The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast

Emily Angeloni co-founded WOW Recruitment in Sydney at 22. No salary for six months. Just her laptop, working from a building set for demolition. Nine years later: a team of 18 across every major Australian state, New Zealand, and the United States. One of the most respected boutique sales and marketing agencies in the country.

The year she became a mother, her co-founder told her he was leaving. She came back from maternity leave to a business that had saved every problem for her return, hit a serious road block, and stood in a strategy offsite thinking she could not do it anymore. She needed to rediscover her why.

She did. WOW has since had its strongest period in nine years. But then she had a valuation done. And as she says herself: valuations can be a pretty uncomfortable truth.

This week on The RAG Podcast, Emily breaks down what it actually looks like to lose a business partner, build something you are not sure you even want to continue, find the clarity, and watch everything change.

We cover:
- How a co-founder exit right before maternity leave forced Emily into the driver's seat for the first time
- Why she seriously considered walking away from nine years of work, and what made her stay
- The rookie hiring model that cost WOW its billing average, its culture, and its margins
- How she redesigned her role entirely around what she loves: external focus, 18 people, zero internal ops
- The five-year plan to build an asset with freedom of choice, not a job she cannot leave
- Why a recent valuation was an uncomfortable truth and what it sharpened her focus on
- What AI is actually changing for WOW's delivery model right now
-Why personal brand has been her competitive advantage since 2017 and how it converts to real revenue

Losing a co-founder. Building something you are not sure you even want any more. Then getting clear on the why and watching everything change.
More founders have been down this road than would ever admit it. Emily is just prepared to say it out loud. Nine years in, she is building something worth having on her own terms, and working out exactly what that is worth.

If you've ever wondered what it looks like to rebuild a business around a life you actually want to live, this episode has the blueprint.

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Admin is a massive waste of time. That's why there's Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies.

It doesn't only track CVs and calls. It remembers everything. Every email, every interview, every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. And now, it's entering a whole new era.

With Atlas 2.0, you can ask anything and it delivers. With Magic Search, you speak and it listens. It finds the right candidates using real conversations, not simply looking for keywords.

Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier than ever. With Opportunities, you can track, manage and grow client relationships, powered by generative AI and built right into your workflow.

Need insights? Custom dashboards give you total visibility over your pipeline. And that's not theory. Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.

No admin. No silos. No lost info. Nothing but faster shortlists, better hires and more time to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Atlas is your personal AI partner for modern recruiting.

Don't miss the future of recruitment. Get started with Atlas today and unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/
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Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.

Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.

But here's the question almost no one can answer:
How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?
Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.

That's the problem we solve.

At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.

Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K-£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.

To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.

In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:
Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn
How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand

The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Charlie Saffro started CS Recruiting by accident. Pregnant with her third child, out of a job overnight, doing free matchmaking from the school carpool line in Chicago. Her first placement fee was $1,200 with a year-long guarantee.
Sixteen years later, she had built a $5 million logistics and supply chain recruitment firm with 48 employees at its peak. Inc. Best Workplaces honouree. TEDx speaker. A brand built entirely on the idea that business is personal.
Then the market turned. Three brutal years, 2022 to 2024, forced her to halve the team. On Thanksgiving 2024, she took a walk with her husband and said the words out loud for the first time: "I'm done."
She sold CS Recruiting on December 1st 2025. The same year her oldest son left for college. Within weeks, the woman who had been needed by everyone suddenly wasn't needed by anyone.
"Who am I without these titles? Who am I if I'm not in charge of my kids, if I'm not in charge of my team?"
This week on The RAG Podcast, Charlie opens up about the reality of selling a recruitment business and what comes after.
We cover:
How an advertising career in downtown Chicago accidentally led to a logistics recruitment firm
Why her first big client needed 200 hires and she had zero recruiters
How personal branding on LinkedIn generated more business than any marketing budget
The moment on Thanksgiving that triggered the decision to sell after 16 years
What it actually takes to sell a recruitment business that carries your name
Why she describes life after the exit as "grieving"
The parallel between sending your kid to college and handing over your company
How she navigates being an employee inside someone else's business after being a founder
What she wishes someone had told her before she signed the deal
So many recruitment founders think about selling one day. Very few actually do it. And almost nobody talks about what happens after the champagne stops flowing.
If you have ever wondered what it really feels like to sell the business you built from nothing, to hand over the team you hired and the brand you created, this episode is the most honest answer you will hear.
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Episode Sponsor: Atlas
Let’s be honest. Admin is one of the biggest drains on growth in a recruitment business. That’s where Atlas comes in.
Atlas is the AI-first recruitment platform built for modern agencies that want to scale without adding more manual work. It doesn’t just track CVs and calls.
It captures every conversation - emails, interviews, client calls - and makes it fully searchable.
With Magic Search, you can literally ask:
Who mentioned they’re open to relocating next year?
Who talked about wanting a four-day week? Who’s worried about their commute? Atlas searches across real conversations, not just keywords on a CV, and gives you answers instantly.
Atlas 2.0 also makes business development easier. With Opportunities, you can track and grow client relationships using generative AI, all inside your existing workflow. And this isn’t hypothetical.
Atlas customers have reported up to 41% EBITDA growth and an 85% increase in monthly billings after adopting the platform.
No admin. No silos. No lost information.
Just faster shortlists, better hires, and more time spent on the work that actually drives revenue.
If you want to see what the future of recruitment looks like, unlock your exclusive RAG listener offer at: https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/ __________________________________________
Episode Sponsor: Hoxo
Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn. Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks. But here's the question almost no one can answer: How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business? Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash. That's the problem we solve. At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics. Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process. To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners. In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn: Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Blaine Daws started in data centres in 2008 with a stack of papers and a wired phone. By 25, he was billing £475k a year as a solo 360 recruiter. At a family Christmas party in December 2019, he met Karl Chatterjee, a man who had already sold two recruitment businesses for multi-millions. Karl said: "Why are you going to line someone else's pockets?" Four weeks later, WNTD was incorporated. Two weeks after that, the world went into lockdown.
Like so many other founders back then, he dropped his niche, went after every market he could find, and started to make money. They grew to 20 people and had a huge office in the post-Covid boom. But lost a foothold in their niche and over a quarter of a million pounds doing it.
Then he stripped everything back. Let everyone go. Rebuilt from scratch around the one market he knew inside out: the Nvidia ecosystem and the global data centre buildout powering the AI revolution.
WNTD is now 75 people, generating £15 to 20 million in revenue, and running a £100 billion GPU infrastructure deployment across Europe. Blaine is 35, working 7 days a week, with two young children at home.
"I want to make as much money as possible. So then in five years time, when I'm 40, I don't have to do it anymore."
This week on The RAG Podcast, Blaine Daws tells the real story behind one of the most unusual businesses in recruitment.
We cover:
How a family Christmas party sparked WNTD, launched two weeks before lockdown
Going mass market, losing £250K, and why he told Karl most weeks he wanted to quit
Why stripping back to one niche was the actual growth strategy
What statement of work really means in AI infrastructure recruitment
Running a £100 billion GPU build and what that looks like day to day
Getting equity stakes in the partner companies they work with
Working 7 days a week at 35 with two young kids, and what it's actually costing
The question Sean asked that changed the tone of the whole episode

Blaine went from nearly shutting the business down to running one of the most specialised agencies in the world's fastest growing market.
If you've ever wondered what it actually costs to build something extraordinary... this episode has the answer.
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Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment
Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.
They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.
Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.
And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.
Clients have seen:
* Up to **60% productivity boosts**
* **300% ROI** on BD roles
* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks
No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.
Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.
**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag
__________________________________________
Episode Sponsor: Hoxo
Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn.
Spending thousands on Recruiter licences.
Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.
But here’s the question almost no one can answer:
How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?
Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.
That’s the problem we solve.
At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.
Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.
To show you how it works, we’ve created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.
In less than 10 minutes, you’ll learn:
- Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn
- How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand
- The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel
So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency’s most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Andy Strong spent 10 years in retail selling mobile phones. Then 17 years building the biggest delivery team at a SaaS recruitment firm in Dorset. He became one of four divisional directors. His team placed 82% of the company's US hires from Poole. He drove 400% growth in North American placements.
And then he went to therapy.
Eight sessions later, he ended an eight-year relationship, resigned from the only recruitment business he had ever known, and started a company from a shed at the bottom of his garden.
Strong Search launched with no brand, no pipeline, and no office. Four retained roles landed in month one. By the end of year one: $1 million in revenue, 39 placements, 100% placement retention, and a team of seven. He turned down work with one of the largest software companies in the world because it did not fit what he stands for. He hired an operations and marketing manager before he hired another recruiter. And he recently appointed a Managing Director for North America who previously held senior roles at Coupa, Icertis, Yahoo, and Clari.
"I spoke to a venture capitalist in May. She said, what you're gonna learn is what's more important is what you say no to than what you say yes to. She was right."
This week on The RAG Podcast, Andy Strong breaks down how he built a seven-figure recruitment business in 12 months and why trust, not volume, is the only model that survives.
We cover:
Why Andy waited 17 years before going out on his own and what finally changed
How therapy became the catalyst for quitting his job, ending a relationship, and starting a business
The four retained roles that landed in month one and how they happened
Why he hired an operations and marketing manager before another recruiter
How his team in Dorset placed 82% of a firm's US hires and beat American-based competitors
Why he turned down a massive revenue opportunity with SAP
The 100% placement retention stat and what it actually takes to maintain it
His views on AI in recruitment and where the human element cannot be replaced

Andy built something from nothing in 12 months. Not through cold calls and volume. Through precision, trust, and the courage to finally back himself.
If you have ever sat in someone else's business wondering whether it is your time to go... this episode has the blueprint.
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Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment
Hiring shouldn't be slow, stressful, or expensive. That's why there's Remote Recruitment - the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.
They don't just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that's ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.
Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.
And now, Remote Recruitment has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, they're helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.
Clients have seen:
Up to 60% productivity boosts
300% ROI on BD roles
30% faster completion of operational tasks

No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.
Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.
RAG Listeners: Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag
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Episode Sponsor: Hoxo
Every recruitment founder is investing in LinkedIn. Spending thousands on Recruiter licences. Building connections. Posting content. Growing networks.
But here's the question almost no one can answer:
How much revenue is LinkedIn actually bringing into your business?
Most founders have thousands of connections but no clear process to turn that attention into cash.
That's the problem we solve.
At Hoxo, we help recruitment founders build predictable revenue systems on LinkedIn, not just noise or vanity metrics.
Our clients are turning LinkedIn into £100K–£300K in new billings within months, using their existing networks and a simple repeatable process.
To show you how it works, we've created a short training video exclusively for RAG listeners.
In less than 10 minutes, you'll learn:
Why most recruiters are getting zero measurable ROI from LinkedIn
How small, niche teams are generating consistent inbound demand
The 3X Revenue System we use to turn LinkedIn into a predictable cash-generating channel

So fill in the form today to see how this system could transform LinkedIn into your agency's most profitable channel: https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0

Jon Woolley spent nearly a decade at Vantage Consulting. He opened their US arm, built a team of eight, and scaled it to $1.6 million. Then, three weeks before his third child was born, he walked away.
No team. No clients. No pipeline. Just £30,000 in savings and a niche most recruiters have never heard of: industrial automation. The people who programme the machines that make the stuff, from pharmaceuticals to Amazon warehouses. Average fees of $20,000 to $22,000 a placement.
Year one at Candid Talent he billed £112,000. Year two, $500,000. And then Q1 of year three: over $350,000 in a single quarter. Solo. From a farmhouse in Staffordshire. Three kids under seven. 25 hours a week. Almost all inbound from LinkedIn.
"Honestly, it's wild. Compared to the stress of year one... coming into year three with that kind of quarter. It's awesome."
This week on The RAG Podcast, Jon breaks down how he went from employed recruiter to solo founder billing over $1 million in just two years, whilst being more present for his family than he ever was in agency life.
We Cover:
How Jon built a $1.6M US desk for someone else before going solo
Why he left a senior role three weeks before his third child arrived
The reality of year one: £112K billed, three months to land the first deal, and constant self-doubt
How industrial automation recruitment works and why the fees are three times higher than UK averages
Why almost all of his business now comes inbound through LinkedIn
The lifestyle model: 25 hours a week, from home, present for school runs and gymnastics
How he plans to grow from solo to six to ten people without an office
Why he invested £30K in The Boardroom two years into building his agency

Jon Woolley is not running a massive agency. He's not chasing headcount or office space or awards.
He's building a business that lets him be present for his family whilst billing more than most teams.
If you've ever wondered whether you could leave an established desk, start solo, and build something that works around your life rather than the other way around... this episode has the blueprint.
__________________________________________
Episode Sponsor: Remote Recruitment
Hiring shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or expensive. That’s why there’s Remote Recruitment — the smart hiring partner for modern businesses.
They don’t just help you find great people. They help you access elite South African talent that’s ready to deliver. No PAYE. No NI. No bloated overheads. Just trained, remote professionals who integrate seamlessly into your team.
Their process handles everything: sourcing, shortlisting, onboarding, and retention. Fully managed. Fully supported. Fully remote.
And now, Remote Recruitments has entered a new chapter. From ops to admin, sales to strategy, we’re helping businesses scale smarter with people they trust, at a cost they can afford.
Clients have seen:
* Up to **60% productivity boosts**
* **300% ROI** on BD roles
* **30% faster completion** of operational tasks
No overhead burden. No talent shortage panic. Just growth-focused hiring that makes business sense.
Remote Recruitment is your flexible hiring solution for the modern era.
**RAG Listeners:** Get 5% off your first hire + a free strategy session at www.remoterecruitment.co.uk/rag