The Resilient Recruiter How to Run a Million Dollar Recruiting Firm From Your RV, with Jordan Rayboy, Ep #46
Imagine having total freedom to run your recruitment business from anywhere. Instead of postponing your dreams of travel and adventure until retirement, what if you could create the ultimate lifestyle business and live life on your terms?
That’s what Jordan Rayboy set out to do in 2006 when he launched his search firm, Rayboy Insider Search. When he went out on his own, Jordan had a non-compete agreement with a 200-mile radius. He got around it by getting an RV and running his business from the road.
Since then he’s billed millions in placement fees by leveraging technology and managing a virtual team way before Covid-19 forced the world to embrace remote working.
In this episode, Jordan shares his inspiring and practical advice on planning, productivity, and the importance of having a peer group. Plus how he manages a remote team working across different time zones.
Jordan’s a popular speaker at recruiting conferences and has been interviewed many times. What’s unique and special about this interview is that Jordan speaks publicly for the first time since the pandemic started about his own struggles with mental health in 2020.
Episode Outline and Highlights
- [2:43] Jordan speaks up about mental health and shares his recent struggles
- [19:14] What inspired Jordan to get an RV and take his business on the road?
- [27:26] The power of the peer group
- [35:20] How Jordan leverages virtual teams to maximize production
- [41:20] Jordan’s insights from having managing remote teams since 2007
- [45:45] Power Planning - hear how a million-dollar biller plans their day
Mental Health During the Pandemic
Recruiting can be stressful at the best of times. During the pandemic, most people’s stress levels have gone through the roof. It’s no wonder there’s been a rise in anxiety and depression around the world. In this interview, Jordan shares his own struggles with mental health coinciding with the onset of the pandemic.
Jordan’s courage in speaking openly about his dark times is remarkable. “I’ve been struggling lately. It's not that I've been struggling in billing… I have just been struggling on the mental health part. Probably just reading way too much bad news, believing all the fear that I’ve been feeding into my mind” said Jordan.
He said he was willing to proceed with the podcast in case by sharing his story it could help others who are going through tough times to know they’re not alone. Fortunately, things are slowly starting to get better.
Jordan shared, “I kinda feel like I'm turning a corner. Just in the past couple of days, I talked to my good buddy Monte Merz … I was talking about some of these things and he asked if I want to be part of their touchdown club. It’s like you got a point every day for working out... and you get a point every day if you don’t drink or smoke. And so the goal is to get seven points a week… I just started yesterday after I talked to him. I got out on my bike, didn’t drink anything yesterday, woke up at 5am this morning, got on my trainer bike inside… and I’m doing it, I got 3 points on the board. Just like that, I already feel more empowered because I am making better choices.”
If there are takeaways from our conversation on the subject of mental health, here they are:
- Self-awareness and having the courage to admit if you are not OK.
- Talk it out with a family member, friend, or someone you trust.
- News cleanse - stay away from dwelling too much on negative news.
- Read or listen to inspirational materials (Jordan shared a life-changing book we both read).
- Do not be afraid or embarrassed to speak to your doctor and seek professional help.
The Power of the Peer Group
According to Jordan, you need to surround yourself with the right peer group -- people who will have a positive influence on you and push you to get outside your comfort zone. He said, “It is kind of easy when you are all by yourself to lower your standards and allow yourself to say, ‘hey I am comfortable I have everything I need’… It is really easy to settle into that comfort zone.”
Jordan concluded, “The power of the peer group - if you are struggling, surround yourself with other badasses who are living a higher quality of life. If you want to get stronger, work out in the gym with someone stronger than you. When I was getting faster and fitter on my bike because I was getting on group rides with people who are faster and fitter than me. You run with a higher level peer group, it is going to force you to grow.” Very well-said indeed.
Planning and Success
Jordan is an advocate for what he terms “Power Planning.” Part of his success in getting his business mobile while managing a virtual team in different time zones is attributed to how he plans and his focus in executing such plans.
“Force yourself to execute on your plans, and see the results. That success will reinforce the habit.”
Jordan Rayboy Bio and Contact Info
Jordan Rayboy believes life is short, so play hard! He began recruiting in 2000 after his sophomore year of college. Six years later, he struck out on his own, forming Rayboy Insider Search. Being an impatient type-A recruiter, Jordan long ago abandoned the deferred life plan (slave, save, retire). By building an effective virtual team & leveraging technology, Jordan has run his search firm since 2006 while traveling in a tour-bus RV with his wife Jeska. They’ve raised three dogs along the way, which prepared them (kinda) for traveling with their two young children – Ryder and Hunter. They’ve covered the majority of the US and Canada during their adventure while living their dream every day (as long as the RV works).
Jordan is a 3-time Regional AE of the Year and 3 time national top-10 AE at MRI.
- Jordan on LinkedIn
- Jordan on Twitter @jordanrayboy
- Rayboy Insider Search website link: https://rayboyis.com/
- Rayboy IS on Facebook
- Rayboy IS on Instagram
- Rayboy IS on Youtube
- A cause Jordan supports: Operation Underground Railroad - saves children from human trafficking. https://ourrescue.org/
People and Resources Mentioned
- Jeremy Sisemore on LinkedIn
- Joe Rice on LinkedIn
- Monte Merz on LinkedIn
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris
- The Pinnacle Society website link: https://pinnaclesociety.org/
- Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/
- Mark on LinkedIn
- Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby
- Mark on Facebook
- Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach