How the Best Recruitment Businesses Actually Do BD | Roheel Ahmad (EP 104)

What makes a recruitment BD strategy actually work?

In this episode of The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast, I'm joined by Roheel Ahmad, founder, entrepreneur and recruitment business advisor.

Roheel co-founded FB in 2016 and helped grow the business globally across London, Nottingham, New York and Dubai before transitioning out in 2024. Today, he works across recruitment consultancy, advisory and recruitment technology through Imagine AI.

We also discuss how FB improved its BD hit rate from the mid-thirties to picking up a requirement every 11 calls, the importance of building relationships and expanding accounts, why every recruiter should be doing BD every day, and why even your biggest billers are never above training.

Topics Discussed:
✅ Why recruitment founders struggle to get their BD strategy into the business
✅ The difference between pulling jobs and building a consistent desk
✅ How FB improved its BD hit rate from the mid-thirties to 1 requirement every 11 calls
✅ Building a repeatable BD strategy without removing individual flair
✅ Why recruiters should be doing BD every single day
✅ The importance of value, relationships and consistent follow-up
✅ Why your best billers are never above training
✅ How to build a recruitment business that isn't dependent on one client or the founder

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction & Welcome

00:18 – Roheel's Journey: Building FB to $100M and Imagine AI

01:02 – The BD Problem Every Founder Faces

02:44 – Getting BD Out of Your Head and Into the Business

04:15 – Why Recruiters Overcomplicate BD Strategy

05:30 – Stop Pulling Jobs, Start Building Accounts

07:11 – The New Starter Trap & Early Wins

08:37 – Roheel's Story: Getting Sacked and Starting Over

10:19 – The 6-Month Blank: Learning Through Failure

13:26 – How Process Control Changed Everything

14:47 – Building Real Relationships vs Transaction Mentality

17:02 – The Interview Slot System That Works

21:20 – Documentation Is Your Biggest Advantage

22:50 – Why Your BD Falls Apart When You Scale

23:16 – Giving Consultants Framework, Not Complexity

25:27 – Spec In, Spec Out: The Process That Wins

27:59 – Teaching Your Team What Actually Works

51:00 – Building Scalable BD Systems

55:56 – Culture & Team Buy-In

01:00:02 – Why Consultants Avoid the Phone

01:05:42 – Making BD a Real Skill, Not Just Hustle

01:12:20 – Where BD Breaks Down

01:14:14 – AI vs Traditional Recruitment Fundamentals

01:15:39 – Why Your Team Won't Pick Up the Phone

01:16:49 – How to Get 1% Better at BD

01:17:34 – About Imagine AI & Where to Connect

01:18:58 – Closing Thoughts

🐋 Podcast Sponsor – SourceWhale

This episode is sponsored by SourceWhale, the recruitment productivity platform I personally use and recommend to recruiters and founders.

SourceWhale helps recruiters save time across outreach, sourcing, data enrichment, multi-step email and LinkedIn sequences, inbox management and call notes, giving recruiters more time to focus on the human side of recruitment.

👉 Book a SourceWhale 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% Better Recruitment Podcast or my name, Charles Kyriakou, when you book.

Connect with Roheel:
💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roheelahmad/

Connect with Me:
💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/
📲 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou
🌐 Podcast Website: https://www.the1percentbetterrecruitmentpodcast.com/
🤖 MILO – Tell Me More: https://ask-milo.com/