Welcome to The Engine - Founders Stories Podcast. Host Donna Owen chats with Luke B. (Luke Barry), Co-Founder and Head of Growth & GTM of How Ya Doing, a talent-as-a-service firm that combines deep sales expertise with executive search proficiency. Before launching his own business, Luke spent 15 years in enterprise sales and payments with Lloyds Bank and Citibank. His journey into the corporate world began in an unexpected place: hairdressing. However, after a life-changing accident, Luke made a career pivot to banking, where he discovered the true value of relationships.

In this episode, Luke shares his unique path from hairdressing to corporate banking and how his experiences in sales and payments shaped his approach to recruitment. He also discusses how How Ya Doing is tackling the gaps in traditional recruitment by offering a more personalized, relationship-driven model.

Key Takeaways:

How Luke transitioned from banking to founding How Ya Doing.
The unique talent-as-a-service business model that mixes sales expertise with recruitment.
Building strong relationships has been the foundation of Luke's career.
Lessons learned from the challenges of recruitment, especially in specialized fields like FinTech.
The journey from a corporate job to a startup founder, including moments of doubt and self-discovery.

Additional Insights:

How Luke’s background in sales and payments informs his approach to recruitment.
The importance of having the right support systems in life and business.
The value of networking and maintaining strong relationships throughout one’s career.
Why the future of recruitment might be about more than just finding candidates, but about understanding and fitting into the business culture.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:

“Just get out there and do it.” - Luke Barry
“You have to pay into your emotional bank account to take out later.” - Luke Barry
“If you’re standing still, you’re falling behind.” - Luke Barry

Join Luke as he shares how his career in sales and recruitment led to the founding of How Ya Doing, a company that focuses on relationships and delivering tailored talent solutions to startups and growing companies.

Episode Highlights

[00:00] - Teaser

[01:15] - Redefining Recruitment with a Two-Partner Model

[04:04] - From Failure to Growth-Focused Success

[09:02] - How Relationships and Fintech Shaped Luke

[13:31] - From Hairdressing to Banking

[16:19] - Kindness and Relationships in Career Growth

[18:18] - Resilience and Reflection in Founding

[22:19] - Turning Frustration into Opportunity

[29:32] - Startup Life, Family, and Late Nights

[37:19] - Avoiding Startup Hiring Mistakes

[43:34] - Keeping the Human Touch in Hiring

How Startup Founders Can Fix Hiring by Replacing Recruiters with Sales Operators - Luke Barry