"Your why has to be big. Because on the hardest days, that's what keeps you going."

Welcome to the very first episode of Recruiter Wake Up Call! I couldn't have asked for a better first guest. I've followed Augusta Mirchandani's career for years. She's the founder and CEO of AAA Global, a specialist quant finance headhunting firm she grew from a London startup into a team of around 45 across London, Amsterdam, Singapore, Shenzhen, Dubai and Mumbai.

In Part 1 we get into:

• How she fell into quant recruitment after six months in fashion (and the advice from her dad that changed everything)
• Why she started her own firm: there was simply nowhere else she wanted to join
• The honest truth about the first two years of running a business
• Why your "why" has to be big enough to carry you through the hardest days
• Hiring for curiosity, resilience and kindness over pure sales ability
• Why tech isn't the answer if your culture is broken
• Training people so well they could leave, but don't want to
• Her "culture of yes," where the most junior person's idea is a yes until it's proven a no
• Why anyone in her business can grab her for a walk, no manager required

This is the kind of honest, no-fluff conversation I started this podcast to have. If you're building a recruitment business, leading a team, or thinking about going out on your own, this one's for you.

Part 2 drops this Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it!

Connect with Augusta on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/augusta-aiken
Find out more about AAA Global: https://aaaglobal.co.uk/

Recruiter Wake Up Call is sponsored by Paraform: 

Twice-weekly conversations with the founders and recruiters the industry overlooked. Every episode ends with one question: what's your wake up call to recruiters? 

I started this podcast because I needed a wake-up call, and I think recruiters do too. Listening to the same voices and the same playbooks does not create better results. It is tiring and I am sick of being tired. 

The answers I've recorded so far have been very enlightening and they've definitely awoken something in me. I hope listening along you feel the same way too. 

New episodes are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sponsored by Paraform.