The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast

Our first episode of 2022 and what a cracker to be kicking off with!I was delighted to be joined by Alex Zoboli, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Cornerstone Recruitment Japan K.K.Alex and his business partner scaled their previous recruitment business in Japan from 20 to 200 people and opened their own business only 2 years ago. Already 40 people and looking to grow again to 200 as fast as possible!It was super exciting to find out more about his story to date, secrets to success and plans moving forward.One thing I really respected about Alex was his conviction in the strategy behind HOW his team operates post pandemic. He has a team 100% in the office and will not allow remote working unless the government says otherwise. He believes this is a huge opportunity to build culture and get ahead of the competition. You may choose to agree or disagree but I love the confidence and direction he displayed.If you would like to chat to Alex directly either to enquire about joining his team or to pick his brains on all things start up life then reach out via LinkedIn here.Please note in 2022 we will be live on LinkedIn each Wednesday NOT Thursdays like in 2021 - this will typically be at 12pm UK time but is subject to change!The RAG Episode 12 Sponsors:Vincere joins forces with Access Group. They’re partners with the heavyweight who shares their vision of providing a single operating system for the front, middle and back office of recruitment firms, on a global scale. Vincere has the same people, same vision, but with way more firepower. Press Release here. You can visit www.vincere.io/rag to book a demo - RAG listeners will recieve an exclusive deal.District4 provide support for experienced recruiters to launch their own businesses. They offer an impressive start-up package which includes taking care of the back office, providing coaching and implementing a suite of technology products, meaning recruitment entrepreneurs can focus on what they do best: providing an excellent service to their clients and candidates.If you're thinking about starting your own recruitment agency, speak to District4 about the kind of support they can provide. Launching a business successfully takes a lot of hard work and preparation. Even if you aren’t planning anything for a few months, get the support you need sooner and you’ll stand the best chance of success when the time is right for you.Visit www.district4.io/hoxo for more information.

On the final episode of 2021, I was delighted to be joined by Adrian Kinnersley.Adrian is the Founder & CEO of TwentyAI, headquartered in London with offices in New York, Charlotte, and Austin US.Launched in the middle of the global financial crisis, Adrian was certain he wanted to build a brand he could be proud of. He’d already worked for a number of traditional recruitment agencies and wanted to do things his way!Now happily living in the USA and operating remotely, in this episode we discussed:What he disliked about other recruitment agencies His startup journeyThe decision to launch in the USA - albeit a little too earlyLife during the pandemicHow they are using AI to their advantageA genuine guy with a no nonsense attitude, what a way to finish 2021!Thank you so much to everyone who has tuned in to our biggest year yet - we will be back in January 2022 with more episodes.----Thanks to our long standing sponsor Vincere.io - who have experienced a record breaking 2021! Growing a truly global community of recruiters, I can not wait to see what they have in store for 2022.If you are interested in finding out more about Vincere, they offer great discounts for RAG Listeners at www.vincere.io/rag----Thank you also to our friends and sponsors Odro.co.uk.I know many of you are winding down for Christmas, but if you want to get your ducks in a row to hit the ground running in 2022, now's a great time to check out Odro. They’ve pulled together a new framework which aggregates the best practices from their most successful customers, and helps you create more meaningful connections with your candidates and clients at no fewer than 18 different touchpoints during the hiring process. The guys are offering a free audit of your process against the framework. Plus first time customers can take advantage of a new 90-day guarantee which means you’re not tied in if you don't want to be. Request a demo at their site odro.co.uk, I'm certain you’ll take something from it.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast Live, I was joined by Lewis Maleh, Founder and CEO of Bentley Lewis, an award-winning boutique executive search firm.Also the host of 2 x podcasts: “Don't take out your phone!" and “The Recruitment Show”.Lewis believes he and his team are building the best executive search team in the world.Lewis had no prior experience of exec search, but decided to back himself to make it work.12 years later, it’s safe to say he delivered!The business was previously located in Central London offices. Since the pandemic, they’ve moved to a  remote model with a drop in location in London for anyone who needs or wants to use it!A super positive guy who is an inspiration for anyone looking to grow a great business with a focus on profit!---A big thank you to today’s sponsor Volcanic.com - the best in class recruitment website provider delivering websites that look good and perform even better. Following the recent success of Volcanic’s client Camino Partners winning Best New Website award at The NORAs, Camino have provided great insights on how they’ve used their website to elevate their brand messaging, celebrate their consultants, and position themselves as experts in their sector. You can read all about it on the Volcanic blog at https://www.volcanic.com/blog/2021/12/camino-partners-best-new-recruitment-websiteFinally, we are offering RAG listeners an MOT of their current site – landing page is here (and embedded on the above page) The Access Groupwww.volcanic.com/hoxoThis applies to any recruitment website.---Thanks to our sponsor District 4District4 supports experienced recruiters to launch their own recruitment businesses with an impressive start-up package, and take care of the back office and technology which allows them to focus on what they do best: providing an excellent service to their clients and candidates.District4 is a community of expert recruiters who are all business owners in their own right. As a community, they support each-other professionally and personally to hit their goals. If you would like to start your own agency in 2022, then you really should be speaking to these guys! Visit www.district4.io for more information.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast Live, I was delighted to be joined by Amy GoldingAmy Golding is the CEO of Opus Talent Solutions, Headquartered in Bristol, UK, Opus has more than 1,000 clients in over 50 countries with 300 staff across eight offices spanning the UK, the Netherlands, Australia and the US.I met Amy back in late 2017 and found her to be truly inspiring, she had such grand plans for the business.Recently acquired by Graphite Capital a UK mid-market private equity specialist- this conversation was fascinating!In this episode we discussed:Her journey from Deloitte to becoming Business Advisor to James Caan CBELaunching Recruitment EntrepreneurJoining Opus as CEO and taking over from Founder Darren Ryemill in 2017How they made the decision to reduce the business from 13 to 3 brands and become true specialists in Tech and Energy markets.Becoming a Mother in Feb 2020 and then surviving the pandemic from March onwardsStory of securing PE investment in 2021 The vision for Opus futureA remarkable leader who is respected across our sector, I know you will love this episode!----Thank you again to our friends and sponsor today - Odro.co.uk .Have you heard about Odro's up and coming new framework that's launching this week? If you don't follow the guys, you might not have so let me tell you about it....Based on conversations from the best of the best in the recruitment space, the guys have pulled together a new framework that helps recruiters create more meaningful and longer-lasting connections with clients and candidates at various different touchpoints throughout the process. It's literally a diagram that really just distils all the opportunities throughout the process where video can be used to help to better attract, assess and provide aftercare, for improved relationships. Look it sounds simple, right? And, actually, it is. But when you see it down on paper like that, it's amazing how many opportunities you realise most businesses are probably missing. Hit the guys up at odro.co.uk/demo and I'm sure they'll be happy to send it on.---Thanks also to our second sponsor Vincere.io - are officially launching in the US with a new office in Atlanta.. Whilst they have gathered US Clients, they strategically held back from going into the US until they were ready to hire a team and do it in full vinny style! They are ready and looking to work with agencies with 20+ users - as they want to ensure the support is in place to cater for the wider demand of the smaller agencies!If you are in the US or UK and interested in finding out more about Vincere, they offer great discounts for RAG Listeners so use www.vincere.io/rag

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast Live, on this week's episode of The RAG Podcast I am re-joined by James Johnson!James is the founder of District 4 and also a CEO coach. James works with ambitious founders, CEOs and VCs where the difference between success and failure is £m'sJames was previously the CEO of Nicoll Curtin and decided to change his lifestyle after he and his wife suffered from their second miscarriage. The stress of running a global business meant that he was under investing in other, more important areas of his life.Since then, he has changed almost every aspect of his life and now has the family he always wished for!In this episode we went deep into James' own story but also the reality of the stress and challenges faced both inside and outside of work for his many recruitment agency owner clients.----A big thank you to today’s sponsor Volcanic.com - the best in class recruitment website provider delivering websites that look good and perform even better. Volcanic were thrilled to see 14 of their clients receive nominations across 13 categories for the recent National Online Recruitment Awards, and special shoutout to their client Camino Partners for winning Best New Recruitment Website!They’ve also recently published a case study from leading recruitment agency Aspire, where they have reported cutting their website costs in half since switching to Volcanic, which delivered a staggering three websites in just three months! You can check out their website at weareaspire.com.Finally, we are offering RAG listeners an MOT of their current site – landing page is here (and embedded on the above page) The Access Groupwww.volcanic.com/hoxo This applies to any recruitment website.Thanks to our second sponsor District 4District4 supports experienced recruiters to launch their own recruitment businesses with an impressive start-up package and take care of the back office and technology which allows them to focus on what they do best: providing an excellent service to their clients and candidates.District4 is a community of expert recruiters who are all business owners in their own right. As a community we support each-other professionally and personally to hit out goals. On Monday 8th November they started an exciting 5-day challenge “So you want to start your own recruitment business?”Over 5 days you will explore your why, your vision, your financials, your market and put together a business plan.This challenge is for experienced recruiters who have thought about going it alone and want to explore it at a deeper level.At the end of the challenge you will either be raring to go and start your business or have decided that it is not for you. It is running all of this week and there are replays available for anyone who has missed the sessionsYou can catch up either in the challenges closed facebook group at (1) Start your Recruitment Business in 2022 Free Challenge | Facebook or if they search in groups for "Start your recruitment busines in 2022 Free Challenge or by going to my LinkedIn profile and viewing the featured section.They have a new task going live everyday at 9.15 and then a daily Q&A answering all of their set up questions at 12 noon both live via my profile.The link to join the challenge is: https://growyourrecruitmentbusinessevent.vipmembervault.com/products/view/1110290

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast Live, I was delighted to be joined by Ishpal BansalIshpal founded Aston Holmes, a resourcing and talent acquisition consultancy, alongside his business partner Brad Bloom in 2014.Shortly after launching the business, Ishpal was diagnosed with a heart condition and needed open heart surgery! Thankfully he came through treatment and since then has gone on to grow teams across the UK and Africa (LDN, Cape and J’burg) Approaching 50 people and growing well. In this episode Ishpal was incredibly honest about the challenges he and his partner have faced in their journey so far and why choosing the right partner is non negotiable!An essential episode for anyone who has a business partner today or is considering launching their agency in future!----Thank you again to our friends and sponsor today - Odro.co.uk .Have you heard about Odro's up and coming new framework that's launching this week? If you don't follow the guys, you might not have so let me tell you about it....Based on conversations from the best of the best in the recruitment space, the guys have pulled together a new framework that helps recruiters create more meaningful and longer-lasting connections with clients and candidates at various different touchpoints throughout the process. It's literally a diagram that really just distils all the opportunities throughout the process where video can be used to help to better attract, assess and provide aftercare, for improved relationships. Look it sounds simple, right? And, actually, it is. But when you see it down on paper like that, it's amazing how many opportunities you realise most businesses are probably missing. Hit the guys up at odro.co.uk/demo and I'm sure they'll be happy to send it on.----Thanks also to our second sponsor Vincere.io - are officially launching in the US with a new office in Atlanta.. Whilst they have gathered US Clients, they strategically held back from going into the US until they were ready to hire a team and do it in full vinny style! They are ready and looking to work with agencies with 20+ users - as they want to ensure the support is in place to cater for the wider demand of the smaller agencies!If you are in the US or UK and interested in finding out more about Vincere, they offer great discounts for RAG Listeners so use www.vincere.io/rag

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast Live, I was joined by Nick Vaughan, Founder of Hamlyn Williams and now CEO & Founder of Talent Ticker an actionable market intelligence platform for the recruitment industry.Nick’s life began as a 3rd generation farmer in Herefordshire who moved to London to work in the city.After learning his trade with S3 and JCW, he launched Hamlyn Williams in 2011, a specialised STEM focused Recruitment Agency with a HQ in Cardiff.Over the next 7 years Nick managed to scale the business to over 100 people across multiple global offices in 3 continents before deciding that his skills were no longer suitable to take the business forward.Today, the business is over 200 people and managed by a new CEO, Nick is fully focussed on the launch of his next venture and what a plan he has!In this episode he shared Nicks start up and scale up storyHow he got to 30 staff with no infrastructure and led to 100% staff churnThe decisions that enabled him to scale to 100+ recruitersHis top 3 tips for aspiring high growth business ownersHis sacrifice at home and the solid partnership with his wife whilst scalingHis daily morning routine for successWhat is Talent Ticker and why should agencies consider using this innovative toolAn extremely inspiring entrepreneur, one you do not want to miss!If you wish to speak to Nick personally - feel free to message him on LinkedIn here---A big thank you to today’s sponsor Volcanic.com - the best in class recruitment website provider delivering websites that look good and perform even better. If you would like to see some of the fantastic websites that Volcanic has delivered for clients globally, you can visit volcanic.com/our-work which showcases their best-in-class website designs across various locations and sectors, as well as a number of success stories for leading agencies such as Premier Group and Search Consultancy.Volcanic also recently ran a webinar along with Gordon Webb from Idibu and Janine Owen from The Talent Crowd on ‘Conquering the candidate conundrum’. This will soon be available to catch up on demand for insights on how to find those unicorn candidates in today’s war for talent! Keep an eye out…Finally, we are offering RAG listeners an MOT of their current site – landing page is here (and embedded on the above page) The Access Groupwww.volcanic.com/hoxoThis applies to any recruitment website.----Thanks to our second sponsor District 4District4 supports experienced recruiters to launch their own recruitment businesses with an impressive start-up package and take care of the back office and technology which allows them to focus on what they do best: providing an excellent service to their clients and candidates.District4 is a community of expert recruiters who are all business owners in their own right. As a community we support each-other professionally and personally to hit out goals. On Monday 8th November they started an exciting 5-day challenge “So you want to start your own recruitment business?”Over 5 days you will explore your why, your vision, your financials, your market and put together a business plan.This challenge is for experienced recruiters who have thought about going it alone and want to explore it at a deeper level.At the end of the challenge you will either be raring to go and start your business or have decided that it is not for you. It is running all of this week and there are replays available for anyone who has missed the sessionsYou can catch up either in the challenges closed facebook group at (1) Start your Recruitment Business in 2022 Free Challenge | Facebook or if they search in groups for "Start your recruitment business in 2022 Free Challenge or by going to my LinkedIn profile and viewing the featured section.They have a new task going live everyday at 9.15 and then a daily Q&A answering all of their set up questions at 12 noon both live via my profile.The link to join the challenge is https://growyourrecruitmentbusinessevent.vipmembervault.com/products/view/1110290

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast Live, I was delighted to be joined by Dr. Aria, a high performance psychologist who works with A list actors, singer and C Suites execs and business owners from 7 figures to billion pound organisations (including recruitment agencies)Just over 1 year ago today, I first heard about Dr. Aria when listening to his powerful story on The Diary of a CEO Podcast with Steven Bartlett..I was recently single, living alone, and wondering WTF was going on with my life..Dr Aria's had also been through a similar story personally and coaches people all over the world to stay at peak performance by better understanding their mind and body.I felt compelled me to contact him and agreed to get to work right away..I’ve spent 90 mins each week working with him to better understand my mindset.Since then I feel I have learnt more about myself than ever beforeI am clearly not the  finished article and that is ok... Every day is a learning experience..In this episode we discussed his unique story; how he has helped me and revealed some practical advice for recruitment entrepreneurs and leaders to both feel and perform better each day..You do not want to miss this!If you are interested in speaking with Dr. Aria directly relating to his services or just some simple advice, then reach out to www.dr-aria.com or via LinkedIn and Instagram - @dr._aria---Thank you to our friends and sponsor today - Odro.co.uk . Odro announced their latest CRM integration yesterday! Their video engagement and interviewing tech is now fully baked into the JobAdder system. If you know the Odro team as well as I do, you'll know their developers don't do things by halves so it's safe to say it's a really slick integration into the JobAdder CRM that'll really help users to further streamline their processes and get the very best from the tech. The guys are already integrated with Bullhorn and Vincere and there are more to come. So if you're a JobAdder user, any of the others or you want to see what's coming next, get in touch with the guys for a demo. odro.co.uk/demoLoads of my connections are already onboard and the feedback I hear is always really positive so check it out; trust me, it's well worth half an hour of your time. --- Thanks also to our second sponsor Vincere.io - are officially launching in the US with a new office in Atlanta.. Whilst they have gathered US Clients, they strategically held back from going into the US until they were ready to hire a team and do it in full vinny style! They are ready and looking to work with agencies with 20+ users - as they want to ensure the support is in place to cater for the wider demand of the smaller agencies!If you are in the US or UK and interested in finding out more about Vincere, they offer great discounts for RAG Listeners so use www.vincere.io/rag

On this weeks episode of The RAG Podcast Live, I was joined by David Spencer-Percival, Founder & CEO of Life Science People and serial recruitment entrepreneur.David was in the founding team of Huntress Group in 2000 and exited in 2009 for a life changing sum of money. He then started Spencer Ogden in 2009 and repeated the process all over again! Growing to over 500 people and reaching over £100m in revenue, he then decided his work was done before leaving the company in 2020.He is now back with one of the fastest growing recruitment start-ups in the world, with over 65 people in the business inside 12 months.During his glittering career, David has adopted some really consistent habits and basic principles for success.  In this episode he shared The start up stories of each businessHis formula to scale via graduate academies Why he doesn’t have a computer and runs his whole operation from an iPhoneHis take on why many do not scale Why profit isn’t the driver when scaling and how quick profit arrives when you slow down growthHow he felt when he exited his businesses and why he knew he needed to get back in the game after 3 month breaksHis life outside of work, happily married without children- he balances life in London with rural countryside and Ibiza to keep himself happyHow turning 50 certainly affected his mental health and how he deals with thisFinally his vision for the future and some wise words for budding recruitment entrepreneursOne of my all time favourite episodes, you do not want to miss this!If you wish to speak to David personally - feel free to email dsp@lifesciencepeople.co.uk---A big thank you to today’s sponsor Volcanic.com - the best in class recruitment website provider delivering websites that look good and perform even better. Over 1800 recruitment websites globally, they supply 30% of the top 100 UK recruiters and integrate with our partners for efficiency, including Access Recruitment CRM, Access Profile, Access RDB, Broadbean, Logic Melon, Bullhorn, Salesforce, Idibu and more Perfect for start up, scale up and enterprise recruitment  businesses We are offering RAG listeners an MOT of their current site – landing page is here (and embedded on the above page) The Access Groupwww.volcanic.com/hoxoAbout the MOT:A visual inspection undertaken by one of our senior website professionals in the business of your current site, analyse performance and identify areas for improvement. Leverage Volcanic's many years' expertise in designing, developing, and delivering recruitment websites to identify how your current site can be improved.Request your FREE, personalised visual 'MOT' website health check including an overview of your:- candidate attractiveness- client engagement abilities- brand-building capabilities- and more.This applies to any recruitment website.www.volcanic.com/hoxo--Thanks to our second sponsor District 4District4 support experienced recruiters to launch their own recruitment businesses with an impressive start-up package and take care of the back office and technology which allows them to focus on what they do best: providing an excellent service to their clients and candidates.District4 is a community of expert recruiters who are all business owners in their own right. As a community we support each-other professionally and personally to hit out goals. Join the Recruitment Startup Experts at District4 for this exciting 5-day challenge “So you want to start your own recruitment business?”Over 5 days you will explore your why, your vision, your financials, your market and put together a business plan.This challenge is for experienced recruiters who have thought about going it alone and want to explore it at a deeper level.At the end of the challenge you will either be raring to go and start your business or have decided that it is not for you.Want to make 2022 the year that you finally take action? Join in from Mon 8th November to Friday 12th November 2021 and explore what being a recruitment business owner could mean for you.  The link to join the challenge is https://growyourrecruitmentbusinessevent.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1110290

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast Live, I was delighted to be joined by Gaelle Blake, the UKI Director for Permanent Appointments & UKI Director for Construction and Property Appointments at HaysHays is known globally for its huge workforce in every corner of the world, and being at the helm of such a company will come with pressure and sacrifice!Being a female in this situation obviously presents additional pressures relating to family and industry stereotypes.Gaelle and I were recently introduced and I was blown away with her attitude to life, work and our industry!A super inspiring female role model for our sector- this is for anyone seeking balance in their life!---Thank you to our friends and sponsor today - Odro.co.uk . These guys won an impressive three TALiNT tech star awards at their first in-person event since lockdown last month. Followed up just two weeks later with a much sought-after Recruiter award, best in innovation, and a special commendation for CEO Ryan McCabe for all his efforts over the last 18 months. It really is great to see such a brilliant company recognised, and so well deserved. So well done guys! Smashed it.And the good news is, they’re hiring - which they’ve asked me to let you know. So, if you’re listening and are looking for a move, I couldn’t recommend them highly enough. There are vacancies across their Sales and Customer Success departments right now, and they really are a great bunch. If you’re interested, get in touch with CRO Dougie on LinkedIn or email recruitment@odro.co.uk for more info.Thanks also to our second sponsor Vincere.io - A single tech platform to streamline the Front, Middle & Back office operations of Exec Search/Perm/Contract/Temp businesses. The technology that they have invested in is becoming a disruption in the space, more and more recruitment businesses are using this to give their recruiters a competitive advantage. For RAG listeners who you are thinking about changing CRM or you are a new business looking to launch with a new CRM then I would get in touch with these guys because if you mention that you are a rag listener you get an amazing deal- visit www.vincere.io/rag.