Season 8 | Ep25 Helen Yarrow on embracing solo entrepreneurship after 30 years in recruitment

What if recruitment agency growth didn’t mean adding headcount?

Helen Yarrow has spent over 30 years in recruitment—and for most of it, she felt like she was falling short of the industry’s definition of success.

Why? Because she never scaled a big team.

Despite launching her business 14 years ago and building a strong reputation in the B2B events space, she carried a sense that staying solo meant she hadn’t really “made it”.

That belief stayed with her until her 50s.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Helen shares how she finally let go of the pressure to scale, and found clarity in building a business that fits her life—not someone else’s idea of success.

In this episode, we cover:

- Her journey from Rec2Rec into B2B events recruitment

- The realities of raising a family while running a business

- The turning point that helped her stop chasing a model that didn’t feel right

- Why staying solo might actually be the most powerful decision you can make

If you’ve ever questioned whether bigger really means better, this one will resonate.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Helen Yarrow and Jackson Barnes

02:58 Helen's Journey into Recruitment

06:02 Career Progression and Challenges in Recruitment

09:11 Transitioning to Motherhood and Work-Life Balance

11:51 Establishing Jackson Barnes and Finding Clarity

15:07 The Shift to Conference and B2B Events Recruitment

17:52 The Role of Conference Producers

20:55 Building a Business Around Family Life

24:00 Reflections on Success and Team Building

34:51 Redefining Success in Business

37:12 The Journey of Solo Entrepreneurship

39:34 Reflections on Parenting and Work-Life Balance

42:57 The Importance of Self-Awareness

45:00 Navigating Parenting Challenges

50:20 The Impact of COVID-19 on Business

54:58 Finding Fulfillment in Work

01:01:12 Marketing as a Game Changer

01:03:43 Advice for Women in Recruitment

01:07:52 The Importance of Open Communication in the Workplace

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