In this episode of the Recruitment Founders Podcast, Lindsay “Jocks” Hartland and Greg Elton talk to James Davies, founder of Embedded Electronic Solutions, about his journey from climbing telecoms masts and working as an engineer to becoming an S3 biller and eventually a solo recruitment founder in the quantum technology space. James shares how he swapped a comfortable field engineering salary for a trainee recruiter role, why in-office apprenticeship was crucial to his early success, and how Covid forced him to quickly find resilient market niches.

He then lifts the lid on leaving a boutique to start his own business, the emotional shock of going months without a deal, the reality of taking a pay cut with a family, and why he chose Recruitment Founders Club over higher-capital but more restrictive investor models. The conversation closes on the mindset, support network and back-to-basics process that helped him move from “I can’t see myself ever doing a deal again” to regularly billing and taking control of his time and health.

Key Takeaways

James moved from hands-on engineering into recruitment in his early 30s, took a pay cut and a trainee title, but quickly ramped his billings once he’d learnt the craft.

He’s honest that he would have “crashed and burned” if he’d started remotely; sitting in a busy office, listening, copying and adapting top billers’ pitches was invaluable.

When lockdown hit, James survived by hunting out recession-resistant pockets in his patch (nuclear, remote handling, critical engineering) rather than waiting for “normal” jobs to return.

Corporate recruitment once sold management roles and layers of non-billing leadership as the prize. Now, many of those layers are under pressure to bill again, and questioning why they’re doing it for someone else.

Some incubators offer salary and tools but take 50% of everything and structure the deal so you never truly clear your “debt”, effectively keeping you as a high-performing employee in disguise.

James chose RFC because he already trusted Lindsay from their S3 days and wanted clean, fair support rather than a shark-tank deal with heavy long-term strings attached.

His biggest lesson to his month-before-launch self: stop putting things off because it’s “your name above the door” now. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it has to be started.

Having a partner and mentors who understand the financial hit, the emotional wobble, and the “I’ll never do a deal again” moments is critical when everything rests on you.

Greg reminds listeners that even the best billers ride peaks and troughs. If you keep following a solid process, the sun comes back out; if you stop following it, that’s when trouble really starts.

James went from total confidence in his employed days to genuine fear as a founder, and back to a calmer place by reminding himself of his track record and hearing others say what he used to: it will be alright.

Best Moments

“I didn’t want to go and work for another big company… there was no reason I couldn’t do this job for myself.”

“Don’t put anything off. It doesn’t need to be perfect just because it’s now on you.”

“Four months in I genuinely couldn’t see myself doing a deal again.”

“All of a sudden you’ve got more money in your bank account than you’ve ever seen… and three months off later you’re asking where it’s gone.”

“It’ll be alright. You’ve just got to have people around you who’ll say to you what you’d normally say to them.”

“Recruitment is a cyclical gig. If you keep following the process, at some point the sun will come out, and you’ll have some crops.”

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

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