The Resilient Recruiter Recruitment Coach Mark Whitby

Multi-hire team-build projects can be profitable if strategized clearly and executed effectively. Where do you find opportunities to engage in multi-hire team-build projects? What should be your main areas of focus for successfully implementing? Our guest, Paul Press, is here to give insights! 
 
Paul is the Managing Partner and Founder of Press & Associates, a leading executive search firm specializing in recruiting top technology talent for private equity firms and their portfolio companies. Before founding Press & Associates, Paul Press built a well-rounded career with experience in an executive search firm and an in-house talent acquisition position.
 
In this episode, you will hear valuable insights into leveraging experience as an in-house recruiter, applying MPC marketing strategies, and successfully navigating the complexities of multi-hire team-build projects.
 
Episode Outline and Highlights
 
03:25 Paul’s recruiting backstory and how he launched his own firm.
06:37 Learnings from working in-house translating to running his own agency.
12:30 When to consider hiring a third-party recruiter from an in-house recruitment perspective.
18:35 Transitioning to Private Equity expertise.
23:11 Two main areas on winning multi-hire team build projects.
35:59 The risks of handling large-sized projects and how to mitigate them.
40:15 Paul shares the story of his $450k fee and MPC strategy discussion.
51:47 What Paul’s MPC marketing strategy looks like.
58:04 Upcoming exciting times for Paul and Press Associates acquisition.
 
Leveraging Experience as an In-House Recruiter
 
Before founding Press & Associates, Paul built a well-rounded career in an executive search firm and an in-house talent acquisition position. He has always aspired to set up his own agency, and this experience was a stepping stone that gave him a complete perspective on what a successful search firm should look like.
 
Paul gave his insights and compared the approach from an in-house to an agency perspective. He emphasized the value of building and nurturing relationships on the in-house side while investing heavily in business development on the other. From an in-house perspective, I also wanted to know the primary considerations when hiring a third-party recruiter. Who are the most successful ones? What companies really did poorly? Paul gave his answer: 
 
“I would say the biggest thing is the ones who took the time to be personalized, to make a very human approach and connection, and who were very empathetic; those were the ones that really stood out. It's amazing how transparent people's approaches are and how easy it is to tell when there's an email sequencing campaign going on, with an email coming out to you every kind of two or three … So it is very easy to tell kind of what's being automated, what's actual human touch and who are people that want to be in it for the long run versus, hey, I've got my monthly targets to hear.”
 
Two Areas of Focus to Win Multi-Hire Team Build Projects 
 
A key topic Paul and I discussed is his success in doing multi-hire team-build projects. The main takeaway is this: multi-hire team build results from placing a key executive. By ensuring that great relationships are built and the best experience for the executive is provided, a potential opportunity to then build out the team underneath them will likely happen.
 
This idea came about based on Paul’s previous in-house experience. “I'd say it kind of goes back to lessons learned when I went in-house and was building those relationships and understanding the big picture behind those hires and what those companies were trying to achieve. And that, combined with the private equity space, really kind of mesh well together.”
 
Paul shared two main areas of focus to be successful in this approach:
 
Communication - “It's certainly a communication game. In multi-hire campaigns, there are usually multiple hi

Helen joined us three years ago to share how to attract 70% more diverse talent by leveraging DEI - diversity, equity and inclusion. This time, she returns as a special guest to share an amazing feat - the platform she co-founded, Diversely.io, has just been recently acquired. This means more sourcing and recruitment firms can now access the platform, meaning more recruiters and sourcing firms can embed DEI in their hiring process.
What fascinates me more is Helen’s strategies and lessons learned from exiting Diversely.io. She shared strategies and things she would have done differently, which I am sure many of us will also learn from. Overall, Helen believes that the key to success is following a purpose-driven business model.
Helen McGuire is an exited founder, author, advisor, mother, podcast host and DEI changemaker. 
Helen is a leading figure in DEI and business strategy and is renowned for her impactful initiatives. She founded Hopscotch. work, the first women's careers platform in the Middle East and Asia, and her journey led to the creation of Diversely.io, a groundbreaking AI platform acquired by The Access Group in 2023.
 
As the host of The D&Igest podcast and author of the upcoming book  'The Female Scale', Helen's expertise extends to coaching female founders and advocating for purposeful businesses globally. 
 
Episode Outline and Highlights
 
[02:50] Helen shares updates on Diversely.io’s acquisition by the Access Group.
[08:54] What barriers do entrepreneurs with diverse backgrounds face when starting a business?
[13:00] Encouraging more women to take the entrepreneurial leap.
[17:33] Walkthrough on Diversely.io’s exit process and how a purpose-driven business model made it happen.
[30:00] Things that Helen would have done differently when undergoing acquisition.
[38:31] Teaser on Helen’s new book, The Female Scale.
 
Embedding DEI Into the Business Strategy
 
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical in the hiring process. This is essential because it is the right thing to do and a strategic business decision that can lead to more innovative and successful organizations.
 
I had Helen as a guest three years ago, and I am fascinated by her current position on championing DEI in the recruitment industry. She is a great example of an astounding business leader who advocates equity and opportunity for lesser-represented groups.  As a female founder, you will hear insightful perspectives on how underrepresentation affects certain groups and how to empower more women to launch their own businesses.
 
She is about to finish a new book, The Female Scale, which will provide insights on this issue. “It's not written specifically for women, but it's written with a very female lens. You know, the challenges that you encounter as a woman setting up a business, and there are, you know, so many female-led businesses, startups, smaller businesses out there.”
 
In this episode, Helen shared an astounding feat: They could exit Diversely.io, an end-to-end hiring platform that uses tech to reduce bias in businesses' hiring processes. By being acquired, she believes this platform will be more accessible to a much larger audience of sourcing and recruitment firms.
 
Learnings on Being Acquired and Exit Strategies
 
As a business owner, you may relate with me if you are also fascinated with stories of how exits and acquisitions work. I wanted Helen to walk me through what was involved in their acquisition process. She shared detailed stories of how it started, what was expected, and what happened. She also shared curve balls and how their expertise and networks played major roles in making the exit happen.
 
In hindsight, here are some learnings that Helen shared if you ever plan to exit or scale your business:
 
Be more prepared for the level of due diligence you must go through.
Be well-organized: ensuring all relevant agreements and data sheets

Measuring your company's economic influence drives self-motivation and is a powerful tool for marketing and business development. Jennifer Meyer of Govig Executive Search joins us in this episode to give insight on using specific metrics to measure your economic impact and how you can communicate it with potential clients.
 
Jen has a lifetime cash-in of $20M over her 26 years in the industry. She’s the SVP of Strategic Partnerships at Govig & Associates, where she’s at the helm of business development. She leads the overall team of 27 recruiters, actively front-facing with clients and playing a significant role in surpassing $14M in results.
 
Jen’s recruitment efforts have been vital in assisting small to mid-size firms, particularly those under private equity, to double in size. Jen’s placements have contributed to an economic impact exceeding $1B.
 
Episode Outline and Highlights
 
[01:51] Jen’s start in the recruitment industry as a college intern.
[10:09] Differentiating techniques in communication and business development.
[19:06] “Speak to them in their language”
[28:02] Training your team to apply the TSI (Targeted Sales Information) approach.
[40:00] How to quantify your economic impact.
[50:41] A boutique recruitment firm’s differentiators against the bigger organizations.
[54:53] Discussion on team development strategies.
[59:18] Jen’s take on work and life harmony.
 
Quantifying the Economic Impact of Your Recruitment Business
 
Measuring your company’s economic impact can be significantly beneficial for at least two reasons. The first one is self-motivation; knowing how you contribute to the broader economy can positively impact and fulfill. The second one is on the marketing and business development side. It can help potential clients understand the bigger value you will bring to their organization. 
 
Jen shared how she is able to track her placement’s economic contribution using specific metrics. Her placements overall have contributed to more than $1B in economic impact. She shared their formula: “We always talk about the size of our billings or our business in relation to what were invoicing or what our split was in relation to cash in. But we really should be talking about the salaries of the people that we place, you know, if you were going to relate it that way…Yeah, it does go beyond that, though, where you are at the, you know, again, at the basic level, you are affecting the person, and you're affecting the hiring manager. So that could be a times two, right?”
 
Here is a takeaway: Start trying to calculate the individual impact you're having in the world, particularly the positive impact you're having for your clients, and try to quantify that. If you have the appetite, even go back in history and try to work it out. But even just starting right now, try and figure out what difference you're making because that's really motivating!
 
Differentiating in the Business Development Side
 
A key topic I wanted to discuss with Jen is how she is able to differentiate, especially on the client acquisition and business development side of things. Jen has always been consistently recognized as a top performer in her career. I wanted to pick her brains on her approach when it comes to communicating with potential leads and candidates, and she surely did not disappoint. Jen revealed specific tips and verbiage that you may want also to use. Here are some key takeaways:
 
Focus on authenticity and listening more by asking curious questions.
Avoid typical questions like “Can I help you?” or “How are you doing?”
Use power phrases such as “Are you in a place where you can talk confidentially?” or “I’ve only got a minute” instead of “Have you got a minute?”
The effective use of body language.
 
She explained, “Whether you're 30 minutes into the business or you're 30 years into the business, e

Starting a recruitment business from scratch demands dedication, planning, and an aggressive approach to networking and client acquisition. You will also need a massive differentiator - and our special guest in this episode shared his approach to how he grew his search firm to more than $2M from scratch! 
 
We are joined by Brent Orsuga. In this episode, Brent highlighted the importance of deep client relationships, strategic matchmaking, and staying motivated by setting high goals and continuously driving growth.
 
Brent Orsuga is the Founder of Pinnacle Growth Advisors, a headhunting and talent advisory firm solely dedicated to the Supply Chain and Logistics industry.  Brent comes from 22 years of recruiting and 15 solely in Logistics. Brent helps companies, from startups to Billion-dollar companies, find the best people possible. Pinnacle Growth Advisors has won numerous awards over the past 10 years, including the INC 5000 fastest-growing companies. 
 
Episode Outline and Highlights
 
[02:09] How Brent got into recruiting 22 years ago.
[04:48] Why does Brent consider himself a Talent Advisor rather than a Recruiter?
[08:43] How to “know the best seat in the house” - understanding your client via face-to-face visits.
[16:04] Brent’s story of building networks of relationships when he was only starting in the business.
[24:57] Mindset and Motivation: How having a chip on your shoulder pushes Brent forward.
[30:48] Daily routine discussion - Why Brent wakes up at 3:30 am to start his day
[37:00] Brent shares insights on the outputs and inputs that matter.
[40:33] How Brent used visualization techniques to lead his company to the Inc. 5000.
[46:30] The reason behind Brent’s passion for Supply Chain and Logistics.
[51:49] Brent shares excellent advice on not spreading yourself too thin and other success factors.



How Brent Started from Zero and Won the Confidence of Clients
 
Brent shared a fascinating story of how he got into the recruitment business and started his firm with no plan B or option of failing. He was initially a candidate who transitioned to becoming a recruiter, and making the most of his training eventually led him to be a successful search firm founder. As much as his origin story can be relatable to many recruiters who aspire to become business owners, one key topic that will resonate with many of our listeners is building relationships. 
Brent strongly believes that building relationships is one of their business priorities. One of the biggest challenges he had to overcome was starting from zero and having no clients, candidates, or relationships to leverage. How he figured it out can be summarized on the following pointers:
Performance / Numbers - “The best testimonial is results.” Brent emphasized how results speak for themselves.
“Go up the elevator and pay your dues.” Brent elaborated on his analogy of how showing results leads to more confidence.
Mindset and Grit—His desire to win and his inspiration from his wife and kid pushed him to deliver results, eventually creating more business relationships.
 
Applying the Talent Advisor Approach as a Recruiter
 
On the topic of being a partner rather than a vendor, Brent shared insightful ways in which he is able to build relationships with clients and candidates. “One of the biggest pet peeves that I have in recruiting is I feel like a lot of people are selling or pitching without knowing enough about the person or the company,” he explained.
 
Brent places high value on knowing clients and candidates on a deep level. He recommends visiting client offices in person to understand the layout, environment, and how the workplace generally feels. In his analogy, you can only describe how great a restaurant is after eating there. In his words, “So it allows me to come from a completely different lens and angle so that when I'm putting you in front of a company, it

Top-of-the-funnel lead-generation activities are a critical ingredient for a successful recruitment business. How do you strategize your lead generation to stand out in this age where all your competitors are probably doing the same thing you are doing? 
We are really lucky to be joined in this episode by Jeremy Jenson, the founder and CEO of Encore Search Partners, the largest privately owned executive search firm based in Houston, Texas. Before starting his recruitment firm, Jeremy used to run a lead generation company for different businesses such as recruitment and search firms.
You will hear Jeremy’s insights and strategy on lead generation activities and how he transitioned into becoming the recruitment business owner of a $12M search firm. 
Episode Outline and Highlights
[01:50] How Jeremy got into recruiting.
[05:36] Business milestones - Overcoming adversity, rebranding, and hiring someone with more technical expertise.
[13:02] Why recruitment business owners should hire and do things with others.
[25:49] How EOS (Entrepreneur Operating System) can impact your business.
[35:25] Jeremy’s insights on Lead Generation as a core strength.
[45:10] Encore Search’s seven core values.
[53:38] What made Encore Search win Best Place to Work in the Houston Business Journal?
 
From a Lead Generation Firm to a Recruitment Business - Jeremy’s Story
 
Jeremy’s story on what led him to the recruitment industry is fascinating. He started a lead generation company in 2010 - and upon realizing that more than half of his client base was sourcing and staffing businesses, he transitioned into putting up his recruitment business. His claim to fame was in lead generation, where he was the main lead generator, regularly feeding senior recruiters with leads. 
 
His business grew and was billing a million in the third year when market and economic difficulty struck. He had to make a pivotal decision whether to shut his business and be a full-time employee or to keep on going. You will hear how his decision to stay in business paid off, and how implementing strategies to go national and hiring other senior leaders contributed to their growth. 
 
I think many of our listeners can relate to what Jeremy went through. Starting your own recruitment business is not easy - you can get to the point where you are making 100k to zero in a month. Jeremy’s inspiring thought process and decision-making can inspire our recruitment firm owners who are going through the same ordeal.
 
The Pillars of Lead Generation
 
Jeremy’s transition from a lead-generation specialist to a recruitment business owner shows us the critical role of top-of-the-funnel lead-generation activities in business success. He shared insights on what makes lead generation his key strength. Here are the two pillars:
 
Content - he emphasized the importance of proper story-telling. “Because if you can induce an emotion from your audience, that creates resonance. I don't think that our audience wants to see five tips on how to make your resume more marketable.”
Email Marketing - he shared why it is important to utilize new tools and platforms to reach as many as possible. “And so we try to constantly look for new, innovative ways to steal market share.”
 
Digital Marketing - Hiring a digital marketing coordinator to enhance brand loyalty and utilizing various platforms can significantly increase community engagement and brand building.
 
Having Structure in Place Means Sustainable Growth
 
Jeremy is a subject matter expert on EOS - Entrepreneurial Operating System. We discussed how a clear and consistent structure contributed to their business growth. He also touched upon the value of embedding core values to overcome big challenges they had to face by the time their business was growing. 
 
He shared how excellence, resilience, gratitude, professionalism, coachable attitude, meticulousness, and

Being a high biller requires a combination of hard work, skills, and strategies. But what does it really take?
My special guest, David Bradley, is a 29-year veteran who averaged $750k in annual billings his entire career! In this episode, David shares the strategies and mindset that make him a very effective recruiter! On top of that, David also manages high-volume accounts with a team of 60 headhunters. If you are a recruitment leader like David, you will find insightful takes on how he manages KPIs and how they drive a culture that is geared towards performance.
In 2009, David helped start Movement. He is a partner with Movement and has been an instrumental part in helping the firm grow from 3 to 65 plus headhunters over the past 14 years.
Movement has 5 brick and mortar offices across the United States.
Episode Outline and Highlights
[02:29] How David got into the recruiting business. [07:14] Top recruiter secrets & grinding on a 10-5-2 formula. [10:32] Structuring daily activities & time management best practices. [17:52] You need to get three critical pieces of information when speaking with a candidate. [24:26] The foundation of what makes David a successful recruiter. [26:50] Movement’s culture and mission. [34:30] Striking the balance when managing your team’s KPI. [37:40] Retaining the momentum in 2024 - key to continuous growth and eight-figure billings. [45:20] How Movement’s owners play different roles? [52:29] David’s future growth plans.  
What it Takes to Be a Top Recruiter
What does it take to become a top recruiter? It certainly involves grind and hard work. David’s 29-year experience provides him with a credible perspective on what it takes to be successful. This also gives him an advantage as a recruitment leader - his capabilities are a testament to how his team has been performing. Below are the critical topics that David and I discussed:
 
10-5-2 Formula
Being cognizant of your time
Planning ahead of your phone time
Mindset
 
If you are listening, as a recruiter or recruitment leader, David's insights are inspiring!
 
The Foundation of Being a Successful Recruiter
 
Being consistently successful in a long time requires more than hard work. There is something else and David generously shared his secret sauce:
 
“So I think having that gratitude, understanding that we get to talk to people for a living and have just an incredible life, incredible income opportunity, incredible balance, we can manage our life any way we want it… And I think that fuels getting up in the morning and saying, you know what? This is gonna be another great day. It's gonna be a great year. It's gonna be a great month. Well, if it's not been a great month, next month's gonna be great. So having that sort of mindset, I think, is really, and factor a lot of fun into this.”
 
This fantastic mindset is an invisible but highly influential factor that determines your success as a recruiter or recruitment business owner. Possessing a positive mindset enables us to navigate the favorable and unfavorable changes we encounter with resilience.
 
The Keys to Continuous Growth and Eight-Figure BIllings
 
David shares how Movement produced $20M in billings around 2022-23. It was a great year for them post-Covid, and the systems and frameworks they had at the time enabled them to retain the momentum even when things appear to slow down in 2024. I wanted to pick David’s brains on the culture and systems they have in place, given that not many recruiting firms get above 8 figures. 
 
My takeaway is how they emphasise creating and enabling a culture geared towards high performance.  They have annual trips for the top 10% of producers, on top of regular social activities and loyalty bonus programs. They also have annual meetings where they fly everyone in, including their staff’s spouses. Doing so contributes to relationship-building and as David said, “an essential part of