From £0 to £100K Months: The Mindset of a Top Biller | Michael Christodoulides (EP 89)
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 adapting with the times are what truly separate average recruiters from elite performers.
Topics Discussed:
✅ From recruitment admin to top biller
✅ Why Michael almost quit recruitment early on
✅ Building a market from scratch in Canada & the US
✅ The mindset shift that led to £100K months
✅ Why consistency matters more than motivation
✅ How COVID became a turning point in his career
✅ The importance of relationships in recruitment
✅ Why recruiters must deeply understand people
✅ Phone calls vs AI & automation
✅ Building culture in recruitment businesses
✅ The reality of US recruitment from the UK
✅ Why adaptability is critical in modern recruitment
✅ Managing teams whilst still billing
✅ Goal setting, manifestation & long-term thinking
✅ The importance of asking better questions
✅ Why the best recruiters truly listen
✅ Boxing away emotion during good & bad periods
✅ The sacrifices required to become elite
✅ How to get 1% better in recruitment
⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & welcome
00:42 – Michael’s first recruitment role
02:03 – Why he almost quit recruitment
03:10 – Florist shops, kitchens & finding direction
03:55 – Joining Vivant Consultants
04:26 – Transitioning from UK to US recruitment
05:24 – Winning best business developer
06:06 – Leaving recruitment to travel South America
08:44 – Returning to recruitment & entering tech
10:43 – Joining Empiric & data centre recruitment
12:36 – Learning new markets as a recruiter
14:53 – AI, recruitment & adapting with the times
16:23 – Michael’s difficult first year in recruitment
18:27 – Learning from top performers
21:26 – Adapting your style & recruitment approach
23:12 – COVID, mindset shifts & £100K months
30:28 – The challenges of becoming a billing manager
32:03 – Recruitment behaviours that drive success
34:07 – Eat the frog: making difficult calls first
35:06 – Understanding candidates on a deeper level
41:01 – Why relationships still matter in recruitment
42:57 – Closing candidates & building trust
45:26 – Handling pressure & boxing away emotions
46:39 – Staying hungry after success
52:27 – Why recruitment is all about questions
54:49 – KPIs, quality & understanding your market
01:00:02 – Finding your “why”
01:03:31 – Goal setting & manifestation
01:04:56 – Travelling the world after recruitment success
01:05:52 – The reality of US recruitment hours
01:08:05 – Big fees vs lifestyle balance
01:10:23 – How recruiters get 1% better: consistency
🐋 Podcast Sponsor – SourceWhale
This episode is sponsored by SourceWhale, the multi-channel outreach platform I personally use and recommend to recruiters and founders.
SourceWhale helps you combine email, LinkedIn, calls, and tasks into one structured, consistent BD workflow, without relying on spray-and-pray automation.
👉 Book a demo here:
https://sourcewhale.com/book-demo/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=&utm_term=charles_kyriakou&utm_content=book_a_demo
Mention The 1 Percent Better Recruitment Podcast or my name, Charles Kyriakou, when you book.
Connect with Michael:
💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-christodoulides-174197161/
Connect with Me:
💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/
📲 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou
🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-better-recruitment-podcast/id1775201502
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1PercentBetterRecPod
🌐 Website: https://www.inf1nitelearning.com/