The RAG Report is BACK! But this time it is LIVE! 

If you remember, I started this show in the first Lockdown as a way of giving the sector a daily update on how the virus was being received by recruiters around the globe.

In light of the new restrictions, I felt it was important to bring this back! In today’s episode, I was joined on LinkedIn Live by Neil Carberry, the CEO of The REC. 

At the helm of the REC, Representing a network of more than 3,300 recruitment businesses and 10,500 individual recruiters, gives Neil a unique insight into how COVID-19 is truly affecting the industry today.

In this episode, we talked about:

• What really happened to the sector in the first wave
• What sectors have been hit the most
• How the job market is performing vs predicted 2020 forecasts
• What Neil sees happening in Q4 and 2021
• Loads of other random stuff that somehow relates to the above!

Neil is a great guy and clearly shares my passion for helping our wonderful industry to grow! If you would like to chat to Neil about how he and the REC can help your agency then feel free to reach out on here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-carberry-95948938/

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In today’s episode, I was completely solo.

In light of the recent restrictions by the government, I wanted to give you an update on what I have seen from speaking to over 200 companies this week.

Also as we enter Q4 of 2020 there are some big changes coming to The RAG Podcast!

We are going to be focussing on the future of our industry, what's working now and what's not as you look to grow your agency in the new digital economy..

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In today’s episode, I was joined by my business partner and best mate - Amar Chohan.

I met Amar 16 yrs ago this week at uni and we have been on a journey together ever since!

We have so many stories to share but in late 2014 after joining a new recruitment agency, Amar received a call you would never wish upon anyone.

Amar responded to the passing of his father with incredible strength and after returning to work he turned to me and said - life is too short, we need to start our own company! 

In this episode, we talked about:

• Amar’s journey in recruitment 
• How he dealt with his Dad’s death
• The way he continues to cope today
• How he reacted when I came up with the idea for Hoxo Media
• Why he loves what we do today

The strongest guy I know, I was honoured to take a break from our crazy lives to chat this through. I hope this helps others dealing with sudden bereavements or those questioning whether they should launch a business with a best friend! If you would like to speak to Amar about his journey in more detail then reach out HERE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amar-chohan-864b6632/

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In today’s episode, I was joined by Lysha, founder of Qui Recruitment, a specialist Rec-2-Rec agency based in Manchester, UK.

In 2017, after 13 years of marriage, her life was turned upside down when her husband finally revealed that he had to be open about his sexuality.

What happened next was the story of a remarkably strong woman who has to dig in to ensure she could keep her business alive and provide for her teenage daughters.

In this episode, we talked about

• How this whole situation unfolded
• How she immediately reacted
• The way she coped in the early days
• What her life is like now
• Advice for anyone going through life-changing events

An AMAZING woman who inspired me whilst recording, I hope this helps others dealing with difficult situations in their personal lives whilst also trying to maintain a career! If you would like to speak to Lysha about her journey in more detail then reach out HERE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyshaholmes/

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In today’s episode I was joined by Amit, Director of Apt Search & Selection, a specialist UK based recruitment agency in the eDiscovery market 

In 2014, shortly after the launch of his business, Amit’s life was in great shape. He was working extremely hard and seeing early business success whilst at the same time about to get married.

In the run up to his wedding, Amit was unlucky enough to be bitten by a ‘tick’ in the leg and contracted Lyme Disease. 

After such diagnoses, Amit then suffered with consistent physical and mental health challenges with no obvious sign of a cure.

In this episode, we talked about

• How this all happened out of the blue
• How this disease took over his life 
• The effects on his marriage and business
• How he had to travel to the US in order to find treatment that made the difference
• How he managed to keep recruiting throughout the whole ordeal!

A great guy with a unique story to tell, I hope this helps raise awareness of Lyme Disease (I knew nothing about it|) and show how resilient recruitment owners can really be!! If you would like to speak to Amit about his journey in more detail then reach out HERE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ediscoveryrecruiter/

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In today’s episode I was joined by Peter, Managing Director of Brownlee Dean, a 2 year old recruitment agency headquartered in the North East of England.

In early 2018 after 12 years of working for the same recruitment agency, Pete was ready to leave his employer and start his own recruitment business.

However as he was about to hand his notice in, he then found out that his wife was pregnant with their first child!

A few months later, with 5 months survival money in the bank, Pete made the move despite the personal situation.

In this episode, we talked about:

• The reality of starting a company 3 months before your first baby is born
• How he suffered from mental health issues before and during this situation
• How he coped and the effects on his marriage
• The way he came through this period and set the business up for success

An honest and humble guy, I am confident that you will love this interview if you have a complicated life outside of the day job! If you would like to speak to Pete about his journey in more detail then reach out HERE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-walker-certrp-26499937/

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In today’s episode I was joined by Alex, Co-Founder of Tale, a brand new recruitment agency she founded in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

Only 3 years into her recruitment career, if you would have asked Alex in Feb 2020 if she was soon to become a business owner, she would have said ‘NO’.

It was only when another recruitment owner, Harry Brooker, reached out to her after watching her videos and said he was looking to re-brand and wondered if she would be a part of the journey.

They had never met, and still haven’t in person due to the pandemic!

In this episode, we talked about:

• The reality of making this decision at the age of 24
• How her personal brand content has changed everything for her 
• That she plans to never make a BD call again
• Her vision for building a Tale community in the future

An inspiring girl on a mission to create a disruptive recruitment business that is so current in today’s market, if you would like to speak to Alex about her journey and plans then reach out HERE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrachirica/

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In today’s episode I was joined by Michael, Partner at IBAM Consulting and ex-colleague and friend of mine.

Michael is not a recruitment agency founder but a very experienced recruitment team leader, sales leader and biller. 

In 2016 Michael was living with his wife and 2 young daughters whilst leading a recruitment team in central London. After a long period of challenges at home, he then decided to separate from his wife and file for divorce.

In this episode, we talked about the reality of going through a divorce from a mans perspective. He gave a truly honest account of the pain he suffered by leaving his kids and how this hugely affected his performance in all areas of life - including recruitment.

Having a strong management team around him, he took the brave decision to step back into a billing role in order to support himself and the business as best he could.

This episode really isn’t about Recruitment at all, though I am sure so many recruitment professionals will be able to relate.

A friend to me with a huge appetite to help others, if you would like to speak to Michael about his experience or just make contact then you can do HERE

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In today’s episode I was joined by Liz, the Founder of Logjec Recruitment, a super niche recruitment agency based in the North West of England.

She doesn’t have a typical recruitment agency founder's story. 

An ex Recruiter working for her family Financial Advisory business in 2016, her world was turned upside down twice within 10 months after tragically losing her brother and later her father in horrific accidents.

At rock bottom, Liz somehow managed to find the strength to channel her pain towards something positive. This became her motivation for success.

I particularly loved how she now doesn’t let everyday challenges bring her mood down as they simply aren’t ‘life or death matters’, a great way to view the world I feel.

3.5 years later, she now has a successful recruitment agency and a niche recruitment coaching business where she is passionate about helping the next generation of founders who may be struggling with the confidence to take the next step.

A truly incredible woman and an inspiration to us all, if you would like to speak to Liz about her coaching business or just make contact then you can do: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-connor-04882051/

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In today’s episode I was joined by Joseph (Joe), the Co-Founder and MD of Manners Maclean, an international exec search business based in London and Buckinghamshire.

I was originally going to record today’s episode by myself. I have been feeling stressed and burnout over the past month and I realised that there are so many also experiencing this right now. 

However I was delighted to be joined by Joe, a member of The Hoxo Academy since May 1st, who after a number of conversations has shared with me that he has been feeling almost identical to me in the past month.

Like most recruitment owners, Joe has worked hard during the pandemic to keep his business alive, despite so many obstacles. 

But Joe took this to extreme levels and decided to work 7 days a week to give his agency the best opportunity moving forward.

With a wife and 4 year old twins in a 3 bedroom house lacking space, this began to break Joe down.

In this episode Joe shares the story of

• How he felt working so hard
• The signs of burnout
• What he did to combat the problem
• Tips any recruitment owner can adopt to overcome these challenges

A great guy with such a real and relevant story right now, if you would like to chat to Joe about this further please contact him HERE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephsweeneymm/

Sponsors:

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