RecTalk Podcast - Explore Recruitment Insights

Welcome back to The Mixed Grill, where Nitin Sharma and Bobby Banerjee pull up a chair, grab a metaphorical curry, and talk candidly about the good, the bad, and the ugly in recruitment.

In this relaxed, no-filter episode, the conversation flows from the chaos of being “busy” in early 2024 to some big, honest takes on AI, recruiter reputation, candidate experience, and why human connection still matters more than ever.

Topics covered include:

• Is the recruitment industry full of “busy idiots” and burnout risks
• Why recruiters still get a bad reputation (and whether it’s even worth fixing)
• Unpopular opinions about recruitment and who really damages the industry
• The reality of AI in recruitment – what it will replace and what it absolutely shouldn’t
• Why mass AI outreach is destroying trust and credibility
• How AI should be used to improve candidate experience (status updates, feedback, empathy)
• The hypocrisy of knowing where your pizza is, but not your job application
• Authenticity vs automation – and why 80% of people still pay for human connection
• Generational differences, community-building, and what recruiters can learn from Gen Z
• Why in-person events, Curry Clubs, and real conversations still win
• The long-term impact of the pandemic on how we connect, work, and build relationships

As always, the tone is informal, thoughtful, occasionally opinionated, and full of real talk you won’t find in polished LinkedIn posts.

Who this episode is for:

• Recruiters feeling overwhelmed by “busyness” and noise in the market
• Recruitment leaders trying to figure out where AI actually fits
• Anyone frustrated by poor candidate experience and broken processes
• RecTech founders building tools (this one’s especially for you 👀)
• Community builders, event organisers, and relationship-led recruiters
• People who believe recruitment should still be human-first

🔗 Connect with the hosts

Bobby Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbybanerjee/

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Get your fill of curry, banter, and brilliant recruitment minds at The Recruitment Curry Club:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Look out for more episodes of The Mixed Grill dropping on Thursday.

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

#TheMixedGrill #RecTalk #RecruitmentCurryClub #RecruitmentPodcast #RecruitmentLife #RecTech #AIinRecruitment #CandidateExperience #HumanFirst #RecruitmentCommunity

In this episode of RecTalk, host Nitin Sharma is joined by Jo Elwell and Billie Davoile, founders of Contractor Financial, to tackle one of the biggest (and most misunderstood) blockers in the contract recruitment market: financial services for contractors.

Jo and Billie share why they started Contractor Financial, how contractors are routinely misunderstood by lenders, and why myths around mortgages, IR35, fixed-term contracts, and self-employment are costing recruiters placements and contractors life-changing opportunities.

This episode is a must-listen for recruiters who want to remove friction from contractor decisions, improve placement confidence, and add genuine value to both candidates and clients.

What we cover in this episode:

• Why contractors are still unfairly treated by lenders (and how to fix it)
• Common mortgage myths that stop candidates from taking contract roles
• How contractors can secure mortgages from day one of a contract
• The real impact of IR35, umbrellas, payroll models, and payslips on lending
• Why fixed-term contracts can actually be easier for mortgages
• How Contractor Financial educates lenders and underwriters directly
• Mortgages beyond PAYE: limited companies, SPVs, Buy-to-Let & investments
• Financial literacy gaps hurting contractors (Klarna, credit scores, betting, cash withdrawals)
• How recruiters can partner with Contractor Financial at zero cost
• Using financial support as a candidate attraction and retention tool
• Why free financial reviews help contractors stay contracting longer
• How recruiters can use employee benefits to compete with larger agencies

Jo and Billie also explain how recruiters can use Contractor Financial to:

• Unblock nervous contractors before they decline roles
• Improve contractor confidence around mortgages, pensions, and protection
• Retain contractors for longer by removing financial uncertainty
• Add a powerful, practical value-add without compliance risk or cost

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

🔗 Connect with the guests

Jo Elwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-elwell-09679b3a/

Billie Davoile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billie-davoile-1327a1107/

Book a meeting with Jo and Billie:

https://calendly.com/contractor-financial-directors/introduction

Find out more about Contractor Financial:

https://www.rectools.io/product/contractor-financial/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, currently drop on Wednesday and Friday.

Look out for new episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Barry Cullen — recLAW: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrycullen/

Andrew Philipson — JOBBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewphilipson/ 

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Dougie Loan — SourceWhale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougieloan/

Andrew Constantinou — Nodex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apconstantinou/

#RecTalk #RecruitmentPodcast #ContractRecruitment #Contractors #IR35 #ContractorMortgages #RecruiterValueAdd #FinancialLiteracy #FTC #UmbrellaPayroll #RecruitmentAgency #RECtools #ContractorFinance

In this episode of RecTalk, Nitin Sharma is joined once again by Matt Fox, founder of Exitus Advisory, for a no-nonsense deep dive into what it really takes to sell a recruitment business – and why most agency owners get it wrong.

Matt has become one of the most trusted voices in the recruitment M&A and advisory space, and this conversation pulls back the curtain on exit planning, valuation myths, and how recruitment founders can significantly increase the value of their business before they ever think about selling.

Together, Nitin and Matt unpack why only a small percentage of recruitment agencies ever successfully exit, what buyers actually care about, and how agency owners can reduce risk, increase profitability, and build a business that’s attractive to acquirers – whether they plan to sell in 12 months or five years.

🧠 Topics covered include:

• Why most recruitment businesses are never truly “exit ready”
• The biggest myths around recruitment business valuations
• What multiples really look like for perm vs temp agencies
• Why owner-led billing businesses are unattractive to buyers
• How risk (not revenue) drives valuation
• The importance of leadership teams and revenue spread
• Deferred consideration, earn-outs, and payment profiles explained
• How recurring revenue models and RPO-style services boost value
• The impact of PSLs, client concentration, and profitability
• When the best time to sell actually is (and why most miss it)
• Common reasons founders choose to exit – beyond just money
• Practical advice for owners starting to think about an exit

Matt also shares real examples from his advisory work, insights from the Recruitment Agency Expo, and introduces a free sale readiness checker designed to help founders understand where they stand today.

🔗 Connect with the guests

Matt Fox: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/

Check out Exitus Advisory: https://www.rectools.io/product/exitus-advisory/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, currently drop on Wednesday and Friday.

Look out for new episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Barry Cullen — recLAW: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrycullen/

Andrew Philipson — JOBBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewphilipson/ 

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Dougie Loan — SourceWhale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougieloan/

Andrew Constantinou — Nodex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apconstantinou/

#RecTalk #RecruitmentBusiness #AgencyExit #RecruitmentM&A #RecruitmentOwners #BusinessValuation #RecruitmentLeadership #ExitStrategy #RecruitmentPodcast

Welcome back to The Mixed Grill, a relaxed, no-filter continuation of the last episode on RecTalk – and the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club.

In this episode, Nitin Sharma and Bobby Banerjee go deep (and occasionally off-piste) on what’s actually holding recruitment businesses back in 2025 and beyond – and why clinging to old habits is doing more harm than good.

From spray-and-pray email marketing and soulless cold calling, to outdated ideas of productivity, presenteeism, and “bums on seats” leadership, this episode pulls apart the legacy thinking that no longer fits the market, the workforce, or human behaviour.

They talk candidly about:

• Why mass email and untargeted BD is killing databases, brands, and motivation
• The myth of “just get on the phone” with no strategy or context
• How Gen Z, Millennials, and even seasoned recruiters actually communicate now
• The rise of community-led recruitment and why micro-communities matter more than volume
• Why content with 10 views still matters more than you think
• Building businesses around outputs, not hours
• Non-linear workdays, work–life integration, and ditching rigid models
• Scar tissue, burnout, and the psychological baggage recruitment leaders carry
• Why necessity (failure, illness, market shifts) is often the real driver of innovation
• Building in public, trusting your gut, and backing yourself without a blueprint
• Authenticity on LinkedIn – and why AI-generated photos, comments, and personas damage trust
• Where AI is useful… and where it absolutely isn’t
• The future of Recruitment Curry Club events, community safety, and inclusive spaces

There’s honesty, humour, lived experience, and plenty of strong opinions – exactly what The Mixed Grill is about. No sales pitches. No gurus. Just real conversations about where recruitment is heading and how to enjoy building something that actually works.

Who this episode is for:

• Recruitment business owners questioning their current model
• Recruiters burned out by volume-led BD and meaningless KPIs
• Leaders trying to engage modern consultants without forcing legacy behaviour
• Anyone curious about community-first growth in recruitment
• Recruiters who value authenticity over algorithms
• Curry Club members (and future members) who want to understand the “why” behind it all

🔗 Connect with the hosts

Bobby Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbybanerjee/

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Get your fill of curry, banter, and brilliant recruitment minds at The Recruitment Curry Club:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Look out for more episodes of The Mixed Grill dropping on Thursday.

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

#RecTalk #TheMixedGrill #RecruitmentCurryClub #RecruitmentCommunity #ModernRecruitment #RecruitmentLeadership #Authenticity #FutureOfWork #RecOps #BuildInPublic #NoMoreColdCalling

In this episode of RecTalk, Nitin Sharma sits down in the Candidate Source offices with Laura Carroll, Amy Kelly, and Tom Wickstead — three of the long-standing experts behind one of recruitment’s most under-the-radar support businesses.

Candidate Source has been quietly helping recruitment agencies for over two decades, yet many founders still don’t fully understand what they do — or how much time, money, and stress they could save by using them.

This conversation pulls back the curtain on the job board ecosystem, the hidden costs agencies don’t realise they’re paying, and how outsourcing job advertising, admin, and CV sifting can completely change how an agency operates — especially for startups and growing SMEs.

We dig into:

• Why Candidate Source is often mistaken for a CRM or multiposter (and why they’re neither)
• How agencies can avoid wasting money on the wrong job boards
• Pay-as-you-go job board access vs long-term contracts
• Why most job adverts fail — and how to write ads candidates actually read
• What makes a high-performing job advert in 2026
• How CV sifting works in practice (and how much time it really saves recruiters)
• The truth about “free” job boards and sunk-cost hiring mistakes
• Using data and job board insights to push back on unrealistic clients
• Why branded job adverts are becoming a game-changer for agency revenue
• How agencies can create new paid service lines instead of giving everything away for free
• Candidate experience, rejection handling, and the long-term impact on employer brand
• Why 2026 will reward agencies who differentiate, productise, and protect their time

This is an honest, practical episode about doing recruitment smarter, not harder — and why asking for help might be the most commercial decision an agency owner can make.

🔗 Connect with the guests

Laura Carroll: https://www.linkedin.com/in/csllaura/

Amy Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cslamy/

Tom Wickstead: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-wickstead-b15689140/

Check out Candidate Source: https://www.rectools.io/product/candidate-source-ltd/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, currently drop on Wednesday and Friday.

Look out for new episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Barry Cullen — recLAW: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrycullen/

Andrew Philipson — JOBBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewphilipson/ 

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Dougie Loan — SourceWhale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougieloan/

Andrew Constantinou — Nodex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apconstantinou/

#RecTalk #RecruitmentPodcast #AgencyLife #RecruitmentBusiness #HiringStrategy #JobBoards #CandidateExperience #RecruitmentMarketing #StartupAgencies #RecruitmentTips

This episode of RecTalk was recorded live at the TEAM Network North West Regional Meet Up in December of 2025, bringing together four experienced voices from across the recruitment ecosystem for an honest, no-BS panel discussion on where the industry has been, where it’s heading, and what recruiters actually need to do to stay relevant.

Joining Nitin Sharma on the panel are:

• Owain Wilson – Goldfinch & Partners (Legal & retained recruitment specialist)
• Samantha Moore – Medical Technology Talent (MedTech recruitment across UK, USA & Canada)
• Vincent Seddon – Simplicity in Business (Recruitment finance & back-office support)
• Kirsty Craig – KCA People & TEAM North West Regional Director

This wasn’t theory — it was real-world experience from operators who’ve lived through a turbulent market.

Topics include:

• A brutally honest review of 2025: what worked, what didn’t, and why some recruiters thrived while others struggled
• The growing divide between agencies that adapt vs those that stand still
• Moving away from pure contingent models into retained, RPO, temp, L&D and advisory services
• Why diversification is no longer optional for many recruitment businesses
• The importance of employer branding, candidate experience, and people engagement
• How clients really view recruitment (hint: often as a “distraction”) and how to turn that into opportunity
• Exit strategies vs lifestyle businesses — and why most recruiters don’t actually have a plan
• What makes a saleable recruitment business in today’s market
• Predictions for 2026 and why optimism alone isn’t a strategy
• A refreshingly balanced take on AI vs automation — why AI is just a tool, not a silver bullet
• Why recruitment will always remain a people business, no matter how advanced tech becomes

There’s also plenty of audience interaction, war stories, strong opinions, and practical takeaways you can apply straight away.

Who this episode is for

• Recruitment agency founders feeling stuck or uncertain about the future
• Recruiters considering moving into retained, RPO, temp, or advisory models
• Business owners thinking about exit strategies (or realising they should be)
• Recruiters overwhelmed by AI hype and wanting a grounded perspective
• Anyone in recruitment who wants to future-proof their business for 2026 and beyond

🔗 Connect with the panel guests

Owain Wilson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owain-w-41772888/

Samantha Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthaleighmoore/

Vincent Seddon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-seddon/

Kirsty Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstycraig/

Watch the previous panel at TEAM South Midlands:

https://youtu.be/Exdj3AIfSgg

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ONPLLAUPFVqV2jefLrIyI

Check out TEAM Network: https://www.theteamnetwork.co.uk/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, currently drop on Wednesday and Friday.

Look out for new episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Barry Cullen — recLAW: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrycullen/

Andrew Philipson — JOBBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewphilipson/ 

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Dougie Loan — SourceWhale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougieloan/

Andrew Constantinou — Nodex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apconstantinou/

#RecTalk #RecruitmentPodcast #TEAMNetwork #RecruitmentLeadership #RecruitmentAgency #RecruitmentTrends #FutureOfRecruitment #RetainedRecruitment #RecruitmentBusiness #RecruitmentStrategy #AIInRecruitment

Welcome back to The Mixed Grill – a RecTalk podcast and the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club.

In this laid-back, no-agenda episode, Nitin Sharma and Bobby Banerjee crack through listener questions, recruitment war stories, and a fair amount of nostalgic nonsense (Argos catalogues, pogs, and dodgy sticker trading included).

This one is pure, unfiltered conversation covering what actually works in modern recruitment – and what seriously needs to be left in the 90s.

🧠 What’s on the grill this week:

• What the first real question should be when assessing a recruitment firm’s BD engine
• Why most BD strategies are still just sales engines in disguise
• Relationship-led BD vs pitch-slapping and lead chasing
• Why most “new candidates” were already on your database
• The truth about LinkedIn outreach, automation tools, and cold messaging
• Personal branding: what works, what’s cringe, and why likes don’t pay invoices
• Generative AI on LinkedIn – where it helps and where it’s killing authenticity
• Coaching vs training: why top billers still need development
• What really separates consistent billers from everyone else
• Learning from feedback, mindset shifts, and why desperation smells
• Completely unnecessary but essential 90s nostalgia tangents

Expect strong opinions, plenty of swearing, and practical insights buried inside some very British banter.

👥 Who this episode is for

• Recruitment founders reviewing or rebuilding their BD strategy
• Non-execs and leaders joining recruitment businesses
• Recruiters fed up with cold outreach that doesn’t convert
• Anyone confused by LinkedIn “best practice” advice
• Top billers who want to stay top billers
• Sales managers trying to coach, not just manage
• Members (and future members) of the Recruitment Curry Club

🔗 Connect with the hosts

Bobby Banerjee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbybanerjee/

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Get your fill of curry, banter, and brilliant recruitment minds at The Recruitment Curry Club:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Look out for more episodes of The Mixed Grill dropping on Thursday.

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

#RecTalk #TheMixedGrill #RecruitmentCurryClub #RecruitmentLife #BusinessDevelopment #RecruitmentBD #LinkedInRecruitment #TopBillers #SalesCoaching #RecruitmentLeadership #HonestRecruitment

Is email really dead for recruiters… or have we just broken it ourselves?

In this episode of RecTalk, Nitin Sharma is joined by Ben Fielding, email deliverability specialist and founder of Quinset, to unpack one of the most misunderstood (and quietly damaging) issues in recruitment: email reputation and deliverability.

Recruiters everywhere are walking away from email and piling into LinkedIn outreach — but as Ben explains, email isn’t failing you… your behaviours are.

Together, Nitin and Ben dig into:

• Why recruiters think email “doesn’t work anymore”
• How mass mailshots, KPIs, and CRM automation are quietly destroying domain reputation
• What Google, Gmail, and email service providers actually care about (and now actively enforce)
• Why SPF, DKIM and DMARC aren’t enough on their own
• The real damage caused by cold outreach, irrelevant messaging, and spam complaints
• Why burner domains, subdomains, and “clever” workarounds no longer work
• How AI-driven recruitment CRMs can make things worse if left unchecked
• The hidden business impact of poor deliverability (missed interviews, unpaid invoices, damaged brand trust)
• Why email problems are rarely owned by one team — and how this becomes a 360° business issue

Ben also shares real-world examples of how recruiters accidentally land themselves in “Gmail jail”, why trendy domains (.io, .blue, uk.com, etc.) can be a liability, and what recruiters should be doing instead if they want email to work long-term.

This is a must-listen episode if you:

• Rely on email for BD, candidate outreach, or client comms
• KPI consultants on volume-based outreach
• Use recruitment CRMs, automation tools, or AI-driven matching
• Have ever said: “Email just doesn’t work like it used to”

👉 Email isn’t dead. But bad habits, bad data, and bad systems will absolutely kill it.

🔗 Connect with the guest

Ben Fielding: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benfielding/

Quinset: https://www.rectools.io/product/quinset-powermail/

Ben’s previous appearance on RecTalk:

https://youtu.be/M0q78UifE_c

https://open.spotify.com/episode/23wUYXDLJUZKsWuINIqVuH

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop on Wednesday and Friday — Monday episodes will return soon!

Look out for new episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Barry Cullen — recLAW: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrycullen/

Andrew Philipson — JOBBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewphilipson/ 

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Dougie Loan — SourceWhale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougieloan/

Andrew Constantinou — Nodex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apconstantinou/

#RecTalk #RecruitmentPodcast #EmailDeliverability #RecruitmentMarketing #RecruitmentTech #EmailReputation #ColdOutreach #GmailSpam #RecruitmentBD #Rectools

In this deeply honest episode of Founder Diaries, host Nitin Sharma sits down with Chris O’Connell, founder of BASE Mindset, for one of the most raw and real conversations on RecTalk.

This episode goes far beyond recruitment tactics. Chris opens up about his personal journey — from childhood trauma, building and losing a multi-million-pound recruitment business, battling validation addiction on LinkedIn, navigating heartbreak, money mindset struggles, men’s mental health, faith, and what it really means to be authentic as a founder.

Together, Nitin and Chris explore why so many recruitment leaders look successful on the outside but feel disconnected on the inside — and why becoming the CEO of your life must come before being the CEO of your business.

Topics covered include:

• What authenticity actually means in recruitment (and why most people fake it)
• The danger of building a LinkedIn persona for validation
• Childhood trauma, resilience, and how it shapes leadership decisions
• Losing everything financially — and rebuilding with purpose
• Why financial stability creates better founders (not greed)
• Money as a tool, not an identity
• Men’s mental health in recruitment leadership
• Walking away from bad clients, red flags, and toxic opportunities
• Why relationships beat tech, automation, and “harassment as a service”
• Traditional recruitment fundamentals that still work today
• Why purpose now beats profit — and still makes money
• Becoming discerning, slowing down, and choosing integrity
• Chris’s upcoming book: Become the CEO of Your Life

This is not a highlight-reel episode. It’s a conversation for founders who are tired of pretending and ready to lead with truth.

🔗 Connect with the guest

Chris O’Connell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itschrisoconnell/

BASE Mindset: https://basemindset.com/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop on Wednesday and Friday — Monday episodes will return soon!

Look out for new episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/

Barry Cullen — recLAW: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrycullen/

Andrew Philipson — JOBBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewphilipson/ 

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Dougie Loan — SourceWhale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougieloan/

Andrew Constantinou — Nodex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apconstantinou/

#FounderDiaries #RecTalk #RecruitmentLeadership #AuthenticLeadership #MensMentalHealth #FounderJourney #RecruitmentPodcast #LeadershipMindset #PurposeOverProfit #CEOfYourLife

In this deeply honest and wide-ranging episode of RecTalk, Nitin Sharma sits down with Danny Steel, Founder & MD of Recruso, to talk about resilience, leadership, recruitment technology, and what it really takes to survive (and prepare to thrive) in one of the toughest recruitment markets in recent memory.

Danny opens up about why he’s been quieter over the last year, sharing the personal impact of a devastating house fire and how it forced him to reprioritise family, mindset, and business. From there, the conversation moves into the realities of running a recruitment software business through a stagnant market, retaining customers when growth slows, and why keeping the lights on became the priority for many agencies in 2025.

You’ll also hear a deep dive into Recruso’s roadmap for 2026, including:

• Why Recruso focuses on fast-moving temp agencies in logistics, healthcare, education and other essential sectors
• The launch of a full open API
• End-to-end Time & Attendance (T&A) from clock-in to pay & bill
• Recruso Payroll and why owning payroll is becoming critical with upcoming umbrella and PAYE changes
• The thinking behind launching a separate, purpose-built perm product (and why shoe-horning perm into temp CRMs doesn’t work)

Danny and Nitin also tackle some of the biggest themes facing recruiters right now:

• Automation vs AI (and why most agencies should fix automation first)
• Margin pressure, compliance, and the reality of April payroll and umbrella reforms
• Why many agencies are underestimating their risk
• Subscription, retained and non-traditional recruitment revenue models
• Educating clients instead of chasing vacancies
• Why smaller clients often outperform “big name” logos
• What the best-performing agencies are doing differently in a flat market

The episode wraps with practical advice for recruitment business owners, founders and tech leaders navigating uncertainty, plus a reminder that sometimes survival, stability and learning are wins in themselves.

Who this episode is for

• Recruitment agency owners navigating tough or stagnant markets
• Temp and high-volume recruiters facing margin and compliance pressure
• Recruitment tech founders and SaaS leaders
• Agencies worried about umbrella, PAYE and payroll changes
• Recruiters exploring subscription or non-traditional revenue models
• Anyone balancing leadership, life challenges, and business resilience

🔗 Connect with the guest

Danny Steel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannysteel/

Check out Recruso: https://www.rectools.io/product/recruso-2/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Look out for new episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

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