figure success without formal training or support.

But there’s more to Paul’s story than just numbers. 

After 20 years of running a generalist recruitment firm focusing on change and transformation in FinTech, Paul has decided to take a bold new direction. 

He’s launching Beyond the Founder, a new venture aimed at helping ambitious recruitment companies avoid the mistakes he made and scale successfully.

In this episode, we dive deep into:

If you’re looking for inspiration, advice on scaling, or insights into finding joy in your work again, this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Paul de Rozarieux

03:04 Paul's Unique Entry into Recruitment

05:56 The Early Days of Fusion Search

09:01 Navigating Challenges and Finding Success

11:49 The Evolution of Business Strategy

14:55 Financial Growth and Personal Reflections

18:06 Balancing Work and Family Life

20:54 The Pressure of Success and Self-Worth

24:13 Future Aspirations and Lessons Learned

31:18 Navigating the Challenges of Solo Entrepreneurship

32:42 The Importance of Strategic Hiring

33:12 The Journey of Niche Recruitment

35:30 Adapting to Market Changes During COVID

39:31 Recognising Burnout and the Need for Change

42:43 Exploring Personal Branding and Networking

46:52 Finding Passion in Recruitment

50:12 Building a Strong Business Infrastructure

54:17 Identifying Key Challenges for Founders

57:41 Establishing Effective Leadership Routines

_______________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ

_______________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes daily and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 7,000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp, which has seen over 7000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

AI is set to transform recruitment, and this episode will blow your mind!

On this week's episode, I am joined by Jordan Shlosberg, founder of Atlas, to discuss how his AI-powered CRM is set to transform the recruitment industry!

Now, Jordan knows a thing or two about building successful businesses. He took his previous company, ProSapient, to a massive $40 million in revenue before exiting. 

He launched Atlas with one goal: to eliminate the tedious admin work recruiters face. Now, with over 1,000 users on their waiting list, Atlas acts as a virtual assistant, handling all the admin and delivering insights at the push of a button.

In this episode, we'll be talking about:

●Jordan's incredible journey to success. 

●How he scaled ProSapient to $40 million and successfully exited the business.

●What he learned along the way, and how those lessons inspired him to create Atlas. 

●We'll also dive deep into how Atlas is using AI to revolutionise recruitment. 

●You'll discover how this powerful CRM can help you streamline your workflow, make better placements, and ultimately, boost your revenue.

I love what Jordan's doing with Atlas. It's like having a virtual assistant who takes care of all those tedious admin tasks that we recruiters have to deal with day in and day out. 

This is why we have partnered together this year, and Atlas is now one of two headline sponsors for the show! 

Tune in to learn how AI is reshaping recruitment, and see if Atlas is the game-changer your agency needs! Don’t miss this conversation with one of the industry's top innovators!

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 7000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 7000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Your memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. 

Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. 

How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.

Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? 

Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. 

They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information based on specific questions and answers. 

But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? 

Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. 

How? 

By removing all your low-value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. 

Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ 

Season 8 premiere! 

In this episode, I’m bringing back one of the most talked-about guests we've ever had: Tom Glanfield, the founder of LHi Group (originally Lawrence Harvey). 

Last time Tom was on, he shared his hilarious and inspiringgrowth journey and plans for exiting the business. Now, he’s back after successfully securing a massive exit! 

We dive into 

Tom opens up about the highs and lows, from enjoying newfound freedom to reflecting on what he missed while building the business, especially as a father.

We also explore his health-focused lifestyle, his commitment to being more present for his family, and the wisdom he has for current and future recruitment founders.

Tom’s story is more than just about the numbers—it’s about creating a life that aligns with your values. 

If you’re a recruitment leader, aspiring entrepreneur, or just curious about life post-exit, tune in for an episode full of inspiration, lessons on leadership, and a look behind the curtain of one of recruitment’s most successful founders.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome back!

01:00 Reflections on growth and success 

05:03 Navigating challenges during COVID

09:48 Employee Ownership Trust

14:59 Finding balance after exiting the business 

19:58 Health, longevity, and personal growth

25:12 Parenting and life lessons

30:12 Aspirations for the future and legacy 

34:58 Business development lessons

39:47 Final thoughts: Success beyond money

________________________________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 7000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 7000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

________________________________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ

Today, I'm excited to look at another of Access Group's products. 

This time, it's an automation platform called ELAY that was recently acquired by the Access Group based on its initial success in integrating well with Vincere and its customers.

 In this episode, I interviewed Mehdi Este, the founder and automation general manager, and Nick Beecroft, the head of new business for Access Recruitment. 

I've known Nick for a long time, but this is my first time meeting Mehdi. They are a really good duo. 

Mehdi tells us the back story of ELAY and explains how it automates processes within recruitment workflows, such as CRM automation, cold outreach emails, and chatbots.

Nick talks more from a client and industry perspective as to why you would want to put this into your operating system. Why automation, both in your CRM and on LinkedIn, will benefit a recruitment business of all sizes and scales

AI and automation are huge industry buzzwords right now.. I've talked about this frequently, and it can be overwhelming and scary. 

In this conversation, we aim to break it down into logical steps in a way that Recruitment leaders can understand 

Key Takeaways

If you wish to learn more about AI and automation, then this episode is for you. Education and understanding are key to navigating the world of automation and AI in recruitment, and it's important to start with small steps and build from there.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the RAG podcast and ELAY

09:20 Automating Recruitment Workflows with ELAY

13:09 The Benefits of AI and Automation in Recruitment

25:33 Maximising LinkedIn with ELAY

27:25 Re-engaging with the Database and Remembering Ryan McCabe

28:23 Integration with Access Recruitment

29:17 Early Successes and Acquisition

36:20 Impact of Vincere’s Acquisition

37:15 Partnership and Synergy

40:06 Benefits of Integration

43:30 Future of Automation

48:34 Navigating Automation and AI

__________________________________________

Hoxo Message

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within seven days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this, too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder and CEO, Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Vincere

Vincere’s portals are a quick-win solution for agencies in need of a no-code candidate and client portal. It’s your one-way ticket to attracting top-tier candidates and clients with everything they need in one place.

Easily set up your candidate, client, and job portal straight within your Vincere account and

configure it to your own brand and theme so it feels like you.

You can publish jobs from Vincere’s Job Portal and sync them directly to your website in one easy click. You can also offer candidates a quick and easy job search interface, so it’s made easy for them to find their perfect role.

And for your clients, you can offer them unique logins so they can access everything

they need 24/7, so they can rate and review candidates and arrange interviews.

Find out more on vincere.io/rag

What really happened to Volcanic and why they are making huge progress under The Access Group.

On this week's show, I'm joined by Nick Thomson and Rachel Kirton from Access.

Nick is the GM of Access Recruitment, and Rachel Kirton is Senior Product Manager for Volcanic.

Volcanic is an iconic brand in our sector. 

Famous for SaaS recruitment websites, they were acquired by The Access Group in 2019.

Similar to the situation with Vincere, post acquisition, there’s been some noise in the market. 

It is no secret that the business has faced challenges, including team changes and the need to regain customer trust. 

On today’s show, I wanted to find out what actually happened and the future of Volcanic under the Access Group.

In the show we discuss:

Nick and Rachel are incredibly open, candid and forthcoming in their opinions and what they're trying to achieve. 

So, if you're a Volcanic customer or you're thinking about upgrading your digital marketing and using their platform in the future, then this one's for you.

__________________________________________

Hoxo Message

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within seven days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this, too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder and CEO, Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Vincere

Vincere’s portals are a quick-win solution for agencies in need of a no-code candidate and client portal. It’s your one-way ticket to attracting top-tier candidates and clients with everything they need in one place.

Easily set up your candidate, client, and job portal straight within your Vincere account and

configure it to your own brand and theme so it feels like you.

You can publish jobs from Vincere’s Job Portal and sync them directly to your website in one easy click. You can also offer candidates a quick and easy job search interface, so it’s made easy for them to find their perfect role.

And for your clients, you can offer them unique logins so they can access everything

they need 24/7, so they can rate and review candidates and arrange interviews.

Find out more on vincere.io/rag

On this week's show, I've decided to completely pause the schedule and remember the amazing Ryan McCabe, who sadly lost his life this week.

I really don't have words to describe how amazing Ryan was.

I personally didn't know him that well, but we had great interactions. 

We spoke semi-regularly about our businesses, and I always felt that we were similar and that we saw the world the same way.

He was among the first to sponsor the RAG podcast and take a chance on me.

He was a guest on the show twice in 2020

I felt it was appropriate to remember Ryan by replaying the episode we recorded in May 2020. 

Just over four years ago, a 30-year-old Ryan tells us his unique story.

- His personal story from Mechanical Engineering to recruiter and technology leader

- How his vision for Odro took the platform into a new direction. 

- How the business grew across the global recruitment industry 

- His plans for Odro after 2020

- How he believed in putting 100% into everything he did

I hope this is received well and that you enjoy listening to Ryan and remembering how amazing he was. 

I am also aware that this may be a difficult listen for some people.

This is my little way of sending love to his wife, Roisin and his kids, to his friends and those who worked closely with him at Odro over the years. 

Please join us and let's remember the amazing Ryan McCabe.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Tribute to Ryan McCabe

03:11 Ryan McCabe's Journey from Mechanical Engineer to Recruitment Agency Owner

06:05 Introduction to Odro and its Evolution

10:16 The Story of Odro and its Expansion into the Recruitment Industry

24:00 Lead Generation Strategies and Growth of Odro

26:46 Starting Odro and Focusing on the Recruitment Market

36:06 Realizing the Potential of Odro

40:24 The Significance of the Adecco Deal

42:48 Transitioning to the Role of CEO

45:12 Future Plans for Odro

On this week's show, I'm super excited to be joined by Helen McGuire. Helen is the exited founder of Diversely.io, a technology business acquired by Access Group in 2023. 

Entering the pandemic in 2020, Helen ran a recruitment business dedicated to helping return-to-work mothers find flexible jobs. Helen understood this cause well, as she’d previously been in this exact position herself. 

But she soon realised that her recruitment agency's business model limited the number of people she could actually help. There was so much more to be done!

So, to solve the problem on a broader scale, she decided to pivot her recruitment company and become a technology business instead. 

She partnered with a co-founder from a tech background who was as passionate about the project as she was.

Three years later, she successfully grew and exited the company.

In this episode, we discuss the problems women face when returning to work and Helen’s journey as a female founder. 

Whether you’re a female founder yourself or a male founder who wants to understand the female perspective and how to balance your workforce, you’re going to enjoy this episode

Chapters

00:00 Challenges faced by women returning to work

04:15 The problem of Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace

06:59 Helen's journey as a female founder

15:10 The acquisition of Diversely and Helen's current work

36:31 Solving the DEI problem in Recruitment

40:19 Building networks and the importance of transparency 

45:43 The acquisition by The Access Group

50:27 Scaling the impact of Diversely

57:21 Continuing the journey in the DEI space

__________________________________________

Hoxo Message

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within seven days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this, too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder and CEO, Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Vincere

Vincere’s portals are a quick-win solution for agencies in need of a no-code candidate and client portal. It’s your one-way ticket to attracting top-tier candidates and clients with everything they need in one place.

Easily set up your candidate, client, and job portal straight within your Vincere account and

configure it to your own brand and theme so it feels like you.

You can publish jobs from Vincere’s Job Portal and sync them directly to your website in one easy click. You can also offer candidates a quick and easy job search interface, so it’s made easy for them to find their perfect role.

And for your clients, you can offer them unique logins so they can access everything

they need 24/7, so they can rate and review candidates and arrange interviews.

Find out more on vincere.io/rag

I'm excited to be joined by Callum Beaumont, the founder of Cordell Beaumont, a specialist recruitment firm headquartered in the UK with an international client base in the shipping and maritime sector.

In this episode, we talk about Callum's five-year journey as a recruitment business owner and ultimately focus on the five biggest mistakes he's made in that time. 

Callum reached out to me after listening to many of the shows I've done recently and said that he wanted listeners to hear his honest start-up story.

To balance out the classic growth story, today we take a deeper look at his lows and mistakes, the things he's done wrong, and the actions he's taken to put them right. 

Key highlights 

So, if you're already a founder or you're thinking of launching a business in the future, I believe that you'll really benefit from listening to this.

Chapters

00:00 Navigating the Challenges of Business Ownership and Team Management

11:12 Transitioning from Shipping Broker to Recruiter: Lessons Learned

15:26 The Impact of Holding Onto Underperforming Employees

22:18 The Freelance Option: Trying Out International Talent

29:47 Navigating Business Challenges and Cash Flow Management

32:35 Strategies for Invoice Payments and Cash Flow Management

43:04 Balancing Personal Well-being and Business Performance

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Untapped

Safe to say, last year was tricky for the recruitment sector globally. Many have had to operate through uncertain times, making tough calls and streamlining where possible.

However, accessing lower-cost resources internationally has proven to be the 2023 cheat code for business performance. But anyone who has tried it knows it’s not easy to get right. That’s where Untapped comes in. 

Untapped is one of the hottest companies in the market right now, helping agencies in the UK, US, Middle East and Australia transition to the new world, leverage elite remote individuals and even build whole offshore sourcing and recruiting teams. 

They source from the most exciting talent pools on the planet for recruitment staff and embed elite talent into your company to improve diversity, productivity and the cost of your teams. Your UK team will also love the help with some of the repetitive, time-consuming work that lands on their desk, improving their job satisfaction. 

They put around 3000 candidates per month through an intense 4-stage interview and online testing process to find the top 1% and secure these people roles in UK agencies doing research, marketing, finance, sourcing, end-to-end recruiting, coordination and account management. 

All candidates are benchmarked against UK competency frameworks and are tested for the highest level of communication and language skills.  

It’s a simple process: You pay a deposit to kick off the search, they provide a candidates shortlist in 14 days.  You can also put people through your own process and then hire perm or on a freelance basis, depending on your needs. They are totally transparent with salaries. Typically, your global talent will earn 30% more than their local benchmark, giving you high levels of motivation and work ethic, but you’ll still pay 70% less than a UK equivalent support. It’s a no-brainer to complement existing teams to handle surplus demand or to ease cost pressures. 

If you’re not using this time to rip up your business model and rebuild it with global resources, you are going to fall behind those that do. Due to demand and capacity restraints, they are operating a waiting list at the moment, so be quick to get in touch: www.tryuntapped.com

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo 

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

 -  4 bite-sized training videos that can immediately help you boost business on LinkedIn

 - Exclusive access to Hoxo 20:10:5 warm leads tracking template

- Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

In this episode, I want to walk you through our very own Hoxo inbound lead generation model. 

You probably see team Hoxo and I online each month, generating lots of content and engagement…

What you may not know is that we achieve an average of 1000 NEW inbound leads every month - all from our series of 5 consistent tactics (1360 leads in May 2024, to be precise :)

Our tactics are super simple and easily repeatable.

100% of Hoxo customers come from these leads, and I am really proud to say that we've consistently sold £2m+ per year for the past 3 yrs.

Many of our existing customers have been asking about the tools and tactics we use to achieve this, so we’ve decided to share EVERYTHING! All our processes are available exclusively as part of our new service: The Boardroom. 

So, a very different episode today, but if you are seriously interested in generating more trackable revenue from your brand, I think you're going to really enjoy this one.

I hope it inspires you! If you’d like to find out more about The Boardroom and what it’s about, click here: https://hubs.ly/Q02zqTvF0

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to The RAG Podcast and inbound lead generation

01:22 The five strategic assets for converting followers into clients

10:52 Taster events and revenue generation

15:06 Generating leads through paid channels

23:40 Conclusion and invitation to explore Hoxo's services

Diane started the business with her husband without ANY experience in the industry. But what she did have was the vision to build a scalable and sellable business. And in this episode, she shares how she did it. 

Diane saw the value in focusing on one staffing niche; in this case, they decided on title insurance and mortgage. Listen as she tells how they grew their team, why they hired people with industry-specific experience and their steady expansion into new regions. 

The goal was always to exit the business. Diane achieved this in just 6 years! 

In this inspiring conversation, Diane shares her experience of scaling and selling her recruitment agency and gives you an honest look at everything she’s learned in the process.  

Key takeaways

So, if you're launching a business and know you want an exit, you need to take notes!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the RAG Podcast and Diane Prince's Story

03:07 Realizing the Value of Knowledge and Experience

04:05 Starting a Business with the Intention to Sell

08:24 Building Relationships and Getting Business

10:39 Determination and Execution: Growing the Business

12:32 Expanding Geographically and Opening Branches

19:36 Finding Niche Markets and Achieving Growth

21:01 Building an Executive Team for Growth and Exit

23:26 Aligning Personal Goals with Business Goals

24:23 Scaling and Managing Branches in Different Locations

27:37 Seeking Support and Advice for Success

27:55 The Importance of Niche Focus and Building a Strong Team

29:22 Mistakes Made: Starting a School and Venturing into Different Areas

30:51 Staying Focused and Doing Less, but Better

34:39 Challenges and Emotions in the Exit Process

41:57 Preparing Your Business for Sale

45:11 Considering Lifestyle and Personal Goals in Business

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Untapped

Safe to say, last year was tricky for the recruitment sector globally. Many have had to operate through uncertain times, making tough calls and streamlining where possible.

However, accessing lower-cost resources internationally has proven to be the 2023 cheat code for business performance. But anyone who has tried it knows it’s not easy to get right. That’s where Untapped comes in. 

Untapped is one of the hottest companies in the market right now, helping agencies in the UK, US, Middle East and Australia transition to the new world, leverage elite remote individuals and even build whole offshore sourcing and recruiting teams. 

They source from the most exciting talent pools on the planet for recruitment staff and embed elite talent into your company to improve diversity, productivity and the cost of your teams. Your UK team will also love the help with some of the repetitive, time-consuming work that lands on their desk, improving their job satisfaction. 

They put around 3000 candidates per month through an intense 4-stage interview and online testing process to find the top 1% and secure these people roles in UK agencies doing research, marketing, finance, sourcing, end-to-end recruiting, coordination and account management. 

All candidates are benchmarked against UK competency frameworks and are tested for the highest level of communication and language skills.  

It’s a simple process: You pay a deposit to kick off the search, they provide a candidates shortlist in 14 days.  You can also put people through your own process and then hire perm or on a freelance basis, depending on your needs. They are totally transparent with salaries. Typically, your global talent will earn 30% more than their local benchmark, giving you high levels of motivation and work ethic, but you’ll still pay 70% less than a UK equivalent support. It’s a no-brainer to complement existing teams to handle surplus demand or to ease cost pressures. 

If you’re not using this time to rip up your business model and rebuild it with global resources, you are going to fall behind those that do. Due to demand and capacity restraints, they are operating a waiting list at the moment, so be quick to get in touch: www.tryuntapped.com

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo 

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

 -  4 bite-sized training videos that can immediately help you boost business on LinkedIn

 - Exclusive access to Hoxo 20:10:5 warm leads tracking template

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

On this week's show, I'm releasing my talk at this year's Recruitment Agency Expo, all about why AI and automation could be the biggest mistake you make in your recruitment agency in 2024.

In March, I was on stage in front of a room full of recruitment leaders who had been subjected to countless suppliers from technology companies promoting their latest AI tools and tech to automate parts of the recruitment process. 

Everyone agreed that this tech sounds logical, efficient and exciting. 

Personally, I don't believe that most recruitment businesses are ready for all of it just yet. 

I think there’s a more logical place to start. The platforms and tools everyone is ALREADY paying for. LinkedIn is a great example. There is so much to optimise and capitalise on before moving on to automation. 

I’ve seen what happens when companies try to automate too many things too soon. It can have a hugely negative adverse reaction in the marketplace, and really does more harm than good. 

In this talk, I go through what you need to consider if you are going to invest in AI and what other options are on the table. 

I also give away a very simple free process at the end of the episode, so stick around for that. This is the same process that my clients all over the world are using to reach thousands of people and engage at scale. And it doesn’t involve ANY automation! 

Disclaimer: the tech crashes at the very end of the talk, so I had to edit an ending to the video. But you’ll get the gist. 

I hope you enjoy this! 

To find out more about the 3x system - book a call with my team here: bit.ly/43aQqjb

Chapters

00:56 The potential pitfalls of AI and automation

22:18 Success stories: revenue growth through the 3X system

23:14 Improving job satisfaction and enjoyment in recruitment

23:35 Book a call to learn more about the 3X system

__________________________________________

Hoxo Message

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within seven days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document, you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe follow this process daily, and the results have been amazing!

You can have this, too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder and CEO, Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Vincere

Vincere’s portals are a quick-win solution for agencies in need of a no-code candidate and client portal. It’s your one-way ticket to attracting top-tier candidates and clients with everything they need in one place.

Easily set up your candidate, client, and job portal straight within your Vincere account and

configure it to your own brand and theme so it feels like you.

You can publish jobs from Vincere’s Job Portal and sync them directly to your website in one easy click. You can also offer candidates a quick and easy job search interface, so it’s made easy for them to find their perfect role.

And for your clients, you can offer them unique logins so they can access everything

they need 24/7, so they can rate and review candidates and arrange interviews.

Find out more on vincere.io/rag

Leo is the founder of Core3 Finance Recruitment, headquartered in Bristol, with 10 employees. Although the company is only two years old, Leo’s team has already reached just under £1 million in revenue in their second year. 

What I love about this business is that they're all about making a positive social impact. They are B Corp certified and believe that business has a greater role to play in society than just making profit. This is why they’ve pledged 3% of their sales to people, planet, and progress before they even made a penny! 

3% of their sales revenue is equivalent to 10-15% of profit, and Leo chose sales because they don’t have to make a profit to make an impact. It holds the team fully accountable with every placement, and measuring their contribution is easy. 

Leo also talks about his professional journey, from working in a publicly listed company to starting his own business. He’s honest about the challenges and wins of taking that leap and how he managed to secure his first clients and build brand awareness. 

Most importantly,  Leo is serious about integrity and doing the right thing. 

A truly impressive guy who represents everything that's amazing about our sector!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Leo Hewett and Core3

13:18 Influences from Leo's upbringing and family business

27:03 Transitioning from Robert Hall to starting Core3

37:08 Building the Core3 brand and approaching business development

40:27 Building relationships and shifting the balance

48:30 The power of authenticity and personal branding

53:38 Challenges and successes in the first two years

56:24 Future plans and scaling the business

58:40 Balancing work and family life

01:02:54 The importance of metrics and KPIs

01:03:22 Creating a positive and supportive culture

01:05:19 Sustainable growth and quality over quantity

__________________________________________

Episode sponsor: Untapped

Safe to say, last year was tricky for the recruitment sector globally. Many have had to operate through uncertain times, making tough calls and streamlining where possible.

However, accessing lower-cost resources internationally has proven to be the 2023 cheat code for business performance. But anyone who has tried it knows it’s not easy to get right. That’s where Untapped comes in. 

Untapped is one of the hottest companies in the market right now, helping agencies in the UK, US, Middle East and Australia transition to the new world, leverage elite remote individuals and even build whole offshore sourcing and recruiting teams. 

They source from the most exciting talent pools on the planet for recruitment staff and embed elite talent into your company to improve diversity, productivity and the cost of your teams. Your UK team will also love the help with some of the repetitive, time-consuming work that lands on their desk, improving their job satisfaction. 

They put around 3000 candidates per month through an intense 4-stage interview and online testing process to find the top 1% and secure these people roles in UK agencies doing research, marketing, finance, sourcing, end-to-end recruiting, coordination and account management. 

All candidates are benchmarked against UK competency frameworks and are tested for the highest level of communication and language skills.  

It’s a simple process: You pay a deposit to kick off the search, they provide a candidates shortlist in 14 days.  You can also put people through your own process and then hire perm or on a freelance basis, depending on your needs. They are totally transparent with salaries. Typically, your global talent will earn 30% more than their local benchmark, giving you high levels of motivation and work ethic, but you’ll still pay 70% less than a UK equivalent support. It’s a no-brainer to complement existing teams to handle surplus demand or to ease cost pressures. 

If you’re not using this time to rip up your business model and rebuild it with global resources, you are going to fall behind those that do. Due to demand and capacity restraints, they are operating a waiting list at the moment, so be quick to get in touch: www.tryuntapped.com

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo 

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

 -  4 bite-sized training videos that can immediately help you boost business on LinkedIn

 - Exclusive access to Hoxo 20:10:5 warm leads tracking template

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

On this week's show, Jake Frazer, CEO and Founder of Precision Talent Solutions, shares his journey of building a recruitment firm specialising in government contracting talent. 

Jake is based in Switzerland, but the company is 100% remote, with employees working from 12 countries around the world. 

The company's unique talent model involves hiring senior people from the industry and converting them into high-performing recruiters. The team is made up of 35+ people, all recruiting specifically within the sector they all used to work in! 

Jake’s business model has evolved from contingent work to a retained executive search model, focusing on director, vice president, and senior vice president-level positions. 

What really stands out about Precision Talent Solutions is how they combine technology with industry expertise and an international presence. 

Jake is super intelligent, calm and organised. Take notes and digest what he says - there'll be some real learnings for you in this one! 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Precision Talent Solutions

13:17 Building strategic relationships and adding value

30:27 Combining technology and best practices in recruitment

36:44 Building strong relationships and providing value in recruitment

41:29 Expanding services to support career transition

44:53 Promoting diversity and veteran recruiting

47:14 Focusing on existing customers and strategic partnerships

52:09 Learning from mistakes and focusing on value

56:07 Efficient and effective recruitment processes

59:27 Long-term vision and delegating tasks

01:04:50 The role of automation in recruitment

01:09:01 Building a strong brand and maintaining passion in the industry

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Hoxo Message

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within seven days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (The creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

4 bite-sized training videos that can immediately help you boost your business on LinkedIn

Exclusive access to Hoxo 20:10:5 warm leads tracking template

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Vincere

Vincere’s portals are a quick-win solution for agencies in need of a no-code candidate and client portal. It’s your one-way ticket to attracting top-tier candidates and clients with everything they need in one place.

Easily set up your candidate, client, and job portal straight within your Vincere account and

configure it to your own brand and theme so it feels like you.

You can publish jobs from Vincere’s Job Portal and sync them directly to your website in one easy click. You can also offer candidates a quick and easy job search interface, so it’s made easy for them to find their perfect role.

And for your clients, you can offer them unique logins so they can access everything

they need 24/7, so they can rate and review candidates and arrange interviews.

Find out more on vincere.io/rag

This week’s episode is a collaboration between RAG Podcast and Recruitment Mentors Podcast!

Hishem and I host two of the most well-known, highly-regarded podcasts in our sector. 

We started them at roughly the same time, and we even used to record them in the same Hoxo HQ studio!  

After sitting down together at the recent recruitment expo, we realised that we’ve released well over 500 recruitment episodes and interviewed/met 1000+ over this period

We thought it would be interesting to come together to discuss the five traits that we see in the most successful recruitment founders. 

You'll find that Hishem and I do agree on most areas, but we have slightly different views in certain areas too.

Hope you enjoy this special episode and do take notes!!

00:00 Introduction

09:03 Chapter 1: Creating a Business that Works for You

16:11 Chapter 2: The Power of Niche and Brand

33:30 Chapter 4: Building a Sales Culture

44:30 Getting Out of Your Own Way

56:44 Prioritising Personal Health and Well-being

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Episode sponsor: Untapped

Safe to say, last year was tricky for the recruitment sector globally. Many have had to operate through uncertain times, making tough calls and streamlining where possible.

However, accessing lower-cost resources internationally has proven to be the 2023 cheat code for business performance. But anyone who has tried it knows it’s not easy to get right. That’s where Untapped comes in. 

Untapped is one of the hottest companies in the market right now, helping agencies in the UK, US, Middle East and Australia transition to the new world, leverage elite remote individuals and even build whole offshore sourcing and recruiting teams. 

They source from the most exciting talent pools on the planet for recruitment staff and embed elite talent into your company to improve diversity, productivity and the cost of your teams. Your UK team will also love the help with some of the repetitive, time-consuming work that lands on their desk, improving their job satisfaction. 

They put around 3000 candidates per month through an intense 4-stage interview and online testing process to find the top 1% and secure these people roles in UK agencies doing research, marketing, finance, sourcing, end-to-end recruiting, coordination and account management. 

All candidates are benchmarked against UK competency frameworks and are tested for the highest level of communication and language skills.  

It’s a simple process: You pay a deposit to kick off the search, they provide a candidates shortlist in 14 days.  You can also put people through your own process and then hire perm or on a freelance basis, depending on your needs. They are totally transparent with salaries. Typically, your global talent will earn 30% more than their local benchmark, giving you high levels of motivation and work ethic, but you’ll still pay 70% less than a UK equivalent support. It’s a no-brainer to complement existing teams to handle surplus demand or to ease cost pressures. 

If you’re not using this time to rip up your business model and rebuild it with global resources, you are going to fall behind those that do. Due to demand and capacity restraints, they are operating a waiting list at the moment, so be quick to get in touch: www.tryuntapped.com

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo 

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within 7 days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (the creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

 -  4 bite-sized training videos that can immediately help you boost business on LinkedIn

 - Exclusive access to Hoxo 20:10:5 warm leads tracking template

Free support from the Hoxo team to help you implement the process and get the results

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

I'm excited to be joined again by Lysha Holmes. Lysha is the founder of Qui Recruitment, a specialist Rec2Rec based in Manchester. 

Someone I've worked with since the pandemic who's now built a 100% inbound business. 

She went from being an amazing recruiter with incredible integrity who would only represent the best recruiters in the Northwest to carrying on that and building an online brand that is seen by thousands of people every single day!

She now sources all candidates via 100% inbound enquiries on LinkedIn and traditional offline inbound business referrals.

She explains why:

She does not use LinkedIn recruiter!She doesn't send any outbound emailsShe doesn’t send any outbound inMails or text messages 

In this episode, we unpack how she's done it. 

We also look at the reality of the Rec2Rec space right now. 

We talk about the lot. So, take notes.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the RAG podcast and guest Lysha Holmes

07:24 Adopting a Consistent and Authentic Approach

13:28 The Importance of Trust and Consistency in Branding

27:14 Sponsor Message: Vincere's Time Temp Solution

41:18 Building Foundational Skills in Recruitment and Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

__________________________________________

Hoxo Message

Ready to find 25+ warm leads within seven days on LinkedIn?

As a recruiter, most of the working day is spent chasing people via cold outreach on LinkedIn.

This method is super time-consuming, and most people don’t reply because they simply don’t know or trust you.

But it can be different...

If you follow the process in this document you will hack the LinkedIn Algorithm in just 15 minutes per day and drive warm leads whenever you want them.

A warm lead is a person who you can 100% guarantee knows who you are, and what you do and has shown interest in you and/or your services in the past 48 hours.

Over 5000 recruiters around the globe are following this process daily and the results have been amazing!

You can have this too!

Access the Hoxo 20:10:5 guide here: https://bit.ly/3PLjaJY

If you’d prefer to consume this information directly from our Co-Founder & CEO Sean Anderson (The creator of 20:10:5), you can join our free training course now!

Get access to:

This course is part of the hugely successful Personal Brand Bootcamp which has seen over 5000 recruiters graduate and drive millions of warm leads and £££ in revenue as a result!

Get free access to the course once you’ve downloaded our guide.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Vincere

Vincere’s portals are a quick-win solution for agencies in need of a no-code candidate and client portal. It’s your one-way ticket to attracting top-tier candidates and clients with everything they need in one place.

Easily set up your candidate, client, and job portal straight within your Vincere account and

configure it to your own brand and theme so it feels like you.

You can publish jobs from Vincere’s Job Portal and sync them directly to your website in one easy click. You can also offer candidates a quick and easy job search interface, so it’s made easy for them to find their perfect role.

And for your clients, you can offer them unique logins so they can access everything

they need 24/7, so they can rate and review candidates and arrange interviews.

Find out more on vincere.io/rag