Welcome to The Engine - Founders Stories Podcast. Host Donna Owen talks with Darren Westall, Co-Founder and CEO of Paiger, a business development tool for recruiters. Darren shares how his tech background and early sales hustle helped him build Paiger from the ground up. He opens up about learning by doing, bootstrapping the company, and growing it while balancing family life. Darren also reflects on building a strong team, staying hands-on as a leader, and how personal drive and real connections shaped Paiger’s success.

Darren isn’t just a founder; he’s someone who builds by learning and doing. From failing college to building websites and now leading Paiger, his path shows real grit. By mixing tech skills, smart sales thinking, and personal drive, he’s helping recruiters grow with better tools and strong human connections.

Darren spent years in tech, learning by doing and growing through hands-on work. After building Paiger, he used those skills to help recruiters do better business. Paiger makes it easy to find leads, build personal brands, and grow sales. By staying focused and human, Darren built a tool that truly helps teams succeed.

Key Takeaways:

• Darren’s journey from techie to CEO of Paiger.
• How LinkedIn posts helped build the brand.
• Why real human connection beats full automation.
• Lessons from bootstrapping and early sales hustle.
• Staying hands-on while leading a growing team.

Additional Insights:

• How Paiger helps recruiters grow with smart tools.
• Darren’s story from coder to business leader.
• Why focus and honesty matter in early growth.
• The power of showing up, not just selling.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:

• “If you’re not embarrassed by your first product, you launched too late.” - Darren Westall
• “People buy from people. Just show up and be real.” - Darren Westall
• “I’ll stop when I stop having fun.” - Darren Westall

Join Darren as he shares how Paiger’s smart tools, real-world hustle, and people-first thinking are helping recruiters sell better, grow faster, and build lasting success.

Episode Highlights

[00;00] - Teaser

[01:02] - Intro & Darren’s Early Days in Recruitment Tech

[03:38] - Selfies, Hustle & Brand Building

[05:56] - Teaching Business & Failing College

[13:30] - Sales, Human Touch & Career Start

[18:59] - 11 Years at Broadbean

[20:33] - Quitting CTO Role to Start Pager

[26:11] - Bootstrapping & Solo Building

[29:48] - Growth, Relevance & No Exit Plans

[35:37] - US Plans & Team Growth

[39:10] - Disney, Moving & Hiring Friends

FOLLOW THE GUEST & HIS COMPANY:

• Darren Westall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenwestall/ 
• Paiger: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paigerco/ 

Website:   

• Paiger: https://paiger.co/ 

FOLLOW THE HOST:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnalowen/ 
• Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-engine-growth/ 
• Website: https://www.theengine.uk/ 
• Email: [email protected]