Episodes

What does it actually take to build a high-performance recruitment business that scales? In this episode, I’m joined by Dale Williams, CEO of The Recolution Group, a multi-brand recruitment business operating across professional services, SAP, aerospace, defence, space, and executive search. With over 18 years in recruitment and more than 15 years as a business owner, Dale shares the lessons he's learned from building multiple recruitment brands, hiring and developing recruiters, creating a high...

What happens when recruitment founders know they need to embrace AI, but have no idea where to start? In this episode, I’m joined by Rob Saltrese, AI strategist, recruitment technology specialist, and founder of Lyra Labs. Rob has spent years helping businesses understand, adopt, and implement AI properly. Rather than focusing on the fearmongering headlines, we discuss what recruitment founders and leaders should actually be doing right now to stay competitive. Topics Discussed: ✅ The biggest mi...

What does it really take to build a recruitment business that someone actually wants to buy? In this episode, I'm joined by Tara Ricks, a highly respected advisor, chair, non-executive director, and former recruitment business owner who successfully built and sold her own company before going on to advise recruitment businesses across EMEA on growth, scale, acquisitions, investment, and exits. Tara shares what founders need to be doing long before they ever think about selling, why most recruitm...

What if burnout, ADHD symptoms, energy crashes, and poor performance weren’t just mindset problems… but biological ones? Debbie Bosworth is a strategic genomist with 30 years of experience, and founder of Ideal Edge, where she works with founders, CEOs, leaders, and recruiters to understand what is really going on beneath the surface by testing and interpreting genetics, DNA, bloods, cells, energy levels, and biological markers. Topics Discussed: ✅ Debbie's Burnout Story ✅ Understanding ADHD thr...

What happens when a naturally introverted recruiter, who struggles with confidence, rejects traditional recruitment stereotypes and still becomes a top performer? In this episode, I’m joined by Craig Lewis, a recruiter with over a decade of experience who has built a highly successful desk by doing things differently. Craig opens up about confidence struggles, ADHD, personality profiling, niche specialisation, and why leaning into authenticity completely changed his career trajectory. We discuss...

What does it take to build a recruitment business that survives 20 years, thrives in a saturated UK market, and still wins through relationships in an AI-driven world? In this episode, I’m joined by Adam Wagster, CEO of Uniting Ambition, a technology recruitment business approaching its 20th anniversary. Adam has spent over two decades in recruitment, scaling teams, navigating private equity backing, surviving market downturns, and building long-term client relationships in one of the most compe...

What does it really take to become a top biller in recruitment and stay there? In this episode, I’m joined by Michael Christodoulides, a recruiter I’ve known my entire life, who shares his journey from starting in recruitment admin to becoming a multi-award-winning consultant billing huge numbers across the US construction market. Michael opens up about the mindset shifts that changed his career, the lessons learned from blank months and massive wins, and why consistency, relationships, and adap...

What does it actually take to go from trainee recruiter to business owner? In this episode, I’m joined by Ross McQuarrie, co-owner at Wilkinson & Associates, who shares his journey from falling into recruitment to leading and owning the business nearly 20 years later. Ross breaks down the real story behind stepping into ownership through a management buyout, the mindset shifts required to move from billing consultant to leader, and why culture, not just KPIs, is what truly drives long-term succe...

What’s the real reason most recruitment agencies struggle to perform… lack of activity, or a broken process? In this episode, I’m joined by Steve Carter for a raw and insightful conversation about recruitment performance, efficiency, and why so many agencies are built backwards. With over 40 years in recruitment, from the desk to leading global businesses, Steve brings a no-BS perspective on what actually drives results, and where most agencies are going wrong. We break down the reality behind a...

What’s the real reason most recruiters don’t perform… lack of knowledge, or lack of action? In this episode, I’m joined by Chris Hart for a raw and honest conversation about recruitment performance, mindset, and why so many consultants stay stuck despite knowing exactly what they need to do. Chris brings a no-BS perspective shaped by years in recruitment, leadership, and personal experience, including navigating mental health challenges and coaching others through similar struggles. In a world f...

What actually drives results in recruitment… more tech, or better use of what you already have? In this episode, I’m joined by Richard Caldecott, a recruitment technology expert and former IT Director who has spent years helping agencies build, optimise, and scale their tech stacks. Richard has worked with recruitment businesses of all sizes, from growing agencies to large-scale organisations, giving him a grounded perspective on how technology should actually be used. Not in theory, but in prac...

What if the real reason you’re not winning more business isn’t your tech, your market, or your scripts… but the fact you’re not doing the basics well enough? In this episode of The 1 Percent Better Recruitment Podcast, I’m joined by Kalpesh Baxi, a 29-year recruitment veteran, advisor, investor, and founder who has helped build, scale, and transform recruitment businesses across the globe.Kalpesh has seen the industry from every angle, from building high-performing teams at S3 to now advising fo...

What actually changes in recruitment business development… and what stays the same after 26 years in the industry? In this episode, I’m joined by Toby Babb , founder of Harrington Starr, who has spent over two decades building recruitment businesses, developing teams, and evolving his approach to business development. Toby has seen recruitment through multiple cycles, from the early days of heavy outbound calling and mail shots to today’s world of LinkedIn, content, and multi-channel outreach. T...

What does it actually take to go from billing big numbers to becoming a top-performing recruiter year after year? In this episode, I’m joined by Oli Stockford , a consistent top biller who has generated over £2M in revenue and built a reputation for delivering results through discipline, consistency, and process. Oli’s approach cuts through a lot of the noise in recruitment. While many recruiters look for shortcuts, new tools, or quick wins, he focuses on doing the basics well, every single day,...

What does it actually take to go from solo recruiter to building a real recruitment business? In this episode, I’m joined by Dan Payne , founder of a fast-growing recruitment agency that has gone from just himself to 11 heads in only 19 months , with the business now approaching the seven-figure mark . Dan first came on the podcast when he had just launched the business and was operating alone. At the time, he spoke about his ambitions to scale quickly and build a high-performing team. Fast forw...

Ever wondered why your emails don't get replies? Or how you can maximise your email outreach to book more calls? In this episode of The 1 Percent Better Recruitment Podcast, I’m joined by Ben Fielding, an email deliverability and outreach specialist who helps recruitment businesses get their emails into inboxes instead of spam. Ben works closely with recruitment agencies to fix one of the most overlooked problems in modern business development, email deliverability and outreach strategy. Many re...

In this episode of The 1 Percent Better Recruitment Podcast, I’m joined by Leon Mitten, Founder & Director of Agnes Cole Consulting, to unpack a topic that divides the recruitment industry: 👉 Is recruitment a sales job? Leon started his career in hardcore software sales, making 100–150 calls a day, before moving into recruitment and building his own specialist tech recruitment business operating across the UK, Europe, and the US. This conversation is raw, honest, and practical. We break down why...

What if the biggest threat to your recruitment business isn’t the market… but your financial discipline? In this episode, I’m joined by Pav , also known as The Boring Accountant , to break down the financial mistakes that quietly damage recruitment agencies every single year. Pav works closely with recruitment founders on tax, cashflow, and long-term financial planning. That gives him a front-row seat to the patterns that repeat, surprise tax bills, poor cashflow management, directors taking too...

What if recruitment isn’t just a sales job anymore… but a marketing job? In this episode, I’m joined by Kris Holland , Founder of Kitto , to unpack a debate that’s dividing recruiters right now, has recruitment fundamentally shifted from pure sales to sales enabled by marketing? Kris works with growth-focused recruitment agencies on brand, positioning, demand generation, and revenue enablement. That gives him a front-row seat to how agencies are actually winning business in 2026, and why cold ca...

What if the biggest problem in recruitment business development isn’t the market, tech, or competition… but forgetting what actually works? In this episode, I’m joined by Martin Crapper , Managing Director at Redline Group , to unpack the business development lessons that still win after 40 years in recruitment. Martin has spent four decades building and evolving a specialist recruitment business in the electronics sector. That longevity gives him a rare, grounded perspective on how BD has chang...

What if AI isn’t the silver bullet recruiters think it is? In this episode, I’m joined by Derry Holt , Founder & CEO of OneUp Sales , to break down where AI actually helps recruiters, and where it causes more problems than progress. Derry works closely with recruitment founders and leaders on sales performance and execution, giving him a front-row seat to how agencies are really using AI and automation day to day. We talk candidly about what’s working, what’s not, and why many agencies are panic...

What if the future of recruitment isn’t better recruiters… but fewer humans altogether? In this episode, I’m joined by Alex Odwell , founder of Referment , to explore one of the most challenging and controversial ideas in recruitment today, the rise of the zero-human recruitment agency. Alex has spent nearly two decades building and scaling recruitment businesses and is now operating an agency powered almost entirely by agentic AI. From job intake and candidate qualification to engagement and sh...

What if the biggest mistake recruiters are making right now isn’t the market, AI, or competition… but forgetting the fundamentals that actually drive sales? In this episode, I’m joined by Rohit Kapoor to break down what really works when you combine old-school sales discipline with new-school recruitment technology. Rohit has spent his career across agency recruitment, tech sales, and building recruitment tech, giving him a rare, practical perspective on what helps recruiters win and what simply...

What if the biggest mistake recruiters are making as we head into 2026 isn’t the market, AI, or competition… but believing automation alone will drive success? In this episode, I’m joined by Dougie Loan, CRO at SourceWhale, to break down what recruiters, leaders, and founders actually need to get right as technology, automation, and AI continue to reshape the industry. Dougie has spent his career working at the intersection of recruitment, sales, and tech, partnering with agencies of all sizes t...