The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast

Emily Angeloni co-founded WOW Recruitment in Sydney at 22. No salary for six months. Just her laptop, working from a building set for demolition. Nine years later: a team of 18 across every major Australian state, New Zealand, and the United States. One of the most respected boutique sales and marketing agencies in the country.

The year she became a mother, her co-founder told her he was leaving. She came back from maternity leave to a business that had saved every problem for her return, hit a serious road block, and stood in a strategy offsite thinking she could not do it anymore. She needed to rediscover her why.

She did. WOW has since had its strongest period in nine years. But then she had a valuation done. And as she says herself: valuations can be a pretty uncomfortable truth.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Emily breaks down what it actually looks like to lose a business partner, build something you are not sure you even want to continue, find the clarity, and watch everything change.

We cover:

- How a co-founder exit right before maternity leave forced Emily into the driver's seat for the first time

- Why she seriously considered walking away from nine years of work, and what made her stay

- The rookie hiring model that cost WOW its billing average, its culture, and its margins

- How she redesigned her role entirely around what she loves: external focus, 18 people, zero internal ops

- The five-year plan to build an asset with freedom of choice, not a job she cannot leave

- Why a recent valuation was an uncomfortable truth and what it sharpened her focus on

- What AI is actually changing for WOW's delivery model right now

-Why personal brand has been her competitive advantage since 2017 and how it converts to real revenue

Losing a co-founder. Building something you are not sure you even want any more. Then getting clear on the why and watching everything change.

More founders have been down this road than would ever admit it. Emily is just prepared to say it out loud. Nine years in, she is building something worth having on her own terms, and working out exactly what that is worth.

If you've ever wondered what it looks like to rebuild a business around a life you actually want to live, this episode has the blueprint.

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Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply looking for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/

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Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K-£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Charlie Saffro started CS Recruiting by accident. Pregnant with her third child, out of a job overnight, doing free matchmaking from the school carpool line in Chicago. Her first placement fee was $1,200 with a year-long guarantee.

Sixteen years later, she had built a $5 million logistics and supply chain recruitment firm with 48 employees at its peak. Inc. Best Workplaces honouree. TEDx speaker. A brand built entirely on the idea that business is personal.

Then the market turned. Three brutal years, 2022 to 2024, forced her to halve the team. On Thanksgiving 2024, she took a walk with her husband and said the words out loud for the first time: "I'm done."

She sold CS Recruiting on December 1st 2025. The same year her oldest son left for college. Within weeks, the woman who had been needed by everyone suddenly wasn't needed by anyone.

"Who am I without these titles? Who am I if I'm not in charge of my kids, if I'm not in charge of my team?"

This week on The RAG Podcast, Charlie opens up about the reality of selling a recruitment business and what comes after.

We cover:

How an advertising career in downtown Chicago accidentally led to a logistics recruitment firm

Why her first big client needed 200 hires and she had zero recruiters

How personal branding on LinkedIn generated more business than any marketing budget

The moment on Thanksgiving that triggered the decision to sell after 16 years

What it actually takes to sell a recruitment business that carries your name

Why she describes life after the exit as "grieving"

The parallel between sending your kid to college and handing over your company

How she navigates being an employee inside someone else's business after being a founder

What she wishes someone had told her before she signed the deal

So many recruitment founders think about selling one day. Very few actually do it. And almost nobody talks about what happens after the champagne stops flowing.

If you have ever wondered what it really feels like to sell the business you built from nothing, to hand over the team you hired and the brand you created, this episode is the most honest answer you will hear.

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Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Let’s be honest. Admin is one of the biggest drains on growth in a recruitment business. That’s where Atlas comes in.

Atlas is the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies that want to scale without adding more manual work. It doesn’t just track CVs and calls.

It captures every conversation - emails, interviews, client calls - and makes it fully searchable.

With Magic Search, you can literally ask:

Who mentioned they’re open to relocating next year?

Who talked about wanting a four-day week? Who’s worried about their commute? Atlas searches across real conversations, not just keywords on a CV, and gives you answers instantly.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier. With Opportunities, you can track and grow client relationships using generative AI, all inside your existing workflow. And this isn’t hypothetical.

Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost information.

Just faster shortlists, better hires, and more time spent on the work that actually drives revenue.

If you want to see what the future of recruitment looks like, unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at: https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ __________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn. Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks. But here's the question almost no one can answer: How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business? Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash. That's the problem we solve. At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics. Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process. To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners. In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn: Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Blaine Daws started in data centres in 2008 with a stack of papers and a wired phone. By 25, he was billing £475k a year as a solo 360 recruiter. At a family Christmas party in December 2019, he met Karl Chatterjee, a man who had already sold two recruitment businesses for multi-millions. Karl said: "Why are you going to line someone else's pockets?" Four weeks later, WNTD was incorporated. Two weeks after that, the world went into lockdown.

Like so many other founders back then, he dropped his niche, went after every market he could find, and started to make money. They grew to 20 people and had a huge office in the post-Covid boom. But lost a foothold in their niche and over a quarter of a million pounds doing it.

Then he stripped everything back. Let everyone go. Rebuilt from scratch around the one market he knew inside out: the Nvidia ecosystem and the global data centre buildout powering the AI revolution.

WNTD is now 75 people, generating £15 to 20 million in revenue, and running a £100 billion GPU infrastructure deployment across Europe. Blaine is 35, working 7 days a week, with two young children at home.

"I want to make as much money as possible. So then in five years time, when I'm 40, I don't have to do it anymore."

This week on The RAG Podcast, Blaine Daws tells the real story behind one of the most unusual businesses in recruitment.

We cover:

• How a family Christmas party sparked WNTD, launched two weeks before lockdown
• Going mass market, losing £250K, and why he told Karl most weeks he wanted to quit
• Why stripping back to one niche was the actual growth strategy
• What statement of work really means in AI infrastructure recruitment
• Running a £100 billion GPU build and what that looks like day to day
• Getting equity stakes in the partner companies they work with
• Working 7 days a week at 35 with two young kids, and what it's actually costing
• The question Sean asked that changed the tone of the whole episode

Blaine went from nearly shutting the business down to running one of the most specialised agencies in the world's fastest growing market.

If you've ever wondered what it actually costs to build something extraordinary... this episode has the answer.

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Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Andy Strong spent 10 years in retail selling mobile phones. Then 17 years building the biggest delivery team at a SaaS recruitment firm in Dorset. He became one of four divisional directors. His team placed 82% of the company's US hires from Poole. He drove 400% growth in North American placements.

And then he went to therapy.

Eight sessions later, he ended an eight-year relationship, resigned from the only recruitment business he had ever known, and started a company from a shed at the bottom of his garden.

Strong Search launched with no brand, no pipeline, and no office. Four retained roles landed in month one. By the end of year one: $1 million in revenue, 39 placements, 100% placement retention, and a team of seven. He turned down work with one of the largest software companies in the world because it did not fit what he stands for. He hired an operations and marketing manager before he hired another recruiter. And he recently appointed a Managing Director for North America who previously held senior roles at Coupa, Icertis, Yahoo, and Clari.

"I spoke to a venture capitalist in May. She said, what you're gonna learn is what's more important is what you say no to than what you say yes to. She was right."

This week on The RAG Podcast, Andy Strong breaks down how he built a seven-figure recruitment business in 12 months and why trust, not volume, is the only model that survives.

We cover:

• Why Andy waited 17 years before going out on his own and what finally changed
• How therapy became the catalyst for quitting his job, ending a relationship, and starting a business
• The four retained roles that landed in month one and how they happened
• Why he hired an operations and marketing manager before another recruiter
• How his team in Dorset placed 82% of a firm's US hires and beat American-based competitors
• Why he turned down a massive revenue opportunity with SAP
• The 100% placement retention stat and what it actually takes to maintain it
• His views on AI in recruitment and where the human element cannot be replaced

Andy built something from nothing in 12 months. Not through cold calls and volume. Through precision, trust, and the courage to finally back himself.

If you have ever sat in someone else's business wondering whether it is your time to go... this episode has the blueprint.

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Hiring shouldn't be slow, stressful, or expensive. That's why there's Remote Recruitment - the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don't just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that's ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitment has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, they're helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

• Up to 60% productivity boosts
• 300% ROI on BD roles
• 30% faster completion of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

RAG Listeners: Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

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Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn. Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

• Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn
• How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand
• The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Jon Woolley spent nearly a decade at Vantage Consulting. He opened their US arm, built a team of eight, and scaled it to $1.6 million. Then, three weeks before his third child was born, he walked away.

No team. No clients. No pipeline. Just £30,000 in savings and a niche most recruiters have never heard of: industrial automation. The people who programme the machines that make the stuff, from pharmaceuticals to Amazon warehouses. Average fees of $20,000 to $22,000 a placement.

Year one at Candid Talent he billed £112,000. Year two, $500,000. And then Q1 of year three: over $350,000 in a single quarter. Solo. From a farmhouse in Staffordshire. Three kids under seven. 25 hours a week. Almost all inbound from LinkedIn.

"Honestly, it's wild. Compared to the stress of year one... coming into year three with that kind of quarter. It's awesome."

This week on The RAG Podcast, Jon breaks down how he went from employed recruiter to solo founder billing over $1 million in just two years, whilst being more present for his family than he ever was in agency life.

• How Jon built a $1.6M US desk for someone else before going solo
• Why he left a senior role three weeks before his third child arrived
• The reality of year one: £112K billed, three months to land the first deal, and constant self-doubt
• How industrial automation recruitment works and why the fees are three times higher than UK averages
• Why almost all of his business now comes inbound through LinkedIn
• The lifestyle model: 25 hours a week, from home, present for school runs and gymnastics
• How he plans to grow from solo to six to ten people without an office
• Why he invested £30K in The Boardroom two years into building his agency

Jon Woolley is not running a massive agency. He's not chasing headcount or office space or awards.

He's building a business that lets him be present for his family whilst billing more than most teams.

If you've ever wondered whether you could leave an established desk, start solo, and build something that works around your life rather than the other way around... this episode has the blueprint.

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Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

This is not a typical RAG episode.

Christian Mather is not a recruiter. He has never filled a role, run a desk, or managed a team. He is a wealth planner. And since niching into recruitment founders about two and a half years ago, he has become one of the most in-demand advisors in the industry.

Since January alone, he has had over 100 enquiries and spoken to 60 founders about the same thing: how to turn business success into personal financial freedom. Not through selling the business. Not through scaling to 50 heads. Through understanding one number.

He calls it your freedom number. The amount you need in assets to cover your lifestyle for the rest of your life. And most founders massively overestimate what that number is.

His simple formula gives you your starting point. In this episode Christian walked through real examples of his clients goals and challenges.

A founder who thought he needed £5 million but actually needed £1.2 million. A 29-year-old woman billing half a million on her own, working 20 hours a week, about to hire staff she didn't need. A business doing 1.6 million net fee income with 16 staff but only £150K EBITDA because the founders were doing 80% of the work.

Only 0.3% of recruitment agencies ever successfully sell. That number comes from the REC, and Christian has built his entire practice around the other 99.7%. His argument is simple: your business should fund your wealth, not be your wealth.

We cover:

• Why 0.3% of recruitment agencies sell and what that means for your retirement plan
• How to calculate your freedom number using the monthly spend x 300 rule
• The real cost of treating your business as your pension
• Why founders between 40 and 45 are the ones making the call
• The financial mistakes costing recruitment founders the most money
• How co-founders can align on what they actually want from the business
• Why property is not the passive investment most founders think it is
• The post-exit identity crisis that nobody prepares for

Christian and I also get into our own stories and share our personal strategies for wealth creation.

If you have ever wondered what your number actually is, or whether you are closer to freedom than you think, this episode has the blueprint.

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Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn't be slow, stressful, or expensive. That's why there's Remote Recruitment, the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don't just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that's ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitment has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we're helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

- Up to 60% productivity boosts

- 300% ROI on BD roles

- 30% faster completion of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

RAG Listeners: Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

-------------------------------------------------

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn. Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:

- How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

- Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

- That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K to £300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

David Bloxham first appeared on The RAG Podcast in March 2020. That episode was recorded the week before the world went into lockdown. He had 130 staff, a fresh MBO behind him, and a business that was growing.

Six years later, he is back. Same seat. Very different business.

In the years since, David has navigated a pandemic, a post-COVID hiring boom, a brutal tech slump, and the rise of AI. Each time, his response was the same: strip the model apart and rebuild it stronger.

GCS is now 100 people across 10 global offices, generating over 12 million in revenue with 95% coming from contract. 50% of the team now operates from offshore delivery centres in Cape Town, Mumbai, and Delhi. The permanent division that drove record numbers in 2022 has been deliberately wound down.

"Year on year, since 2019, our contract number has grown year on year. The perm has gone up and down, but the contracts kept rising."

But perhaps the most striking part of this conversation is what comes next. David is building an AI-enabled recruitment tool designed to sit alongside his traditional business, one that could eventually generate the same revenue as his human team. He is not waiting for disruption. He is building it himself.

WE COVER:

• How GCS went from 60/40 perm-contract split to 95% contract in under three years
• The board-level conversation with nGAGE CEO Tim Cook that changed everything
• Why David cut his highest-performing permanent teams at their peak
• How 50% of the workforce moved offshore and what the 120-120-120 delivery model looks like in practice
• The pivot from software development (47% of vacancies) to AI, cyber, and cloud (after coding roles dropped to 13%)
• Why fill rate matters more than job volume and the metrics David tracks at CEO level
• The GCS Leaders Series podcast and how 100+ episodes became a business development machine
• David's plan to build an AI recruitment tool that could cannibalise his own business

If you have ever wondered whether resilience is a strategy or just a word people put on their LinkedIn profile, this episode has the answer. David Bloxham has been at the same company for nearly 30 years. He has rebuilt it three times. And he is about to do it again.

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Ben Richardson & Mike Bott: Why LHi Group appointed two CEOs

For 25 years, LHi Group had one CEO.

Founder Tom Glanfield built the business from scratch with Jim Denning taking over in 2020 and leading it it through COVID.

A global recruitment group, LHi has

5 brands.

300 people.

9Offices across the US and Europe

Ben Richardson and Mike Bott had both spent their careers inside LHi.

Both joined as entry level recruiters

Both built desks, teams and international offices from the ground up.

Both eventually became global recruitment directors.

And both had their eyes on the same job.

"I wanted to be CEO about a week after I joined LHI in 2007."

When Jim Denning stepped down, the expectation was simple.

One of them would get the role.

Instead, the board made a call neither of them had anticipated.

They would run the business together.

Co-CEOs.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Ben and Mike break down how the decision happened and what it actually takes to make a leadership structure like this work.

We cover:

1. How two recruiters who joined the business years apart both ended up competing for the CEO job
2. The moment they were told they would be sharing the role instead of one of them taking it
3. Why the board believed the co-CEO model would work for LHi
4. How they divide responsibility running a global recruitment business
5. The leadership principles that allow two CEOs to operate without conflict
6. Why ego is the biggest risk in a structure like this
7. The level of trust required to make joint leadership work long-term
8. What founders should think about when planning succession inside their own businesses
9. Why promoting from within can be a competitive advantage in recruitment
10. What the next phase of growth looks like for LHi Group

This episode isn’t really about recruitment.

It’s about succession.

It’s about trust.

And it’s about whether the traditional idea of a single CEO is always the right answer.

Because if you’re building a recruitment business and thinking about who should lead it next…

This conversation might challenge the way you think about it!

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Lucy Robinson: Fired from her job, now running a £650k global search firm

Lucy Robinson runs LCR International, a global executive search firm specialising in fresh produce across six continents.

Today, the business is doing around £650k in revenue, but the story really started in December 2019 when Lucy was fired from her job for not hitting targets.

At the time, she had no savings, a three-year-old at home, and had just spent months trying to build a new desk for an agency she’d previously worked for.

Two weeks before she got fired, her husband had said something half-jokingly:

"The only way you’ll ever start your own agency is if you get sacked."

Two weeks later, that’s exactly what happened.

Starting a business at that point didn’t exactly look like the sensible move.

Lucy had a young family, no financial buffer, and was launching into a market she already knew was competitive.

But she did it anyway.

She launched LCR International, working three days a week, just as the world walked into COVID.

The first year, she billed £100k and was mostly filling contingent work.

She wanted to move into retained search, but it wasn’t really working.

In 2023, she decided to change the model completely and invested in proper search training and it changed everything.

The business moved to around 90% retained search, margins improved, and growth accelerated.

Revenue went from £250k to £500k to £650k across three years.

Now the focus isn’t on scaling faster.

It’s about building a profitable, sustainable business that works for her family as well as her career.

The business currently runs at around 20% net profit, with a small team and clients across the world.

And Lucy has no interest in building a huge agency just for the sake of it.

Instead, she’s focused on growing the business in a smarter way - using better positioning, retained search, automation and AI rather than simply adding more headcount.

Her goal now is £800k this year and £1m next year, whilst keeping the business lean and flexible.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Lucy shares the full story.

We talk about:

• Getting fired with no savings and a young child at home

• Starting a business just before COVID hit

• Building £100k in the first year working three days a week

• Taking maternity leave twice whilst growing the business

• Why contingent search stopped working for her

• The training that helped shift the business to retained search

• Growing from £250k → £500k → £650k

• Running a global niche search firm across six continents

• Raising two young kids whilst building the business

• Why she prioritises flexibility over building a massive team

• Her focus on profitability and a 20% net margin

• Using automation and AI instead of headcount

• Her plan to reach £1m revenue without sacrificing family life

What I really liked about Lucy’s story is that she’s building the kind of business more founders are starting to want.

A niche firm.

A strong reputation in a specific market.

Good margins.

A small team.

And a business designed around life, not the other way round.

It’s a great example of what a modern recruitment business can actually look like.

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Episode Sponsor: Atlas

Let’s be honest. Admin is one of the biggest drains on growth in a recruitment business.

That’s where Atlas comes in.

Atlas is the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies that want to scale without adding more manual work.

It doesn’t just track CVs and calls. It captures every conversation - emails, interviews, client calls - and makes it fully searchable.

With Magic Search, you can literally ask:

- Who mentioned they’re open to relocating next year?

- Who talked about wanting a four-day week?

- Who’s worried about their commute?

Atlas searches across real conversations, not just keywords on a CV, and gives you answers instantly.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier. With Opportunities, you can track and grow client relationships using generative AI, all inside your existing workflow.

And this isn’t hypothetical.

Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost information.

Just faster shortlists, better hires, and more time spent on the work that actually drives revenue.

If you want to see what the future of recruitment looks like, unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at:

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In June 2023, Jory Humphreys and Sam Hope launched H People with limited capital but an insane energy to work hard.

Within 25 months, they'd built a $25 million business. $8.2 million in year one, $15.5 million revenue and $1 million in EBITDA in their second full year. They're now Australia's number two fastest-growing company.

But what makes their story different isn't the revenue. It's the model they built to get there.

Most founders choose between growth and sanity. Jory and Sam chose leverage.

From day one, they integrated an offshore team from the Philippines. Not as a cost-cutting exercise. As a strategic partner. One offshore resource supporting one onshore consultant.

This involved structured daily huddles, clear shared targets and the growth of a real partnership culture.

The offshore team handled high-volume screening, candidate qualification, compliance and administration. The onshore consultants handled what only they could do: client relationships, business development, negotiation, and revenue generation.

This operating model has been the foundation of their success.

As Jory explains: "If it was just me and Sam battling it out without offshore support, we would have only made half the amount of placements. They enabled us to deliver a better service."

Today, H People is 21 people strong, expanding nationally across Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, and they're running one of the most profitable recruitment operations in Australia. They've also launched Wingman Recruitment, helping other agencies replicate the offshore model with the same rigour.

Inside this unique story, we cover:

- How two bootstrapped founders went from zero to $25M in 25 months

- Why the offshore model isn't about cost-cutting - it's about leverage

- The exact structure: one consultant, one resource, shared targets

- How they grew 16 net new contractors every single month

- The culture piece: why their offshore team outperforms typical VAs

- How they built $1M EBITDA in year two (without venture capital)

- Why they split focus between H People and Wingman Recruitment?

- The real numbers: revenue, GP, EBITDA, and what's actually possible

- How they managed family life while scaling a $25M business in 25 months

- The future of recruitment: onshore consultants + offshore leverage + AI automation

This is a story of two recruiters who understood their market, built the right operating model, and scaled with intention. It’s super inspiring and I can’t wait for you to listen!

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Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment

Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.

They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.

Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.

And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.

Clients have seen:

* Up to **60% productivity boosts**

* **300% ROI** on BD roles

* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.

Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.

**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag

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Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.

Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here’s the question almost no one can answer:

How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?

Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That’s the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:

- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn

- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0