Tired of the outdated “thirds” model in executive search? Andrew Mears was too. That’s why he co-founded Lead Candidate—a niche search firm serving the pharma and bio-outsourcing sector—based on a transparent, fixed-fee subscription model that’s up to 30% more cost-effective than traditional pricing.

In this episode, Andrew reveals how Lead Candidate went from break-even to 133% revenue growth by rethinking everything: pricing, positioning, sales, and even internal rituals like “Tom’s Day of Bad Ideas.” You’ll hear how they grew entirely through referrals—no cold calls, no job scraping, no outbound—and why clients commit to 3–18 month subscription agreements that provide predictable revenue for the firm and budgeting certainty for their CFOs.

If you're a recruitment firm owner frustrated with unpredictable billings, client churn, or the limitations of contingent search, this conversation will show you what’s possible when you lead with values, relevance, and partnership—not pitches.

• [3:24] Why Andrew left a COO role to start over during COVID—and how a health scare changed his outlook

• [12:22] The broken search pricing model—and how Lead Candidate built a better one

• [22:30] Defining a niche within a niche: how their positioning sets them apart

• [31:55] Capsule vs. Scale vs. Annual Subscription: how their pricing tiers work

• [43:39] Why they broke even for 2 years—then tripled revenue during a downturn

• [56:42] How they land clients without cold outreach

• [1:08:06] Tom’s Day of Bad Ideas: the internal ritual that drives innovation

• [1:19:20] How they’re using AI tools like Quill to free up human interaction

Instead of charging a percentage of salary in staged fees, Lead Candidate scopes each project based on hiring volume, role complexity, and delivery effort. Pricing is fixed, agreed upfront, and delivered via subscription—typically 3, 6, or 12+ months.

This approach gives clients cost transparency and spending predictability—especially valuable for VC-backed, resource-constrained companies—and positions Lead Candidate as a strategic partner rather than a transactional vendor.

Lead Candidate didn’t rely on cold outreach. Before launching, Andrew’s team surveyed the market, co-created their offer with prospects, and built deep trust through relevance and listening. Their early clients didn’t need convincing—they were already bought in.

“We never sold. We just listened. The worst outcome was a great conversation.”

This approach helped them create a high-conviction pipeline, long-term client relationships, and sticky recurring revenue—without chasing unqualified leads or relying on outdated biz dev tactics.

The journey wasn’t easy. For the first two years, they broke even. But Andrew and his co-founders stayed true to their niche, hired with care, and grew by reputation. By 2024, the firm had grown 133% in revenue and 250% in headcount—without compromising on culture or delivery quality.

“We built the business the market told us it needed—and just stayed true to it.”

Andrew is the CEO of Lead Candidate, a search firm he co-founded in 2020 to champion talent in the global life sciences sector. He began his career in HR before moving into executive recruitment, where he’s spent 16+ years building national and international practices.

• Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn

• Visit Lead Candidate

• Quill

• AssistCV (by Odro)

• ChatGPT

• “Buy Back Your Time” by Dan Martell

• “Built to Sell” by John Warrilow

• “Molecule to Market” Podcast

• Book a free strategy call

• Mark on LinkedIn

• @RecruitmentCoach on Instagram

• @MarkWhitby on Twitter