How Grit and Determination Fueled a $2M Recruitment Firm's Success, with Brent Orsuga, Ep #218

Helen joined us three years ago to share how to attract 70% more diverse talent by leveraging DEI - diversity, equity and inclusion. This time, she returns as a special guest to share an amazing feat - the platform she co-founded, Diversely.io, has just been recently acquired. This means more sourcing and recruitment firms can now access the platform, meaning more recruiters and sourcing firms can embed DEI in their hiring process. What fascinates me more is Helen’s strategies and lessons learned from exiting Diversely.io. She shared strategies and things she would have done differently, which I am sure many of us will also learn from. Overall, Helen believes that the key to success is following a purpose-driven business model. Helen McGuire is an exited founder, author, advisor, mother, podcast host and DEI changemaker.  Helen is a leading figure in DEI and business strategy and is renowned for her impactful initiatives. She founded Hopscotch. work, the first women's careers platform in the Middle East and Asia, and her journey led to the creation of Diversely.io, a groundbreaking AI platform acquired by The Access Group in 2023.   As the host of The D&Igest podcast and author of the upcoming book  'The Female Scale', Helen's expertise extends to coaching female founders and advocating for purposeful businesses globally.    Episode Outline and Highlights   [02:50] Helen shares updates on Diversely.io’s acquisition by the Access Group. [08:54] What barriers do entrepreneurs with diverse backgrounds face when starting a business? [13:00] Encouraging more women to take the entrepreneurial leap. [17:33] Walkthrough on Diversely.io’s exit process and how a purpose-driven business model made it happen. [30:00] Things that Helen would have done differently when undergoing acquisition. [38:31] Teaser on Helen’s new book, The Female Scale.   Embedding DEI Into the Business Strategy   Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical in the hiring process. This is essential because it is the right thing to do and a strategic business decision that can lead to more innovative and successful organizations.   I had Helen as a guest three years ago, and I am fascinated by her current position on championing DEI in the recruitment industry. She is a great example of an astounding business leader who advocates equity and opportunity for lesser-represented groups.  As a female founder, you will hear insightful perspectives on how underrepresentation affects certain groups and how to empower more women to launch their own businesses.   She is about to finish a new book, The Female Scale, which will provide insights on this issue. “It's not written specifically for women, but it's written with a very female lens. You know, the challenges that you encounter as a woman setting up a business, and there are, you know, so many female-led businesses, startups, smaller businesses out there.”   In this episode, Helen shared an astounding feat: They could exit Diversely.io, an end-to-end hiring platform that uses tech to reduce bias in businesses' hiring processes. By being acquired, she believes this platform will be more accessible to a much larger audience of sourcing and recruitment firms.   Learnings on Being Acquired and Exit Strategies   As a business owner, you may relate with me if you are also fascinated with stories of how exits and acquisitions work. I wanted Helen to walk me through what was involved in their acquisition process. She shared detailed stories of how it started, what was expected, and what happened. She also shared curve balls and how their expertise and networks played major roles in making the exit happen.   In hindsight, here are some learnings that Helen shared if you ever plan to exit or scale your business:   Be more prepared for the level of due diligence you must go through. Be well-organized: ensuring all relevant agreements and data sheets are in one place. Invest in good lawyers and accountants - they are absolute lifesavers.   What resonated with me the most was Helen’s idea of the exit. It has always been purpose-driven.   “And you have to kind of, so when you're thinking about selling your business, it's not just about what I need from it as a dollar value. What can I also achieve off the back of that? What does that give me as a founder, as someone who's going on this journey?”   Building a Purpose-Driven Business Model   Building a business, especially focusing on recruiting and sourcing, is not always profit-focused. The vision and mission statements need to be clear, as the impact we can have on people can be life-changing.    This aligns with what Helen believes when creating a purpose-driven business model. This is how she described it:    “And it wasn't all about the dollar value. I think when you set up a purpose-driven business, it's very important to keep profit and profitability in mind because it's hard to create impact without that. It's not sustainable as a business or as an idea. But equally, you've got to balance it with, you know, what am I doing here to solve this problem, and how can I solve this problem? And we would have taken another god knows how many years to try and get to the scale that…”   When Helen co-founded Diversely.io, it was to solve her own frustrations as a female in a male-dominated industry. Her purpose was clear from the start - to help women and under-represented groups gain fair opportunities. This purpose-driven business model contributes well to her current successes and future aspirations.   Our Sponsor   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Helen McGuire Bio and Contact Info   Founded the first women’s careers platform in the Middle East and Asia—Hopscotch.work—in  2015, Helen has won numerous industry awards for her work and led part of UN Women’s efforts to increase gender representation in the UAE.    To scale the impact of her mission beyond gender, Helen joined the tech start-up accelerator Antler in January 2020 with a vision to conquer the issues around DEI in the workplace through the use of technology.  Diversely.io was that solution; a multi-awarded global AI-driven platform built alongside her co-founder,  Hayley Bakker, and with the support of industry investors over four years. One of the world’s leading software companies, The Access Group, acquired the platform for an undisclosed amount in 2023 and continues to be integrated across its portfolio.    As host of The D&Igest podcast, Helen now utilises her formidable communications skills to give those who are making a difference in the global DEI space a voice. Professionally, she focuses on ensuring DEI is at the forefront of business strategy and coaches female founders on holistic business strategy. Her first book - ‘The Female Scale’ - is due in 2024, and she speaks and advises globally on the topic of DEI and creating purposeful businesses.    A communications professional of twenty years, Helen began her career in London, achieving her dream  role at BBC Radio 1 in her early twenties, going on to produce, DJ and present for the music industry in over    Helen on LinkedIn The D&Igest Podcast link   People and Resources Mentioned   The Access Group website link  Justin McGuire on LinkedIn   Related Podcast You Might Enjoy   TRR#57 Diversity as a Differentiator – How Recruiters Can Attract 70% More Diverse Talent, with Helen McGuire   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn,  Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.  

Measuring your company's economic influence drives self-motivation and is a powerful tool for marketing and business development. Jennifer Meyer of Govig Executive Search joins us in this episode to give insight on using specific metrics to measure your economic impact and how you can communicate it with potential clients.   Jen has a lifetime cash-in of $20M over her 26 years in the industry. She’s the SVP of Strategic Partnerships at Govig & Associates, where she’s at the helm of business development. She leads the overall team of 27 recruiters, actively front-facing with clients and playing a significant role in surpassing $14M in results.   Jen’s recruitment efforts have been vital in assisting small to mid-size firms, particularly those under private equity, to double in size. Jen’s placements have contributed to an economic impact exceeding $1B.   Episode Outline and Highlights   [01:51] Jen’s start in the recruitment industry as a college intern. [10:09] Differentiating techniques in communication and business development. [19:06] “Speak to them in their language” [28:02] Training your team to apply the TSI (Targeted Sales Information) approach. [40:00] How to quantify your economic impact. [50:41] A boutique recruitment firm’s differentiators against the bigger organizations. [54:53] Discussion on team development strategies. [59:18] Jen’s take on work and life harmony.   Quantifying the Economic Impact of Your Recruitment Business   Measuring your company’s economic impact can be significantly beneficial for at least two reasons. The first one is self-motivation; knowing how you contribute to the broader economy can positively impact and fulfill. The second one is on the marketing and business development side. It can help potential clients understand the bigger value you will bring to their organization.    Jen shared how she is able to track her placement’s economic contribution using specific metrics. Her placements overall have contributed to more than $1B in economic impact. She shared their formula: “We always talk about the size of our billings or our business in relation to what were invoicing or what our split was in relation to cash in. But we really should be talking about the salaries of the people that we place, you know, if you were going to relate it that way…Yeah, it does go beyond that, though, where you are at the, you know, again, at the basic level, you are affecting the person, and you're affecting the hiring manager. So that could be a times two, right?”   Here is a takeaway: Start trying to calculate the individual impact you're having in the world, particularly the positive impact you're having for your clients, and try to quantify that. If you have the appetite, even go back in history and try to work it out. But even just starting right now, try and figure out what difference you're making because that's really motivating!   Differentiating in the Business Development Side   A key topic I wanted to discuss with Jen is how she is able to differentiate, especially on the client acquisition and business development side of things. Jen has always been consistently recognized as a top performer in her career. I wanted to pick her brains on her approach when it comes to communicating with potential leads and candidates, and she surely did not disappoint. Jen revealed specific tips and verbiage that you may want also to use. Here are some key takeaways:   Focus on authenticity and listening more by asking curious questions. Avoid typical questions like “Can I help you?” or “How are you doing?” Use power phrases such as “Are you in a place where you can talk confidentially?” or “I’ve only got a minute” instead of “Have you got a minute?” The effective use of body language.   She explained, “Whether you're 30 minutes into the business or you're 30 years into the business, everybody is saying the same thing and overcoming objections in the same way. So what can you do that just sounds different? You know what I mean? And I think if you think about it from a perspective of what that person is going to hear based on their world helps you...And so if you speak to them in their language, they get it.”   You will also hear Jen’s insights on developing her team to elevate their levels on the business development side, which is quite similar to the TSI (Targeted Sales Information) approach.   Team Development Strategies as a Billing Manager   A billing manager is a critical and challenging role in a recruitment firm. The role entails ensuring individual profitability while leading your team to do the same. Jen has been passionate about mentoring and developing her people, so I wanted to hear her methods in helping her team be successful. Jen elaborated on the following topics:   Consistent deskside training. Real-time feedback and call reviews. The importance of teaching structure. Listening for opportunities in candidate interviews. Using a checklist.   Our Sponsor   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Jennifer Meyer Bio and Contact Info   Over the past 26 years, Jen has been a guiding force, significantly influencing numerous organizations and professionals. She has generated over $20M in cumulative cash-in, contributing to an economic impact exceeding $1B. This remarkable achievement includes the highest fee, which is over $300k. Currently serving as the SVP of Strategic Partnerships at Govig & Associates, Jen plays a crucial role in propelling the company forward. She's at the helm of business development and leads the overall team of 27 recruiters, actively front-facing with clients and playing a significant role in surpassing $14M in results.   Jen's professional journey began with a 6-year tenure at an MRI office, where she consistently ranked in the top 10% among approximately 5000 recruiters at that time. She then co-founded North Coast ExecuSearch, Inc., where she served as a billing manager for 14 years, maintaining a position in the top 50 out of 750 offices worldwide. Jen's recruitment efforts have been vital in assisting small to mid-size firms, particularly those under private equity, to not only meet but also exceed their growth objectives, with several doubling in size and achieving revenues over $1 billion.   Jen’s work ethic is not driven by the desire for accolades but by a deep-seated passion for mentorship and forging lasting relationships. She believes in the collective improvement of the industry, emphasizing the importance of recognizing recruiters as valuable consultants and ensuring they are compensated fairly for their expertise. Her remarkable career is enhanced with numerous accolades, including her 24-time recognition as a "Pacesetter" Award Winner, her induction into the Hall of Fame and The Ring of Honor within the MRINetwork, and receiving the prestigious Alan R. Schonberg Lifetime Achievement Award for her revenue contributions and character and her acceptance to the Pinnacle Society over a year ago.  Not to mention she is very active in a commitment to community service, most recently acting as the President of the MRINetwork Charitable Foundation, where she led the board to raise money for Shriners Hospitals for Children.   As Jennifer shares her insights, her quiet confidence, impressive achievements, and unwavering dedication to talent development serve as a powerful reminder of the influence we can all have in shaping the futures of many.   Jen on LinkedIn Govig Executive Search website link Govig on Facebook   People and Resources Mentioned   Katherine Jerald on LinkedIn Brent Orsuga on LinkedIn Crelate   Related Podcast You Might Enjoy   TRR#178 Top Producing Recruiter Reveals How to Win and Develop Key Accounts, with Katherine Jerald TRR#218 How Grit and Determination Fueled a $2M Recruitment Firm’s Success, with Brent Orsuga   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.

Starting a recruitment business from scratch demands dedication, planning, and an aggressive approach to networking and client acquisition. You will also need a massive differentiator - and our special guest in this episode shared his approach to how he grew his search firm to more than $2M from scratch!    We are joined by Brent Orsuga. In this episode, Brent highlighted the importance of deep client relationships, strategic matchmaking, and staying motivated by setting high goals and continuously driving growth.   Brent Orsuga is the Founder of Pinnacle Growth Advisors, a headhunting and talent advisory firm solely dedicated to the Supply Chain and Logistics industry.  Brent comes from 22 years of recruiting and 15 solely in Logistics. Brent helps companies, from startups to Billion-dollar companies, find the best people possible. Pinnacle Growth Advisors has won numerous awards over the past 10 years, including the INC 5000 fastest-growing companies.    Episode Outline and Highlights   [02:09] How Brent got into recruiting 22 years ago. [04:48] Why does Brent consider himself a Talent Advisor rather than a Recruiter? [08:43] How to “know the best seat in the house” - understanding your client via face-to-face visits. [16:04] Brent’s story of building networks of relationships when he was only starting in the business. [24:57] Mindset and Motivation: How having a chip on your shoulder pushes Brent forward. [30:48] Daily routine discussion - Why Brent wakes up at 3:30 am to start his day [37:00] Brent shares insights on the outputs and inputs that matter. [40:33] How Brent used visualization techniques to lead his company to the Inc. 5000. [46:30] The reason behind Brent’s passion for Supply Chain and Logistics. [51:49] Brent shares excellent advice on not spreading yourself too thin and other success factors. How Brent Started from Zero and Won the Confidence of Clients   Brent shared a fascinating story of how he got into the recruitment business and started his firm with no plan B or option of failing. He was initially a candidate who transitioned to becoming a recruiter, and making the most of his training eventually led him to be a successful search firm founder. As much as his origin story can be relatable to many recruiters who aspire to become business owners, one key topic that will resonate with many of our listeners is building relationships.  Brent strongly believes that building relationships is one of their business priorities. One of the biggest challenges he had to overcome was starting from zero and having no clients, candidates, or relationships to leverage. How he figured it out can be summarized on the following pointers: Performance / Numbers - “The best testimonial is results.” Brent emphasized how results speak for themselves. “Go up the elevator and pay your dues.” Brent elaborated on his analogy of how showing results leads to more confidence. Mindset and Grit—His desire to win and his inspiration from his wife and kid pushed him to deliver results, eventually creating more business relationships.   Applying the Talent Advisor Approach as a Recruiter   On the topic of being a partner rather than a vendor, Brent shared insightful ways in which he is able to build relationships with clients and candidates. “One of the biggest pet peeves that I have in recruiting is I feel like a lot of people are selling or pitching without knowing enough about the person or the company,” he explained.   Brent places high value on knowing clients and candidates on a deep level. He recommends visiting client offices in person to understand the layout, environment, and how the workplace generally feels. In his analogy, you can only describe how great a restaurant is after eating there. In his words, “So it allows me to come from a completely different lens and angle so that when I'm putting you in front of a company, it's not random, it's strategic.”   This approach enables him to be a talent advisor rather than a generic recruitment firm. It gives him the advantage of painting a really clear picture of what his candidates are walking into, which is a massive separator from his competitors.   Mindset and Grit - Brent Shares His Key to Success   Overall, what really fascinates me in this conversation with Brent is his grit, mindset, and daily routines. He has a very competitive mindset—to the point where he is even able to use a chip on his shoulder as a driver for success. He wakes up every day at 3:30 a.m., goes to the gym at 4, prepares breakfast for his kids at 6, and goes to the office at 7!   To start his day, he would listen to a 13-minute clip by Les Brown:”What I'm doing is I'm getting my mindset into a very positive motivated state. Intentionally. This is not random.” He then shared how his days look when it comes to making every day intentional and purposeful.   Brent also shared how he measures inputs and outputs, how he leads his team, and what culture he fosters for Pinnacle Growth. His consistent actions led to remarkable milestones for his firm, including being included in INC 5000’s Fastest Growing Companies.   Our Sponsor   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Brent Orsuga Bio and Contact Info   Brent is the Founder of Pinnacle Growth Advisors, a headhunting and talent advisory firm solely dedicated to the Supply Chain and Logistics industry. Brent comes from 22 years of recruiting and 15 solely in the Logistics space. Brent helps companies from startups to Billion dollar companies find the best people possible.  Pinnacle Growth Advisors has won numerous awards over the past 10 years including the INC 5000 for fastest growing companies.   Brent on LinkedIn Pinnacle Growth Advisors website link Pinnacle Growth on Facebook Pinnacle Growth on Instagram   People and Resources Mentioned   Jeremy Jenson on LinkedIn   Related Podcast You Might Enjoy   TRR#217 How to Elevate Your Recruitment Firm to $12M with Effective Lead Generation, with Jeremy Jenson   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.  

Top-of-the-funnel lead-generation activities are a critical ingredient for a successful recruitment business. How do you strategize your lead generation to stand out in this age where all your competitors are probably doing the same thing you are doing?  We are really lucky to be joined in this episode by Jeremy Jenson, the founder and CEO of Encore Search Partners, the largest privately owned executive search firm based in Houston, Texas. Before starting his recruitment firm, Jeremy used to run a lead generation company for different businesses such as recruitment and search firms. You will hear Jeremy’s insights and strategy on lead generation activities and how he transitioned into becoming the recruitment business owner of a $12M search firm.  Episode Outline and Highlights [01:50] How Jeremy got into recruiting. [05:36] Business milestones - Overcoming adversity, rebranding, and hiring someone with more technical expertise. [13:02] Why recruitment business owners should hire and do things with others. [25:49] How EOS (Entrepreneur Operating System) can impact your business. [35:25] Jeremy’s insights on Lead Generation as a core strength. [45:10] Encore Search’s seven core values. [53:38] What made Encore Search win Best Place to Work in the Houston Business Journal?   From a Lead Generation Firm to a Recruitment Business - Jeremy’s Story   Jeremy’s story on what led him to the recruitment industry is fascinating. He started a lead generation company in 2010 - and upon realizing that more than half of his client base was sourcing and staffing businesses, he transitioned into putting up his recruitment business. His claim to fame was in lead generation, where he was the main lead generator, regularly feeding senior recruiters with leads.    His business grew and was billing a million in the third year when market and economic difficulty struck. He had to make a pivotal decision whether to shut his business and be a full-time employee or to keep on going. You will hear how his decision to stay in business paid off, and how implementing strategies to go national and hiring other senior leaders contributed to their growth.    I think many of our listeners can relate to what Jeremy went through. Starting your own recruitment business is not easy - you can get to the point where you are making 100k to zero in a month. Jeremy’s inspiring thought process and decision-making can inspire our recruitment firm owners who are going through the same ordeal.   The Pillars of Lead Generation   Jeremy’s transition from a lead-generation specialist to a recruitment business owner shows us the critical role of top-of-the-funnel lead-generation activities in business success. He shared insights on what makes lead generation his key strength. Here are the two pillars:   Content - he emphasized the importance of proper story-telling. “Because if you can induce an emotion from your audience, that creates resonance. I don't think that our audience wants to see five tips on how to make your resume more marketable.” Email Marketing - he shared why it is important to utilize new tools and platforms to reach as many as possible. “And so we try to constantly look for new, innovative ways to steal market share.”   Digital Marketing - Hiring a digital marketing coordinator to enhance brand loyalty and utilizing various platforms can significantly increase community engagement and brand building.   Having Structure in Place Means Sustainable Growth   Jeremy is a subject matter expert on EOS - Entrepreneurial Operating System. We discussed how a clear and consistent structure contributed to their business growth. He also touched upon the value of embedding core values to overcome big challenges they had to face by the time their business was growing.    He shared how excellence, resilience, gratitude, professionalism, coachable attitude, meticulousness, and competitiveness are deeply ingrained in daily operations, fostering culture through practices like core value spotlights during meetings. He also talked about transparency, and how it made their company a Best Place to Work award recipient in the Houston Business Journal.    Our Sponsor   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained.   Jeremy Jenson Bio and Contact Info   Jeremy Jenson is the Founder & CEO of Encore Search Partners. Jeremy is a subject matter expert on The Entrepreneurial Operating System and prides himself on building Houston’s largest privately-held Executive Search firm on the back of his seven Core Values: Excellence, Resilience, Gratitude, Professionalism, Coachable, Meticulous, and Competitive. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends & his 3 sons. He is also a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a global co-op of over 17,000 entrepreneurs, worldwide.   Jeremy on LinkedIn Encore Search Partners website link Jeremy on Instagram Path to Success podcast link   People and Resources Mentioned   Who Not How, by Dan Sullivan Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman Rocket Fuel, by Gino Wickman   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn  Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.  

Being a high biller requires a combination of hard work, skills, and strategies. But what does it really take? My special guest, David Bradley, is a 29-year veteran who averaged $750k in annual billings his entire career! In this episode, David shares the strategies and mindset that make him a very effective recruiter! On top of that, David also manages high-volume accounts with a team of 60 headhunters. If you are a recruitment leader like David, you will find insightful takes on how he manages KPIs and how they drive a culture that is geared towards performance. In 2009, David helped start Movement. He is a partner with Movement and has been an instrumental part in helping the firm grow from 3 to 65 plus headhunters over the past 14 years. Movement has 5 brick and mortar offices across the United States. Episode Outline and Highlights [02:29] How David got into the recruiting business. [07:14] Top recruiter secrets & grinding on a 10-5-2 formula. [10:32] Structuring daily activities & time management best practices. [17:52] You need to get three critical pieces of information when speaking with a candidate. [24:26] The foundation of what makes David a successful recruiter. [26:50] Movement’s culture and mission. [34:30] Striking the balance when managing your team’s KPI. [37:40] Retaining the momentum in 2024 - key to continuous growth and eight-figure billings. [45:20] How Movement’s owners play different roles? [52:29] David’s future growth plans.   What it Takes to Be a Top Recruiter What does it take to become a top recruiter? It certainly involves grind and hard work. David’s 29-year experience provides him with a credible perspective on what it takes to be successful. This also gives him an advantage as a recruitment leader - his capabilities are a testament to how his team has been performing. Below are the critical topics that David and I discussed:   10-5-2 Formula Being cognizant of your time Planning ahead of your phone time Mindset   If you are listening, as a recruiter or recruitment leader, David's insights are inspiring!   The Foundation of Being a Successful Recruiter   Being consistently successful in a long time requires more than hard work. There is something else and David generously shared his secret sauce:   “So I think having that gratitude, understanding that we get to talk to people for a living and have just an incredible life, incredible income opportunity, incredible balance, we can manage our life any way we want it… And I think that fuels getting up in the morning and saying, you know what? This is gonna be another great day. It's gonna be a great year. It's gonna be a great month. Well, if it's not been a great month, next month's gonna be great. So having that sort of mindset, I think, is really, and factor a lot of fun into this.”   This fantastic mindset is an invisible but highly influential factor that determines your success as a recruiter or recruitment business owner. Possessing a positive mindset enables us to navigate the favorable and unfavorable changes we encounter with resilience.   The Keys to Continuous Growth and Eight-Figure BIllings   David shares how Movement produced $20M in billings around 2022-23. It was a great year for them post-Covid, and the systems and frameworks they had at the time enabled them to retain the momentum even when things appear to slow down in 2024. I wanted to pick David’s brains on the culture and systems they have in place, given that not many recruiting firms get above 8 figures.    My takeaway is how they emphasise creating and enabling a culture geared towards high performance.  They have annual trips for the top 10% of producers, on top of regular social activities and loyalty bonus programs. They also have annual meetings where they fly everyone in, including their staff’s spouses. Doing so contributes to relationship-building and as David said, “an essential part of the culture.”   David also discussed their profit-sharing scheme. What I also loved was his insights on managing KPIs while not micromanaging everything. Our Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   David Bradley Bio and Contact Info   David is a 29-year veteran of the headhunting business. David stumbled into the business in 1995 when he was working with a headhunter to help him find a sales job. The tables got turned and David actually got hired as a headhunter. He spent the next 16 years working for Spherion. He enjoyed success right from the beginning. He billed $175K in year 1 and the following year billed close to $400K and he never looked back from there.   In 2009, he left Spherion (later known as Ranstad) to help start Movement. He is a partner with Movement and has been an instrumental part in helping the firm grow from 3 to 65 plus headhunters over the past 14 years. Movement has 5 brick and mortar offices across the United States.   * He has been a leading producer at Movement with 750+ placements since 2009 with the most placements in the firm's history (Personal billings of $1.3M in 2023, $1.1M in 2022, and averaged $750K+ in billings throughout his career) * He manages high-volume accounts with a team of 60 headhunters * He has helped mentor aspiring headhunters into the business. * He has completed over 2500 placements throughout his career. * Member of Pinnacle Society since 2023. * David holds an MBA from Franciscan University.   David has been married to his lovely wife for 32 years and has 5 grown children (ages 17 to 31) He is an avid hockey player and resides with his family in Clarkston, MI.   David on LinkedIn David on Facebook David on X (Twitter) @jdavidbradley David on YouTube Movement Search website link   People and Resources Mentioned   Pinnacle Society website link   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn,  Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.

In the evolving recruitment landscape where LinkedIn and ChatGPT dominate the conversation, one tool stands resilient: the humble phone call.  Is cold calling still a critical part of your recruitment and selling process? Can you be a successful modern recruiter while making zero cold calls? I am thrilled to be joined by a veteran and successful recruiter, Danny Cahill. You will enjoy his insights based on his decades-long expertise in recruitment approach with a spotlight on the importance of using the phone for cold calls.  Danny started his recruiting career right out of college at Hobson Associates. He became its rookie of the year and went on to become a top producer and the general manager by the age of 26. At 27, he bought the company and built it into one of the country's largest search firms. Danny was the educational chairperson of the Pinnacle Society, 75 of the highest achievers in the industry. Episode Outline and Highlights [02:12] “Phone: Friend or Foe?” – insights on Danny’s talk at the last Pinnacle Society Summit. [09:50] Recalling the good old cold calling days. [13:08] Approaching the current landscape of a 5% call response rate. [22:09] Why must modern recruiters understand and maximize the phone's power? [32:33] “The phone call is a birthday card.” - Danny explains why effort toward candidates and clients can be a strong differentiator. [39:35] Can you be a successful recruiter nowadays without making phone calls? [45:39] Flipping the order – why the phone should come before email. [52:40] Thoughts and insights on AI.   How Veteran Recruiters Should Approach the Current Industry Landscape   I have known Danny for decades - he is a legendary recruiter and you can just imagine my delight when I had the chance to meet him in person at a Pinnacle Society conference last year. We discussed the talk he gave about using old-school cold-calling. Danny believes that using the phone is a critical skill for recruiters, especially before the advent of the internet. We recalled how exciting it was to not know in detail who you would be talking to, how skillful you should be when carrying conversations, and of course, going through gatekeepers before reaching your actual target.   But the landscape now changed. On average, you will only reach 5% of your prospects by phone. Danny believes that although it should be a combination of tools and platforms, making phone calls is more relevant than ever, as it can be a differentiator. This is how Danny puts it:    “If this helps you with your identity crisis, the thing that made you great is going to be more important than ever because you're not someone who just makes phone calls. The phone is your conduit to who you are, which is a storyteller, a persuader, an enabler of aspiration. We sell dreams. That's what we do. And companies are going to always use us. If you have a level of contact and subject matter expertise so that I feel like you can get candidates I can't get in a faster way.”   Flipping the Order – Why the Phone Should Come Before Email   On Hobson Associates’ website, you will see the line “We’re Always Available to You. By Phone. Online. Or in person.” This is aligned with how Danny wants the order in which their recruiters would reach out to prospects via phone before mail. I tried to pick Danny’s brain for this approach, and he explained the logic.    “Yeah, well, because I think the phone has some real advantages and it is direct. You know, people often say, well, email is faster. Oh, no, it's not. I see email exchanges all the time between clients.”   Danny also emphasized that the phone has some power to engage with prospects. “The power of the pause; the power of someone sighing. The thing about text, is that young people like text, because text can be filtered, text can be edited, right? You can wait and you can make a draft of it. Whereas with the phone, you can't skim a phone call. Right. You're on it. You're on the hot seat.”   Can You Be a Successful Recruiter With Zero Cold Calls? We have members of our coaching group who are not really into making cold calls. We see recruiters who are making consistent placements without making a single cold call. With the power of LinkedIn, Social Media platforms, & AI, you can do a lot of business development that can translate to end-to-end sourcing and placements. The question is, can you be a successful recruiter without making cold calls?   Danny shared a fact from SourceWhale: 60% of meetings come from the phone call. It may not be the primary way of reaching prospects anymore, but possessing the skill of doing cold calls is a critical part of becoming a successful recruiter. But of course, Danny pointed out that there are so many ways of doing business. Those who can make it work without the need to do cold calls should keep doing what they are doing.   Our Sponsor   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Danny Cahill Bio and Contact Info   Danny Cahill started at Hobson Associates right out of college. He became its Rookie of the Year, top producer, and general manager by the age of 26. At 27 he bought the company and built it into one of the country's largest search firms specializing in Software Sales, Bio-Tech Sales, and Industrial Sales talent. He is the only industry “guru” that runs a search firm every day. He does what you do.   He was the Educational Chairperson of the Pinnacle Society, 75 of the highest achievers in the industry, and he still personally mentors many members. He also owns and runs AccordingToDanny.com, an online training and mentoring company dedicated to enhancing the skills and jumpstarting the spirits of recruiters worldwide. His keynote presentations have made him one of the most sought-after speakers in the country.   He was elected to the NAPS Hall of Fame in 2006 and also received the Dave Knutson Lifetime Achievement Award. HireAbility overwhelmingly voted him the industry’s most popular speaker. AccordingToDanny.com was awarded “Best-In-Class” for Training Excellence from MRINetwork.   In his other life, as a playwright, he has had works produced off-Broadway and won both the Maxwell Anderson and the CAB Theatre Award for playwrights. He has written for CBS Television, Muscle and Fitness Magazine, as well as numerous magazines. He received his Master’s Degree in Literature from Wesleyan University and believes salespeople enjoy the world's only job security.  Danny’s book, “Harper’s Rules”, a business novel/parable, which of course features a headhunter, won the 2011 Axiom Award for Best Business Parable. His screenplay, “Breakpoint” was optioned by Dialogue Pictures, and his new memoir, "Aging Disgracefully" is available now in bookstores and on Kindle.   Danny on LinkedIn Hobson Associates website link Harper’s Rules by Danny Cahill How to Quit Golf (and Get Your Life Back) by Danny Cahill   People and Resources Mentioned   Pinnacle Society website link Alex Elliott on LinkedIn Nate Zimmerman on LinkedIn   Related Podcast You Might Enjoy   TRR#181 The 4 Core Sales Processes that Drive an Effective Client Acquisition Strategy, with Alex Elliott TRR#202 Top Private Equity Recruiter Reveals How He Built a $1,000,000 Practice, with Nate Zimmerman   Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn,  Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.  

Building a scalable recruitment business that operates seamlessly even without recruiters' direct involvement should not be just a dream—but a tangible goal. Balraj's achievement with Envision Education serves as a testament to what can be accomplished through strategic planning and execution. Today’s episode explores how recruiters can build high-performing teams and a scalable business with a special guest, Balraj Guraya. As the founder and director of Envision Education, Balraj has not only grown the company into a high-performing team of 23 individuals but also strategically positioned himself to focus solely on scaling the business by replacing himself in the hands-on role in 2022 Tune in to gain valuable insights from Balraj's unique approach and what's working and not in building a scalable business that can thrive even when the founder isn't in the driver's seat. Episode Outline And Highlights [01:46] Why Balraj got into recruitment and started Envision Education  [05:20] How Balraj began his business and how things worked in the first year [08:07] The biggest challenges Balraj encountered before building a team [12:04] The key milestones of growing a team from 2 to 23 people  [15:06] How to structure the interview process and get the right people onboard [22:37] Ways to structure your team and create an excellent candidate journey  [20:45] Steps to building a recruitment business that runs without you  [33:20] What contributes to creating a high-energy environment   [44:23] How to hire right and create a smooth transition into your culture [48:28] The key to building successful business partnerships with Rec2Rec  [55:42] What candidate's journey is all about, and how it works  [59:11] How to design, roll out, and improve processes for scale  [01:02:04] Tip to conquer staff turnover and self-doubt as a business owner How to Become a Manager and a Leader and Build Confidence in Your Effectiveness During our discussion, Balraj and I discussed his recruitment strategies at Envision Education. Founded in 2014, Envision Education addresses staffing shortages in Primary, Secondary, and Special Schools across London and the home counties. Balraj's vision has led Envision Education to become a high-performing team of 23 individuals. His journey includes transitioning from a hands-on role as a builder in 2022 to focus on scaling the business.   Balraj shares six key principles for recruiters aspiring to become effective managers and leaders in their business.    Self-motivation: As a recruiter, Balraj shares that you have to be very self-motivated and have the drive, energy, and focus to grow your business in the beginning to build a strong foundation for growth and expansion. Be consistent: Balraj emphasizes maintaining a steady workflow and understanding that success takes time and effort. It’s not going to be an overnight achievement. So be consistent, produce the right quality and quantity of activity, and stay motivated.  Willingness to make mistakes: Recruitment takes work. It takes resilience, courage, and a willingness to put yourself out there, try uncomfortable things, make mistakes, and embrace them as learning opportunities. Get the right people on board: Balraj emphasizes the pivotal role of team composition in driving success. He explains the importance of recruiting people who align with the company's values and attributes and possess the necessary skills to contribute meaningfully to the team's objectives. Having the right people on board is a game changer. It’s the difference between success and failure. Structure your team: Structuring allows individuals to maximize their strengths and enhance overall performance. According to Balraj, structuring your team will help the team keep up and improve your turnover.   Coaching and development. Balraj highlights the importance of ongoing coaching and development in building a great team. Rather than solely focusing on placements, he emphasizes sharing knowledge and nurturing talent within the organization.   Ultimately, running a business transcends mere profitability; it represents a journey of personal development and collective growth—the continuous evolution of oneself and the team. Steps to Building a Recruitment Business That Runs Without You   Balraj shares invaluable insights into transitioning a recruitment business from a one-person 360 operation to a structured departmental setup, effectively replacing oneself in key roles. The key to this evolution lies in making strategic and sometimes costly decisions, recognizing that letting go of control is essential for scalability. Central to this process is:    Finding some key people you can trust: Find people you can trust, people who treat your business as more than just a job and are excited about helping your business succeed. They are the backbone of your business, embodying a commitment to its success beyond personal gain. Have some high performers who you are consistently billing. Nurturing a cadre of high performers is critical for sustaining momentum and driving growth. These individuals excel in their roles and embody the energy and drive necessary to propel the business forward, even in the absence of its founder. Design a structured, clear career ladder: According to Balraj, this is one of the best things you can do within your business as a recruiter. Designing and implementing a structured career ladder from the outset provides clarity and direction for employees within the organization. The framework creates professional development and instills a sense of purpose and belonging among the team. Create a high-energy environment: Creating a vibrant, high-energy environment is key to enhancing engagement and cohesion within the team. Balraj emphasizes the need for regular team briefs and goal-setting sessions to align everyone with the company's vision and objectives.  Appreciation: Show appreciation not just to the sales team making the placements but to everyone, including the compliance team and the resource team. They are important in the work they do. Appreciation for all reinforces the value of every team member's contribution. Work on what is most important: Balraj's "4 Ds" approach—Do, Defer, Delegate, Delete—provides a framework for delegating tasks and freeing up time to focus on strategic initiatives. Investing in the sales team and expanding recruitment consultant roles are essential steps before relinquishing direct involvement in day-to-day operations. Develop processes: designing and implementing processes is indispensable for scalability. Balraj advocates for hiring or partnering with individuals possessing complementary operations skills to ensure the efficient execution of tasks and the seamless functioning of the business.   Scaling a recruitment business beyond the founder's requires strategic planning, delegation, talent cultivation, and process optimization. Embracing these principles paves the way for scale, sustainable growth, and long-term success.    Our Sponsor   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software, combined with world-class training, enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Balraj Guraya Bio and Contact Info   Balraj is the founder and director of Envision Education, a recruitment firm he established in 2014 to address staffing shortages in schools across London and the home counties particularly within special needs education. Barlaj has grown Envision education to a high performing team of 23 people and was able to replace himself as a builder in 2022 so he can concentrate on scaling the business.   Balraj on LinkedIn Envision Education Website link  Resources and People Mentioned Ravi Tangri on LinkedIn Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.

Every successful recruiter will tell you success is born out of the grind, not the glory. Mastering the grind is the key to unlocking growth. Whether building a robust network, honing communication, or leveraging technology, recruiters must navigate the ups and downs with resilience and determination.   Today’s episode explores how recruiters can embrace the grind and build successful businesses with a special guest, Matt Ballema. Matt is the founder of Pioneer Search Group. With a track record of consistently surpassing the million-dollar revenue mark for the past three years, Matt brings over two decades of executive search experience. He specializes in material handling automation space and has placed professionals at all levels, from general manager, president, and COO to sales reps and engineers all over North America. Tune in to gain insights on elevating your firm to unprecedented success. Matt's insights will inspire and enlighten you whether you're a seasoned recruiter seeking to optimize your operations or an aspiring entrepreneur looking to carve a niche in the industry. Episode Outline And Highlights [02:19] How Matt got into the executive search business space  [04:13] When Matt started the Pioneer Search Group [10:40] The difference between burning out and embracing the grid  [18:34] What it means to work hard and be consistent as a recruiter  [20:03] Three important metrics to track in a recruitment business  [25:24] Key tools to adapt to stay with the times and leverage technology [35:07] How to stay relevant as an executive recruiter in the digital environment  [39:10] How to create an in-house team structure for building your database  [42:58] The rainmaker model and how it works in a recruitment firm  [48:23] Leveling up your team and scaling back direct workload Vs retiring  [50:58] How recruiters make people multimillionaires, changed lives and family trees  [54:47] How recruiters can harness fear as motivation rather than a detour [01:02:04] The mindset of successful recruiter and thinking of the long game    How Recruiters Can Navigate the Grind and Scale Their Recruitment Firm During our discussion, Matt and I discussed his recruitment strategies at Pioneer Search Group, which has been instrumental in building and scaling the firm. Pioneer Search Group specializes in executive search within material handling, power generation, and oil and gas industries across North America, placing top talent in various roles, from sales and sales management to director and VP/C positions.    Matt outlined six essential steps crucial for recruiters looking to establish or expand their executive search firm:   Entrepreneurship grind: Matt emphasizes the importance of embracing the search business grind mentality, regardless of the revenue goal. Whether it's a million dollars or $250,000,. It doesn’t matter; you must be willing to grind and embrace the grind to achieve.   Alignment: Before embarking on becoming an executive recruiter or starting a search firm, Matt highlighted the necessity of ensuring alignment with one's partner, as the pursuit can be very demanding.   Hard work and consistency: Hard work and consistency are the hallmarks of a successful recruiter. Recruitment is an activity-based business, and Matt encourages recruiters to focus on data analytics, planning, and tracking metrics.   Build your database: According to Matt, as a recruiter, diligently working on and growing your database is the foundation for turning leads into lead generation, both on the candidate and client sides.   Stay relevant: From a marketing perspective, Matt advised recruiters to brand and package their services effectively, leverage team efforts, technology, and persistence to maximize engagement and seize opportunities.   Turn fear into motivation: In the placement world, there are many things that recruiters have no control over, but setting fear aside and going for it will keep you achieving your goals. As a recruiter, having the courage to chart your own course is essential for success in the industry.   Building and growing a recruitment firm requires persistence, hard work, and a grind mentality. With the right work ethic and mindset, achieving success in the field is feasible and inevitable. How To Stay with the Times and Leverage the Technology  Matt shares that mastering market efficiency is paramount for any search firm, describing it as thrilling and daunting. He reflects on his own journey, explaining that until 2016, he operated without a database, relying instead on a platform called Highrise, primarily effective for realtor and sales roles. Though functional, it proved inefficient and costly to maintain. Matt underscores the urgency for small search firms to streamline their operations, as larger ones have the money and resources to innovate in this area faster. He stresses the importance of market mastery, cautioning that failure to adapt risks will result in missing out on business opportunities.   In addition, Matt highlights the challenge of navigating through the overwhelming digital landscape, where everyone vies for attention on platforms like LinkedIn. He emphasizes the need for recruiters to remain relevant amidst the noise to stand out. According to Matt, the true differentiator in the recruitment industry is hard work—specifically, the relentless pursuit of connecting with candidates, persuading them, and ultimately closing deals.    Our Sponsor   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training, enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Matt Ballema Bio and Contact Info   Matt is the founder of the Pioneer Search Group, an executive search firm specializing in sourcing top talent in the Material Handling, Power Generation/Oil and Gas Industries across North America.    For the last three years, Matt has built over a million dollars a year. Matt specializes in material handling automation space. His own background is in material handling equipment sales, an industry he knows and is passionate about. Matt has been in the executive search business for over 20 years. He has placed professionals at all levels, from general manager, president, COO, and VP to regional sales, manager, sales rep, and engineers all over North America.    Matt Ballema on LinkedIn Resources and People Mentioned ZoomInfo PC Recruiter  Outlook  Hinterview    Related Podcast You Might Enjoy   TRR #133 How this Top Producing Recruiter is Putting Health, Fitness, and Family First TRR #46 How to Run a Million-Dollar Recruiting Firm From Your RV Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.  

Scaling a recruitment firm to 10x growth in a challenging market demands a strategic approach focused on innovation, adaptability, and talent development. All of which Tom has mastered and has been able to 10x his firm's growth over the past decade. Tom scaled Fraser Dove International from 5 employees to a workforce of 50 employees spread across two offices in the UK, one in Switzerland, and another in the US.    In this episode, we discuss strategies for success and capitalizing on new opportunities in the recruitment industry with a special guest, Thomas Dove. As the co-founder and CEO of Fraser Dove International, a leading global search firm and talent consultancy specializing in Life Sciences, Tom brings a wealth of experience to the table. He started his recruitment career in the early 2000s in a large, corporate, multinational environment and transitioned into the global executive search world before starting his own recruitment firm.   Tune in to gain invaluable insights from Tom on achieving exponential growth and staying ahead of the curve in an ever-changing market.  Whether leveraging innovation, promoting adaptability, or investing in talent development, Tom provides valuable perspectives to help recruitment firms thrive amidst evolving challenges and emerging opportunities.   Episode Outline And Highlights [02:38] How Tom got into the recruiting space [04:52] What it takes to start and 10x a recruitment firm  [09:42] How to refine your roles in a partnership for scale  [11:50] How to unpack your job and hire people with the potential to grow [20:33] Ways recruiters can stop being the bottleneck in their businesses  [24:38] Tips on how to drive high-performance standards hands-off  [26:42] How recruiters can create processes and pathways for excellence  [34:15] How to play to people's strength in a challenging market  [37:10] Practical steps to becoming a great recruiter in a tough market  [41:27] How to generate your production at a high level while developing others  [49:11] The 360 business development for turning candidates into client  [52:28] What OKRs are and how to use them within a recruiting business  [01:04:04] How to develop a unique language and integrate it into a business culture  How Recruiters Can Unpack Their Job and Find More Opportunities During our conversation, Tom and I discussed Fraser Dove's remarkable growth, expanding globally by 10x over the past decade. Tom describes how refining his and his partners' roles and constantly reevaluating their jobs has been pivotal in unlocking new opportunities and perspectives. He emphasized the importance of periodically stepping back, assessing tasks, and delegating effectively. For Tom, recognizing when he's overwhelmed with tasks outside his core focus signifies an opportunity to recalibrate priorities, leading to the discovery of fresh avenues for growth and innovation.   Tom also shed light on their thought process and hiring approach at Fraser Dove. Over the past decade, they've reviewed and refined job descriptions a notable 15 times, two times a year, when onboarding new leaders. They adopt a dual hiring strategy, defining immediate roles while envisioning how these positions will evolve over the following 12 to 24 months. This forward-thinking technique ensures alignment between organizational needs and individual aspirations, fostering a dynamic and adaptable workforce.   As a scaling company, Fraser Dove understands the importance of articulating its mission and vision to potential hires, positioning itself as an employer of choice within the competitive executive search landscape. Tom underscored the importance of communicating career trajectories and growth opportunities to prospective employees, as this distinguishes recruiters as visionary employers. This approach attracts top-tier talent and serves as a guiding principle for recruiters and leaders within the organization, aligning efforts toward a shared vision of the future. How Recruiters Can Stop Being The Bottleneck In Their Business Recruiters who attempt to maintain complete control over every aspect of their operations often stunt growth rather than enhance it. Tom admits to possessing a hands-off control-freak mentality, recognizing that true success lies in effective delegation and empowering others to excel without micromanagement. By letting go of responsibilities and entrusting capable individuals, recruiters open doors to success.   In the episode, Tom shares 7 practices for recruiters to avoid being the bottleneck in their business;  Create Value: The cornerstone of any successful business lies in delivering value to customers. To achieve this, it's imperative to provide individuals with the autonomy and space to innovate. By creating an environment where people have the freedom to unleash their potential, remarkable outcomes can be achieved.   Be Inspired by Others: While shouldering more responsibilities may seem like the path to inspiration, true enlightenment often comes from letting go of control and allowing others to shine. By embracing delegation, recruiters open themselves up to new perspectives and innovative approaches. Get the Right People: Building a high-performing team starts with strategic recruitment. Through thorough discovery briefings, asking pertinent questions, and establishing clear search metrics, recruiters can attract individuals who align with their vision and values. Best Practice Mindset: Establishing organizational processes creates a culture of excellence. By ensuring everyone from the oldest to the rest of the tribe buy-in to doing things correctly, recruiters can elevate their performance and drive sustained success. Retain Your Best-Oriented People: According to Tom, retaining the best people helps build organizational intelligence because the knowledge doesn’t leak away. It creates a reservoir of talent and knowledge about the best practices that can be passed down to later generations.  Balance: Success in the recruitment industry demands proficiency in various recruitment aspects. While mastery may not come instantly, recruiters must continually strive to develop their skills. They can carve a career path to success by identifying strengths and focusing efforts accordingly. Develop Others Around You: Tom shares that true leadership involves nurturing talent and fostering growth in others. Recruiting recruiters can cultivate a continuous improvement and achievement culture by leading by example, providing guidance, and inspiring those around you.   In essence, success in recruitment is not about shouldering every task alone but rather about empowering others and creating avenues for excellence to thrive. Our Sponsor   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro    i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training, enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Thomas Dove Bio and Contact Info   Tom is one of the co-founders and CEO at Fraser Dove International, a global search firm and talent consultancy in Life Sciences.   Tom started his recruitment career in the early 2000s in a large, corporate, multinational environment, which was an excellent place to learn the fundamentals. He transitioned into the global executive search world, helping scale a business to build a 10-office network in Europe, the Americas, and Asia before starting his own entrepreneurial journey in 2013 with Fraser Dove International.   Tom scaled Fraser Dove with no outside investment to 45 employees with 2 offices in the UK, 1 in Switzerland, and 1 in the US.   Tom Dove  on LinkedIn Fraser Dove Website link Resources and People Mentioned   Joe Curtis on LinkedIn Talent EcoSystem at Fraser Dove Mike Dickson on LinkedIn Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman   Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR #185 How to Scale Your Recruitment Business While Becoming the Employer of Choice Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.

Growing a recruitment business to 7 or 8-figure portfolio companies might be much simpler than you think. Few firm owners achieve this, but Aaron Opalewski stands as an example of this entrepreneurial success. He co-founded his first staffing company at just 24 and has nurtured his second venture into a portfolio of seven staffing companies across various industries. Remarkably, three companies consistently make 8-figure revenues, while one of them, Spark Packaging, hit 7-figures within its first year.   In this episode, we discuss invaluable insights on how recruiters can fortify their businesses for growth with a special guest, Aaron Opalewski.  Aaron is the CEO and founder of Spark Talent Acquisition, a company he launched in 2013 at the age of 29. He is also a partner in two other companies outside of staffing and holds investments in the food and beverage industry.    Join us as we explore strategies for structuring businesses, optimizing operations, boosting gross profit, delegating tasks, nurturing client relationships, and building successful partnerships. Tune in for a wealth of wisdom and actionable advice from Aaron's journey of entrepreneurial triumph. Episode Outline And Highlights [02:38] How Aaron got into the recruiting space [03:59] What it takes to start and launch a staffing company  [08:00] The keys to a successful business partnership  [09:54] How delegation and promotion have helped Spark Talent excel  [15:18] How to structure a recruiting company for lifetime customer value  [24:33] Tips on how to nurture clients and maintain good relationships [30:10] How the contract and direct side of a recruiting business works  [32:35] Why GP is the most important metric for growth  [38:06] How to identify target companies for merger and acquisition  [41:27] How to get alignments and nurture clients on social media  [44:57] How mergers work in improving GP to over the million dollars range [48:25] Growth loops and profit strategy to level up business operations [57:15] What is the difference between recurring and contract revenue flow   How Recruiters Can Structure Their Firms for Lifetime Value    During our conversation, Aaron and I discussed Spark Talent and how he has steered it into a thriving portfolio comprising seven staffing companies across different sectors over the past decade. Aaron shares that everyone assumes the role of recruiters within his business. As the founder, he personally interviews prospective team members, positioning himself as the primary recruiter across all his ventures. He emphasized the importance of this role, asserting that as a business owner, one must take charge of internal recruitment, honing recruitment skills as diligently as serving clients.  Aaron firmly believes that sourcing and nurturing the right talent through extensive training, coaching, and support makes success almost inevitable. He stressed that while failures may occur in other aspects, assembling the right team and fostering their growth ensures a solid foundation for success.   Discussing the organizational structure, Aaron outlined the various roles within their teams and business setup, which include recruiters, account managers, business developers, internal and external apps teams, and portfolio managers overseeing the seven companies. Aaron underscored that recruiting forms the cornerstone of their operations, extending to every area of their business, even extending to the front-end relationship with business development personnel. However, in the early stages, Aaron recalled a time when salespeople juggled multiple roles, from accounting to business development and recruitment. However, he acknowledged that this approach diluted the customer experience and diminished lifetime value, prompting them to restructure and specialize roles for optimal efficiency and client customers' lifetime value. Nurturing Client and Building Longterm Relationships Aaron shares the importance of nurturing clients and building long-term relationships. He explains how customers' value has changed over time. In 2018, they were actively building with 80 to 90 clients every week, focusing heavily on business development. By 2019, they had signed over a hundred new service agreements, but their active clients remained the same. In 2020, their active clients started to decrease, making Aaron realize they needed to do a better job to improve.   To address this, Aaron explains that they had to shut down new business development from March 2020 to the end of 2022 to concentrate on building their client base. It wasn't until 2023 that they resumed the new business development lever, raising their active service agreements to over 50%. However, Aaron acknowledged they still have much work to improve further.   Aaron then shared strategies for building and nurturing clients:   Mindset Shift: Aaron emphasized the need to shift from a mindset of easily finding new clients if things don't work out with current ones. He believes this mindset can harm client relationships and should be addressed through cultural values within the team. Training for Maintaining Relationships: According to Aaron, maintaining good customer relationships is often overlooked and never discussed enough. Recruiters should make training an ongoing development to remind their teams of the things they have learned and what they need to tweak  Focus on Value: Aaron highlighted the significance of consistently delivering value to clients. He encouraged recruiters to always find ways to deliver value, fulfill their promises, go above and beyond, and exceed client expectations. Role Clarification: Running a recruiting business is a lot of work, and ensuring roles are well-defined can help recruiters avoid diluting the value they offer clients. Having clear roles and responsibilities helps improve services, strengthen client relationships, and scale the roles effectively.   Our Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training, enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/retained   Aaron Opalewski Bio and Contact Info Aaron is a true entrepreneur; he cofounded his first stuffing company at just 24. He is now the CEO and founder of Spark Talent Acquisition, a company launched in 2013 at the age of 29. Since then, the business has grown to a portfolio of seven staffing companies in diverse industries. Three of the stuffing companies he built consistently generated 8-figure revenues, and one of the Spark Packaging companies achieved 7-figures in its first year. Aaron's entrepreneurial spirit does not stop there; he is also a partner in two other companies outside of staffing and holds investments in the food and beverage industry.    Aaron on LinkedIn Aaron on Instagram Aaron on Twitter Spark Talent Website link Spark Companies website link Resources and People Mentioned Mike Williams on LinkedIn Spark Packaging Manan Shah  TRR #210 3 Key Steps to Boost Your Recruitment Team’s Performance Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter   If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, please take two minutes to leave a review. Your review is greatly appreciated because it helps us attract a bigger audience and help more recruiters.