Podcast
The Resilient Recruiter
Hosted by Recruitment Coach Mark Whitby · EN
Join "the Recruitment Coach" Mark Whitby as he and his guests unpack the secrets of what it takes to be a profitable and long-lived professional in the recruitment industry.
38episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How to Choose the Right Recruitment Tech and Avoid Wasting Money on Tools, with Nitin Sharma
6d ago01:07:17Tap to summarizeRecruitment business owners are being pitched new tools every single day. Most of it gets bought based on fear of missing out, not because there is a real problem that needs solving.Nitin Sharma is the founder of Rectools IO, an independent directory of recruitment technology, and the host of Rectalk, the most followed recruitment podcast on YouTube with over 100,000 subscribers. He speaks to more recruitment technology companies than almost anyone in the industry while staying completely independent.Before all of that, Nitin built a recruitment agency to 15 people and close to 5 million pounds in revenue. Then it failed. Sitting with an insolvency practitioner, being asked why he did not know the answers to basic questions about his own business, was the moment that shaped everything he does now.In this episode, Nitin shares why most recruitment businesses are buying technology in the wrong order, how to work out what you actually need, and the one question every business owner should ask before spending anything on new tools.You will hear why your business finances almost always mirror your personal finances, the three conversations to have before buying any new tool, how to audit what you already own before spending anything new, and why a CRM with strong back office functionality is the one thing every recruitment business genuinely needs, regardless of size or model.Nitin also breaks down where AI will genuinely replace recruitment work first, how to spot a GPT in a wrapper before you buy it, and why legacy recruitment software is under more threat than most people realize.Episode highlights: 2:19 Building to close to 5 million pounds in revenue and the collapse in December 2023 6:17 The real reasons the agency failed 15:56 Why business finances mirror personal finances 25:47 How Rectools IO and Rectalk became the industry's biggest YouTube channel 31:13 What recruitment business owners should be doing on LinkedIn 46:47 Why legacy recruitment software is under threat 48:10 The recruitment work AI will automate first 49:06 How to spot a GPT in a wrapper 50:53 The one question to ask before buying any recruitment tool 53:38 How to check what you already have before spending anything new 59:48 Why a CRM is the one non-negotiableConnect with Nitin: LinkedIn: Nitin Sharma Website: rectools.io YouTube: Rectalk PodcastConnect with Mark: Free strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Seven Figure Freedom Scorecard: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
Transcribe →How to Build a £25M Recruitment Firm Without Chasing Headcount, with Michelle Lownie
2w ago01:03:56Tap to summarizeAdding more people is how you grow a recruitment firm.Michelle Lownie spent years believing it. Then she watched it go wrong.Michelle is the CEO and co-founder of Eden Scott, one of Scotland's leading recruitment firms. She started in recruitment in 1989, filing documents and making tea at Melville Craig on a six-week summer contract. She stayed 15 years. In 2003, she co-founded Eden Scott alongside Guy Martin and Chris Logue.Today, Eden Scott generates approximately £25 million in annual revenue with 38 consultants across Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Glasgow. At its peak, the business had nearly 70 people.In this episode, Michelle talks through what it took to rebuild around a smaller, higher-performing team - and how that decision changed everything about how the business runs today.She covers the hiring process Eden Scott uses to find recruiters who don't need managing, why they've stayed on the 360 model for 23 years while everyone else splits desks, and what keeps recruiters at Eden Scott for years in an industry known for high turnover.She also shares what the last 18 months have looked like on the ground in Scotland - and why relationship-led recruitment still matters more than ever.In this episode, you'll learn:How Eden Scott rebuilt from 70 people down to 38 - and what changedHow COVID became an opportunity to rebuild around the right peopleThe hiring process - including why interviewers never discuss candidates between stagesWhat Michelle is actually looking for when she makes a hiring decisionHow their commission and retention structure works, including sabbaticals at 5, 10, and 15 yearsHow the 360 full-desk model still produces a £25 million businessWhat consistent business development actually looks like in practiceEpisode highlights: [13:39] How COVID forced a complete rethink of the business [17:51] Why Michelle has no interest in scaling back to 70 people [26:29] Why Eden Scott has stayed on the 360 model while others split desks [35:30] The hiring process - and why interviewers don't discuss candidates between stages [45:11] The retention strategies that keep consultants at Eden Scott for years [52:18] Why good recruiters don't need to be pushedThis episode is sponsored by Recruiterflow - an AI-first ATS and CRM built for recruiters who want to spend less time on admin and more time on relationships. See it in action at recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow.About Michelle Lownie: Michelle Lownie is the CEO and co-founder of Eden Scott, one of Scotland's leading recruitment firms with annual revenue of approximately £25 million. She began her career in 1989 at Melville Craig and co-founded Eden Scott in 2003 alongside Guy Martin and Chris Logue. The firm operates across Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Glasgow with 38 consultants.Connect with Michelle: LinkedIn: Michelle Lownie Website: edenscott.comConnect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markwhitby Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
Transcribe →How to Source Candidates on Autopilot Using Pin.com, with Steve Lu
4w ago01:34:38Tap to summarizeSourcing frustration is usually diagnosed as a volume problem. Not enough candidates in the funnel. Not enough searches. Not enough outreach.Steven Lu thinks it's the opposite problem.Steven is the co-founder and CEO of Pin.com and the founder of Interseller, a recruiting outreach platform that helped place over 40,000 candidates before being acquired by Greenhouse in 2021. After two years inside Greenhouse studying the top of the recruiting funnel, he launched PIN to solve a specific, persistent problem: the candidates most worth finding are the ones current sourcing tools miss.In this episode, Steven explains why 30% of top talent is essentially invisible in LinkedIn searches. He breaks down how PIN's shadow resume technology rebuilds candidate profiles from external data to surface people who've never described themselves online. He also shares the outreach approach that generates 30 to 40% response rates, the exact sequence he recommends (3 emails and 2 LinkedIn touches), and the four most common mistakes that quietly destroy deliverability.The bigger picture matters for every recruiter working in an increasingly noisy market. The era of high-volume outreach is coming to an end. Email providers are measuring engagement signals. Spam filters are getting sharper. The recruiters who win over the next two or three years will be the ones who source fewer candidates, make each one count, and treat every outreach like it's going to the one person who can fill the role.This is a practical conversation about what's changing in sourcing and how to address it.In this episode, you'll learn:Why the most qualified candidates rarely appear in standard keyword searchesHow PIN's shadow resume makes unfindable candidates findableWhat PIN's autopilot mode does and how to set it up with just two inputsWhy you should cap your outreach sequence at five stepsThe four most damaging outreach mistakes recruiters makeWhy including a Google Doc link beats pasting the job description every timeHow to structure omnichannel outreach across email and LinkedInWhy the top 1% of billers operate from a very short candidate RolodexEpisode highlights:[3:49] From Interseller to Greenhouse to PIN - Steven's journey[9:34] The talent curve: why top candidates don't show up in search[13:36] PIN's North Star KPI: 7 out of 10 candidates accepted[27:32] Autopilot mode: 50 candidates sourced for you every weekday[37:34] Why volume sourcing is running out of road[44:57] The four outreach mistakes killing your response rates[49:50] The 5-step sequence Steven recommends[1:04:12] How the top 1% of billers think about their candidate pipelineGuest bio: Steven Lu is the co-founder and CEO of Pin.com. He previously founded Interseller, which helped place over 40,000 candidates before being acquired by Greenhouse in 2021. He spent two years at Greenhouse before launching PIN in December 2024. Steven is based in Brooklyn, New York.Connect with Steven: Pin.com - book a free demo or start a free trialConnect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
Transcribe →He Lost His $2.5M Practice and Built Something Clients Have Never Seen, with Darwin Shurig
Apr 2301:10:07Tap to summarizeWhat does it take to build a search process that has a VP of HR saying they've never seen anything like it?Darwin Shurig built a $2.5 million medtech recruiting firm with $1.2 million in personal production. Then in one quarter, eight of his nine top clients stopped using external recruiters. Revenue collapsed. His team disappeared. His 17-year marriage ended in the same period.What he built on the other side changed how he runs every search.His process replaces the standard job description with a short video interview between the recruiter and the hiring manager. Qualified candidates see the role in the manager's own words before a single formal interview is scheduled. On the hiring side, the manager receives the candidate's personal why on video, written samples, and personality profiling. Both sides walk into the first conversation already informed.A VP of HR, after seeing it, told Darwin his firm had just paid $97,000 for an executive search and received resumes and scheduling. "We didn't get anything like this."In this episode, Darwin breaks down the collapse, the lessons, and the process he built from scratch — including two specific things every recruiter can use this week with no software required.In this episode, you'll discover:Why eight of nine clients can vanish in one quarter and what it exposes about your business modelThe three root causes of underperformance most agency owners never diagnoseWhy personal why has to match company why when hiring, or it breaks when things get hardHow a hiking idea became a platform that's changing how retained search is deliveredThe hiring manager video that replaces the job description and why candidates respond differently"How Darwin's process consistently delivers results that clients say they've never experienced beforeTwo things you can apply this week with whatever tools you already haveEpisode highlights:0:00 Intro1:41 How Darwin built a $2.5M firm, then lost it5:43 Eight of nine clients stop overnight11:16 What the collapse taught him22:05 The hedgehog lesson: too many projects, not enough oxygen28:15 Why misaligned values break down when things get hard36:39 Managing your own business vs. someone else's money40:48 The expectation failure: "Nobody ever told me."44:22 The hike that became a platform idea47:48 Inside Top Talent Accelerant: the hiring manager video53:59 How the platform is being commercialized1:05:54 The $97K fee moment1:11:20 Two things you can use this weekGuest bio: Darwin Shurig is the founder of Top Talent Accelerant, a medical device and medtech executive search firm. He built the firm to $2.5 million in revenue with $1.2 million in personal production before a sector-wide downturn in 2023 disrupted the business. He is a Pinnacle Society member, author of Modern Day Job, an Amazon bestseller published in 2024, and is currently writing a second book on talent management strategy.Connect with Darwin: Email: darwin@toptalentaccelerant.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darwin-shurig/ Website: https://www.toptalentaccelerant.com/Connect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach
Transcribe →$28 Million Recruiter Reveals His Daily Habits After 44 Years
Apr 1601:14:08Tap to summarizeHe nearly quit after 7 months.Zero placements. Nothing working.He packed his things into a cardboard box, walked toward the door, and heard his colleagues talking about him behind his back.What they said stopped him.He turned around, sat back down, and made two placements by the end of that week.That was 1982. He never left.In this episode, Rich breaks down the daily habits behind 44 years of consistent billings.He’s used the handwritten planner for nearly 40 years.Why does he track talk time instead of call volume?And the old-school business development strategy most recruiters have abandoned.Rich is the founder of Team Bradley and a Pinnacle Society member for nearly 30 years. He’s billed $28 million personally. At 67, working solo alongside his wife, he’s still going strong.This isn’t about talent.It’s about cadence, commitment, and building a career you actually want to keep.If you’re wondering whether you can sustain this long term, this episode will change how you think about the business.Resources Mentioned👉 Find out exactly where your recruitment business is getting stuck. Take the free 7-Figure Freedom Scorecard in under 10 minutes: https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecardSponsors👉 Same team, same market — but 30% more productive. Recruiterflow is an AI-first ATS and CRM built for recruitment agencies and search firms. Book a demo: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow👉 One 30-minute session per month gives you 30 days of LinkedIn video content — fully edited and ready to post. Built for busy recruiters: https://recruitmentcoach.com/videoWhat You'll LearnChapters00:00:00 Introduction00:00:59 44 years in recruiting and $28 million billed — he nearly quit after 7 months00:05:10 Growing up with abusive, alcoholic parents and running away from home at 1500:06:21 The voice that drove him for years: "You're never going to amount to anything."00:17:08 Six months with no placements, and the manager who refused to let him quit00:19:38 The cardboard box moment, what he overheard walking out the door00:21:33 Two placements in one week and what total commitment actually looks like00:25:15 Success is cadence, not luck, the daily planning habit he's used for 40 years00:32:09 Filling jobs versus placing applicants: the philosophy behind a client-driven business00:39:02 Why he measures talk time, not call volume, and his daily target00:42:22 Why reference checks are his primary business development strategy00:53:25 Polite, professional, persistent, and why that's enough00:56:18 The cancer diagnosis that reshaped everything and why it happened twice01:10:28 Still targeting $600K-$700K a year, working solo, at 67About The Resilient RecruiterThe Resilient Recruiter is hosted by Mark Whitby and is one of the top recruiting podcasts in the world, with over 520,000 downloads across 34 countries. Every week, Mark interviews recruitment agency owners, executive search leaders, and top billers to uncover what's actually working in today's market.Connect with Rich BradleyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbradley/Team Bradley website: https://teambradley.com/Connect with Mark WhitbyFree 30-minute strategy call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recruitmentcoach/👍 Subscribe if you’re serious about building a recruitment career that actually lasts.
Transcribe →How to Build a 44-Year Recruitment Career on Cadence, Not Luck, with Rich Bradley
Apr 1601:11:23Tap to summarizeRich Bradley has been recruiting since 1982. He’s billed $28 million. He’s been a Pinnacle Society member for nearly 30 years. And at 67, working solo alongside his wife, he has no intention of stopping.In his first seven months, he made zero placements.He packed his things into a cardboard box, walked toward the door, and heard his colleagues talking about him behind his back. What they said stopped him.He turned around, sat back down, and made two placements by the end of that week.That was the moment everything changed.This episode is about what sustained success actually looks like across four decades in recruiting.Rich breaks down the daily planning habit he’s used for nearly 40 years, why he tracks talk time instead of call volume, and why reference checks remain one of his most reliable sources of new business long after most recruiters abandoned them.He also talks candidly about growing up with abusive, alcoholic parents, surviving cancer twice, and how those experiences shaped both the recruiter and the person he became.In this episode, you’ll learn:The cardboard box moment that changed his careerThe handwritten planner system he’s used for nearly 40 years and why skipping it derails his dayWhy he targets three to four hours of talk time dailyHow reference checks generate clients, candidates, and referralsWhy he won’t work with clients he wouldn’t want to work forHow two cancer diagnoses reshaped his business and prioritiesWhat polite, professional, persistent looks like over a 44-year careerEpisode Highlights[0:59] 44 years in recruiting, $28 million billed and he nearly quit after 7 months[19:38] The cardboard box moment, what he overheard walking out the door[25:15] Success is cadence, not luck - the daily planning habit[42:22] Why reference checks drive his business development[56:18] The cancer diagnosis that reshaped everything[1:10:28] Still targeting $600K–$700K a year, working solo, at 67About Rich BradleyRich Bradley is the founder of Team Bradley, a boutique IT and technology recruiting firm based in the Chicago area. He started in recruiting in 1982, has billed $28 million over a 44-year career, and has been a Pinnacle Society member since 1997.ConnectConnect with Rich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbradley/Connect with Mark: https://linktr.ee/recruitmentcoach
Transcribe →She Lost Everything in 2008. Then Built a Recruiting Firm with a 94% Retention Rate
Apr 901:04:06Tap to summarizeCarol Ann Wentworth lost her business, her home, and nearly everything she owned in 2008. Within 10 days of clarifying her next step, three recruiting firms reached out. She had a job offer in two weeks.That same clarity is what built Wentworth Executive Recruiting into a ten-year retained practice with a 94% retention rate. She made 48 placements with one Silicon Valley client and supported their growth through to IPO. She works with five core clients. Two keep her consistently busy. That's the model.In this episode, Carol Ann breaks down the exact process behind her retention rate, the mindset framework she used to rebuild after losing everything, and what a sustainable recruiting practice actually looks like after 35 years in executive search.This is a different way to build a recruitment business. If you're building one and wondering whether scaling is the only path to success, this is worth your time.What you'll learn:• Why Carol Ann sends three candidates per search instead of thirty, and what that demands upfront• The two-hour candidate interview process that produces a 94% retention rate• How she uses social media screening to assess candidates beyond the CV• The clarity, commitment, and consistency framework she used to rebuild after the 2008 crash• The difference between ego and confidence — and why it matters when everything falls apart• What a sustainable retained practice looks like after ten years• Why scaling isn't the only model for a successful recruiting businessTimestamps:Chapters00:00:00 Intro00:03:54 From international modeling agency founder at 26 to executive search00:06:00 Relationships and curiosity: the foundations of early success00:14:40 The mindful recruiting methodology and what real listening looks like00:15:39 A 94% retention rate and the process that produces it00:17:00 The two-hour candidate interview: what she asks and what she's listening for00:21:01 Social media screening: what Carol Ann looks for and why00:26:15 Ten-year anniversary of Wentworth Executive Recruiting and the 2008 crash that came first00:35:14 Losing a business, a home, and nearly everything and landing a job in two weeks00:38:50 Ego vs. confidence: why the distinction matters in a crisis00:41:04 Clarity, commitment, consistency the framework she used to rebuild00:55:36 A Mindful Career: how the book came aboutListen to the full episode: https://recruitmentcoach.com/podcast/Resources Mentioned👉 Take the 7-Figure Recruitment Business Scorecard — get a clear snapshot of where you are today and what to focus on next: https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecardA Mindful Career by Carol Ann and Eric Wentworth — available on AmazonSponsorsRecruiterflow — your team is sitting on a goldmine of candidate and client insights. Most of it gets lost after the call. Recruiterflow captures, transcribes, and structures those conversations automatically so you can actually use that data: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflowTrusted Voice Video — if you want clients coming to calls already sold on working with you, video is one of the fastest ways to get there. Create 30 days of content in just 30 minutes, no scripts or awkward takes. Book a call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/videoConnect with Carol Ann Wentworth: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolannwentworth Website: https://wentworthexecutiverecruiting.coConnect with Mark Whitby:Free 30-minute strategy session: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recruitmentcoach/👍 Subscribe for weekly interviews with recruiters and search firm leaders building businesses that last.#ExecutiveSearch #RecruitmentBusiness #RecruitmentPodcast #RetainedSearch #RecruiterMindset #RecruitmentAgency #RecruiterSuccess #RecruitmentStrategy #RecruitmentCoach #HowToRecruit #RecruitmentTips #SearchFirm
Transcribe →How to Build a 10-Year Retained Practice with a 94% Retention Rate, with Carol Ann Wentworth
Apr 901:01:28Tap to summarizeIn 2008, Carol Ann Wentworth lost her business, her home, and nearly everything she owned. Within 10 days of clarifying her next step, three recruiting firms reached out. She had a job offer in two weeks.That same clarity is what built Wentworth Executive Recruiting into a ten-year retained practice with a 94% retention rate.Carol Ann has 35 years of experience in executive search. She sends three candidates per search, not thirty. Her interviews run an hour, sometimes two. She made 48 placements with one Silicon Valley client and supported their growth through to IPO. She works with five core clients. Two keep her consistently busy.This is a different kind of episode. Not about scaling fast or billing millions in year one. It's about what it actually takes to build a recruiting practice that lasts, clients who stay, placements who stay, and a business that works for your life.Carol Ann breaks down the process behind her retention rate, the mindset framework she used to rebuild after the 2008 crash, and why going deeper with fewer clients has been more powerful than chasing volume.In this episode, you'll discover:Why Carol Ann sends three candidates instead of thirty — and what that demands upfrontThe two-hour candidate interview: what she asks and what she's really listening forHow she uses social media screening to assess candidates beyond the CVThe clarity, commitment, and consistency framework she used to rebuild after losing everythingThe difference between ego and confidence — and why it matters in a crisisWhat a sustainable retained practice looks like after ten yearsWhy scaling isn't the only model for a successful recruiting businessEpisode highlights: [3:54] From an international modeling agency founder at 26 to an executive search [14:40] The mindful recruiting methodology and what real listening looks like [15:39] A 94% retention rate and the process that produces it [17:00] The two-hour candidate interview: what she asks and what she's listening for [21:01] Social media screening: what Carol Ann looks for and why [35:14] Losing a business, a home, and nearly everything, and landing a job in two weeks [38:50] Ego vs. confidence: why the distinction matters in a crisis [41:04] Clarity, commitment, and consistency: the framework she used to rebuild [55:36] A Mindful Career: how the book came aboutGuest Bio: Carol Ann Wentworth is the founder and CEO of Wentworth Executive Recruiting, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has 35 years of experience in executive search, specializing in retained search across commercial construction, renewable energy, and technology. She has achieved a 94% retention rate across her placements and made 48 placements with one Silicon Valley client through to IPO. She is co-author of A Mindful Career, written with her husband Eric Wentworth.Connect with Carol Ann: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolannwentworth Website: https://wentworthexecutiverecruiting.coConnect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy session: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recruitmentcoach/
Transcribe →How She Wins $100K Placements (Without Chasing Volume)
Apr 101:06:24Tap to summarizeWhat if your next placement paid $100,000……but took two years to close?Most recruiters, especially in contingency recruiting or running a recruitment agency, wouldn’t go near that model.Darci Smith built her entire business around it.She specializes in moving financial advisors between firms, often transferring hundreds of millions in assets. These are high-stakes, long-cycle deals where trust matters more than speed.In this episode, Darci breaks down how she makes it work. From charging a $5,000 upfront fee, to building a social following that generated $150K in year one, to positioning herself so clients find her through AI search.This is a different way to build a recruitment business. Slower deals. Bigger fees. Stronger relationships.What You’ll LearnChapters00:00:00 Why $100K placements take years to close00:04:09 How Darci got into recruiting00:09:01 Becoming a top biller through in-person meetings00:14:25 Choosing a niche with no prior experience00:18:43 Starting her business with cold calling00:24:49 How financial advisor transition fees work00:31:01 Building a 300K+ social following00:32:16 Making $150K from career coaching00:44:35 The power of niching down00:47:35 How she gets found on ChatGPT00:49:49 The $5K upfront “contained” model00:55:39 Staying involved after the placementThis episode is brought to you by:Recruiterflow — an AI-first ATS and CRM that monitors your database and alerts you when contacts change jobs. Book a demo: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflowTrusted Voice Video — a done-for-you video service that helps you create 30 days of content in just 30 minutes a month. Book a free strategy call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/videoConnect with Mark Whitby:* Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session* Free scorecard: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard* Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markwhitby* Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach👍 If you found this episode useful, subscribe for weekly interviews with top recruitment business owners and search firm leaders.#recruitment #recruiter #executivesearch #recruitmentbusiness #staffing #recruitmentpodcast #recruitmentcoach #sales #b2b
Transcribe →How to Win $100K Fees by Playing the Long Game, with Darci Smith
Apr 101:03:28Tap to summarizeWhat if one placement paid $100,000... but took two years to close?Few recruiters would touch that model. Darci Smith built her entire business around it.Darci is the founder of Roklyn, a wealth management recruiting firm based in California. She specializes in financial advisor transitions — moving established advisors between firms, often transferring hundreds of millions in assets. These aren't quick wins. Sales cycles run one to two years. Fees are paid in tranches across twelve months. Her first deal took two and a half years to close and paid $133,000.In this episode, Darci explains how she makes the model work.How she stayed solvent in year one by building a career coaching business on TikTok that generated $150,000.How she charges a $5,000 non-refundable deposit on most searches and why clients don't push back.How she niched down to California-only wealth management for five years and is now expanding nationally.And how she engineered her visibility on ChatGPT so new clients find her without her having to chase them.This is a different way to build a recruitment business.Fewer placements. Bigger fees. Stronger relationships.In this episode, you'll discover:How financial advisor transition fees work and why the sales cycle runs 1-2 yearsWhy a $5,000 non-refundable deposit changes the client relationship from day oneHow Darci built 300,000 TikTok and 100,000 Instagram followers posting from her phoneHer 30-minute AI-assisted video workflow for creating content consistentlyHow she engineered visibility on ChatGPT and the exact approach she usedWhy niching to one state and one industry for five years set up her national expansionHow staying involved through onboarding turns single placements into long-term partnershipsEpisode highlights: [4:09] How sport led Darci into recruiting and her first role at Cybercoders [9:01] Becoming a top biller at Athletes to Careers through in-person relationship building [14:25] Choosing wealth management with no industry background [18:43] First contract: a national wirehouse and 300 cold calls to get started [21:31] On cold calling: honest about hating it, clear about doing it anyway [24:49] How financial advisor transition fees work and why they take years to land [31:01] Building 300K TikTok and 100K Instagram followers while building Roklyn [32:16] Making $150K in year one from career coaching [45:29] Niching to California-only and the five-year payoff [47:35] How she engineered visibility on ChatGPT [49:49] The contained model: $5,000 non-refundable deposit [55:39] Supporting hires through onboarding and why clients keep coming backGuest Bio: Darci Smith is the founder of Roklyn, a wealth management recruiting firm based in California. She launched five years ago after roles at Cybercoders and Athletes to Careers, where she reached top biller. Roklyn focuses exclusively on wealth management, financial advisor transitions, and W2 recruiting, and operates primarily on a contained search model with a non-refundable deposit. Darci has built a social following of 300,000 on TikTok and 100,000 on Instagram.Connect with Darci:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darcismith/Roklyn website - https://roklyn.comThis episode is brought to you by:Recruiterflow — an AI-first ATS and CRM that monitors your database and alerts you when contacts change jobs. Book a demo: recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflowTrusted Voice Video — a done-for-you video service that helps you create 30 days of content in just 30 minutes a month. Book a free strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/videoConnect with Mark Whitby:Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-sessionFree scorecard — identify the biggest bottlenecks in your recruitment business: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecardMark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markwhitbyFollow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoachIf you want to build a recruitment business with bigger fees and stronger client relationships, this episode is worth your time.
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