Abi Asija sits down with Tom Hunter of Story Recruitment, a specialist accounting and finance recruitment firm helping Australian tech, fintech, and deep tech startups hire first finance leaders, first CFOs, and senior finance executives. The core challenge discussed is growing a recruitment business by consistently attracting high-quality clients while maintaining a premium, relationship-driven approach. Key Insight: Recruitment becomes easier to scale when trust and authority are built before a hiring need exists. Tom explains how providing free advice, market insights, and valuable resources helps create inbound opportunities and positions him as a trusted advisor rather than just another recruiter. A focused niche creates a stronger competitive advantage. Story Recruitment specializes in first CFO hires, first finance hires, and senior finance roles for startups and growing technology companies. By understanding the unique challenges of early-stage businesses, Tom can provide a more targeted recruitment process and build stronger relationships with both companies and candidates. LinkedIn has become a major growth engine for Story Recruitment. Through consistent posting, meaningful engagement, and building a network of more than 30,000 followers, Tom has created a highly targeted audience of finance professionals and business leaders. His “story posts” transform recruitment opportunities into compelling narratives that highlight companies, missions, and career opportunities while generating strong inbound interest. Personal branding and content also drive client acquisition. Tom shares how LinkedIn, referrals, and The CFO Track Podcast help create trust with founders, CEOs, and finance leaders. Instead of leading with a sales pitch, he focuses on providing market insights, salary guidance, and free advice, allowing relationships to develop before a company is ready to hire. A premium recruitment model can create better outcomes for both clients and candidates. Tom explains why retained search allows for deeper partnerships, stronger commitment, and a more thorough hiring process compared to traditional contingency recruitment. By investing more time into understanding the company, creating executive briefs, and mapping the market, Story Recruitment delivers a higher-quality search experience. Technology and automation help Tom maintain a lean and efficient business. By using AI tools, automation, market mapping systems, and a small support team, he can scale his impact without building a large agency. Viewers will gain a practical framework for using LinkedIn to build authority, creating trust through value-driven content, designing a specialized recruitment offer, and growing a profitable relationship-based business. Tom Hunter, Story Recruitment - first-CFO and first-finance-hire search for Australian tech, fintech and deeptech startups. Host of the CFO Track Podcast. You can find Tom at: https://storyrecruitment.com.au.