The Resilient Recruiter

What does it take to raise your fees, win better clients, and rebuild your recruiting business from the ground up?

In this episode, I speak with Randee Staats, founder of S4 Search Partners, who went from losing everything — $250K in debt and $500 left — to rebuilding a seven-figure desk within the following year.

Randee explains the decisions that nearly destroyed his business, the turning point that pushed him to rebuild, and the systems that rebuilt his confidence, his pipeline, and his profitability.

He also breaks down the daily discipline, fee structure changes, and point-based productivity system that helped him win better clients and finally charge what he is worth.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• How Randee launched his firm from his parents' basement

• The moment he landed a billion-dollar client

• The scaling mistake that cost him $250K

• Why he walked away from a $600K account

• How he raised his fees to 20 to 25 percent

• The script he uses to convert email replies into meetings

• The daily BD rhythm that rebuilt his pipeline

• The point system that keeps him consistent

• How he broke seven figures the year after rebuilding

Episode Highlights

02:49 Discovering recruiting
05:04 Launching from the basement
09:35 The Jim Carrey check
13:15 Early success and hidden risks
14:18 The scaling mistake
17:16 The turning point
23:10 The weekly client call script
42:00 The wake-up call
44:14 New rules for pricing
46:47 The $30K placement
50:21 Daily planner
51:22 BD rhythm
1:03:09 The point system
1:07:33 Breaking seven figures

Guest Bio

Randee Staats is the founder of S4 Search Partners, based in New Jersey. He launched the firm in 2015, scaled a major national account to $600K, and later rebuilt his business from $500 and $250K in debt to seven-figure billings using a disciplined daily system and a new fee structure.

Why do some recruiters struggle for traction while others build demand engines that bring clients to them? My guest, Tom Froggatt, made that shift after three days of calling 600 people with no results.

Tom is the founder of Singular, a biotech search firm and one of Europe's leading specialists. Six months after launching the business, he hit a breaking point that changed everything. Instead of doubling down on cold calls, Tom built a system that creates predictable client demand. Today, a £4,000 campaign can generate £55,000 in revenue, and his business runs on consistent inbound opportunities.

In this conversation, Tom explains how he replaced cold outreach with a system, how he uses content and insight reports to convert strangers into six figure clients, and why the volume required for effective marketing is far higher than most recruiters expect.

In this episode, you'll discover

• Why Tom realised he did not have a BD problem but a systems problem

• How three days of rejection created a turning point

• How podcasting connected him with senior biotech leaders

• Why each client is worth £55,000 in 12 months

• How his insight report converts inbound retained work

• Why most recruiters underestimate the required volume

• How thinking like a tech founder beats thinking like a traditional recruiter

Episode Highlights

[6:44] Starting Singular in a windowless office and the six-month reality check
[19:16] Three days, 600 calls, zero results. The moment everything changed
[21:22] Launching "Careers in Discovery" and building relationships with senior biotech leaders
[22:05] The podcast guest who walked Tom straight to HR and introduced him on the spot
[36:44] The mindset shift from "winning clients" to building revenue-generating systems
[42:16] Why each client is worth £55,000 in 12 months and what that means for ad spend
[49:30] The exact funnel. Free insight reports that convert strangers into six-figure partnerships
[54:14] Why Tom gives away £2,500 worth of market data for free and why it works
[58:47] How to identify real client pain points without guessing
[1:03:09] Why reverse engineering problems to fit your service always fails
[1:10:27] The volume truth. Why 200 outreach attempts are not nearly enough

If you want to build predictable client demand without relying on cold outreach, this episode will show you how.

Guest Bio

Tom Froggatt is the founder of Singular, a biotech search and talent company specialising in early drug discovery roles across Europe. Before Singular, Tom spent ten years at S3, where he opened their New York office at age 25. He is also the host of the Careers in Discovery podcast with more than 300 episodes.

Connect with Tom

Why do some recruitment founders build seven-figure businesses while others plateau despite working just as hard? My guest, Ollie Scott, discovered growth doesn't come from hustle alone. It comes from strategic bets.

Ollie is the founder of Unknown, a talent growth consultancy that's worked with over 500 brands including Nike, Apple, and Disney. Six years ago, he started with £13,000 on a credit card and one mission: build the opposite of every recruitment company he'd ever seen.

In this episode, Ollie shares his journey from rebellion to revenue. You'll hear why differentiation always beats trying to be the best, how scaling from 8 to 18 people nearly destroyed his business, and the three strategic bets he used to rebuild.

You’ll Learn:
• Why trying to be the “best” agency is a losing strategy
• How Unknown defined a point of view clients cared about
• What went wrong scaling from 8 to 18 people
• Why profit is the safety net that enables innovation
• How to build a productized recruitment offering
• Why freelance talent pools are the future of recurring revenue
• How recruiters can monetise M&A intelligence
• How to price buy-side advisory at six-figure fees

Episode Timestamps:
[4:05] Selling suits to James Caan’s recruitment firm
[10:23] Launching Unknown with £13,000 on a credit card
[15:36] Naming strategy and brand distinctiveness
[18:26] Writing a breakup letter to recruitment companies
[21:44] Why rebellion works early but can’t scale
[36:36] Productizing around three ICPs
[44:03] Scaling to 18 people destroyed profit margins
[48:34] Profit as psychological safety
[53:20] Building recurring revenue through freelance talent pools
[58:25] Why recruiters have more M&A intelligence than M&A firms

Guest Bio:
Ollie Scott is the founder of Unknown, a £3 million talent growth consultancy specialising in the global creative industry. Before launching Unknown, Ollie spent six years at Gemini People, joining the board in his early twenties. Unknown now operates across executive search, freelance talent pools, and M&A advisory for creative agencies.

Why do some recruitment business leaders triple their revenue while others plateau despite working twice as hard? My guest, Martin Herbst, discovered the answer the hard way. After hitting rock bottom with burnout, he rebuilt his leadership philosophy from the ground up — and within five years, JobAdder tripled its revenue and client base.

Martin is the CEO of JobAdder, one of the world’s leading recruitment technology platforms. Under his leadership, the company has achieved record growth while helping recruiters work smarter without losing the human touch.

In this episode, Martin opens up about his personal experience with burnout and shares how he transformed that crisis into a leadership breakthrough. You’ll learn how he built a healthier, more effective approach to scaling a recruitment business one that’s rooted in purpose, values, and vision rather than constant hustle.

He also breaks down the exact leadership frameworks that helped JobAdder grow sustainably: how to align your team around a clear long-term strategy, why empathy drives innovation, and how to balance big-picture vision with daily execution.

Beyond leadership, Martin dives into how technology and AI are reshaping recruitment. He explains where automation genuinely creates value for recruiters, how to avoid the “AI hype trap,” and why human connection will always be the most powerful differentiator in this business.

If you’ve ever struggled with overwhelm, exhaustion, or inconsistent growth, this conversation is a must-listen. Martin’s story is proof that scaling your business doesn’t require sacrificing your health or your values.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How burnout became the catalyst for a breakthrough

• The daily habits that keep stress and anxiety in check

• Why swimming is Martin’s secret weapon for clarity and focus

• The strategy process behind JobAdder’s 5-year growth story

• Why most recruitment leaders underinvest in long-term planning

• How to use vision and values as your ultimate growth levers

• The fundamental role of AI in recruitment (and where it adds true value)

• Why the best BD technology is still the telephone

Episode highlights:
[6:44] The burnout story: high anxiety and insomnia that led to stepping away completely
[11:17] Morning and evening borders: the simple habits that prevent burnout from creeping back
[19:32] How JobAdder tripled revenue in five years, and why it wasn’t about working harder
[23:31] Why most recruitment agency owners underinvest in strategy and long-term vision
[32:29] Why recruitment might be the profession most immune to AI disruption
[48:36] Why automation has created diminishing returns in outreach
[53:59] The #1 business development tool that still outperforms AI

Martin’s story is both a cautionary tale and an inspiring roadmap for recruiters who want to build high-performing, values-driven businesses that last.

Guest Bio:
Martin Herbst is the CEO of JobAdder, a global recruitment software company headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Under his leadership, JobAdder has tripled its revenue and client base in five years. Before joining JobAdder in 2020, Martin spent nearly seven years at eBay running their classifieds business in Australia (Gumtree). He also worked at eBay in San Francisco and at the Wall Street Journal online in digital media strategy. Originally from the United States, Martin now lives in Australia.