The Vault Unlocked — Episode Summary

Podcast: The Vault Unlocked
Host: Kayvon Kay
Guest: Walter Sabrin (Venture Employer Solutions, Hire Finder)
Episode: The Secret to Hiring Top Talent
Date: October 8, 2025

Overview

In this revealing episode, host Kayvon Kay sits down with Walter Sabrin from Venture Employer Solutions (and Hire Finder) to pull back the curtain on the one strategy transforming how top talent is sourced and retained by companies, especially smaller businesses. Walter explains how his firm has ditched sky-high placement fees and traditional “commission-hunting” models, offering a scalable, done-for-you recruiting system for companies of any size. This episode is a war room discussion on the gritty reality of hiring, demolishing industry dogma, and sharing a dangerous unlock–the real way to find (and keep) A-players without getting extorted by recruiting agencies.

Who is Walter Sabrin? (00:25–01:32)

• Born and raised in New York, once an aspiring pro tennis player before pivoting to the corporate world and talent acquisition.
• Over 20 years of experience in sales leadership and recruiting.
• Currently with Venture Employer Solutions, the world’s second-largest HR outsourcing firm (right behind ADP).

“I tried to become the next Roger Federer, Andre Agassi. Didn’t happen. So I took my talents into the corporate world…been in talent acquisition for two decades.”
— Walter Sabrin (00:59)

What Do Venture Employer Solutions and Hire Finder Do? (01:47–04:12)

• Offer comprehensive HR outsourcing: compliance, benefits, handbooks, and especially recruiting.
• Serve 140,000 clients worldwide, with an average client size of 24 employees (mostly SMBs, but also support Fortune 500 firms).
• Focus: Level the playing field for smaller companies to compete with industry giants for top talent.

“Our average client size is 24 employees. What I would call more of a small business…But our clients are all over.”
— Walter (03:38)

The Broken Model of Traditional Recruiting (05:22–08:11)

• Typical recruiters charge 25%+ of first-year salary per hire (e.g., $20k for an $80k job).
• No real guarantee for employers; recruiter incentives misaligned.
• Small businesses can’t afford these high one-off, upfront costs.

“If I go out and search, I find you that graphic designer…you now owe me $20,000. That’s one check for one hire…”
— Walter (06:39)

The Dangerous Unlock: Hire Finder’s Model (09:18–12:55)

• Hire Finder provides a team of three recruiters per client, plus a project manager.
• Recruiters work exclusively for the client (for a set number of hours/week); all tools (LinkedIn Recruiter, job boards) are included.
• Fully customizable and scalable based on client needs (increase or decrease recruiter hours anytime).
• No per-placement fee; pay for ongoing service instead.
• They revert to real headhunting, picking up the phone to actively call and court candidates, not just posting online.

“We’re not just going to put up postings…We call candidates. We do what we used to call headhunting. We pick up the phone and call people.”
— Walter (11:36)

Custom, Done-for-You Recruiting for All Business Sizes (12:24–14:16)

• Used by both lean startups and massive Fortune 200 clients—adaptable at any scale, though designed with SMBs in mind.
• Offer full suite of recruiting, interview, onboarding, and SOP creation services.
• Represent the employer (client), not the job-seeker.

“There’s no placement fee here. It’s a whole different model… We will let you decide who to hire, because we’re not gonna charge you a dime besides our fees.”
— Walter (13:28)

On Shady Recruiter Incentives, The Power of Story, and Persuasion (14:16–17:00)

• Kayvon points out that most recruiters force bad hires due to their incentive structures.
• Kayvon’s advice: Win trust with stats, history, and a great story—not by trashing competition.
• “Did you know?” statements and jaw-dropping stats trump standard elevator pitches.

“Where I get my jollies off… is connecting the right people to the right businesses. When that happens, two people win.”
— Kayvon (15:50)

What’s Changed Post-COVID? (19:33–23:12)

• Post-COVID: Employees cared more about happiness, culture, and work/life balance.
• The “Great Resignation” saw unprecedented job-hopping; now the market’s stabilizing.
• Employers now listen better to employees and are making positive cultural changes.

“Immediately post-Covid, a lot of employees said, ‘My happiness…there’s nothing more important.’…You know, the ‘Great Resignation.’ People were leaving.”
— Walter (19:33)

The Offer in Detail: Customization, Pricing, and Scale (23:15–27:41)

• Hire Finder operates on a customizable basis: ramp recruiter hours up/down as needed (from growth sprees to maintenance mode).
• Pricing: Ongoing monthly/hourly fee rather than commission; huge savings.
• Yearly contract with a 30-day opt-out–no lock-in.
• Designed for needs-based flexibility and long-term partnership.

“When you’re in growth mode, maybe you want to hire us for 40 or 50 hours a week… And then over the next couple weeks, now you want to go down to 20 hours a week. Done.”
— Walter (25:33)

“It’s a yearly agreement with a 30-day out. If you’re not agreeing with us…we will part friends.”
— Walter (27:41)

Crafting a Killer Elevator Pitch (28:09–32:07)

• Walter’s elevator pitch:
  “We offer a fully customizable recruiting solution. Whether you’re a small business or a big company, we help you find top talent at the most cost-effective way possible. Top talent that will stick with your team.” (29:18)
• Kayvon’s advice: Use a “Did you know?” statement with a stat to spark curiosity (e.g., the true cost of a mis-hire).

“Did you know that an average business will lose $600,000 on a mis-hire?...We have an eight-step profiler…guarantees if I send you a commission salesperson, they’ll have a 98.76% chance of being successful.”
— Kayvon (29:51)

Final Takeaways & Where to Find Walter (34:05–35:58)

• Recruiting doesn’t need to be expensive; communication and culture are critical.
• Listeners: Listen to your employees, take action, and culture beats just acquiring top talent.
• Walter is available on LinkedIn as the only Walter Sabrin; find him at Venture Employer Solutions’ website and HireFinder.com.

“You can hire the best talent, but if you don’t have a great system, a great culture…there’s the potential for high turnover.”
— Walter (35:08)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “[Recruiters] cared more about their commission instead of the mission of the business.” – Kayvon (15:32)
• “We’re incentivized to do a great job and provide a flow of candidates. We will let you decide who to hire.” – Walter (13:54)
• “We don’t want our clients sticking around if they don’t perceive value.” – Walter (27:41)
• “Recruiting doesn’t need to be expensive…listen to your employees.” – Walter (35:08)

Key Timestamps for Segments

• 00:25 — Walter’s background and pivot to recruiting
• 03:38 — Client base size and profile
• 06:39 — The broken economics of typical recruiters
• 09:18 — How Hire Finder works (the dangerous unlock)
• 11:36 — Old-school headhunting: picking up the phone
• 25:33 — Customization: scaling hours based on company need
• 28:09 — Recapping the new model and preparing elevator pitch
• 29:18 — Walter delivers elevator pitch
• 34:05 — How to contact Walter and final advice

Tone

The conversation is candid, execution-focused, and adversarial toward fluff, with both Kayvon and Walter emphasizing practical evidence, battle-tested strategy, and disdain for traditional models. This is a no-nonsense, “pull receipts” discussion aimed at real business builders, not theorists or posers.

If you want the real zero-BS secret to hiring top talent on a small business budget—with receipts—this is the strategy (and episode) you can’t afford to skip.