Out of Line with Tiff Scott

Your staffing firm's playbook is expiring and nobody wants to say it out loud. 📉 The big public staffing companies are losing money. The MSP model half the industry is built on is running out of road. And every staffing agency that calls itself "AI agnostic" is one client question away from getting exposed.

Bryan Howlin has spent 28 years inside the staffing industry, from the Aerotek engine room to running sales at Revature through a private equity sale, and he's done being polite about where it's all headed. He and Tiffany Scott get into why the big publics are reeling, what's actually replacing the MSP staffing model, what AI in staffing and recruiting really changes, and why "transformation" is the most thrown around word in human capital, usually by people with no plan behind it.

If you own a staffing agency, sell staffing, or compete against it, this episode tells you what's coming before your competitors figure it out. 👀

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Cold open
0:38 Meet Bryan Howlin: 28 years in staffing
1:35 The staffing shakeup: too many firms, one shrinking pool
4:52 Culture and accountability inside staffing firms
7:30 Quality over quantity in staffing sales
9:52 Bryan's story: Aerotek, Randstad, Revature
13:10 Private equity in staffing
15:32 Everybody knows everybody in this industry
17:09 Offshore recruiting: trust but verify
22:09 Deloitte and the consulting giants moving in
24:10 Shrinking margins: be the best at YOUR thing
26:01 Clients are bringing hiring in house
28:35 Why the MSP model is dying
31:46 "Transformation" with no plan behind it
36:35 The NFL game plan for your career
38:13 AI in staffing and recruiting
41:25 From cocky to humble: be a good person
45:23 The future of staffing and AI compliance
48:32 What's next for Bryan
50:06 Advice for anyone selling staffing
52:50 The wake up call from his wife

🎤 GUEST
Bryan Howlin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-howlin-9447681/

🎧 LISTEN EVERYWHERE
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N
Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePod

🔗 FOLLOW OUT OF LINE
LinkedIn (Tiffany): https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyscott421
LinkedIn (show page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/111447145/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/971274146076562
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffisoutofline
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unbalanced.af

#staffingindustry #staffing #MSP

David Beety named his company after one degree. At 210 water is hot. At 211 it is still just hot. At 212 you get a revolution. In Ep 15 of Out of Line, the Founder and CEO of 212° Titans sits down with Tiffany Scott for an after hours conversation about what that one degree actually costs to reach.

Dave does not soften the industry he has spent his career in. His words: staffing, whether we like it or not, has earned the bad reputation that it has. He walks through the STEAM framework he built the company on, why he will not work off a job description and shows up at your office to meet the team instead, and the difference between nice and kind. Nice is you are trying so hard and still not getting it done. Kind is asking what I can do to help you own the expectations.

The stories in this one earn their place. Forty three candidates interviewed to put one in front of a client, and the question he asked when that was not enough. The eight million dollar deal and what it took out of him. The assessment he called nonsense right up until it named his own worst weakness out loud, and why he now tells everyone who works around him about it on day one. And the moment in his personal life that turned him into a different kind of leader, which he tells without flinching.

Tiffany does not hide behind the mic either. Falling on the sword as the fastest way to disarm somebody. The realization that what stands in the way is ego, and it is never the team's ego, it is ours. Why most companies say their people are the differentiator and she is not sure they know that they are not. And why owning a business is the most uncomfortable thing she has ever done.

If you lead a team, sell for a living, or run a company where being liked has quietly started to matter more than being useful, this is the one to sit with.

CONNECT WITH DAVID BEETY

Website: https://212titans.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-w-beety-aaa43956

CONNECT WITH TIFFANY SCOTT

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyscott421

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiffisoutofline

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unbalanced.af

myScout: https://app.myscout.ai

Leveling Up: https://leveling-up.net

LISTEN AND WATCH EVERYWHERE

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePod

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N

New episodes drop Tuesdays at 7am ET.

#staffing #staffingindustry #leadership #businesspodcast #salesleadership

From managing maximum-security correctional facilities and stepping into the ring as a competitive fighter to scaling a real estate empire and teaching thousands nationwide, Dr. Al Philip-Neri has led several different lives. But his biggest breakthrough came from decoding the raw human behavior that dictates whether a business explodes or completely falls apart under pressure. Today, he sits down to reveal how leaders can build unbreakable culture, how to read a candidate’s DNA before you ever look at their resume, and the hidden operational drag that is killing your bottom line.In Episode 13 of Out of Line with Tiffany Scott, Dr. Al Philip-Neri breaks down behavioral analytics in hiring, the psychological blueprint of top executive leaders, why your best independent performer will fail as a manager, handling legacy employees and toxic tenured staff, the ultimate framework for operational cohesion under pressure, and a live, unfiltered breakdown of Tiffany’s own behavioral assessment.⏱️ CHAPTERS03:02 — Prison to Psychology: Dr. Al’s unconventional journey.11:01 — The Passion Trap: Hard lessons from business ownership.17:22 — The Real Estate Grind: Scaling teams and heavy travel.22:39 — Tiffany's Live Assessment: Dissecting innate CEO traits.26:30 — Dolphins vs. Eagles: Leadership archetypes and partnerships.28:28 — Behavioral Alignment: Scaling with predictive analytics.31:00 — The Entry-Level Bottleneck: Optimizing high-volume talent.35:06 — The Execution Advantage: Building systems over feelings.36:21 — Teaching Under Pressure: How to cultivate team trust.37:19 — Cultural Audits: Finding bottlenecks in established companies.43:26 — The Manager Mistake: Why top performers often fail as leaders.47:04 — Toxic Legacy Hires: The true financial cost of long tenure.57:23 — Puppets vs. Partners: Reframing middle management's role.01:02:55 — Connecting with Dr. Al: Where to find the book and firm.💬 KEY TAKEAWAYS"Most organizations don't struggle with strategy. They struggle with execution. And execution breaks at the leadership level every single time.""Your culture is a feeling. Cohesion is a system. You can talk about culture all day, but without a systematic framework for alignment, it doesn't mean a thing.""Stop looking at tenure as a leadership skill. We constantly promote people just because they are excellent at their individual job, but that has absolutely nothing to do with their ability to lead others.""If you have a manager who is toxic but brings in money, go do the math with your CFO. When you factor in recruiting, onboarding, lost talent, and culture drag, that 'top producer' is actually costing you millions.""Quit creating environments where your people are constantly walking on eggshells. When fear dictates the workplace, you will never get the execution or the results you are looking for."🔗 CONNECT WITH DR. AL PHILIP-NERI🌐 Website: teamcohesionhq.com 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alphilipneri 🔗 Get the Book: theexecutionadvantage.com🎙️ OUT OF LINE WITH TIFFANY SCOTT 🌐 Website: outoflinepod.com ▶️ Subscribe: @outoflinepod 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516 💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N#OutOfLine #TiffanyScott #DrAlPhilipNeri #TheExecutionAdvantage #CohesionHQ #HiringStrategy #BehavioralAnalytics #ExecutiveLeadership #CorporateCulture #MiddleManagement #StaffingAndHiring #TeamCohesion #PerformancePsychology

From leaving home at 16 to navigating a high-stakes industry, some founders don't just survive the chaos; they thrive in it.

When a major life change completely upended her routine, Shanice didn't look for a safety net; she threw herself into launching her own executive search firm. Now, three years later, she has scaled a trans-Atlantic recruitment boutique built entirely on the courage to go out on her own.

In Episode 12 of Out of Line with Tiffany Scott, Shanice, Founder of Shelby Staffing Group, breaks down transitioning from corporate staffing to a lean boutique model, managing the messy realities of the first two years in business, resisting the pressure to over-scale or take bad investment advice, breaking into competitive global markets like Austin and New York, navigating the intense demands of being a sole-provider mom, and how relying on authentic relationship-building over cold-calling creates a lasting legacy as a modern executive.

💬 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

"If I thought about what was best for me, I would have just gone and worked for another employer. I had to think about what was best for my daughter."

"Go back to basics and do what you can on your own until somebody comes along that aligns with your goal and your vision. Don't panic. Just don't panic."

"If you trust yourself and your relationships with your clients, let others try to imitate that. No one else is going to be able to imitate your genuine character."

"I like being small and keeping things personal. If you scale too fast or chase the wrong investment, it just turns into a numbers game, a conveyor belt where people are gone the second they miss a metric."

"Appreciate yourself when you get to wherever it is you're going. Sometimes we just constantly push for 'what's next' and completely burn ourselves out without stopping to realize, 'Actually, I built that.'"

🔗 CONNECT WITH SHANICE:

🌐 Website: shelbystaffinggroup.com

🔗LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stacibenderepstein12

🎙️ OUT OF LINE WITH TIFFANY SCOTT:

🌐 Website: outoflinepod.com

▶️ Subscribe: @outoflinepod

🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516

💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N

#OutOfLinePodcast #TiffanyScott #WomenInBusiness #ExecutiveSearch #RecruitmentHustle #BoutiqueAgency #SingleMotherhood #FounderJourney #ModernExecutive #AustinTech #LondonBusiness #BusinessDevelopment

Stepping away from a corporate career that feels like your entire identity isn't easy, but building a legacy from scratch demands a total leap of faith. In this episode, I’m sitting down with serial entrepreneur Staci Bender Epstein as she opens up about pivoting from marketing into the unpredictable world of executive staffing, managing a high-stakes business alongside her husband, and learning to stay resilient in a wildly cyclical industry. From navigating high-impact professional milestones to overcoming deep moments of imposter syndrome and personal struggles, Staci proves why staying authentic is the ultimate business superpower.

In this episode of Out of Line with Tiffany Scott, Staci Bender Epstein breaks down the shift from metric-driven to passion-driven sales, the mechanics of scaling a modern staffing firm, and why the hybrid contingent model is redefining industry standards. We also dive deep into real strategies for flexing your ask muscle, shifting goals between your 30s and 40s, balancing professional accountability with a romantic partnership, and why we as women must take radical ownership of our value and stop apologizing in executive spaces.

💬 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• "In a world of copycats, be an original because authenticity is your superpower."
• "If you never ask, the answer is always no. Flex your ask muscle and ask for help."
• "We learn and grow by more of the tougher moments and harder things in life than the things that go right."
• "If we're 1% better every day, we will do good things, be successful, and come out on top."

🔗 CONNECT WITH STACI BENDER EPSTEIN:

🌐 Website: begroupconnects.com

🔗LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shanice-ellis-617434194

🎙️ OUT OF LINE WITH TIFFANY SCOTT:

🌐 Website: outoflinepod.com

▶️ Subscribe:   @outoflinepod

🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516

💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N

#OutOfLine #TiffanyScott #StaciBenderEpstein #BeGroupStaffing #FemaleEntrepreneurs #StaffingIndustry #BusinessGrowth #WomenInBusiness #ExecutiveRecruiting #NoApologies #AuthenticLeadership

After twenty-five years inside the most coveted recruiting seats in the world, including powerhouse brands like Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, and Nike, most people would be planning a comfortable corporate retirement. But Sheridan Hall saw a glaring, frustrating injustice that he couldn't ignore: the corporate world's massive failure to effectively translate military resumes and integrate transitioning veterans into the workforce. Chasing purpose over corporate safety, Sheridan walked away from the Big Tech net to co-found Operation Hired alongside his brother, Lieutenant Colonel Matt Hall, not just to raise awareness, but to fundamentally fix a broken hiring system for the people the corporate machine continually leaves behind.In this episode of Out of Line with Tiffany Scott, Sheridan Hall breaks down the intense red tape of enterprise-level corporate hiring, the critical communication gaps between military veterans and civilian hiring managers, the launch of their free AI-powered resume generator built specifically to decode military experience, and why true job security lies in the power of networking.⏱️ CHAPTERS01:42 — How Tiffany and Sheridan Met in the Staffing Sandbox03:44 — Sheridan’s Journey: From Hertz Manager Trainee to Silicon Valley Recruiter05:52 — Enterprise Hiring Secrets: The Rationale Behind the Salary Bands07:12 — The Extreme Bureaucracy of Big Tech Offers10:19 — Facebook vs. Apple: Corporate Support for Veteran Initiatives11:42 — The Pandora’s Box of Unreadable Military Resumes16:33 — The Dynamic of Running a Business with Your Brother18:00 — Harsh Startup Truths: Admitting What You Don’t Know20:10 — Rebranding "Sales" into Authentic Consultation24:08 — Navigating the Commercial and Higher Education Staffing Spaces28:07 — Creating a 100% Free AI Resume Generator for Veterans33:57 — Current Staffing Demands and Project-Based Recruiter Hiring35:48 — The 5-Year Vision and Legacy Goals for Operation Hired42:00 — The Brutal Reality of "Blending" Single-Dad Life with Entrepreneurship47:54 — Work-Life Balance Matrix: Crystal Moments vs. Rubber Moments52:40 — How to Scale a B2B Staffing Strategy Across Modern Industries59:00 — Childhood Adventures in Alaska and Adapting to Extreme Changes01:01:30 — Final Entrepreneurial Advice: The 2-Year Financial Safety Runway01:03:55 — Networking is Your Ultimate Job Security Strategy💬 KEY TAKEAWAYS• "There’s a million recruiters like me who look at military resumes, say 'I don't understand what you did,' and move on. Meanwhile, they're probably the most qualified candidates in line." • "Instead of trying to sell, it's just about having a conversation. Dive into what's going on in their world, offer free advice, and see where you can actually help." • "With AI, people are easy to find nowadays. But how do you get them to actually speak with you on the phone? That's still the human touch of recruiting." • "Life has rubber moments and crystal moments. Drop a rubber ball, it bounces back. Drop a crystal ball, it shatters forever. Balance is knowing which one you're holding." • "I have applied for one job in 15 years." — the undeniable ROI of keeping good relationships and constantly networking 🔗 CONNECT WITH SHERIDAN HALL🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridanhall/🌐 Website: https://operationhired.com/🎙️ OUT OF LINE WITH TIFFANY SCOTT🎙️ Out of Line with Tiffany Scott — real conversations with leaders who don't sugarcoat it.▶️ Subscribe: @outoflinepod🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516💚 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N#OutOfLinePodcast #VeteranHiring #CorporateRecruiting #OperationHired #MilitaryTransition #SkillBridge #TechHiring #StaffingAgencies #entrepreneurship #worklifebalance

He didn't come from the staffing industry. He saw friends coming out of college with no job offers and no one helping them — so he started creating WhatsApp groups to connect people with opportunities. Then it became something bigger.

Steven Meisels is the Founder of SM Staffing, which now operates nationally across all 50 states. Their model is built around culture fit over credential matching, they don't charge job seekers, and they stay in touch with candidates even when a deal doesn't close. Steven also coaches recruiters and early-stage business owners 1:1 and actively writes about what companies get wrong when building teams.

In this episode, we cover:

• How WhatsApp groups turned into a national staffing firm
• The moment he realized he wasn't just doing favors — he was running a business
• What culture fit actually means and why most firms get it wrong
• Why SM Staffing doesn't charge candidates — and how that shapes everything
• Staying community-first as you scale to 50 states
• Coaching recruiters and giving away the playbook publicly
• What he'd do differently if he was starting over today

Connect with Steven:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shlomo-meisels-smstaffing/

Website: https://smstaffingjobs.com

Out of Line with Tiffany Scott — real conversations with leaders who don't sugarcoat it.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePod

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N

He walked into staffing with a microbiology degree, a pregnant wife, and zero industry connections — and built an Inc 5000 company that's still standing 20+ years later.

In Episode 8 of Out of Line, Tiffany sits down with Ronnie Hollis, founder of Prestige Staffing, Monza Cloud, and Talinaq. Ronnie breaks down surviving the dot-com bust and the Great Recession, the real difference between being a founder and a CEO, how he picked expansion cities with a ratio formula, why he rebuilt his company culture twice, and the mindset shift that came out of a prostate cancer diagnosis. Also in this one: the Mike Willis escalator story, the "A-time / 9:30 PM" rule for founders still carrying a book, and why AI isn't replacing what great recruiters actually do.

Connect with Ronnie Hollis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnie-hollis-a9655815/
Prestige Staffing: https://www.prestigestaffing.com/
Prestige on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prestige-staffing/

Out of Line with Tiffany Scott:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePod
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N
Book Tiffany: https://tiffany-scott.zohobookings.com

Alex Martin went from teaching 4th grade music in Harlem to running her own boutique recruiting firm in under a decade. In this episode she breaks down how she hit $1.2M in new business in 10 months as a cold start at PlanetHealthcare, why most recruiters are stuck in transactional mode, and what made her finally bet on herself and launch Amaya Staffing Consultants in June 2024.

We get into the early Yankees community outreach gig, the jump into healthcare staffing sales at Barton, scaling from Account Manager to Group Manager on a $3M book, the $100K first quarter at Cura Search, and the People Matter philosophy that drives Amaya's work across healthcare, legal, executive, tech, HR, accounting and finance.

If you've ever felt like the straight path wasn't built for you, this one will hit.

Chapters
00:00 Cold open
01:30 Meet Alex Martin
06:45 Teaching music at Harlem Children's Zone
12:10 The Yankees pivot
18:20 Breaking into healthcare staffing
26:00 $1.2M in 10 months at PlanetHealthcare
34:15 Why transactional recruiting is dying
41:30 Launching Amaya Staffing Consultants
49:00 Know your why
55:20 Advice for anyone betting on themselves

Guest
Alex Martin, Founder and CEO, Amaya Staffing Consultants
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-martin-61140761/
Web: https://amayastaffing.com

Follow Out of Line with Tiffany Scott
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfLinePod
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-line-with-tiffany-scott/id1882144516
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2LnreneFTLjy1vFXVLnv9N
Instagram: Tiffisoutofline
Web: https://outofline.show

#OutOfLine #TiffanyScott #AlexMartin #AmayaStaffing #HealthcareRecruiting #FoundersStory #WomenInBusiness