The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast

Season 5 | Ep 21 - Liam Thomas on the reality of leading his agency whilst losing his business partner after a 7 year battle with cancer

Episode 21

Show notes

This week's episode was one that I wanted to have but was also really nervous about. It is without a doubt the most emotional and heartbreaking conversation I have ever recorded.

I was joined by Liam Thomas, the Founder of Highfield Professional Solutions & Data X Connect, a specialist recruitment agency headquartered on the South Coast of England with 45 staff.

Liam launched the business with his mate and business partner, Sam Hughes, 15 years ago when they were both 25 and fearless!

A classic recruitment founder story.

But in 2014, when the business was well-established and growing, Sam was diagnosed with Stage 4 Bowel Cancer. The diagnosis changed everything for them.

Over the next 7 years, Sam battled everything that came his way and the business continued to grow. Liam admits he was in denial and always believed his partner and friend would be back to work full time again one day.

In September 2021, Sam lost his life after an incredible fight.

In this episode Liam talks about it all: when they started the business, coping with the diagnosis, and dealing with the reality of losing Sam.

There were tears shed during the recording and I hope it moves you as much as it moved me.

I am so proud of Liam for speaking about this and I am sure you will be too.

The RAG sponsors

District4

Do you feel like you’re not surrounded by peers and you’ve stopped learning? Imagine only working alongside other experienced recruiters who you can really collaborate with while having the freedom to do it your way. If you’re thinking of a change, check out District4 where you can launch your own business and not be alone!

Visit www.district4.io/hoxo for more info

Vincere

Vincere.io published a playbook, like a buyers guide, for those shopping around for a new system. Inside you will find:

- ROI-driven strategy to building out a comprehensive feature checklist

- How to assemble an effective CRM evaluation team

- Battle-tested compliance & security vendor scorecards

- Understanding inclusion versus integration

- Power plays & frameworks for vendor due diligence

Download here: https://bit.ly/3C2G1s3

Go to http://www.vincere.io/rag to book a demo - RAG listeners get an exclusive deal!

Mar 30, 2022 1 hr 3 min

Season 5 | Ep 22 - Ed Stevens on building his second recruitment group to over 1000 staff (without hiring a single employee with recruitment experience along the way)

Episode 22

Show notes

On this episode of The RAG Podcast, I was joined by Ed Stevens, the Founder of 94 Group, a specialist group of recruitment agencies in London with 50 staff.

This isn’t the first time Ed has built up a successful recruitment business. He launched, grew, and sold his shares in Eximius Group over 8 years between 2008 and 2016.

Ed is honestly one of the most impressive recruitment owners I have ever met.

His approach to growing this business is crystal clear:

He is the ONLY shareholder and ONLY person with recruitment experience.

The result is a genuine opportunity for hyper-fast career growth and equity for his business and the people that work in it.

If you have aspirations of growing a future or current recruitment company, you NEED to tune in to this one!

The RAG sponsors

Vincere:

If you're a recruiter looking to switch careers and move to Tech, this is your chance. Vincere is hiring for a variety of roles across all their offices. There are opportunities to join their Sales, Customer Success and Implementation teams. Learn more about Vincere on their LinkedIn or Instagram for behind-the-scenes updates. Their careers page is here: https://careers.vincere-digital.io/join-the-team

District4:

Do you feel like you’re not surrounded by peers and you’ve stopped learning? Imagine only working alongside other experienced recruiters who you can really collaborate with while having the freedom to do it your way. If you’re thinking of a change, check out District4 where you can launch your own business and not be alone!

Visit www.district4.io/hoxo to see what they can do for you.

Apr 6, 2022 1 hr 14 min

Season 5 | Ep 23 - Chris Sheard on building a socially responsible recruitment brand that has found it relatively easy to recruit strong, experienced recruiters!

Episode 23

Show notes

On this week's episode I was joined by Chris Sheard, the founder of SR2 Recruitment, a 54 person agency with offices in Bristol, London and soon to be opening in Austin TX.

Launched in the middle of 2017, the business is almost 4.5 yrs old and has grown extremely well in that period.

In this episode Chris shares the story of why he decided to build a rec agency that gives 5% of operating profit to charity and the impact of having such a clear and powerful mission.

Across the industry, attracting internal talent is arguably the most difficult thing right now. Hiring strong recruiters will allow any agency to capitalise on the crazy opportunity in the market today

SR2 have been hugely successful in attracting experienced talent and believe their brand is the secret weapon!

The RAG sponsor

Looking for ways to stay ahead of your competition in 2022? Talent Ticker is here to help.

Through the end of this month, any Hoxo listeners who request a demo of Talent Ticker will receive a free, personalised list of leads to help them get a jump on the rest of the year.

Talent Ticker is the world’s first recruitment intelligence platform, providing you with accurate contact information for passive candidates and matching them with companies looking to hire them.

What is unique to Talent Ticker is that they predict when a company will be hiring whilst giving you the projected hiring roles and contact info for the hiring managers.

Any recruiter who uses this tool will be calling the right person, at the right time and for the right reason. Don't wait. Head over to http://get.talentticker.ai/hoxo/ and claim your free leads today.

Apr 13, 2022 1 hr 13 min

Season 5 | Ep 24 - Emrah Baykal on building a recruitment agency that truly invests in the health and wellness of the staff and doesn’t revolve around booze and billers lunches!

Episode 24

Show notes

On this episode of The RAG Podcast, I was joined by Emrah Baykal, the Founder & CEO of RO, a specialist energy-focused recruitment agency. The agency is based in London & Houston with 10 staff, and is part of the Tempting Ventures Group of over 80 recruiters.

Emrah is the first to admit that in the early days of his recruitment career, he loved a billers’ lunch or two.

In the first couple of years as owner of RO, he would find any excuse to take his team out for drinks (mainly because he fancied one!).

However, his attitude to all of this changed during the pandemic, as he began to exercise daily with a colleague.

Emrah began running and weightlifting and taking his nutrition more seriously. He began to develop better habits and in turn feel much healthier for it.

Since then, he has implemented some amazing ideas to ensure his own team follows suit and adopts a healthy lifestyle!

This was a great episode and one for any owner who is seriously thinking about changing their own lifestyle and the culture within their business!

The RAG sponsors

Vincere:

Vincere refreshed their homepage - galaxy/Nasa space vibes theme.

Vincere’s platform has evolved so much over the past year and their website, new modules, and branding needed to reflect that.

They've refreshed their visuals and the product diagram. What you see is a reference to the solar system. With Vincere CRM/ATS as the core and all the other modules working in harmony around it - just like nature intended.

Go check it out: https://www.vincere.io/

If you’d like to request a demo, follow this link https://www.vincere.io/rag - they’ve got an exclusive deal for RAG listeners.

District4:

Do you feel like you’re not surrounded by peers and you’ve stopped learning? Imagine only working alongside other experienced recruiters who you can really collaborate with while having the freedom to do it your way. If you’re thinking of a change, check out District4, where you can launch your own business and not be alone!

Visit www.district4.io/hoxo to see what they can do for you.

Apr 27, 2022 1 hr 12 min

Season 5 | Ep 25 - Dan Taylor on being a Recruitment "in-trepreneur"- showing that you don't have to start your own agency to have a hugely successful career in the recruitment industry

Episode 25

Show notes

On this week's episode, I was joined by Dan Taylor, MD of Morgan Hunt, a UK Public Sector specialist agency with 150 staff.

Dan started at Hays in 1996 and has worked his way through many positions in his 26-year career.

In 2018 he became MD of Morgan Hunt and has been on a journey to change the business for the better.

Dan shares his unique insights into leading a large recruitment agency on a daily basis and how he never actually considered starting his own agency.

His reason - he wanted to work at scale from day 1 and this is rarely possible with a start-up business.

A genuine, warm, and inspiring story from someone who shines positivity onto our sector.

May 4, 2022 1 hr 7 min

Season 5 | Ep 26 - Joshua Rayner on why his franchisee model was completely broken, restructuring his agency, and rapidly growing to 20 x self-employed ‘licensees’!

Episode 26

Show notes

On this episode of The RAG Podcast I was joined by Joshua Rayner, the Founder & CEO of Rayner Personnel, a specialist in UK Property Recruitment.

I originally interviewed Josh in February of 2019 in my first Hoxo office in London.

At the time, Josh had a team of 13 who were all operating as franchisees. This involved buying into the business and scaling a branch of RP in their specific geographical area of the UK.

In the first year, this approach appeared to be working (listen to the first episode for more on that!).

But in late 2019, it was clear that he had the wrong model and the wrong people.

As the pandemic began, Josh made the bold decision to release all but one of the franchisees and start again.

He redesigned his business model whilst at home and went out on a mission to grow.

Since then, he has built a team of 20 self-employed licensees, making a small change to the old model with huge benefits for Josh and his people.

In 2021, he wrote a book about his journey as a serial recruitment agency owner - The Recruitment Rollercoaster is available via Amazon and is a current best seller! All the proceeds from sales go to Mind Charity.

A really interesting story with a unique approach to scaling a recruitment firm!

The RAG sponsors

Vincere:

Vincere have refreshed their homepage! They’ve redesigned their look and feel to incorporate the full universe of tools in their stable. Vincere’s platform has evolved so much over the past year that their website and branding needed to catch up. The new visuals are a clear reference to the solar system, with the Vincere CRM/ATS at the core and all their other modules working in harmony around it. Go check it out at https://www.vincere.io/ -

If you’d like to request a demo, follow this link https://www.vincere.io/rag - they’ve got an exclusive deal for RAG listeners!

District4:

Do you feel like you’re not surrounded by peers and you’ve stopped learning? Imagine only working alongside other experienced recruiters who you can really collaborate with, while having the freedom to do work your way. If you’re thinking of a change, check out District4, where you can launch your own business and not be alone!

Visit www.district4.io/hoxo to see what they can do for you.

May 11, 2022 1 hr 3 min

Season 5 | Ep 27 - - Jake Anderson on burnout, depression, anxiety, insomnia, Covid and winding down a 7-figure global agency….

Episode 27

Show notes

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast I was joined by Jake, my little brother.

One of the most charismatic and successful guys I know (and annoyingly good-looking!)

We got into recruitment in Melbourne together in 2011.

Later in Sydney, Jake became a recruitment owner in his mid 20's, but in 2016 he sold his shares in TheDriveGroup.

He was building a great business but, for some reason, he wasn't happy.

He put this down to being 'home sick' and moved back to the UK.

In 2017 he launched One Life Social Media– a fast-growing 7-figure global digital marketing agency in the fitness industry.

With no experience in the industry, he built a business that operated in 20 countries with over 600 clients, helping them with customer acquisition and lead generation online.

He led a team of 20+ people too, all before the age of 30.

Jake had all the extrinsic measures of success that society says we need to find fulfillment and happiness – wealth, status, validation from others, approval, a growing company, recognition, etc.

But something wasn't right.

Over the next 2 years, Jake’s life completely changed forever.

He suffered the most severe anxiety and depression I have ever witnessed. Due to this, the pandemic, and realising he simply wasn’t happy and needed to change, Jake closed down his second business.

I have watched him focus on recovering and embark on a journey of reconnecting to his mind, body, soul, health, consciousness, relationships, and life.

I am so happy and proud to say that now he is a completely different person from two years ago.

He is happy, healthy and present.

Jake is now dedicating his life to helping other high performers who are suffering from the same issues of burnout, anxiety, and depression.

I am going to warn you that this is an extremely raw account directly from Jake.

He talks about the pain he suffered.

How he even had suicidal thoughts (this breaks my heart.)

But it’s all true and I feel like the future is bright.

If you would like to speak to Jake about his story or his coaching services then you can contact him directly on Linkedin here or via his website http://www.onelifemindsetcoaching.com

Recorded during Mental Health Awareness week. If this helps just one person in any way then I know Jake and I will be delighted!

Sponsor:

Looking for a way to grow your recruitment business in 2022? Talent Ticker is here to help.

More than 300 recruitment agencies are using Talent Ticker to automate their recruiters’ most monotonous tasks, help them predict who will be hiring 3 months in advance, and provide simple tools to identify ideal passive and active candidates to pitch for open roles.

Learn more at http://get.talentticker.ai/hoxo and take advantage of their special offer for our listeners.

May 18, 2022 1 hr 27 min

Season 5 | Ep 28 - Matthew Eames on why he still loves the daily challenge of growing Eames Group after 20 years since inception!!

Episode 28

Show notes

On today’s episode I was joined by Matthew Eames, the Founder and CEO of Eames Group, a global insurance and financial services recruitment agency with circa 140 people across UK, EU, Asia and now the USA

Matthew was a guest on The RAG in Feb 2019 and whilst the business was a similar size back then, things were very different. Most notably:

- Matt was not the CEO at the time and spent 50% of his time externally facing in business development and exec search

- The business operated 5 days a week in the office

- Matthew personally had a 3-hour daily commute

Now approaching the 20-year anniversary of the business, Matt is again the CEO and more excited about the growth journey than ever.

Whilst grand exit plans seem to be on the agenda for most owners in our industry, Matthew proves that you may enjoy the role too much to want to step away any time soon!

Vincere

If you're following Vincere on their LinkedIn page, you'll notice that they’ve been sharing stories from their customer community on a weekly basis.

If you're shopping for a CRM or wondering if there's something better out there. Check out Vincere. They have a library of customer stories from all sectors and recruitment types, perm, exec, contract and temp, available on Youtube: https://bit.ly/3wFYad3

District4

Do you feel like you’re not surrounded by peers and you’ve stopped learning? Imagine only working alongside other experienced recruiters who you can really collaborate with, while having the freedom to do work your way. If you’re thinking of a change, check out District4, where you can launch your own business and not be alone!

Visit www.district4.io/hoxo to see what they can do for you.

May 25, 2022 1 hr 13 min

Season 5 | Ep 29 - Harry & Rex from Rec Hub on why focusing on your staff being HAPPY first leads to success and not the other way around!

Episode 29

Show notes

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast I was joined by Harry Bigwood and Rex Rusling.

Along with Ben Leeson, these guys founded The Rec Hub at the end of 2018 originally as a contingent agency.

Soon they decided to flip the model to become an “Embedded Talent Partner” to Tech start & scale ups and have since grown to 50 people!

In this episode we break down their decision to change the model and how this has helped them grow (it hasn’t been easy, I can assure you).

We also talk about the philosophy of growing the business as they all believe that focusing on your staff being HAPPY first leads to success. Not the other way around!

Have you worked in an agency where people believe that once they hit targets they will be happy? I think we all have.. These guys are challenging that notion and I love it!

Young, ambitious and innovative founders, these guys are a true reflection of all I love about this industry!

If you would like to speak to Harry or Rex about their story then you can contact them directly on Linkedin!

Sponsor:

Looking for a way to grow your recruitment business in 2022? Talent Ticker is here to help.

More than 300 recruitment agencies are using Talent Ticker to automate their recruiters’ most monotonous tasks, help them predict who will be hiring 3 months in advance, and provide simple tools to identify ideal passive and active candidates to pitch for open roles.

Learn more at http://get.talentticker.ai/hoxo and take advantage of their special offer for our listeners.

Jun 1, 2022 1 hr 16 min

Season 5 | Ep 30 - Nader Beshara on growing to 10 staff at his own pace during the pandemic!

Episode 30

Show notes

On today’s episode I was joined by Nader Beshara, the CoFounder and Director of Ingham Jones a start up financial services, risk, technology and compliance global recruitment search firm with 10 people headquartered in Brighton UK.

Nader has been an avid listener of The RAG and I was delighted to hear that listening to the show has helped him a lot since launching in November 2020.

We discussed the reality of his journey since launching during the pandemic and here are a few highlights

- Launching in covid was an amazing time to do it as he was literally missing out on NOTHING in life whilst working all hours he could

- He and Jermaine his business partner hit their annual target inside 12 months

- He has loved the entrepreneurial experience to date and would recommend it to any recruiter whos questioning their plan right now

- He is growing but stressed that it will be at their own pace and they won’t try and follow the ‘growth crowd’ that we see in our sector

Super honest and genuine, Nader is a recent and relevant example of what is possible with the right attitude as a start up recruitment founder!

Jun 8, 2022 1 hr 8 min

Season 5 | Ep 31 - Jez Heard on billing £500k in his first 6 months as an agency owner at the age of 24!

Episode 31

Show notes

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I was joined by Jez Heard, the founder of Scale-Genesis, a specialist Blockchain & Crypto recruitment agency launched in November 2021

Jez is a 24 -year old lad from South Wales who is direct and honest! He only started in Recruitment in 2020 during the pandemic, and within less than 1 year decided to set up his own business

He worked 14-hour days, 7 days a week

He researched Blockchain and Crypto every single day

He built his personal brand on LinkedIn

In 6 months he has

• Billed £500k+
• Hired 6 recruiters
• Built a personal brand reaching over 250k views a month across the recruitment industry which has helped him hire ALL his consultants and brought in 5 deals worth £100k

Jez is young, ambitious and probably a bit crazy - but it’s working!

An episode not to be missed, if you would like to speak to Jez about his story then you can contact him directly on Linkedin!

Sponsor:

Looking for a way to grow your recruitment business in 2022? Talent Ticker is here to help.

More than 300 recruitment agencies are using Talent Ticker to automate their recruiters’ most monotonous tasks, help them predict who will be hiring 3 months in advance, and provide simple tools to identify ideal passive and active candidates to pitch for open roles.

Learn more at http://get.talentticker.ai/hoxo and take advantage of their special offer for our listeners.

Jun 15, 2022 1 hr 10 min

Season 5 | Ep 32 - Anthony Webster on his story of coming out as gay and the impact this has had on his recruitment career!

Episode 32

Show notes

On this week’s episode, I was joined by Anthony Webster, the MD of DVF recruitment and Board Member of Career Legal Group - which has several recruitment entities in London with a collective staff of 50 people.

Anthony was my colleague for almost 5 years and is also a true friend.

Anthony, alongside Amar and I, was originally going to be a founder of Hoxo - the recruitment agency - in 2017. However, in late 2016 he decided to pull out after lengthy discussions and realising he could not commit to this whilst he had other things to achieve.

What I didn’t realise was that Ant was in fact ready to come out as gay to the world. This included his family, friends and colleagues

In this episode, we discussed the reality of his journey both growing up and working in recruitment whilst hiding his true self.

5 years on from coming out and he is a much happier person! Super successful as always, he is living a life that is 100% authentic and it is clear to see.

June is Pride Month and both Ant and I wanted to share this story to raise awareness and help others!

If you would like to speak to Ant directly about his story or D&I in the workplace then feel free to contact him directly via LinkedIn!

Vincere

If you're following Vincere on their LinkedIn page, you'll notice that they’ve been sharing stories from their customer community on a weekly basis.

If you're shopping for a CRM or wondering if there's something better out there. Check out Vincere. They have a library of customer stories from all sectors and recruitment types, perm, exec, contract and temp, available on Youtube

District4:

Do you feel like you’re not surrounded by peers and you’ve stopped learning? Imagine only working alongside other experienced recruiters who you can really collaborate with, while having the freedom to do work your way. If you’re thinking of a change, check out District4, where you can launch your own business and not be alone!

Visit www.district4.io/hoxo to see what they can do for you.

Jun 22, 2022 1 hr 12 min

Season 5 | Ep 33 - Jamie Trevett & Tony Robbins on taking a huge risk during the pandemic to keep the business alive - and it worked!

Episode 33

Show notes

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I was joined by Jamie & Tony, the founders of The Just Group, a specialist group of construction recruitment brands headquartered in Bromley, Kent with 24 staff which launched in 2012.

Jamie & Tony launched the business with a 3rd partner Alan, and up until the pandemic things were going great! However, Covid hit the business for six and they quickly dropped to 6 staff and had to re-evaluate everything.

In this episode they discuss how they:

• Dealt with the pandemic and questioned their business direction
• Parted ways with Alan, their business partner, due to a conflict
• Took out a huge loan to keep the business alive and support their people
• Went back into lockdown in Jan 2021, which brought huge fear and anxiety
• Changed the business completely and have grown to their biggest ever since this time
• Want to enjoy the journey and enjoy life whilst building the business sustainably

They’re great guys with a genuine story of ups and downs, I’m sure we can all relate to their journey!

Sponsor:

Looking for a way to grow your recruitment business in 2022? Talent Ticker is here to help.

More than 300 recruitment agencies are using Talent Ticker to automate their recruiters’ most monotonous tasks, help them predict who will be hiring 3 months in advance, and provide simple tools to identify ideal passive and active candidates to pitch for open roles.

Learn more at http://get.talentticker.ai/hoxo and take advantage of their special offer for our listeners.

Jun 29, 2022 1 hr 13 min

Season 5 | Ep 34 - Matthew Baird on the reality of both the highs and lows of his first 16 months as a solo recruitment owner

Episode 34

Show notes

On this week’s episode, I was joined by Matthew Baird, the Founder of Baird & Co Recruitment, which is part of District4.

Matt has been in recruitment since 2012 and has worked for a number of agencies recruiting into the social housing sector.

During the pandemic, he became disillusioned with working for other people, and at a time of real uncertainty he made the bold and scary decision to start up alone…

However, he didn’t have the finances or the knowledge to manage all areas of the start-up process, so he decided to partner with our sponsor District4.

In this episode, we discussed the reality of his first 16 months as a business owner, which have included a number of highs and lows.

Most notably, I found out that:

• His first deal happened within 3 weeks and was his largest EVER deal!
• He took his foot off the gas during the summer as things were going well, which began to bite him in Q3 when sales dried up and he made no deals for 2 months!
• He worked with his District4 coach to build a robust plan that works for him to drive successful outcomes daily

Matt is another great example of what it takes to thrive in today’s recruitment start-up community. If you would like to speak to Matt directly about his story or D4, then feel free to contact him directly via LinkedIn!

Vincere

If you're following Vincere’s LinkedIn page, you'll notice that they’ve been sharing stories from their customer community on a weekly basis.

If you're shopping for a CRM or wondering if there's something better out there, check out Vincere. They have a library of customer stories from all sectors and recruitment types, be it perm, exec, contract and temp, available on Youtube.

Jul 6, 2022 1 hr 8 min

Season 5 | Ep 35 - Lawrence Rose & Elliot Payne on going into business as life long best mates and achieving £1m GP in their first full year during a pandemic!

Episode 35

Show notes

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I was joined by Lawrence & Elliot, the founders of Arto Recruitment, a specialist life science recruitment agency. The business is headquartered in Canterbury, Kent and expanded to more than 23 staff in just over 2 years of existence during the pandemic!

Lawrence and Elliot have been best mates since they were 3 years old! Their story is one of real trust, ambition and friendship.

People say to never go into business with friends, but these guys are proving it can work.

I met Lawrence at a property development course in 2017 and we have been friends ever since - I am so happy to bring him and Elliot onto the show!

In this episode they discuss how they:

- Grew up together and never spent any time apart

- Started in recruitment and both flew up the ranks at Phaidon International

- Decided to move back to Kent and commute 2 hours each way to London daily

- Kicked off Arto a month before Covid-19 happened and what life was like for them

- Had to work in UK perm when their whole experience was in EU contract recruitment

- Hit £1m GP and bought sports cars to celebrate

- Plan to grow in the UK and the USA to begin with!

Don’t miss this conversation with two friends of mine who I am convinced are building a real powerhouse recruitment agency for the future. Enjoy!!

Jul 13, 2022 1 hr 23 min

Season 5 | Ep 36 - Kyle Winterbottom returns to discuss how Orbition has generated 100% of its 7 figure revenue as a direct result of his brand

Episode 36

Show notes

On this week’s episode, I was joined by Kyle Winterbottom, the Founder of Orbition Group, a specialist Data & Analytics recruitment agency with 10 staff based in Manchester.

Kyle first came on The RAG Podcast in November 2020 when his agency was less than 3 months old. Kyle was a member of the Hoxo Academy back then and was beginning to win business using his daily Linkedin content in addition to his marketing events and podcast that he was already running.

In 18 months, he has managed to grow the business to a team of 10 and can track 100% of the revenue back to his brand!

In this episode, we discussed:

• The growth from recruiting in his mother-in-law’s back bedroom to a swanky city centre office
• How his brand has brought in global retainers and multi-hire projects
• Being the first recruiter to ever be selected in the ‘Data IQ 100 Most Influential People in Data 2022’
• The reality of personally earning less than during his agency career due to reinvestment and cash flow issues
• Some super low moments he experienced over the past 6 months and is grateful for the support of his coach and his wife when times get tough

Kyle is a down-to-earth guy who is doing some amazing things with his brand right now. Plenty of established businesses should listen to this episode to learn how he leverages his brand to win bigger projects!

Vincere

If you're following Vincere’s LinkedIn page, you'll notice that they’ve been sharing stories from their customer community on a weekly basis.

If you're shopping for a CRM or wondering if there's something better out there, check out Vincere. They have a library of customer stories from all sectors and recruitment types, be it perm, exec, contract and temp, available on Youtube: https://bit.ly/3uYdZM7

Jul 20, 2022 1 hr 4 min

Season 5 | Ep 37 - Toni Phoenix-Coles on her journey from senior consultant to MD of Digital Gurus whilst growing a family at the same time!

Episode 37

Show notes

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I was joined by Toni, the Managing Director of Digital Gurus, a specialist Tech & Digital recruiter with 66 staff across offices in Manchester, London, Bristol and Birmingham.

Toni joined the business as a Senior Consultant 11 years ago. She’d had a successful career in recruitment in Leeds and fancied a change of company and city.

Little did she know when she arrived in Manchester that she would end up managing the whole business!

In this episode we discussed how she:

• Entered the industry because she knew that earning money was the top priority for her after university.
• Moved to ReThink Group (DG) and settled in Manchester
• Took on a leadership role and realised that she loved the challenge more than being an individual biller
• Nearly quit to go travelling but was offered the chance to take DG to Manchester and changed her mind
• Has grown into the MD and had 2 children in the same period
• Maintains her family as her priority and is focused on finding a great balance between home and work life
• Is taking the whole of August off work to travel with her kids during the summer!

An inspirational female business leader, we need more examples like Toni to make a positive change in our male dominated industry!

Sponsor:

Looking for a way to grow your recruitment business in 2022? Talent Ticker is here to help.

More than 300 recruitment agencies are using Talent Ticker to automate their recruiters’ most monotonous tasks, help them predict who will be hiring 3 months in advance, and provide simple tools to identify ideal passive and active candidates to pitch for open roles.

Learn more at http://get.talentticker.ai/hoxo and take advantage of their special offer for our listeners.

Jul 27, 2022 1 hr 10 min

Season 5 | Ep 38 - Chris O’Connell on how he went from owning a £25m recruitment agency to a painful exit and subsequent suicide attempts

Episode 38

Show notes

On this week’s episode, I was joined by Chris O’Connell, a Leadership Coach, NED 🚀 and the host of The Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast.

A top billing recruiter at S3, in his early 20s Chris co-founded Timothy James Recruitment, which he and his business partner grew to £25 million in turnover within 9 years.

Chris had a life where he focused on the business 100% and sacrificed all else.

Over the next 3 years, everything came crashing down:

• He had a painful exit from the business
• His marriage ended
• He left the family home
• He tried to commit suicide

Thankfully, Chris managed to turn his life around and now works with recruitment businesses to ensure that they grow sustainably and avoid the mistakes that he made!

A super open and vulnerable guy who is an inspiration for many around the world, I hope you enjoy this episode as we can all no doubt relate to many of Chris’s experiences!

Vincere

A message to all recruitment leaders looking to upgrade their CRM: Before you sign the contract, be sure to read the terms at least twice.

Common traps to watch:

- Not understanding the pricing model

- Discounts limited to only the 1st year of contract length

- Monthly contracts - this could mean flexibility for the vendor to raise prices

- Data hosting - anything outside your country could mean compliance & legal issues

Get Vinvere’s10-step guide to keep your vendor due diligence & evaluation process airtight.: https://bit.ly/3C2G1s3

Aug 17, 2022 1 hr 5 min

Season 5 | Ep 39 - Rogier Rouppe van der Voort on working his way up to becoming a CEO at age 33!

Episode 39

Show notes

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I was joined by Rogier, the CEO of PCN Recruitment, a payments sector specialist recruitment agency with 30+ staff across offices in Amsterdam, Berlin and the USA.

Rogier joined the business as an entry-level recruiter 9 years ago. He knew he wanted to work in sales and was keen on the payments sector - but he had no interest in staying in recruitment!

When he heard about PCN he decided it would be a clever move to join as his first job. He worked as the first employee, working directly for the founder, and had the most incredible education in the process.

His journey is inspiring to every person who doesn’t necessarily want to launch their own agency but is excited to stay on the journey with their current business!

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Aug 24, 2022 1 hr 4 min

Season 5 | Ep 40 - Ben Wallin & Dan Cox on invoicing £1.7m in their first year in business despite only forecasting £200k!

Episode 40

Show notes

On this week’s episode we wrap up Season 5 of the show in spectacular style!

I was honoured to be joined by Ben and Dan, Co-Founders of Edison Search a specialist IoT recruitment firm headquartered in Basingstoke UK with 20 staff within 14 months since inception.

Ben and Dan worked together for a long time in their previous company, Ben was head of perm and Dan was head of contract recruitment. Their skills were always complimentary to each other and they always talked about starting their own firm.

During the pandemic they had a group video call with their wives involved and made the decision to take the plunge - Edison Search was born!

In June 2021 they launched their business with a few simple goals for year 1

• Be 100% niche in the IoT space and recruit exclusively into the US from Basingstoke
• Invoice a minimum of £200k
• Begin to hire people by the end of the year

They got to work in a small office and hit the phones hard, what happened next is nothing less than incredible.

They are now 20 staff and looking to open an office in the US in the next year.

A breath of fresh air to speak to, these owners are taking traditional methods but with a modern approach and it's working!

A huge inspiration for any start up founders and one to watch for more established businesses, you will not regret tuning into this one!

Vincere

A message to all recruitment leaders looking to upgrade their CRM: Before you sign the contract, be sure to read the terms at least twice.

Common traps to watch:

- Not understanding the pricing model

- Discounts limited to only the 1st year of contract length

- Monthly contracts - this could mean flexibility for the vendor to raise prices

- Data hosting - anything outside your country could mean compliance & legal issues

Get Vinvere’s10-step guide to keep your vendor due diligence & evaluation process airtight.: https://bit.ly/3C2G1s3

Aug 31, 2022 1 hr 16 min

The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast

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