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The Resilient Recruiter

The Resilient Recruiter

By: Recruitment Coach Mark Whitby
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 Join "the Recruitment Coach" Mark Whitby as he and his guests unpack the secrets of what it takes to be a profitable and long-lived professional in the recruitment industry.(c) Breakthrough Coaching Ltd T/A RecruitmentCoach.com. All rights reserved. Career Success Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • How to Raise Fees, Win Better Clients, and Rebuild from Scratch with Randee Staats

    How to Raise Fees, Win Better Clients, and Rebuild from Scratch with Randee Staats
    Nov 26 2025
    What does it take to raise your fees, win better clients, and rebuild your recruiting business from the ground up? In this episode, I speak with Randee Staats, founder of S4 Search Partners, who went from losing everything — $250K in debt and $500 left — to rebuilding a seven-figure desk within the following year. Randee explains the decisions that nearly destroyed his business, the turning point that pushed him to rebuild, and the systems that rebuilt his confidence, his pipeline, and his profitability. He also breaks down the daily discipline, fee structure changes, and point-based productivity system that helped him win better clients and finally charge what he is worth. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How Randee launched his firm from his parents' basement The moment he landed a billion-dollar client The scaling mistake that cost him $250K Why he walked away from a $600K account How he raised his fees to 20 to 25 percent The script he uses to convert email replies into meetings The daily BD rhythm that rebuilt his pipeline The point system that keeps him consistent How he broke seven figures the year after rebuilding Episode Highlights 02:49 Discovering recruiting 05:04 Launching from the basement 09:35 The Jim Carrey check 13:15 Early success and hidden risks 14:18 The scaling mistake 17:16 The turning point 23:10 The weekly client call script 42:00 The wake-up call 44:14 New rules for pricing 46:47 The $30K placement 50:21 Daily planner 51:22 BD rhythm 1:03:09 The point system 1:07:33 Breaking seven figures Guest Bio Randee Staats is the founder of S4 Search Partners, based in New Jersey. He launched the firm in 2015, scaled a major national account to $600K, and later rebuilt his business from $500 and $250K in debt to seven-figure billings using a disciplined daily system and a new fee structure. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randee-staats/ Connect with Mark Whitby Free 30-minute strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
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  • How to Build a Client Demand Engine That Replaces Cold Outreach

    How to Build a Client Demand Engine That Replaces Cold Outreach
    Nov 19 2025
    Why do some recruiters struggle for traction while others build demand engines that bring clients to them? My guest, Tom Froggatt, made that shift after three days of calling 600 people with no results. Tom is the founder of Singular, a biotech search firm and one of Europe's leading specialists. Six months after launching the business, he hit a breaking point that changed everything. Instead of doubling down on cold calls, Tom built a system that creates predictable client demand. Today, a £4,000 campaign can generate £55,000 in revenue, and his business runs on consistent inbound opportunities. In this conversation, Tom explains how he replaced cold outreach with a system, how he uses content and insight reports to convert strangers into six figure clients, and why the volume required for effective marketing is far higher than most recruiters expect. In this episode, you'll discover Why Tom realised he did not have a BD problem but a systems problem How three days of rejection created a turning point How podcasting connected him with senior biotech leaders Why each client is worth £55,000 in 12 months How his insight report converts inbound retained work Why most recruiters underestimate the required volume How thinking like a tech founder beats thinking like a traditional recruiter Episode Highlights [6:44] Starting Singular in a windowless office and the six-month reality check [19:16] Three days, 600 calls, zero results. The moment everything changed [21:22] Launching "Careers in Discovery" and building relationships with senior biotech leaders [22:05] The podcast guest who walked Tom straight to HR and introduced him on the spot [36:44] The mindset shift from "winning clients" to building revenue-generating systems [42:16] Why each client is worth £55,000 in 12 months and what that means for ad spend [49:30] The exact funnel. Free insight reports that convert strangers into six-figure partnerships [54:14] Why Tom gives away £2,500 worth of market data for free and why it works [58:47] How to identify real client pain points without guessing [1:03:09] Why reverse engineering problems to fit your service always fails [1:10:27] The volume truth. Why 200 outreach attempts are not nearly enough If you want to build predictable client demand without relying on cold outreach, this episode will show you how. Guest Bio Tom Froggatt is the founder of Singular, a biotech search and talent company specialising in early drug discovery roles across Europe. Before Singular, Tom spent ten years at S3, where he opened their New York office at age 25. He is also the host of the Careers in Discovery podcast with more than 300 episodes. Connect with Tom LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tom-froggatt Singular: https://book.singular-biotech.com/web Versapia website Connect with Mark Free strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter
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  • Three Strategic Bets That Changed How One Recruiter Thinks About Growth, with Ollie Scott

    Three Strategic Bets That Changed How One Recruiter Thinks About Growth, with Ollie Scott
    Nov 13 2025
    Why do some recruitment founders build seven-figure businesses while others plateau despite working just as hard? My guest, Ollie Scott, discovered growth doesn't come from hustle alone. It comes from strategic bets. Ollie is the founder of Unknown, a talent growth consultancy that's worked with over 500 brands including Nike, Apple, and Disney. Six years ago, he started with £13,000 on a credit card and one mission: build the opposite of every recruitment company he'd ever seen. In this episode, Ollie shares his journey from rebellion to revenue. You'll hear why differentiation always beats trying to be the best, how scaling from 8 to 18 people nearly destroyed his business, and the three strategic bets he used to rebuild. You’ll Learn: • Why trying to be the “best” agency is a losing strategy • How Unknown defined a point of view clients cared about • What went wrong scaling from 8 to 18 people • Why profit is the safety net that enables innovation • How to build a productized recruitment offering • Why freelance talent pools are the future of recurring revenue • How recruiters can monetise M&A intelligence • How to price buy-side advisory at six-figure fees Episode Timestamps: [4:05] Selling suits to James Caan’s recruitment firm [10:23] Launching Unknown with £13,000 on a credit card [15:36] Naming strategy and brand distinctiveness [18:26] Writing a breakup letter to recruitment companies [21:44] Why rebellion works early but can’t scale [36:36] Productizing around three ICPs [44:03] Scaling to 18 people destroyed profit margins [48:34] Profit as psychological safety [53:20] Building recurring revenue through freelance talent pools [58:25] Why recruiters have more M&A intelligence than M&A firms Guest Bio: Ollie Scott is the founder of Unknown, a £3 million talent growth consultancy specialising in the global creative industry. Before launching Unknown, Ollie spent six years at Gemini People, joining the board in his early twenties. Unknown now operates across executive search, freelance talent pools, and M&A advisory for creative agencies. Connect with Ollie: LinkedIn: Ollie Scott Website: unknown.media Connect with Mark: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session linkedin.com/in/markwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
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    Less than 1 minute
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