Join "the Recruitment Coach" Mark Whitby as he and his guests unpack the secrets of what it takes to be a profitable and long-lived professional in the recruitment industry.
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The 4 Talent Magnets that Drive Recruiter Retention and Success, with Charlie Saffro, Ep #228
Épisode 228
vendredi 30 août 2024 • Durée 01:00:28
“We spend 50% of our lives working… What is crazy is that 8 out of 10 people in today’s workforce say they don’t even feel a connection to their jobs or their employer. Which means that most of us are probably half of our lives feeling disengaged and maybe feeling unfulfilled.”
This is how Charlie Saffro opened her TEDx talk on prioritizing people in your business. As the CEO of a recruiting firm, she gives insightful takes on how a people-first culture can positively impact you and your client’s retention and long-term revenue.
Charlie is the CEO of CS Recruiting, which specializes in the Supply Chain, Logistics, and Transportation industries. The company is based in Chicago and recruits nationally. Charlie founded CS Recruiting over a decade ago and has built it from the ground up into a multi-million dollar organization.
She leads a team of 28 talented recruiters, emphasizing a people-first culture.
Episode Outline and Highlights
[02:55] How Charlie fell into recruiting and eventually put up her recruitment firm.
[10:46] Winning and completing a project involving hiring 50 people in the first year of business.
[14:32] Milestones within the 10-year journey as a founder and CEO.
[21:41] Fostering a People-First Culture and its long-term benefits to retention and revenue.
[33:58] The four magnets in building a people-first culture.
[36:25] Transitioning to and embracing the full CEO role by learning to delegate.
[43:47] Keys to developing a strong brand.
[53:33] Charlie’s perspective on the current market environment and how she responds as a leader.
The Four Magnets in Building a People-First Culture
From a business point of view, a people-focused culture benefits employees and contributes to the organization's long-term success and resilience. Charlie gave very specific and pragmatic initiatives that they implement to engage with their employees. What strategies can you implement to foster a people-first culture in your recruitment firm?
Charlie explains that culture acts like a magnet in attracting the right talent while repelling those who don't align with the company's values. She breaks down this concept into four key "talent magnets":
Walk the Talk: The company should live its values daily, celebrating employees who embody these values, like recognizing "value winners" quarterly.
Beyond the Paycheck: This magnet offers more than just a salary; it offers flexibility, benefits, and other tangible and intangible perks.
Intentional Connection: This is about fostering genuine relationships within the team, getting to know them beyond their work roles, and maintaining regular check-ins to gauge team happiness.
Growth Takes Two: This emphasizes collaboration between employees and leadership on career development, ensuring promotions align with employees' personal goals and conducting "evolution meetings" to discuss future aspirations.
Charlie believes that these magnets help attract and retain the right talent while ensuring a strong and aligned company culture.
Practical Steps to Enhance People Engagement
What steps do you currently take to enhance your team's engagement? Does it need a big budget? I wanted to know the actual actions that Charlie implements from a leadership perspective to further a people-centric environment.
A notable takeaway is how Charlie initiates small, personal gestures of appreciation, like handwritten notes or small gifts, regardless of whether there is no budget allocation for these gestures. These small acts of recognition made a significant impact on employee morale and engagement. Over time, this evolved into a formal appreciation and recognition program within her organization.
The program includes a budget for recognizing milestones such as new hires, promotions, anniversaries, and personal achievements like buying a house or having a baby. There's also a "petty cash" fund for impromptu recognition, where any team member can submit a form to acknowledge a colleague who might need a pick-me-up, whether it's sending a gift card, treating them to lunch, or something as simple as giving them their favorite candy (a part of their onboarding process is asking members to share favorite foods or places).
These small, thoughtful gestures cost very little and can significantly boost employee morale and foster a strong, people-centered culture. She advocates for sharing these practices with clients, especially those in small businesses, to help them retain their talent by showing genuine appreciation for their employees. Would you apply the same for your team?
How to Develop a Strong Brand
While the topic of an engaging culture is certainly most interesting, I also wanted to pick Charlie’s brains on building a strong brand and online presence. Charlie is excellent at leveraging her voice through social media and building her brand. She became a recruiter back when LinkedIn was not yet a thing, and she is now utilizing various platforms to build her brand.
You may find the following action items helpful when building your brand:
Start Posting Consistently: Initially, Charlie used LinkedIn like many recruiters—sourcing candidates and building projects without much focus on content creation. However, she began posting content regularly, even though her early posts were generic and received little engagement.
Experiment with Content: After years of posting expected content, such as interview tips and salary negotiation advice, Charlie noticed that her posts weren't resonating with her audience. Inspired by a viral TikTok video her son created, she experimented with more personal and relatable content. This shift in approach proved to be a game-changer.
Share Personal Stories: The viral success of a family-related post gave Charlie the confidence to open up more about her personal life, including her experiences as a mother and leader. This authenticity helped her connect with her audience on a deeper level and drove business opportunities in unexpected ways.
Engage with Your Audience: Charlie found that sharing personal content led to increased engagement, with people reaching out to her with business inquiries and personal messages. This interaction helped her build a community and strengthened her brand's presence.
Post Regularly and Stay Inspired: Charlie developed a routine of posting five days a week, always looking for inspiration in her daily life that she could share with her audience. She emphasized the importance of staying consistent and adapting content based on what resonates with her followers.
Charlie Saffro Bio and Contact Info
Meet Charlie, a recruitment expert with a passion for human leadership, talent acquisition, employee engagement, company culture, and retention. She founded CS Recruiting over a decade ago and has built it from the ground up, managing a multi-million dollar organization and leading a team of talented recruiters with an emphasis on a people-first culture.
As CEO and Founder, Charlie's mission is to create meaningful connections that empower others to discover their full potential. She is a recognized expert in the Supply Chain, Logistics, and Transportation industry and her firm has worked with a diverse range of clients nationwide.
Charlie's goal is to develop long-lasting relationships with clients and candidates, making appropriate and timely career matches for all levels of positions. Beyond her work, Charlie is also a dedicated yogi and encourages her clients and team to practice mindfulness in the workplace and beyond. She believes that personal development and self-care are crucial to achieving success and fulfillment in all areas of life. Charlie is also a proud mother of three teenage boys and actively volunteers with local organizations to support and empower women in the workforce.
Why Relentless Work Ethic is Key to Executive Search Success, with Vince Dunne, Ep #227
Épisode 227
jeudi 22 août 2024 • Durée 01:12:43
When he started his search firm, Vince was told that you would make 100 grand in year one if you're lucky. In his first year, he did more than $600k in revenue! Was that just a lucky year? Definitely not. He would not even consider his 12 years in business his best year. What are Vince’s key strategies in achieving this phenomenal result? In this episode, he shares two things: his belief system and his hard work.
Vince Dunne is the President of Dunne Search Group, an executive search firm based in South Carolina. For the last 12 years, he’s specialized in recruiting salespeople for the biotech industry and has helped build some of the most important companies in cancer testing.
Episode Outline and Highlights
[01:56] How Vince got into recruiting and how he was able to shorten his learning curve.
[10:26] Transitioning from a top recruiter to a recruitment business owner.
[14:27] Overcoming the scarcity mindset: would you be friends with a close competitor?
[16:34] Pulling off $600k in his first year of business.
[25:51] How Vince set up 210 interviews to land 70 monthly placements.
[35:10] Discussion on Retain vs Contingent?
[36:53] Vince reveals his team size and structure.
[42:10] How to pitch an exclusive search arrangement with your client.
[45:25] Topic on tech stack and approach to reaching out to clients and candidates.
[56:03] How to “make a name for yourself.”
[59:12] The biggest adversity Vince faced in his career.
Pulling off $600k Revenue in His First Year
Vince and I talked about his motivation to transition from being a top recruiter to launching his search group. “But I noticed I was getting my clients. Nothing was handed to me, and I thought it was because ‘Vince will figure it out. You know, he's. He's doing well. He's rookie of the year.’ I'm hitting all my numbers every quarter… So I was getting my clients anyway. So why am I splitting my business? And so I felt like I was ready. I've got enough clients out there of people that want to do business with me.” Knowing that he was ready, he took on the challenge of becoming a recruitment business owner, leveraging the skills he learned and the relationships he built over the years. Remarkably, he was able to make more than $600k in revenue in his first year!
Connect with Mark Whitby
How Grit and Determination Fueled a $2M Recruitment Firm's Success, with Brent Orsuga, Ep #218
Épisode 218
mercredi 29 mai 2024 • Durée 01:04:05
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.
Connect with Mark Whitby
Boutique vs Behemoth: How the Little Guys Can Beat the Big Recruitment Firms, with Paul Taaffe, Ep # 129
Épisode 129
mercredi 8 juin 2022 • Durée 01:01:22
Last time Paul Taaffe came on the podcast, we heard how this former CFO has enjoyed extraordinary success running a boutique search firm. He revealed how he managed to bill €4,000,000 in revenue with a small team.
Nearly two years later, Paul is back for his second appearance on the show. You’ll hear fascinating insights on how to gain an advantage over the competition and outperform even the biggest search firms in the world.
Paul’s philosophy is about providing “return on energy invested.” He and his team provide an efficient service without compromising quality by leveraging their relationships and market knowledge. You’ll learn how he achieves market mastery by carefully cultivating his network so he can deliver a shortlist in 30 days or less. On multiple occassions, Paul has made a €100,000 placement fee in 7 days!
Paul is the founder and CEO of FINANCE People Solutions (FPS) based in Frankfurt, Germany. Prior to starting his business in 2014, he was either a CFO or CRO for US global corporations as well as high profile private equity funds and their portfolios where he mastered various change management challenges, from turnaround and restructuring to the implementation of new growth strategies.
Episode Outline and Highlights
[1:43] Paul shares the latest developments at his firm, Finance People Solutions.
[6:15] FPS’ focus market, revenue stream, and marketing strategy.
[10:35] How to choose the right client to work with - and when to walk away.
[15:30] Coaching your clients on their recruitment process
[16:53] Paul’s top tips on how to market a candidate.
[20:36] FPS’ new Benchmarking Products as a differentiator
[23:30] Why Paul launched his own podcast.
[27:26] Why ‘head-hunting’ is an outdated term and Paul prefers ‘resource matching.’
[33:58] How to build your brand on LinkedIn.
[43:01] Paul reveals what he learned from working for Phil Knight, Nike’s co-founder.
[51:00] Why Paul likes to hire students when building his team
How to Attract Inbound Client Leads and Win Engaged Search Assignments, with Skip Freeman, Ep #128
Épisode 128
jeudi 2 juin 2022 • Durée 59:49
Want to attract inbound client leads and convert them into engaged search assignments, where the client pays part of the fee up front?
Then you’ll love my interview with Skip Freeman, founder of Smart Buildings Talent. Skip shared that he’s currently working on 13 engaged searches simultaneously at 25% fees. Of those 13 searches, 12 of them were inbound leads meaning the client approached Skip instead of the other way around.
Skip reveals some of his most effective tactics and strategies, including a detailed masterclass on how to be “prominent and visible” in your chosen niche. You’ll also hear his fascinating story of resilience - from building a business, overcoming prostate cancer, and restarting from the ground up.
Skip is the Founder and President of Smart Buildings Talent, specializing in Buildings Automation and Smart Industry. Skip graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, in 1976, with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and has almost 20 years of experience as a recruitment business owner.
Episode Outline and Highlights
[2:22] Skip shares how he became a recruiter and the latest accomplishments of Smart Buildings Talent
[9:24] How to become a specialist and find a super-focused niche.
[15:06] Global Acquisition: Key factors that made Skip’s firm attractive to a global brand.
[22:09] Steps to becoming prominent and visible in your chosen niche.
[36:38] Skip’s tips for consistently creating and posting content on LinkedIn.
[44:49] The importance of systems - Skip reveals his “sequence of recruitment operations.”
[55:00] Skip’s process for closing engaged searches including the ingredients of a winning proposal.
Finding a Super-Focused Niche
A recent achievement that Skip shared is when a global IT consulting and contract staffing firm, Emerge360, reached out to acquire his brand, Smart Building Talent. This is an outstanding accomplishment for a business of its size - and what made it possible are three things:
How to Future-Proof Your Recruitment Business During the Great Realignment, with Bert Miller, Ep # 127
Épisode 127
mercredi 25 mai 2022 • Durée 55:03
“For those out there that are starting a firm or for those recruiters out there thinking about starting a firm… when people really will look at the mirror and understand what their capabilities are, and where there are gaps and they work on that, they will then become a better leader.”
I am very much looking forward to sharing this episode with you. My very special guest, Bert Miller, with more than 25 years of leadership experience in the world of work, has been very generous in sharing golden nuggets of wisdom. Hear his fascinating insights on the “Great Realignment” and how it impacts our recruitment business today. You will also hear major trends in the recruitment industry as well as effective techniques you can use to warm up your leads.
Bert currently serves as President of Protis Global, plus President and CEO of MRINetwork, a network-centric recruitment organization that offers consulting, training, contract staffing, and community building to over 325 search firms worldwide
Episode Outline and Highlights
[2:05] How Bert started as a recruiter leading up to him becoming President and CEO of MRI.
[8:06] How recruitment firm owners can future-proof their business.
[10:30] The 10-4-2 strategy to engage people on LinkedIn.
[16:32] How to effectively use LinkedIn to warm up your leads using the headline approach.
[26:25] What is the “Great Realignment?”
[31:50] Bert’s principle on ‘storytelling your North Star.”
[37:35] The importance of empowering your recruiters to have their own personal brand.
[42:29] Circling back to the Great Realignment, how do recruitment business owners ensure that they are in the forefront?
[45:13] Bert shares the biggest mistakes he sees recruiters making: from rookies to long-term veterans.
[48:39] Success factors for owning and growing a recruitment firm.
LinkedIn Strategies to Warm Up Your Leads
How are you using LinkedIn as a tool to find potential candidates or clients? You will be delighted to hear strategies shared by Bert on how to warm up your leads using this platform. How do you connect with an executive? How do you make your presence felt with insightful engagement? Bert shared two techniques:
How to Stop Working with the Wrong Clients and Embrace Your Inner Badass, with Jackie Rothschild, Ep # 126
Épisode 126
mercredi 18 mai 2022 • Durée 01:00:06
Are you putting up with companies who aren’t your ideal clients? Does the thought of asking for a retainer or increasing your rates scare the hell out of you? Do you have a mind block to being more specialized or refocusing on a niche that’s truly aligned with the direction you want to take your recruitment business?
In this interview, my special guest Jackie Rothschild shares how after years of struggle, a change in approach and mindset enabled her to attract the right clients – clients who were willing to work with her as a true partner. You’ll also hear Jackie’s inspiring story of resilience, and how a health crisis was the catalyst for renewed determination to succeed and no longer being willing to settle.
Jackie is a Human capital advisor and retained search executive for PBMs (pharmacy benefit managers) and Physician practice owners who want to grow their business and hire the most qualified PBM, healthcare executives and clinicians.
Episode Outline and Highlights
[1:46] Jackie’s journey from being a licensed pharmacist to becoming a recruiter.
[10:09] Jackie reveals her struggles and lessons when starting her recruitment firm from the ground up.
[16:26] How you should define your niche if working in a broad industry.
[21:30] How to identify the best client you should be working with.
[26:23] Training a Virtual Assistant from administrative tasks to making placement - how Jackie developed her VA
[32:46] Jackie’s recent biggest challenge and how it defines resilience.
[49:58] Getting off the hamster wheel through retained business.
From a Successful Pharmaceutical Career to a Starting a Recruitment Business
Jackie shared her successful career as a licensed pharmacist when she worked in the Pharmacy Benefit Industry (PBM) for 15 years. Being a friendly person, she built an extensive network of connections. Her friends made her a point of contact if ever they needed to hire a specialist in the industry. This made Jackie realise that recruitment is something she should try. Even with no prior background, she took a massive salary cut, took a risk, and started her recruitment career.
What’s the Secret to Sustainable and Profitable Recruitment Business Growth, with Mark Skinner, Ep #125
Épisode 125
jeudi 12 mai 2022 • Durée 01:02:16
An ironic fact about the recruitment industry is that we have a very high attrition rate and so much churn, which can often translate into a massive drain on profit and can be an impediment to growth. My special guest, Mark Skinner, shares how they set up a work culture which has led to their recruitment team having an average tenure of more than eight years.
Mark is the Co-Founder & Managing Director of CSC Recruitment, a construction recruitment firm founded in 2005. CSC has 25 employees with 3 offices and specialist teams dealing with freelance, permanent, and executive search with a thriving international division. Mark began his recruiting career in 1998.
Episode Outline and Highlights
[1:56] Why Mark started his own recruitment business.
[5:52] With an average tenure of 8 years, Mark discussed how they take care of their people.
[15:29] How to set up an achievement culture for your recruitment team.
[27:13] How to track and create an inventory of your team’s achievements.
[32:18] Best practices for taking care of your team’s mental health - how to make them feel okay to share if they are not okay.
[42:05] Mark shares their greatest accomplishments
[50:50] CSC Recruitment’s approach to partnering with clients.
[55:29] Key factor in CSC’s success in winning businesses: consultative and solutions sales approach.
The Key to Having An Average Tenure of Eight Years
If there is a secret to having a sustainable and profitable business that grows over time, holding on to your team members - especially the ones performing well - is important. Mark and I discussed how they take care of their people leading to their average tenure of eight years. Some of the key highlights of our discussion on this topic are as follows:
Having a management mindset where people come first
Covering healthcare and prioritizing mental health
Recognize your team’s efforts with celebration and praise even on small wins
How to Recession-Proof Your Recruitment Business While Accelerating Growth, with Abid Hamid, Ep #124
Épisode 124
mercredi 4 mai 2022 • Durée 57:19
Are you concerned about what is going to happen when the current growth in the recruitment industry starts to slow down?
While the recruitment industry is still enjoying the momentum from 2021, propelling it forward through Q1 and most likely Q2 too, it remains a cyclical industry. Sooner or later, economic growth and hiring will decelerate.
In this episode, Abid Hamid reveals the biggest concerns and hot topics on the minds of recruitment business founders and CEOs. The information that he shares in this interview can make a valuable contribution to any size recruitment business.
His advice is to prepare right now for when the next slow cycle comes around. This could be in 6 or 18 months from now and nobody can predict the exact date for the change in direction. The only certainty is that there will be one again and this should urge recruitment business owners to take the necessary steps to protect their businesses while still scaling and growing.
One of the ways to do this is by creating and sustaining sticky relationships with your clients. He explains all you need to know about how to do this in the next hour of conversation.
Episode Outline and Highlights
[01:38] Abid explains the importance of sharing ideas with like-minded experts in your field
[04:00] What are the hot topics in the minds of recruitment CEOs?
[06:17] What’s the definition of a client? What does a sticky client relationship look like?
[09:50] What is the cost of the business you have and is it something you want?
[13:00] Abid expands on payment terms and how to collect your accounts receivables faster
[17:45] Abid’s thoughts about the next 12 months in the recruitment industry
[21:46] How to protect yourself while continuing to grow your business
[24:00] These are the characteristics that Abid looks for when hiring recruiters?
[27:00] What is a Risk Matrix and how does it come to play in your business?
[31:50] Abid’s plans for the US recruitment market
How a Recruitment Business Launched, Scaled and Sold for $12,000,000 in 5 Years, with James Caan, Ep # 123
Épisode 123
mercredi 27 avril 2022 • Durée 59:18
Have you ever dreamed of starting and scaling up a recruitment business to the point that you could achieve a successful exit? If so, you’re going to love my interview with James Caan, who joins us for his second time on the show.
In this episode, James walks us through how to successfully launch, scale, and exit your business. His insights are backed up by his track record as the founder of Recruitment Entrepreneur, the world’s leading private equity firm specializing in recruitment start-ups and scale-ups. RE has been successfully operating in 60+ countries and has currently invested in 45 recruitment businesses. You will hear a case study of how one of Recruitment Entrepreneur’s partners was able to launched, scale, and sell their business for $12m in just five years!
James is an investor, a serial entrepreneur, and a former panellist on the hit TV series Dragon’s Den. He founded two recruitment companies with combined revenue of £1B.
Episode Outline and Highlights
[1:41] James shares his perspective on the recruitment market of 2022 compared to 2021.
[5:08] How Recruitment Entrepreneur helps recruiters build scalable businesses.
[10:05] From $220k to $2M USD in billings in five years - James shared a Recruitment Entrepreneur case study.
[22:08] Why is James now expanding Recruitment Entrepreneur to the US?
[27:36] What is meant by smart capital and how it impacts the recruitment industry.
[29:16] Expanding beyond the US - why Recruitment Entrepreneur is going global and why it makes sense.
[35:35] James’ mindset on creating value for their clients. Also, hear James reveal their ‘secret sauce’ for their success.
[40:55] How James’ team consistently helps enhance the value of businesses prior to exit events.
[42:46] What buyers are looking for in a recruitment business that they may want to acquire.
[47:45] How Recruitment Entrepreneur supports businesses in their portfolio to attract good talent.
[54:44] How training and development can easily assimilate new joiners to your business’ work culture.
I wanted to dive deep into the causal factors of this phenomenal success. Vince believed that he was just lucky. But you will find out as we continue our conversation that there are two main ingredients for his secret sauce: his belief system & hard work. Vince was really competitive and strictly adhered to his no-fail mindset. He would reach out to ten people before 9:00 AM daily to generate leads. These traits enabled him to shorten his learning curve when he was just a rookie and surely contributed to his success as a business owner.
How to “Make a Name” For Yourself
Another topic that resonates with me is Vince’s emphasis on building a reputation and making a name for yourself. Vince’s niche is in the Biotech industry, a very competitive circle, which means that your reputation is a huge deal. Vince shared insights on how he makes a name for himself and that people know him within the sales biotech world.
Reputation Through Results: Vince builds a strong reputation by consistently delivering results, making successful placements, and ensuring client satisfaction.
Client Focus: He emphasizes the importance of caring for his clients, going above and beyond, and even working late hours to meet their needs.
Referrals: Vince actively asks for referrals during and after a project to expand his network and connect with more potential clients and managers.
LinkedIn Recommendations: He sometimes asks clients for LinkedIn recommendations to build credibility and visibility.
Personal Connections: Vince maintains relationships by sending personalized gestures, like Christmas gifts, and ensuring that he remains in his clients’ minds for future opportunities.
Building Relationships is Always Better in the Long Run
Vince shared an insightful take on building relationships versus burning bridges. If you have been unfairly treated by a client before, you will most likely relate to his story. I asked Vince about the biggest adversity in his career, and he shared that it was learning not to burn bridges. His aggressive, competitive nature sometimes led to conflicts with clients, particularly when he felt he wasn’t fairly compensated or recognized for his work.
Vince acknowledges that, in hindsight, there were times he should have taken the high road instead of standing his ground, which ultimately damaged relationships with some clients. He overcame this challenge by realizing the importance of choosing his battles wisely and maintaining long-term relationships, even if it meant compromising on smaller issues. He now prioritizes staying loyal to clients who treat him well, even if it means turning down business from competitors.
A key takeaway is that maintaining a positive image and strong relationships is crucial in the long run. Vince balances his competitive nature with a more strategic approach, focusing on clients who value and respect him while still holding onto the principles that have made him successful.
Vince Dunne Bio and Contact Info
A graduate of the Coles College of Business, Vince Dunne brings his keen business acumen and 12 years of accomplished biotech search experience placing the most qualified candidates in both established corporations and start-up companies. Vince utilizes his proven, unique business model to conduct his search to locate and refer the ideal candidate(s) to meet the tailored, strategic needs of an organization, conserving their company resources and increasing corporate efficiencies.
Vince has helped build out some of the most important companies in cancer testing. Having focused on many areas in biotech, the oncology and women's health space is where we spend most of our time. We pride ourselves on being very well-known and trusted in the market.
[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.
Paul is a fan of positive energy which means he is selective of the clients he works with. He only works with committed clients, no contingency, only retained or exclusive. In our interview, Paul shared his criteria in client selection and when to ‘fire’ or let go of a client.
“If we do not enjoy working together, if the process is not good, in this day and age if you get your hands on top three candidates or two or even one for this matter, we never say we are going to produce a shortlist, we will produce at least one … and the customer is not coming back, not setting up appointments, not picking it up, that is no good we are wasting people’s time,” is how Paul described it. He shared concrete examples based on experience how in some cases it did not work with some clients.
Also, given the current situation in the market where recruitment needs to adapt, how do you coach your compatible clients on improving their recruitment process? Paul shares his best practices.
Marketing and Brand Building Best Practices
Although Paul’s background is in finance, he is actually excellent at marketing. In this interview, you will hear some of his marketing strategies including:
FPS Benchmarking Product
Podcast
Partnership with FINANCE Magazin
LinkedIn content
Paul believes US companies are the best at marketing and says his experience at Nike helped him to become a great marketer.
Why Head-Hunting is a Term of the Past
Another interesting topic we talked about is the term “headhunting” which Paul believes is outdated. As Paul said, “The difference for us is we have relationships with these people… That is why I don’t like this term head-hunting… I call it resource matching. We match resources. We don’t headhunt people, we have them already in our network. So it is about what is the best position for these people. So it is an evolution from the old headhunting.”
Paul doesn’t need to “hunt” because he’s already mapped his market and curated a strong network. Since he already knows and has relationships with the vast majority of the candidates in his space, he is able to move fast without compromising quality.
Our Sponsors
This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.
i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained
We’re excited to announce that Recruitment Entrepreneur will be sponsoring the podcast! If you’ve dreamed of starting up or scaling up and exiting your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc
Paul Taaffe Bio and Contact Info
Paul is the founder and CEO of FINANCE People Solutions (PFS) in 2014. He has been in the recruitment business since 2014, and prior to that, he was either a CFO or CRO for US global blue-chip companies such as Pepsi Cola, Nike, Lear Corporation, and Dell as well as having worked in Private Equity. He founded the PE Finance Organisation Benchmarking company, Taaffe and Partners in 2011.
On the topic of finding a critical niche, Skip’s background in mechanical engineering served as a foundation to look at focusing on automation and discovering the talent behind this industry. He then focused on his mastery in this specialty which was a critical game-changer in his business. Skip also revealed what made him prominent and visible in his chosen niche.
Your Recruitment "Sequence of Operations"
Another topic that Skip shared is the system he discovered, which he refers to as his sequence of recruitment operations. “A system is going to be a consistent process that everybody understands, and you have the tools as well as needed. Every time you get a job order, it enters into the system,” is how he describes it.
Inspired by Mike Pietrack and Scott Adams, you will hear his four major steps to the job order fulfilment process:
Find
Attract
Qualify
Land
How to Be Prominent and Visible in Your Chosen Niche
Choosing the niche and area of specialisation is the first step, but how do you become prominent and visible in your chosen niche? How do you generate inbound leads? Skip shared how he does it. From his experience, he explained how he attends trade shows, creates articles and content specifically for his industry, and how he has become a “community leader” on LinkedIn. You will hear how to use polls to your advantage and how to generate inbound leads from LinkedIn.
Our Sponsors
This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.
i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained
We’re excited to announce that Recruitment Entrepreneur will be sponsoring the podcast! If you’ve dreamed of starting up or scaling up and exiting your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc
Skip Freeman Bio and Contact Info
Skip Freeman graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, in 1976, with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. He served in the US Army Corps of Engineers, more specifically the Combat Engineers, after which he moved into industry as a chemical sales rep for a major speciality chemical company.
He progressed from field sales into sales management. As a Sales Manager, Skip had started using one particular recruiter for all of his hiring needs. That relationship began with none other than an MPC marketing call. And while that candidate wasn't hired, many were over the next several years.
Then Skip's firm was purchased. To stay with the company, he was going to have to relocate. That not being an option due to family reasons, he called his recruiter this time saying, "I don't need a candidate, I'm going to need a job." After some contemplation, his recruiter said, "Have you ever thought about running your own business? Skip said, "Tell me more..." and that's how Skip's recruiting career began.
With some of Skip's recruitment work helping to hire chemists and chemical engineers, he was contacted by an agency in Washington, DC, which led to an interesting parallel journey. in which Skip recruited for the CIA for 4-years.
In 2013, he started building a recruiting firm and his wife joined him in the business. His firm reached a size of 8 people when he suffered a personal setback, prostate cancer, which, more or less, took him out of the game for 3-years. One by one everyone in the firm dwindled away or needed to be fired until it was just Skip again along with his wife.
Since then he’s completely rebuilt his business as the founder and president of Smart Buildings Talent, focused on buildings automation and smart industry. Today he is back with an exciting story that illustrates perseverance, discipline, and a will to win.
A fascinating insight shared by Bert is about the “Great Realignment”. In his words, “What happened in the last two and a half years only accelerated something that is already underway… The power of individuals coming in to play… The dynamics coming into play about the hybrid model, working flexible… I think companies that do not react or respond enough on the last several years to the individual… those organizations are now stepping back.”
With this transition, how do recruitment businesses remain in the forefront instead of being left behind? Bert placed an emphasis on rehiring your people all the time - keeping the ones you have and storytelling your North Star. You will hear a more elaborated explanation about it in this episode. Also, key areas that would need to be addressed are:
Proper planning
Learning what is going on in your sector
Going deeper in your ‘dig’
Bert’s Success Factors in Owning and Scaling Your Recruitment Business
With over 25 years of leadership experience in the world of work running Protis Global and becoming President of the MRI Network, what are the success factors that Bert can share to all our listeners?
“I find myself at 60-years-old continuing to learn every day. I know that I am not there. My team does that too. So having that humility and vulnerability does not make you weaker as an organization, it actually makes you stronger.”
Our Sponsors
This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.
i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained
We’re excited to announce that Recruitment Entrepreneur will be sponsoring the podcast! If you’ve dreamed of starting up or scaling up and exiting your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc
Bert Miller Bio and Contact Info
With over 25 years of leadership experience in the world of work, Bert E. Miller currently serves as CEO of Protis Global, Ace Talent Curators, and President and CEO of MRI Network. MRI is a network-centric recruitment organization that offers consulting, training, contract staffing, and community building to over 325 search firms worldwide. Bert also co-founded Protis Global, an award-winning search and recruitment firm specializing in the F&B, CPG, cannabis, and hospitality industries. Bert is an active speaker, mentor, advisor, and investor. He hosts the MRINetwork Podcast and his new video podcast series, "Beyond the Bottom Line," features interviews with CEOs and leaders from across categories on issues impacting the world of work.
She was then assigned to build a branch for her staffing firm which became a huge success. This is when her husband encouraged her to start her recruitment firm. It was a strange idea in the beginning since she had no business background. She took a risk and started Acclaimed Staffing. At the onset, things were okay but were not clicking. This is where her story becomes interesting. She shared her struggles and learnings. You will hear instances of failures and adversities, but what will resonate is her journey of resilience.
COVID Setbacks and Surviving Cancer
An astonishing revelation that Jackie shared in our interview is how she was able to overcome a series of devastating events. In 2020, Jackie’s business was affected by the pandemic. At that time, she was also diagnosed with a very rare type of cancer with which very few medical professionals in the country can deal with it. As she was recovering from surgery, her husband had a heart attack.
Those were trying times for Jackie and her husband. What type of treatment did Jackie have to endure? How was she able to manage her business? How is Jackie doing now? I am confident that you will be inspired by her story of grit, resilience, and courage. Her husband calls Jackie a badass, and once you hear her story I think you’ll agree!
Getting off the Hamster Wheel Through Retained Business
Jackie shared how she learned to filter the best client when she shifted to the retained business model. For her, it was a change in mindset. This enabled her to walk away from new clients that are not really a good fit and made her focus on her partners or clients that stood by her. If you are contemplating whether you should consider shifting from a contingent to a retained search model, I highly recommend hearing out how it became a game-changer for Jackie.
Our Sponsors
This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.
i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained
We’re excited to announce that Recruitment Entrepreneur will be sponsoring the podcast! If you’ve dreamed of starting up or scaling up and exiting your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc
Jackie Rothschild Bio and Contact Info
Jackie is the owner of Acclaimed Staffing and CEO of Rothschild RX.
Acclaimed Staffing is an Arizona staffing agency that specializes in the healthcare career placement of all aspects for ambulatory surgical centres, clinics, medical offices, hospitals, imaging and radiology centres, nursing homes, home care, hospice, and other healthcare facilities. Jackie and her team have been trusted business partners for over 7 years servicing many medical offices, health plans, home health and assisted living facilities in finding mid-level and executive clinicians and ancillary staff.
Jackie is a licensed pharmacist since 1995 and worked in the PBM (pharmacy benefit management) industry for over 15 years. Based on her deep PBM roots, RothschildRx was formed in 2021 to specifically service the PBM (pharmacy benefit management) industry.
Recently due to their successful track record, the RothschildRx team is being awarded an exclusive talent sourcing agreement with a leading mid-market PBM.
Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Jackie is living in Arizona where she lives with her husband, 2 children, and 4 “furry children”.
The last item is a very interesting topic we covered which is about building a culture of achievement.
Building a Culture of Achievement via Company Conferences
On top of hosting sales meetings six times a year to recognize top billers, Mark’s company also do what they call ‘company conferences’. Over 17 years, they have done around 40 overseas trips where they take everyone. These conferences are a testament to how they value the contributions of their respective teams. The basis of where they are going or how expensive the trip is going to be will depend not only on individual achievements but also on overall group performance.
It Is Okay Not to Be Okay - Taking Care of Your Team’s Mental Health
Another theme that stood out in our interview is how Mark is taking care of their team’s mental health. “Let’s face it millions of people said it before, the stigma is about it, a lot of people don’t understand it… when we found people that we think are happy go lucky… and you found out, hang on one second, they’re not and you try and help them. When the business was new, we didn’t have a lot of things in our toolbox,” is how Mark described how it was when they were just starting their business. Their commitment to their principle of “people come first” ensures that they have sufficient support from professionals. They made it possible for the people in their team to have someone to talk to 24/7 and if needed, therapists to give help.
What if people are not covered by their healthcare provider because of pre-existing conditions? Mark’s company pay a significant amount to help that person.
Our Sponsors
This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.
i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained
We’re excited to announce that Recruitment Entrepreneur will be sponsoring the podcast! If you’ve dreamed of starting up or scaling up and exiting your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters who they can invest in. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc
Mark Skinner Bio and Contact Info
Mark is the Co-founder & Managing Director of CSC Recruitment. He spent four years with Hays and Hill McGlynn (now Randstad) before setting up a construction division for a boutique agency and then establishing CSC 2 years later. A graduate in Economics and Politics from the University of Kent, Mark founded CSC Recruitment as a consultancy-led construction business to work with clients looking for a recruitment partner rather than a supplier.
[33:15] Why are there so many small recruitment businesses that don’t scale?
[38:50] Understanding the process of scaling-up with Abid’s help
[43:20] Why your business isn’t attractive to buyers – even if your billings are good
[47:07] Abid shares some of Recruitment Entrepreneur’s success stories
[50:55] How to allocate time to work on your business to scale rather than working in your business to earn an income
What Are the Three Hot Topics on the Minds of CEOs Right Now?
Abid states that currently, the thoughts of founders and CEOs centre around the current state of the market. He then breaks this down further, referring to what this entails. The first point to consider when you take a look at the entire market is how to build cultures in businesses where there is a flexible environment. Another point is how do you attract the right people in the market that is so heated when it comes to salaries. The third point of interest is, how do you create more sticky situations with your clients?
He says that in these cycles, it is evident that flexibility in the workplace is here to stay and what is becoming vital now is how you manage this flexibility. For example, if your teams work mostly remotely but do spend some time at the office, you get teams to come in at the same time. This still allows for some collaboration on the sales floor.
The Risk Matrix - What Is This and What Does It Mean To Your Recruitment Business?
What are the characteristics that Abid looks for in candidates when recruiting internally?
“For me, slightly out of the norm is good. Slightly unhinged is good…Slightly unhinged in the sense that you really, really know what you want because people who are passionate about something, they are slightly different,” Abid states before explaining what the Risk Matrix is that he is looking for in candidates.
The Risk Matrix is the built-in barrier that we all have that determines our decisions regardless of whether we purchase something or make a phone call. While he sees the perfect candidate to have a bit of an unusual side, the Risk Matrix must still be controlled, making them prepared to go to the edge of their experiences, constantly expanding on what they are capable of and getting comfortable with.
Why Are There So Many Small Recruitment Businesses That Don’t Scale?
The recruitment industry has an abundance of small recruitment businesses and there are many reasons why the majority of them don’t scale. According to Abid, creating a successful business and an exit-able business are two different things. You need to know how to exit and plan for that in advance. It is also important to understand that many of the solo recruiters or boutique firms don’t want to scale as they’re only interested in a lifestyle business. That’s perfectly fine, so long as the business is providing what they want, and that they’re not letting fear hold them back from scaling.
Abid further emphasizes that it is important to distinguish between generating an income from recruitment and building a recruitment business that you can exit from at a later stage. The latter is what Recruitment Entrepreneur helps their clients to achieve.
Our Sponsors
This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.
i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained
Abid Hamid Bio and Contact Info
Abid is trained as a lawyer, worked in corporate banking, and has been in the recruitment sector for the last 20 years mainly in management and leadership roles. He had worked globally within the recruitment sector and is a highly experienced business leader with a wealth of experience in various industry sectors and difficult geographies around the world. Abid had held various board positions from start-up to FTSE 250 Listed company and is currently Chairman and NED for 19 companies.
Launching, Scaling and Selling a Recruitment Business for $12M in Only Five Years
Since its founding in 2014, Recruitment Entrepreneur’s goal is to help founders and owners of recruitment businesses to globally, launch, scale, and exit their recruitment businesses. James shared a superb case study on how they worked side by side with James Absalom, CEO of Walter James recruitment. Below is the chronology of his success:
James launched his business with Recruitment Entrepreneur
In year one, he earned $350k compared to previous years of earning around $220k in average.
By year five, he had 15 consultants with annual revenue of $5m and $2m in profit.
Recently acquired by ZRG Partners for $12m
You will hear James walk you through the process - what do you need to start? What is the thought process in deciding when to scale? How do you grow the billing? How do you attract talent? These are a few of the golden nuggets that you will hear in this episode. If you are strategizing on launching, scaling and exiting your recruitment business, you will enjoy our interview.
How to Create and Enhance Your Recruitment Business’ Value
James’ recruitment and entrepreneurial experience bring invaluable insights when it comes to enhancing businesses under their portfolio. You will hear James reveal specific key pointers for success. How do they create value and further enhance recruitment businesses to set it up in a profitable exit? “The single factor to success and scale is having the ability to attract and keep people,” James stated. He further elaborates on specific focus areas that founders would need to work on to make their business scalable and successful.
James added, “First thing is, we don’t back markets, we don’t back sectors, we don’t back products. We back people, and that has been the mantra of my entire working life and it has never failed me yet.”
Must Haves to Make Your Business Scalable and Exit-Able
If you plan to scale and exit your recruitment business, you will hear the following key takeaways from our discussion:
The importance of having a stable workforce by attracting and retaining the right people.
Establishing a culture of coaching, learning, and development.
Having a clear strategy for developing your brand.
Having an international mindset.
You will find James’ take on the above elements definitely insightful.
Our Sponsors
This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.
i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained
James Caan Bio and Contact Info
James founded private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw in 2004 and joined the panel of heavyweight investors for BBC’s Dragons' Den in 2007. His main focus is on charity work, current investments, growing Hamilton Bradshaw and mentoring entrepreneurs to help ensure their success.
With a passion for building businesses and backing talented people, he has been building and selling businesses since 1985 and thinks it is important to invest in people rather than products or businesses. James is a great believer that it is people who create a successful business through their passion and conviction, with a firm belief that “It’s your attitude, not your aptitude that determines your altitude”.
James’ website link (You may find and download his audiobook via this link)
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