How do you grow a high-margin recruitment business without hiring a big team—or chasing every lead? And what happens when you go all-in on yourself, right before a global pandemic?

In this episode, I’m joined by Jordana Matsos, founder of Higher Equity, who shares how she launched a solo sales recruitment agency with no prior agency experience—and grew it into a $500K+ business by being radically transparent, highly organized, and boldly direct.

We discuss why blunt messaging often works better than polished sales talk, how Jordana systematized her entire operation to run lean, and the lessons she learned after scaling too quickly. She also shares how she created an online academy for job seekers, turning inbound candidate traffic into an additional revenue stream.

Episode Highlights:

[03:43] From sales leader to recruiter: Jordana’s career pivot

[11:16] Building the business: pricing, tools, and tech stack

[14:28] Leveraging video and short-form content to attract talent

[21:58] What went wrong when she scaled too fast

[28:45] Creating the HireQuity Academy to serve job seekers

[40:46] SOPs and templates that saved time and ensured consistency

[45:48] Business development: blunt pitches, smart triggers, and warm referrals

[58:30] Why transparency builds trust with both clients and candidates

Blunt Messaging That Converts

Jordana’s “blunt honesty” approach is one of her biggest differentiators. She shares full job details upfront—company name, comp, and expectations—which earns her 55–70% candidate response rates. For clients, her pitch deck goes out in the first message, including fee structure and recent placements, eliminating unnecessary back-and-forth and building immediate trust.

Systematizing Solo Success

Coming from a corporate sales background, Jordana knew she had to create repeatable, efficient processes. She templatized everything—from client onboarding to follow-ups and outreach. Tools like Google Sheets, Taplio, Otter.ai, and Aspect helped her automate and scale as a solo operator.

Lessons from Scaling Too Fast

After a strong first year billing nearly $300K solo, Jordana hired a full-time recruiter, BD rep, and sourcer. But expenses skyrocketed, margins plummeted to 20%, and client relationships suffered. She course-corrected by downsizing, letting go of low-margin clients, and doubling down on her niche—bringing her gross margins back to 60%+.

Creating a Revenue Stream with Purpose

Unable to serve every candidate personally, Jordana built the HireQuity Academy—an online course that gives job seekers an inside look at how recruiters think. With templates, interview prep, and real-world advice, it helps candidates stand out—and gives Jordana an additional income stream without trading time for money.

About Jordana Matsos

Jordana spent 15 years leading sales teams before founding Higher Equity in 2021. She now helps companies hire high-performing sales talent while running the HireQuity Academy to support job seekers.

Tools & Resources Mentioned:
Taplio | Otter.ai | Aspect | Cliff AI – now part of Quantive.

Connect with Jordana:
LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | HireQuity Academy | HireQuity Recruitment

Connect with Mark Whitby:
Free 30-Minute Strategy Call | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

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What’s the most innovative way to scale a recruitment firm—especially in a fast-changing, competitive market?

For Stuart Barnes, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Navitas Recruitment Group, the answer was combining quick-turn perm revenue with recurring contract income. That dual strategy helped Navitas grow from zero to over £2.6M in net fee income within just two years.

In this episode, Stuart shares the real story behind launching a VC-backed recruitment firm in the renewable energy sector. He opens up about the early pressure, the emotional rollercoaster, and the systems that made rapid growth possible—from his blended revenue model to their structured approach to business development.

You’ll also hear how Stuart returned to hands-on billing after years in leadership, personally generating over £100k in placements while laying the foundation for a high-performance culture.

If you're a recruitment founder or team leader looking for real-world strategies that scale, this episode is packed with insights you can put into action.

Episode Highlights:
[01:43] How Stuart’s international experience shaped his mindset as a founder

[06:22] From startup to £2.6M: how Navitas scaled in under 3 years

[10:22] Why he chose renewables and what made it the right niche

[13:41] Inside their aggressive 5-year growth plan

[18:00] The “key ingredients” that powered their rapid start

[29:24] Why BD should never stop—and how Navitas approaches it

[37:57] The Channels they use for BD (and how Teams invites help book meetings)

[46:09] Team structure and growth philosophy

[53:40] Lessons from scaling too fast

[55:52] Why KPIs should be meaningful, not just numbers

[1:02:00] What’s next: expansion, strategy shifts, and Austin plans

Key Takeaways:
✅ Balanced revenue model – Contract = recurring cash flow. Perm = speed. Together = sustainable growth.
✅ Structured BD system – The “3 buckets, 300 hiring managers, 1 hour daily” method that drives consistency.
✅ Hands-on leadership – Stuart led by example, returning to billing and setting the tone for scale.

Connect with Stuart:
🔗 Stuart Barnes on LinkedIn
🌐 Navitas Recruitment Group

People and Resources Mentioned

Paul Taffe on LinkedIn

Connect with Mark Whitby
Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
Mark on LinkedIn
Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
Mark on Facebook
Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

What if you could place nearly every candidate you represent—and do it at premium fees, without racing to the bottom?
In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, Mark Whitby is joined by Lysha Holmes, founder of QUI Recruitment and host of The Recruiters Recruitment Podcast. With over 20 years in Rec2Rec, Lysha shares how she’s built a values-led, inbound-only business with zero cold calling.

You’ll discover:

Why Lysha insists on exclusive candidate representation

How she consistently achieves a 1.15:1 interview-to-placement ratio

The values behind QUI: Quality, Urgency, and Integrity

Her approach to relationship-driven BD and building through referrals

How sobriety and wellbeing became business superpowers

Whether you're a recruitment agency owner or solo operator, this episode is a playbook for building a more sustainable, high-margin, and meaningful business.

Episode Highlights
[00:45] Why Lysha rejects cold calls and how she builds BD differently

[02:32] Her journey from failing A-levels to founding QUI Recruitment

[13:24] Building a solo business while raising children

[16:18] How she kept placing during maternity leave

[17:19] Why exclusivity is non-negotiable for candidate control

[24:27] Origin of QUI’s core values and how they shape every decision

[24:56] A 1.15 placement ratio—how it’s done

[26:38] The win-win case for exclusive representation

[34:01] Attracting premium clients with consistency and care

[38:25] BD through conversations, not spam

[46:11] Using referrals and warm intros to win business

[50:54] What clients are actually using AI for (hint: it’s not automation)

[59:03] How sobriety transformed her leadership and mindset

[01:04:18] Going sugar-free and protecting health as a growth strategy

💡 Key Takeaways
Candidate Exclusivity Works

Lysha explains how exclusivity leads to calmer processes, stronger placements, and better outcomes for all parties. She makes the case for exclusivity as a differentiator that drives results and reduces risk.

1.15:1 Interview-to-Placement Ratio
By focusing on quality and alignment, Lysha’s ratios are among the best in the industry. Candidates are carefully vetted, and most are introduced to just one or two clients.

Personal Brand + Warm BD = Sustainable Growth
QUI Recruitment runs 100% on inbound business via referrals, podcasting, and LinkedIn presence. Lysha treats every interaction as business development and never spams.

👤 About Lysha Holmes
Lysha began her career in sales and marketing, then transitioned into recruitment in 1998. After working with top agencies and discovering Rec2Rec, she founded QUI Recruitment in 2005. She is also the host of The Recruiters Recruitment Podcast, a mental health advocate, and a leader in the Women in Recruitment Leadership movement.

🔗 Connect with Lysha
LinkedIn: Lysha Holmes

Website: QUI Recruitment

Connect with Mark Whitby
Free 30-Minute Strategy Call

LinkedIn: Mark Whitby

Instagram: @recruitmentcoach
X: @MarkWhitby

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter for weekly interviews with top-performing recruitment agency owners and thought leaders.

Hiring great recruiters should be second nature for recruitment business owners—after all, it's what we do for clients daily. But when it comes to growing your own team, the stakes are higher, the risks are real, and the margin for error is razor-thin.

In today’s episode, we dive into what it really takes to attract, hire, and retain high-performing recruiters—especially in a competitive market where top talent has options.

You’ll hear the inside story of how one firm scaled from 7 to 50 people and 7X’d its revenue in just five years—not by chance but by building a values-driven hiring and retention strategy.
Whether you're hiring your first or your fiftieth recruiter, this episode will give you the mindset, methods, and metrics to do it right.

Episode Outline and Highlights

[03:21] From psychology to recruitment - Andy shares how he started his recruitment career, leading to the foundation of Brainworks.

[07:34] How making and learning from many mistakes are key to Andy’s success.

[10:20] Factors that lead to growth and scaling.

[20:05] What can help you decide when considering investing in a high-compensation recruiter joining your team?

[26:17] Andy reveals their hiring process when recruiting a recruiter.

[31:32] How to retain top recruitment talent.

[35:49] Fostering a collaborative and supportive culture - Andy elaborates on their specific action points.

[43:50] Thoughts on remote work and performance management.

[48:34] What the next five years look like for Brainworks.

[50:53] Andy shares their tech stack that paid off.

Andy Miller Bio and Contact Info

Andy Miller started BrainWorks in 1991 and continues to lead the Consumer Products practice, placing talent ranging from mid level to general management and presidents, with an eye for impacting the business regardless of the level or function. Andy’s client roster ranges from large Fortune 50 companies to smaller entrepreneurial organizations that are looking to grow and believe that finding the right talent makes a difference.

Andy received a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and spent 3 years in social services settings. After transitioning to business, Andy spent 10 years in the Telecommunications field, winning numerous sales awards including 5 consecutive years in the Gold Club and Salesman of the Year in 1987 and 1988. His passion and experience from competitive sports in addition to his psychology background provides a unique blend of competitiveness and people skills which has influenced how he works with both clients and candidates. This background is the basis of his philosophy -- to help clients win the competitive wars for talent by assessing, training and developing people towards greater productivity.

Andy on LinkedIn

Brainworks website link
DRM Foundation
Pinnacle Society

Connect with Mark Whitby
Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
Mark on LinkedIn
Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
Mark on Facebook
Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

If you're struggling to hire high-performing recruiters across multiple cities or regions, the issue might not be your comp plan—it’s your value proposition. In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Dixon of FIFTEEN WEST to unpack a strategy that more recruitment agency owners need to use: customizing your EVP (Employee Value Proposition) based on location.
Lisa shares hard-won insights from helping dozens of UK recruitment firms expand into the U.S. market. She reveals what actually moves the needle when it comes to attracting top talent, from wellness perks in New York to parking subsidies in Houston.
If you want to build a high-performing team across multiple geographies, this episode is a must-listen.

Episode Outline and Highlights

[03:25] Lisa shares how they founded FIFTEEN WEST.
[09:45] Discussion on strategies for US Market entry.
[18:59] Compensation differences and challenges between the UK & US recruitment markets.
[29:59] An Attractive employee value proposition to attract the best talent.
[32:57] Discussion on tech stack and offshoring certain delivery functions as an option for recruitment companies.
[37:55] How 11 Investments recently acquired FIFTEEN WEST.
[46:27] Aha moments: Key learnings from working with a bigger business that has been further in the journey.

Strategies When Expanding to the US Market

As a rec-to-rec firm, FIFTEEN WEST initially focused on helping UK-headquartered businesses to expand to America. They have eventually moved to the US as a strategic effort to become an embedded recruitment partner across their clients’ global operations. Doing so is not easy, so I wanted to pick the strategies that Lisa and her team applied when transitioning to the US market. If you are also planning to establishing an office physically within the US, below are the things that Lisa learned that you may want to keep in mind:

Leadership Deployment: One proven method was sending a founder or long-tenured employee to launch the U.S. office, ensuring the company’s DNA and values were transplanted effectively. This model was described as the most successful—helping set culture, hire locally, and scale faster.

Tailored Unique Value Proposition: One main differences that Lisa pointed out is the commission and base salary structure. To get the best recruiters and talents, they adapted their commission structures and incentives for the U.S. market, realizing early on that what worked in the UK didn’t translate directly.

Market Culture Adaptation: Lisa recognized that the U.S. market is more pragmatic and transactional—clients care less about past success and more about current candidates delivery.

Overall, Lisa emphasized cultural embedding, leadership presence, and operational agility to navigate the distinct dynamics of the American recruitment market.

Why do most recruitment companies stall at 10 to 20 people, while others scale to 100+ across continents? In this episode, you’ll hear directly from someone who’s done it.

With Clive’s success in scaling his team globally, I wanted to pick his brains on his thought process when deciding to make a new hire. As a recruitment business owner, this is a critical decision to make, as doing it too slowly can impede your business’s growth, while doing it too rapidly can lead to longer-term problems that cost more to fix.

Clive shared the following decision factors:

Strategic Forecasting & Business Planning - Hiring plans are based on quarterly forecasts developed by each brand’s leadership.

Critical Mass & Team Size Considerations - A certain headcount is needed to reach operational momentum, but hiring must be sustainable. Smaller teams (e.g., <10 people) can’t absorb too many new hires without harming billing output.

Billing Readiness - No new hires are made until existing team members are up and billing effectively.

Managerial Capacity - Avoids spreading leadership too thin and ensures productivity isn't sacrificed. The team or brand must have a strong leader with the capacity to onboard, mentor, and support new hires.

Avoiding Headcount for Vanity - Growth is measured by gross profit, not headcount, ensuring hires contribute to revenue, not just size.

Culture You Can Replicate

Culture isn’t just lip service, it’s a competitive advantage. At STR, the “Make it Happen” and “D.I.N (Do it NOW)” mantra became more than a slogan; it was a daily mindset that helped the team stay focused, take ownership, and remain commercially sharp as the business scaled.

As you grow beyond a small team, you’ll need a culture that can travel across desks, offices, and even continents. A clear, replicable culture creates alignment without micromanagement, making it easier to scale while maintaining high standards.

“Is what I’m doing right now making me money?” It’s a simple question—but it changes how people work.”

Clive Hutchings Bio and Contact Info

Clive Hutchings has worked in Technical Recruitment since 1996. he established STR Group in 2000, which has evolved into a collection of niche brands in STEM sectors operating across the UK, Europe, and the USA. STR’s brands deliver people solutions in Life Sciences, Technical Engineering, Automation and Robotics, Maritime & Architecture. Now with offices in Portsmouth, Gatwick, Detroit, and Switzerland, they provide various solutions from contingent contract and permanent, through to retained, managed services, MSP, and Project solutions.

Aside from work, Clive is a family man with 5 children and a long-suffering wife. He enjoys football, hiking, being outdoors, and looking after his sheep, having recently taken a course in lambing.

Clive on LinkedIn
STR website link

People and Resources Mentioned

• Blackfield Associates website link
• Navis Consulting website link
• Urban Recruitment website link
• Insignis Talent website link
• Talos Automation website link

• James Caan on LinkedIn
• Alex Elliot on LinkedIn
• Bullhorn

Connect with Mark Whitby
• Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call
• Mark on LinkedIn
• Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
• Mark on Facebook
• Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

What does the future look like for recruitment agency owners?

Episode Outline and Highlights

[03:00] DeeDee’s journey from Seattle to London — and 20 years leading Recruiter magazine

Innovation is King - Especially in a Saturated Market

DeeDee and I had a very interesting conversation on the similarities and differences between the UK and US recruitment markets. One of the key differences I pointed out is how saturated the UK market is compared to the US, while the US offers more profitable potential due to fees generated from higher salaries. DeeDee pointed out one thing that sets apart the UK market as a differentiator - she believes that the UK recruitment agencies, especially SMEs, are often more innovative than their US counterparts, not because of scale, but because saturation forces creativity. The US tends to focus on scale, while UK firms focus on differentiation and doing things differently.

But the key takeaway is this: You don’t need to be the biggest—you just need to do things differently, and better. Innovation is now a competitive requirement, not a nice-to-have.

AI and the Future of Recruitment

You will also enjoy DeeDee’s insightful take on the advent of AI and how it will impact recruiters globally. We agree that AI will be useful in freeing recruiters from administrative tasks to focus on human interaction and strategies. The integration of AI tools can also improve the candidate experience by providing timely updates and personalized communication, fostering a more engaging and supportive recruitment process.

With the streamlining and efficiency potentials AI can offer, it is also important to shift the focus from the old model of scaling, where you would need to add more people. With AI tools evolving fast, firms may no longer need as many people to get the same—or better—results. Efficiency and smart use of tech will define the next wave of growth.

It’s Time to Champion the Value of Recruitment

DeeDee has always advocated the value and importance of the recruitment profession. Too often, recruiters don’t get credit for the work they do—whether it’s helping someone into a new career, reskilling talent, or supporting growth in client businesses.

DeeDee encourages agency leaders to enter awards, tell their stories, and raise standards across the profession. Doing your part means being proud of what you do as a recruiter or recruitment business owner by making others know of the impact you are making.

Is there value in doing so? Indeed, this can attract better clients and talent in the long run.

DeeDee Doke Bio and Contact Info

Long-time editor of Recruiter magazine, DeeDee has more than 20 years of experience as a recruitment/HR specialist journalist and editor. She also has significant international experience as a defence and aviation journalist and in entertainment (theatre, contemporary music) reporting and editing. Originally from Seattle in the US, she has been a proud UK subject/citizen since 2007.

DeeDee on LinkedIn

Connect with Mark Whitby

What if discovering your neurodivergent could unlock a deeper sense of purpose—and make your recruitment business more impactful?

[02:40] How Adam got into recruiting, leading to his 20-year-old recruitment firm.

Solutions

Adam Tobias Bio and Contact Info

People and Resources Mentioned

Connect with Mark Whitby

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

What if you could swap 100 cold calls a day for content that reaches thousands?

That’s exactly what award-winning recruiter Justis Pederson did. In this episode, Justis shares how going digital didn’t just scale his reach—it nearly doubled his revenue.

Justis is the President & CEO of the Pederson Group of Companies in Winnipeg, which he has grown from $500K to $1.8M in revenue. His group includes recruitment, media, and real estate, with a recruitment focus on construction and engineering. He's also a member of the Pinnacle Society, an elite collective of top-performing recruiters in North America.

Rather than hiring another recruiter, Justis made an unconventional move: he hired a full-time content and social media manager. This decision reshaped how they marketed, grew their brand, and attracted inbound business.

🎯 Episode Highlights:

[02:57] From door-to-door sales to top recruiter in construction

[11:33] Traits that separate average recruiters from great ones

[13:19] Shifting from cold calls to digital marketing

[26:10] The ROI of hiring a full-time marketing person

[31:22] The 3 pillars of strong content: writing, video, design

[34:55] How to hire a marketing pro—and what to expect

[37:39] Posting content consistently with simple systems

[43:18] Building a brand without a big budget

[47:30] Transitioning to a retained search model

[51:38] Getting business without asking for business

[53:02] Justis shares a personal story of resilience

Why They Switched to Content-First Marketing

Cold calling limited their reach to 100 people a day. Content marketing allowed them to showcase their expertise to thousands. By posting regularly on LinkedIn, they moved from one-to-one calls to one-to-many digital influence.

In 2022, Justis hired Cass—not as another recruiter, but as a dedicated content and marketing lead. They began producing short videos, graphic designs, and thought leadership posts tailored to their niche. The result? Inbound leads started flowing, and revenue nearly doubled in a year.

The ROI—and Patience—of Hiring a Marketing Person

“When I first hired Cass, we billed around $500K. A year later, that was nearly $1M,” says Justis. But he emphasizes: this wasn’t an overnight win. It took nearly two years of collaboration, trial, and learning to gain traction.

He cautions listeners not to expect results in 30, 60, or even 90 days—but to commit to the long game.

The Three Content Pillars

Writing

Video

Graphic Design

Writing forms the foundation of their messaging and underpins both video scripts and visuals. Their content strategy is simple but effective: post four pieces per week, focus on one or two channels, and don’t overthink production quality.

“It doesn’t have to be a high-budget effort,” Justis explains. “You can start small and still get results.”

About Justis Pederson

Justis is an award-winning recruiter and CEO of the Pederson Group of Companies. He specializes in recruitment for the construction and engineering sectors, and complements his business with a media division focused on content and video strategy. He sits on two boards and is a member of the Pinnacle Society.

People & Tools Mentioned:
Pinnacle Society | Loomly | Monday.com

Connect with Justis:
LinkedIn | [Pederson Group Website]

Connect with Mark Whitby:
Free Strategy Call | LinkedIn | @RecruitmentCoach on Instagram

If you’ve been enjoying The Resilient Recruiter, please take two minutes to leave a review. It helps us reach more people and support more recruiters like you!

How do you build an endless stream of referrals to sustain your recruitment business—especially during an economic downturn?

Brandon Glyck’s answer: relentless follow-ups. But not in the way you might expect. It’s not about hounding clients—it’s about staying top-of-mind with consistency, care, and value.

Brandon is the CEO of Quantum Search Partners in Virginia, where he leads a high-performing team of tech and executive recruiters. The firm has been recognized on the Inc. 500 list three years in a row (2021–2023) and was twice named a Washington Business Journal Best Place to Work (2023, 2024).

In this episode, Brandon shares the mindset, systems, and long-game strategy that helped him and his team build a $5.5M firm primarily through referrals, plus how they weathered both the 2008 recession and the 2023 tech downturn by doubling down on outbound business development.

🎯 Episode Highlights:

[03:15] Brandon’s start in recruiting at age 18

[11:24] How they adapted to the 2008 recession

[15:24] Building a $5.5M referral-based business through follow-ups

[33:12] “Those who appear hungry will starve” – Brandon’s unique approach

[37:46] Navigating the 2023 tech downturn with outbound BD

[44:02] Tech stacks, automation, and where to personalize

[53:48] What the next 18 years look like for Quantum

[56:49] Building a culture rooted in shared vision and values

[1:01:30] Why he leans into retained and executive search

Referrals Through Follow-Up, Not Force

Brandon’s version of follow-up is rooted in genuine care and consistency, not pressure. He explains how his team uses multiple touchpoints (calls, texts, emails), segmented lists, and value-first outreach (like resume reviews) to stay top-of-mind without being pushy.

His “relentless follow-up” strategy is:

Consistent, not intense

Relationship-first, not transactional

Built on goodwill, not just sales goals

Long-term oriented—some referrals take years

Resilience in 2008 and 2023

Brandon shares how he started his career making cold calls from a printed directory—and how that hustle helped them survive after losing their biggest client during the 2008 financial crisis. That same mindset carried through to 2023, when the tech market slowed and they had to retool their outbound strategy.

Key tactics included:

Diversifying verticals

Testing multiple BD methods

Focusing on personalization over automation

Creating a repeatable, scalable BD process

Age Is Not a Differentiator

Brandon made his first placement at age 18 while still in school. Inspired by his father, he learned by doing and developed a mindset that age is not a limiting factor—confidence, curiosity, and consistency are.

His early success was built on:

A humble willingness to learn

Confidence from observing real recruiters in action

Treating everyone—from CEO to janitor—with equal respect

About Brandon Glyck

Brandon is CEO of Quantum Search Partners and a passionate, competitive leader in executive and tech search. He’s a former Princeton football player with a psychology degree, and outside of work enjoys fitness, travel, and start-up investing.

People & Tools Mentioned:
Charlie Saffro | Brent Orsuga | Jeremy Jenson
Crelate | Dripify

Related Episodes You’ll Enjoy:
TRR#228 – The 4 Talent Magnets That Drive Recruiter Retention
TRR#218 – Grit and Growth in a $2M Firm
TRR#217 – Scaling to $12M with Lead Generation

Connect with Brandon:
LinkedIn | Quantum Search Partners

Connect with Mark Whitby:
Free Strategy Call | LinkedIn | Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter
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