In this episode of the Recruitment Founders Podcast, Lindsay “Jocks” Hartland and Greg Elton talk to James Davies, founder of Embedded Electronic Solutions, about his journey from climbing telecoms masts and working as an engineer to becoming an S3 biller and eventually a solo recruitment founder in the quantum technology space. James shares how he swapped a comfortable field engineering salary for a trainee recruiter role, why in-office apprenticeship was crucial to his early success, and how Covid forced him to quickly find resilient market niches.

He then lifts the lid on leaving a boutique to start his own business, the emotional shock of going months without a deal, the reality of taking a pay cut with a family, and why he chose Recruitment Founders Club over higher-capital but more restrictive investor models. The conversation closes on the mindset, support network and back-to-basics process that helped him move from “I can’t see myself ever doing a deal again” to regularly billing and taking control of his time and health.

Key Takeaways

James moved from hands-on engineering into recruitment in his early 30s, took a pay cut and a trainee title, but quickly ramped his billings once he’d learnt the craft.

He’s honest that he would have “crashed and burned” if he’d started remotely; sitting in a busy office, listening, copying and adapting top billers’ pitches was invaluable.

When lockdown hit, James survived by hunting out recession-resistant pockets in his patch (nuclear, remote handling, critical engineering) rather than waiting for “normal” jobs to return.

Corporate recruitment once sold management roles and layers of non-billing leadership as the prize. Now, many of those layers are under pressure to bill again, and questioning why they’re doing it for someone else.

Some incubators offer salary and tools but take 50% of everything and structure the deal so you never truly clear your “debt”, effectively keeping you as a high-performing employee in disguise.

James chose RFC because he already trusted Lindsay from their S3 days and wanted clean, fair support rather than a shark-tank deal with heavy long-term strings attached.

His biggest lesson to his month-before-launch self: stop putting things off because it’s “your name above the door” now. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it has to be started.

Having a partner and mentors who understand the financial hit, the emotional wobble, and the “I’ll never do a deal again” moments is critical when everything rests on you.

Greg reminds listeners that even the best billers ride peaks and troughs. If you keep following a solid process, the sun comes back out; if you stop following it, that’s when trouble really starts.

James went from total confidence in his employed days to genuine fear as a founder, and back to a calmer place by reminding himself of his track record and hearing others say what he used to: it will be alright.

Best Moments

“I didn’t want to go and work for another big company… there was no reason I couldn’t do this job for myself.”

“Don’t put anything off. It doesn’t need to be perfect just because it’s now on you.”

“Four months in I genuinely couldn’t see myself doing a deal again.”

“All of a sudden you’ve got more money in your bank account than you’ve ever seen… and three months off later you’re asking where it’s gone.”

“It’ll be alright. You’ve just got to have people around you who’ll say to you what you’d normally say to them.”

“Recruitment is a cyclical gig. If you keep following the process, at some point the sun will come out, and you’ll have some crops.”

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Recruitment Founders Podcast, Lindsay Hartland and Greg Elton sit down with Jon Stanley, founder of One Point Four Degrees and long-time S3 alumnus. Jon traces his journey from Huxley and Real, through nine years in Amsterdam and a tough stint at Opus, to launching not one but two recruitment businesses, including the first in the middle of Covid. He talks openly about court battles over covenants, getting “mullered” trying to break into contract in a pandemic, stumbling into perm and retainers with Lindsay’s help, and why he chose to partner with RFC on his second venture. 

Together they explore the loneliness of ownership, the shift towards boutique and one-person brands, and how choosing the right people around you can be as important as choosing the right market.

Key Takeaways

Jon’s move to Amsterdam with S3 opened his eyes to a more international, “borderless” mindset and accelerated both his personal growth and the performance of the business he was scaling.

On paper, his role at Opus looked like a step up, matrix influence, no direct team, bigger scope, but in reality, it didn’t play to his strengths, especially once strong covenants and a courtroom appearance with his old boss were involved.

Two founders, laptops at the kitchen table, no database and a global pandemic made the early months brutal: chasing any contract job going, getting ghosted, and competing with major agencies sitting on stood-down contractor benches.

A couple of early perm wins turned into a multi-hire project, and with Lindsay’s guidance on how to pitch and structure a retainer, Jon went from never having done perm to delivering a 12-person build and finally “cooking” as a business.

By the time he launched his second business, Jon knew he didn’t want a pure lifestyle play. He wanted to grow something meaningful, but recognised the loneliness and exposure of doing that solo, which made partnering with RFC a natural next step.

For Jon, the real value in RFC is clean-eyed, sometimes uncomfortable challenge from people who’ve done it before, holding up a mirror on legal decisions, tough calls and avoidance behaviours that could quietly threaten the business.

Rather than going tunnel vision, Jon champions reaching out when you’re stuck, choosing advisers and peers with real credentials, and having the humility to admit you don’t have all the answers, even if you are the owner.

Best Moments

“It was almost like the world opens up to you… leaving the UK was probably one of the best things I’ve done for my career.”

“You’re in a very competitive space with not a lot to compete with apart from… you.”

“It was two lads and a LinkedIn Recruiter… of course we were getting mullered.”

“You don’t have to do it on your own, even if you are a solo. Choose the people around you carefully and wisely.”

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Recruitment Founders Podcast, Lindsay Hartland and Greg Elton break down what it really takes to go from employee to recruitment business owner. They talk through the post-COVID wave of founders, why some people should absolutely not jump yet, and how to work out whether your current billings are genuinely down to you or propped up by your employer’s brand and infrastructure. 

They cover financial runway (why 3 months’ savings isn’t enough), picking the right market, building a minimum viable tech stack, and the emotional rollercoaster of your first 90 days, from the LinkedIn launch buzz to the silence, the missing salary, and fighting off doubt.

Key Takeaways

Know exactly why you’re doing it. A strong personal reason, such as keeping more of your billings, being present for your family, or wanting true autonomy, is what carries you through the tough patches, not just being annoyed with your current boss.

Runway is non-negotiable. Three months’ living costs in the bank is not enough; six months is a bare minimum, and nine to twelve gives you a realistic window for first deals and client payments to land. If you can’t stretch your runway, you’re not ready.

Be honest about how “360” you really are. If you only work with candidates, or rely heavily on your employer’s brand, marketing, senior backing and finance team, expect a steep learning curve. As a founder, you wear every hat, from BD and delivery to cash flow and credit control.

Stay close to the market you know. Changing sector and launching a new brand massively extends time to traction; founders moving into brand new markets often take 6–12 months to see meaningful results. If you want to pivot, use an 80/20 approach rather than torching your existing niche.

Build a Minimum Viable Product, not a vanity tech stack. You don’t need hundreds of pounds a month in AI tools to look “proper”. A sensible LinkedIn product, a simple CRM if you genuinely use one, a laptop, phone and a decent-enough website will get you trading; spend real money on a good accountant and marketing mentor instead.

Your accountant is a business mentor, not a form-filler. The right accountant helps you understand director responsibilities, cash, tax and profit, the very reasons most people start their own business, and is far more valuable than another shiny SaaS subscription.

Don’t build it alone, find your tribe. Months two and three can feel dark: the LinkedIn launch noise dies, deals haven’t dropped yet, and your salary doesn’t appear. A real founder community or peers who’ve actually done it is far more useful than ego-driven WhatsApp groups where everyone pretends to be “smashing it”.

Protect your headspace as much as your cash. Have a second place to work (coffee shop, co-working space, even a pub with Wi-Fi), limit time with negative people, and expect the emotional wobble when your first month passes with no pay slip; it’s normal, not a sign you’ve failed.

Best Moments

“We’re going to help lift the bonnet on how easy, in relative terms, it can be to launch your own business, and what needs to be true for it to be that easy.”

“Three months’ money… You need to park the idea. Either batten down the hatches or build more cash before you go.”

“When you take the office away, the banter away, the lunch clubs away… most recruiters realise a huge chunk of their billing was actually down to them.”

“The first LinkedIn post, every man and his dog messages you. Week three… the noise just falls off a cliff.”

“Quick wins aren’t necessarily quick deals; they’re conversations. You need those little wins to keep the engine going.”

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Recruitment Founders Podcast, Greg Elton and Lindsay Hartland open up about mental health and mental wellbeing as recruiters and business owners.

Greg shares how undiagnosed panic attacks in a hyper-competitive, macho recruitment culture led to an eventual diagnosis of anxiety and a completely different approach to leadership. Lindsay talks about the quieter build-up of stress, the point where productivity drops, and the importance of knowing when to step away.

Together they unpack practical coping strategies, from CBT techniques and reframing stress, to clearing your diary, going to the gym, walking the dogs and leaning on a trusted founder community, all underlining the message that it’s absolutely okay not to be okay, and even more okay to talk about it.

Key Takeaways

High-performance cultures can hide real struggle. Greg’s early career story shows how “alpha” recruitment environments that idolise top billers and numbers can make it harder to recognise and admit you’re not okay.

Think ‘mental wellbeing’, not just ‘mental health’. Lindsay hasn’t had many panic attacks, but he’s learnt to spot when his head is “cloudy”, stress is rising, and he’s no longer productive, and to treat that as a wellbeing issue worth acting on.

You’re allowed to clear your diary. As a founder, it’s legitimate to cancel meetings, go home, hit the gym or walk the dogs if you’re not in the right headspace – then make it up when you’re in a better place. That’s part of running a business on your terms.

Have go-to activities that switch your brain off. For Lindsay it’s the gym and walking the dogs; for Greg it’s hitting golf balls, mowing the lawn, playing the piano and coaching kids’ football. These “no-thinking” zones are crucial pressure valves.

Community is a mental wellbeing tool. The RFC founder community gives people a safe, non-judgemental space to be honest (no inflated figures, no posturing) with others who get it and won’t steal your clients – a huge antidote to the loneliness of ownership.

Best Moments

“I was absolutely convinced I was having a heart attack… every logical fibre in my body had left the room.”

“Given the tools and culture we had back then, you dealt with it in a way that really helped me – you never made me feel like I couldn’t talk about it.”

“What’s the point in setting up your own business if you can’t run it on your own terms?”

“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is clear your diary, walk the dogs or go to the gym and come back when your head’s right.”

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Recruitment Founders Podcast, Lindsay Hartland and Greg Elton sit down with board adviser and founder Scarlett Allen-Horton to unpack authenticity at work, what it really means post-Covid, how it ties to courage, and why aligning your values with your business and clients matters. From old-school dress codes to modern openness, Scarlett shares how telling your story builds trust, fuels BD, and helps you choose the right relationships, on your terms.

Key Takeaways

Authenticity is a performance edge. Post-Covid, buyers want the real person behind the brand; human connection is the moat in an AI world.

Choose clients you align with. Depth beats breadth: a smaller roster with shared values is more sustainable than chasing every deal.

Courage and authenticity feed each other. Sharing your story, taking tough calls, and having honest client conversations build respect and better outcomes.

Create accountability. Scarlett built a speaking business to fund a house renovation, manufacturing pressure to act and grow.

Leverage content with purpose. Thoughtful posts about what you stand for attract your tribe and open doors without a huge audience.

It’s fine to walk away. Ending misaligned work (even with a marquee client) can preserve the relationship and your energy.

Best Moments

“I’m not a puddle kind of girl, I like to be talking in the lakes and the seas.”

“The only thing we’re probably going to have left is human connection.”

“We work for the business, but this business works for us.”

“Don’t be like me and your mum, we always saved for a rainy day and it never pissed it down.”

“Fail quickly; if you’re not failing, you’re not pushing yourself enough.”

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Recruitment Founders Podcast, Lindsay Hartland and Greg Elton unpack why so many UK owner-operators are eyeing the United States. Lindsay explains how he rebuilt “on the tools” after years in leadership, why he chose the US, and what’s genuinely different: higher fees, quicker decisions, fewer counter-offers, and clients who value recruiters. They also cover barriers to entry (surprisingly few), workable UK-hours rhythms, and a practical, candidate-led go-to-market.

Key Takeaways

The commercial upside is real. Standard perm fees at 25–30% are accepted, often on higher base salaries; some clients even expect invoicing on total OTE. Respect for the service shows up in both fees and behaviour.

Counter-offers are rare due to “at-will” employment. Short or no notice periods mean less time for employers to claw candidates back, so deals move faster and stick.

Cash flow is healthier. Start-ups commonly pay on time (sometimes early), and many US clients accept invoices at verbal offer, bringing cash in the door sooner.

Go to market with candidates, not credentials. Lead with a high-calibre, passive candidate and ultra-personalised outreach to targeted firms; it builds trust quickly in a cold market.

Light admin to start. No US entity or bank needed; most clients will pay in your chosen currency. Keep a completed W-8BEN on file to avoid withholding.

It’s still recruitment. Searches can be pulled and setbacks happen; this isn’t a magic switch. Treat the US as a deliberate build, not a quick fix.

Best Moments

“Check this out… clients will pay 25%, they’ll pay 30% for standard perm.”

“I invoice when the offer is accepted… HR even told me to include the bonus.”

“In five years I don’t think I’ve ever had a counter-offer.”

“You don’t need a US entity or bank account, just have a W-8BEN ready.”

“If you want to test it, keep your UK market and run a US ‘mini-project’ one day a week.”

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this lively Recruitment Founders Podcast episode, Lindsay Hartland and Greg Elton sit down with PJ Ellis, long-time friend of the hosts, RFC board adviser and brand strategist, to unpack personal branding, reinvention, and why community beats going it alone. PJ charts a non-linear path from early TV fame (Big Brother 3), back into law, then into running a digital agency and launching charities, before joining RFC to help founders shape company and personal brands that actually cut through. Expect humour and practical guidance on pressing “go”, iterating fast, and telling your story with authenticity.

Key Takeaways

Personal brand = authenticity over polish. If you build a persona you can’t live in real life, it will break under scrutiny; be yourself and you’ll be remembered for how you made people feel.

Press go, then iterate. Don’t let logos and names stall you; most brands evolve in the first 6–12 months. RFC’s own identity improved after a candid challenge and a night’s sleep.

A company brand must pass the “sniff test”, but personal brand wins meetings. Founders’ voices, opinions, and stories do the heavy lifting; the website and logo add credibility later.

Community kills procrastination. Surrounding yourself with people who challenge and support you makes decisions faster and braver, exactly what RFC was set up to provide.

“Get out of your own way.” Hit publish even if the post isn’t perfect; consistency and honest perspective beat scheduled, over-designed content.

Best Moments

“Get out of your own way… just press go.”

“The only way to build out your personal brand is to be authentic… the last thing you want is to be judged on something you’re not.”

“You’ll iterate, logos change. What matters is starting and having people around you who’ll challenge you.”

“Post from your company page like it’s a person.”

“No one cares about you as much as you think they do… so go and tell your story and have some fun.”

About the guest

PJ studied Law at the University of Birmingham and practised as a solicitor for 7 years before moving into digital marketing. He founded Blake7, which merged with Lightbox Digital, and co-founded the charity LoveBrum. A mentor and community advocate, PJ has helped raise over £1.5 million for start-ups and charity, earning a Points of Light award. Passionate about Birmingham, family, football, and Ibiza, PJ is dedicated to making a difference.

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Recruitment Founders Podcast, Lindsay Hartland and Greg Elton dig into the shift from being process-led salespeople to relationship-led recruiters. Greg shares how leaving S3 for exec search exposed a gap, he could sell, but he didn’t have a network, triggering a reset that transformed his results. Lindsay adds that playing the long game (even doing the odd free placement) compounds into referrals and senior mandates. They round out with why building a personal brand on LinkedIn is so important.

Key Takeaways

S3 forged great sales discipline, but exec search demanded a genuine network. Moving from “closing deals” to “serving people” was the unlock.

Relationships beat tools. Know clients and candidates as humans; that’s the moat AI can’t replace and it smooths the peaks and troughs.

Play the long game. Acts of service (even a free placement) come back as warm introductions and C-suite searches.

Be intentional and memorable. Nurture your network (water the plant), ask for warm intros, and stitch dots together — Greg’s FTSE100 win came exactly that way.

Personal brand matters. LinkedIn presence has shifted from nice-to-have to essential; founders should invest in content and community, not just cold calls.

KPIs aren’t everything. Lindsay binned rigid KPIs, focused on service, and built without relying on cold calls or unsolicited CVs; care wins.

Best Moments

“How much do your clients know about you, and how much do you know about them as people?”

“I billed nothing in six months… I billed £465,000 in the following six.”

“Networking isn’t taking a picture of your badge and sticking it on LinkedIn… It’s about being memorable and you remembering people.”

“I’ll do it for you.” (on choosing to deliver for free and the goodwill that followed)

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Recruitment Founders Podcast, Lindsay Hartland and Greg Elton unpack why solo founders need more than a WhatsApp group: real structure, honest counsel and tangible help that moves deals forward. They chart how RFC grew from their own isolation as owner-operators into a community with shared incentives, minority-stake backing and practical mentorship, built to be the antidote to paranoia and “fat-cat” investor models. They also reflect on launching in a tough market, doubling down on existing founders, and opening the doors to established small agencies seeking a board-in-a-box.

Key Takeaways

Working alone can stall discipline and morale. Founders miss the buzz, structure and accountability of a sales floor; community restores momentum and validation.

This isn’t hugs and high-fives; it’s pithy, real-world mentoring that impacts commercials, right down to terms, proposals and closing big deals.

RFC’s partner model aligns everyone: an LLP owns 20% of the business, partners share in the portfolio, and dividends can’t be extracted without all shares participating.

Designed as the antithesis of greedy investment plays: minority shareholdings, ethical fees, founders keep control, born from Greg’s midnight “lightbulb” (and Companies House filing).

Best Moments

“Community can be just a bit soft and cuddly… I like getting into the nitty-gritty.”

“I literally dreamt the gap in the market… and incorporated it in the middle of the night.”

“Everyone, watering everyone’s garden.”

“You get two for one”— on receiving contrasting advice that synthesises into a better solution.

“We’re a minority shareholder… founders run their own company.”

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this opening episode of the Recruitment Founders Podcast, Lindsay Hartland and Greg Elton share their origin story, the lessons that shaped them at S3/Huxley, and the serendipitous reconnection that led to launching Recruitment Founders Club (RFC).

Expect lived experience over theory: successes, failures, scaling (and failing), and a promise to be open in an industry that can feel secretive. It’s aimed squarely at current and aspiring recruitment founders, especially those running small firms who want community, challenge and practical guidance.

Key Takeaways

RFC’s purpose is community over paranoia. The pair want to “break the mould” of guarded leadership by sharing what actually works for owners of 0–10 person agencies.

Formative years matter. A high-energy S3/Huxley culture forged talent and taught pace, standards and progression, foundations both hosts still draw on.

Career arcs: Lindsay led and built teams for years; Greg rocketed early, moved into exec search for bigger mandates, and later into ownership, perspectives that complement each other for founders.

Openness includes the hard bits. They touch on anxiety, pressure and how supportive leadership can make performance sustainable, topics they plan to explore further.

Best Moments

“You’re going to get realness… stories about our successes, but also about our failures.”

“We’re going to be open… we’re not going to hold anything back.”

“You could easily spend £400 to £1,000 a month on your tech stack… the reality is they’re probably not [the answer].”

“RFC is two years old this month… we’ve got eight founders.”

About Recruitment Founders Club

Recruitment Founders Club is your launchpad to owning a successful recruitment business. We provide comprehensive mentorship and cover your start-up costs for the first 12 months. Coupled with our robust network and ongoing support, we not only help you start your own business, we ensure you thrive.

Find out more: https://recruitmentfoundersclub.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.