The Retained Search Show

What happens when the business you've built no longer matches the life you want?

Hoxo founder Sean Anderson shares the journey from PE teacher to top-billing recruiter, agency founder, podcast host, and one of the most recognised voices in personal branding for recruiters. Along the way, he reveals the lessons learned from scaling a business, chasing growth, navigating burnout, and ultimately redesigning his company around freedom, profit, and purpose. 

Sean and Louise discuss:

•  Why the recruitment industry is separating into trusted advisors and commodity suppliers 
•  How personal branding creates commercial advantage in an AI-driven market 
•  The biggest mistakes founders make when scaling their businesses 
•  Why visibility matters more than ever for recruiters and search professionals 
•  How AI is changing content creation, marketing, and client engagement 
•  The power of niche positioning and becoming known for something specific 
•  Why retained search firms are proving more resilient than contingent models 
•  Building a business that serves your life, not the other way around 
•  The surprising benefits of simplifying your business and your inputs 

This episode is packed with practical insights for recruitment founders, search professionals, and anyone building a service business in a changing market.

If you're wondering how to stay relevant, profitable, and fulfilled over the next decade, this conversation is worth your time. 

Have a question? You can reach Sean on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-anderson-hoxo/

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Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

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LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-archer-48612844/

Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retainedsearchcoach/

Follow Retrained Search: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retrained-search/

Sam Rathling joined LinkedIn when most recruiters had never heard of it.

More than two decades later, she's helped thousands of professionals build authority, create opportunities, and generate business without feeling salesy.

In this episode of Retained Search, Sam shares the systems, habits, and mindset shifts recruiters need to stand out in an increasingly noisy market.

You'll learn:

• Why posting content alone is an unreliable growth strategy
• The outbound LinkedIn system that creates consistent opportunities
• The profile mistakes that stop recruiters winning clients
• How to write DMs that actually get responses
• Where recruiters are getting AI wrong on LinkedIn
• Why giving away your best ideas creates more business, not less

Sam also opens up about her breast cancer journey, navigating treatment as a single mum of three, and how the experience completely reshaped her definition of success.

Whether you're looking to generate more leads, build a stronger personal brand, or rethink how you're using LinkedIn, this conversation is packed with practical insights you can put into action immediately.

Follow Sam on LinkedIn for more advice: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/samrathling-linkedinexpert

Manchester event link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-indispensable-recruiter-registration-1987896122816?aff=blog

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Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

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LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-archer-48612844/

Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retainedsearchcoach/

Follow Retrained Search: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retrained-search/

So excited to have Paul Press back on the podcast for the third time. His previous episodes have been some of our most watched and most shared conversations, so we had to bring him back to unpack even more value with you.

What does it really take to build credibility in private equity search? Louise sits down with Paul Press, founder of Press & Associates, to unpack the realities of operating in one of the most demanding and relationship-driven sectors in executive search.

Paul shares how he transitioned from oil and gas recruitment into a hyper-specialised private equity niche, helping PE firms build value creation teams that drive portfolio growth and successful exits. He explains why focusing narrowly on one function within one market became a competitive advantage, how long it actually takes to build trust with PE clients, and why most recruiters underestimate the patience and precision required to succeed in the space.

The conversation explores the hidden complexity behind PE hiring processes, including six-to-twelve-stage interviews, committee-driven decision making, and the challenge of advocating for unconventional candidates in risk-averse environments. Paul also discusses the “IBM rule” in private equity hiring, why firms often default to familiar logos and pedigrees, and how search partners can help clients think more creatively about operator talent.

Louise and Paul dive into the commercial side of retained search in private equity too, covering pricing expectations, what PE firms truly buy when they engage a search partner, and why perceived value matters far more than cost alone. They also examine how longer hold periods, growing competition between PE firms, and the rise of AI are reshaping the demand for operating partners and value creation professionals.

Along the way, Paul offers candid advice for recruiters considering the PE market, including who is suited to the sector and who probably is not. He reflects on the mindset shift he experienced moving from contingent recruitment into retained search and why he now sees retained as one of the most valuable and intellectually demanding services in the talent industry.

This episode is packed with insights on hyper-specialisation, credibility building, consultative search, operator hiring, AI transformation, and the future of private equity talent strategy.

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Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

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LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-archer-48612844/

Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retainedsearchcoach/

Follow Retrained Search: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retrained-search/

Lucy Robinson started with a laptop, a notebook of contacts, and a belief that recruitment could be done better.

Today, LCR International is a global executive search firm placing senior leaders across the fresh produce industry on six continents, with more than 90% of its work retained.

In this episode of Retrained Search, Lucy shares the real story behind the transition from contingent recruitment to retained search. From failed starts and difficult lessons to building a structured search business with forecastable revenue, stronger client relationships, and near-perfect fill rates.

We discuss:

• Why she chose one of the most niche markets in recruitment
• The mistakes she made trying to move into retained search
• Why most recruiters misunderstand retained delivery
• Building a global search firm without offices worldwide
• The difference between contingent recruiters and search consultants
•  Creating a team-based delivery model
•  How community and collaboration accelerated growth
•  Why niching down changed everything

If you are trying to move away from contingent recruitment and build a more structured, profitable, retained search business, this episode is packed with insight.

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Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

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LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-archer-48612844/

Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retainedsearchcoach/

Follow Retrained Search: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retrained-search/

What does it actually mean to be a “trusted partner” in recruitment and why are so many getting it wrong?

In this episode of Retained Search, Louise and Jordan unpack the shift from transactional recruitment to true partnership. They challenge the idea that volume equals trust and explain why those relationships are breaking under pressure from AI, changing client expectations, and cheaper access to candidates. 

The conversation dives into the “bow tie” account model and what real integration with clients looks like. Not just filling roles, but connecting across functions, influencing decisions, and becoming part of how a business thinks about talent. 

They also explore the skill most recruiters avoid: diagnosis.
Why asking better questions changes everything.
Why most recruiters jump to solutions too quickly.
And how slowing down is the move that separates order-takers from advisors. 

You’ll hear how shifting to retained search is less about selling retainers and more about learning how to think like a consultant. That means understanding problems at a deeper level, shaping solutions, and building relationships that don’t disappear when hiring slows down. 

If you want to move beyond sending CVs and start influencing hiring decisions, this episode shows what needs to change and why it matters now more than ever.

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Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

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LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-archer-48612844/

Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retainedsearchcoach/

Follow Retrained Search: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retrained-search/

AI is transforming delivery.
Client expectations are rising.
And the traditional, transaction-based model is being quietly dismantled.

In this episode, Adrian Byra shares a sharp, no-nonsense perspective on what’s really happening beneath the surface and what it means for recruitment business owners and search leaders.

Adrian breaks down:

•  Why transactional recruitment is rapidly losing value
•  What clients will actually pay for in the future
•  How AI will compress fees and increase output
•  Why agility (not size or brand) will define the winners 
•  The 5-part support system behind scaling high-performing recruiters 
•  Where most firms are getting AI wrong and wasting time and money 
•  The critical choice every recruiter must make: AI or Influence

Perhaps most importantly, this conversation challenges a fundamental belief:
 👉 That recruitment businesses win through specialization and scale.

Instead, Adrian makes the case for a very different future - one built on:

•  Personal brand 
•  Influence 
•  Standardized excellence 
•  And value beyond the hire 

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Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

___

LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-archer-48612844/

Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retainedsearchcoach/

Follow Retrained Search: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retrained-search/

In this episode, Louise Archer speaks with Somer Hackley, CEO of Distinguished Search and author of Search in Plain Sight, about the real difference between transactional recruiting and true trusted advisory.

Somer shares the pivotal story that changed her career: the moment she advised a client not to hire the only finalist left in process, despite months of work and huge pressure to close. That decision became the foundation of deeper trust, long-term partnership, and a completely different way of operating as a search consultant.

Together, Louise and Somer unpack the mindset shift from contingent recruitment to retained search, including what changes in client relationships, candidate assessment, negotiation, shortlist strategy, and the confidence required to speak with real authority.

They also explore why the best recruiters stop obsessing over “getting the deal over the line” and start focusing on transparency, rigor, expectation-setting, and preventing surprises.

This is a rich conversation about voice, values, and what it really takes to become a trusted advisor in executive search.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

•  The story that helped Somer find her voice with clients 
•  Why trusted advisors sometimes have to say “don’t make the offer” 
•  The difference between contingent and retained search mindset 
•  How to assess candidates more rigorously and care for them more deeply 
•  Why shortlists fail and how to use iteration more effectively 
•  How to avoid endless searches by resetting expectations with clients 
•  Why clients care less about process than values, judgment, and outcomes 
•  What Somer’s book reveals about executive search from the inside

You can find more info about her book here: https://www.searchinplainsight.com/

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Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

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LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-archer-48612844/

Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retainedsearchcoach/

Follow Retrained Search: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retrained-search/

Is this what success is supposed to feel like?

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, David Plummer — founder of Triage — shares the lessons he learned after achieving everything he once thought he wanted.

By his mid-20s, David had already built and sold a successful recruitment business. The cars, the houses, the financial freedom — he had climbed what he thought was the mountain of success.

But standing at the top, he found himself asking a difficult question:

“Is this it?”

In this episode, David reflects on the difference between chasing success and building a life of meaning. From growing up believing he was poor, to becoming a young millionaire, to rebuilding a business decades later with his son — this conversation explores the deeper truths behind leadership, identity, and purpose.

We discuss:

• Why tying your identity to your business is dangerous
 • The difference between building to sell and building something worth selling
• Why culture — not strategy — created the value buyers saw in his company
• What the 2008 financial crisis taught him about honesty and leadership
• Why character matters more than competence when things get hard
• And the question every founder should ask themselves: How will other people measure your life?

This is one of the most emotional and thought-provoking conversations we’ve had on the podcast.

If you’re a founder, recruiter, or leader chasing success — this episode might just change how you define it.

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Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

___

LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-archer-48612844/

Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retainedsearchcoach/

Follow Retrained Search: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retrained-search/

Is this what success is supposed to feel like?

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, David Plummer — founder of Triage — shares the lessons he learned after achieving everything he once thought he wanted.

By his mid-20s, David had already built and sold a successful recruitment business. The cars, the houses, the financial freedom — he had climbed what he thought was the mountain of success.

But standing at the top, he found himself asking a difficult question:

“Is this it?”

In this episode, David reflects on the difference between chasing success and building a life of meaning. From growing up believing he was poor, to becoming a young millionaire, to rebuilding a business decades later with his son — this conversation explores the deeper truths behind leadership, identity, and purpose.

We discuss:

• Why tying your identity to your business is dangerous
 • The difference between building to sell and building something worth selling
• Why culture — not strategy — created the value buyers saw in his company
• What the 2008 financial crisis taught him about honesty and leadership
• Why character matters more than competence when things get hard
• And the question every founder should ask themselves: How will other people measure your life?

This is one of the most emotional and thought-provoking conversations we’ve had on the podcast.

If you’re a founder, recruiter, or leader chasing success — this episode might just change how you define it.

___

Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

___

LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-archer-48612844/

Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retainedsearchcoach/

Follow Retrained Search: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retrained-search/

What if the process for hiring a data center technician isn’t so different from hiring a CEO?

In this episode, we sit down with Blaine Daws, co‑founder of WNTD, to unpack how a specialist firm launched two weeks before lockdown and still went on to build multi‑million retained partnerships at the heart of AI infrastructure. The through‑line is sharp: act like an advisor, not an order taker, and anchor everything to outcomes your clients can measure.

Blaine explains why many classical search firms miss the mark - global handoffs, legacy methods, and a reliance on brand over real market depth. He flips the script with SLAs tied to delivery (not meetings) and a discovery process that surfaces the real problem before proposing a solution. We dig into the questions that win trust fast: why the role exists, what’s failed so far, what competitors are paying, and what “good” looks like in a defined timeframe - plus the courage required to qualify out. Saying no to 70% of opportunities isn’t arrogance; it’s what protects outcomes and keeps focus on partners who value accountability.

From the first retained win to a full build‑out, Blaine shows how organizational design unlocks scale: mapping the next 12–36 months of hiring, sequencing roles across regions and levels, and aligning diversity goals with the actual talent supply. We also break down the “engine” behind consistent delivery - specialist teams, evolving tools, certifications, and a tech stack that increases precision without diluting the human conversation. In a market where one hiring mistake can cost billions, this is how retained search earns its seat.

You’ll leave with concrete takeaways on how to sell and deliver retained beyond the C‑suite, when to introduce SLAs, how to kill the “purple squirrel” with data, and how to turn a single search into a program without sliding into generic RPO.

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Want to know more about our retained search training? Talk to us: https://retrainedsearch.com/book-a-demo/

Check out our reviews: https://retrainedsearch.com/reviews/

Join our upcoming masterclasses: https://retrainedsearch.com/webinars/

___

LinkedIn

Connect with Louise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-archer-48612844/

Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/retainedsearchcoach/

Follow Retrained Search: https://www.linkedin.com/company/retrained-search/