The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast

Emma Storey: How 2 part-time working mums billed £500K in their first 2 years!
Emma Storey never thought she'd still be in recruitment after having kids.
She'd never worked with a mum in the industry. Never had a role model who'd done it. The assumption was always the same: have a baby, and your recruitment career is over.
But after successfully juggling recruitment and becoming a mum inside the pandemic, in 2023 she launched her own agency with colleague Nicola Morse, a fellow working mum.
They launched Hera with the plan to both work part-time, and within months, Emma soon fell pregnant with baby number 2.
Inside the first 2 years, working part-time around school runs, nursery pickups and a maternity leave, they have billed £500K.
That's £150K in year one during one of the worst recruitment markets in a generation, and £350K in year two with Emma off for three months and working three days a week for the rest.
But what makes Emma different isn't the revenue. It's the reason she built the business in the first place.
Female candidates regularly tell Hera they're nervous about wearing their wedding ring to interviews because they know it signals they might want children. Hiring managers have told them directly: we don't want people from that age range.
Emma lived it herself. In one agency, a mum who left at three o'clock was met with the same comment every single day: "Thanks for coming."
So Emma and Nicola built Hera around a guarantee most agencies won't make: a diverse shortlist on every single role. They positioned diversity and inclusion not as a side project but as the commercial engine. And it worked. Every client they've won has bought into it.
Their target is £500K this year. They have no plans to hire a team. No plans to scale beyond two. No plans to stop billing.
Inside this unique story we cover:
Why Emma assumed motherhood would end her recruitment career
The "thanks for coming" culture that still exists in agencies
Why female candidates hide their wedding rings in interviews
How two part-time working mums billed £500K in their first two years
The diverse shortlist guarantee that wins every client
Why they target £500K a year and have zero interest in scaling beyond that
How shared parental leave changed everything for their family
The co-founder relationship that started at kids' swimming lessons

This isn't about scaling fast or building an empire.
It's about two women who were told, directly and indirectly, that motherhood and recruitment don't mix. They billed half a million pounds in two years working part-time and proved it wrong. Without sacrificing bedtimes, school runs, or being present for their kids.
If you're a female recruiter wondering whether you can have children, build a business, and still love what you do, this episode is your blueprint.
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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

In 2022, Avetis Antaplyan was absolutely flying...
HIRECLOUT, his global recruiting firm with 30 employees across the US, Colombia, Armenia, and India was breaking record after record.
Two-time Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company, his best year ever and he felt everything was working.
Then when the market hit hard in 2023-2024 and every other founder was doing layoffs, Avetis refused to cut people.
Instead, he took most of his profits out of the business to keep his team employed through the downturn.
He genuinely believed loyalty would be returned. That when things turned around, they'd kill it together.
It didn't work that way.
"Those were the first people who resigned when we put some pressure on," he admits. "All it did was burn my profit."
For two and a half years, he broke even. The money was gone. The people left anyway. But that failure taught him something most founders never learn: protecting average people doesn't build loyalty. It destroys capital.
Now he's building the opposite.
His new obsession: take exceptional people (circa $500-600k billers) and use AI, systems, and tools to turn them into $1m producers.
He's recently hired a principal on executive search, a director of business development, and is planning a head of consulting…. Serious hires for a new phase of growth.
In this episode, we cover:
- Why he chose loyalty over layoffs (and what it cost)
- Two and a half years of breaking even
- The moment he realised protecting people was destroying capital - How he rebuilt with "bar raisers or nothing"
- Building AI to turn $600k billers into million-dollar producers
- Why he's never burnt out (and why most founders do)
This story highlights a founder who made a decision based on loyalty, watched it blow up in his face, and chose to learn instead of blame the market.
If you've ever wondered what happens when you prioritise people over profit, this episode may change how you think about loyalty. __________________________________________
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

Peter Kornberg: How a Non-Recruiter Built $1M+ Revenue 15 years in a row (with Just 6 People)
Peter Kornberg never worked a day as an agency recruiter.
He worked in Advertising and Marketing and became a Chief Digital Officer.
He ran a product design agency in New York City. Clients started asking for talent they couldn't afford to engage the agency for. So Peter said: "We can provide you some people."
That was 15 years ago.
What started as an ad hoc favour became UX Hires -a staffing and recruitment firm that's done $1M+ in revenue every single year since (with a team of six).
But it wasn't always lean and profitable.
In 2021, they had 60 open roles. A full team of employees. An expensive New York City office. Peter hired a leader to run the recruitment business.
"He didn't bring in any business. He wasn't particularly effective at managing," Peter admits.
"Didn't really fulfil that potential."
They were grinding. Burning out. Taking on everything that came through the door.
"We didn't effectively weigh the roles that came in as we saw everything as money. Everything was opportunities. So we just went for everything."
The team wasn't profitable, this model wasn't working.
So Peter stripped it back.
He kept only his best recruiters and sourcers. People who could deliver exceptional outcomes regardless of market conditions. No 360 recruiters, only delivery consultants with him focusing on winning all new business.
"Really focus on people that can deliver great outcomes," he says. "I can handle the rest around that, which is client relationships."
But here's what makes Peter different.
He split his team between sourcing and recruiting. Sourcers find people; that's all they do. Recruiters manage clients and placements. It's all relationship-based building.
60% of his revenue now comes from contract and he's rebuilt his entire approach to work: "I could probably get more done in five hours of really productive work than 15 hours of grinding away and burning out."
He doesn’t believe in “hustle culture” and he’s not trying to build an empire. He’s quietly built a sustainable, profitable role business that gives him his life back.
We cover:
- Why never being a recruiter became his biggest advantage
- The 60-role mistake that nearly broke the business
- How he rebuilt around just 6 people and hit $1M+ consistently
- The split desk model (and why he refuses 360 recruiters)
- Why 60% contract revenue changed everything
- The failed leader hire (and why BD roles are so hard to delegate)
- Time blocking and the 5-hour productivity principle
- How AI is reshaping UX and product design recruitment
This isn't about scaling fast or an exit strategy.
It's about a non-recruiter who stumbled into being a recruiter, nearly burned out chasing growth, and rebuilt a million-dollar business around what actually works: small team, high margins, client relationships.
No investment decks and growth-at-all-costs. Just profitability and freedom.
If you've ever wondered whether you can build a 7-figure recruitment business without the complexity, the burn-out, or the endless headcount - this episode will help!
__________________________________________
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

At 21 years old, Alex Hashash was managing 15 people and 18,000 hours of temporary nurses every single week.
By his early thirties, he had 120 staff. Most of them offshore.
But it didn't start with a playbook. It started with 3 am phone calls, traumatic Blackberry ringtones, and weekend rotas that never seemed to end.
When his company decided to build an offshore capability, Alex didn't manage it from a distance.
He moved to India for eight months to build the team from scratch.
Night shifts. Culture clashes. Teaching people who'd never worked in recruitment how to fill nursing shifts at 2 am UK time.
He's spent over a decade learning what separates the founders who make offshore work from those who give up after six months.
Most treat it like a cost-cutting exercise. They hire one remote person, hope for the best, and blame the model when it fails.
Alex took the opposite approach.
"If someone makes a mistake, it's really easy to blame them because they're so far away. But if that was a colleague on your desk, would you be as harsh?"
The problem isn't the talent. It's the leadership.
This week on The RAG Podcast, Alex tells the full story.
We cover:
Why most recruitment founders fail at offshore within six months How to build culture when your team is thousands of miles away The biggest mistake UK consultants make when managing offshore staff Why hiring people without recruitment experience often delivers the best ROI How to structure probation and promotional targets for offshore hires The leadership buy-in you need before going offshore How he scaled to 120 staff with the majority based offshore
This isn't theory. It's a decade of hard-won experience across three continents.
If you've ever wondered whether offshore could work for your agency - or why your previous attempt failed - this episode has the blueprint.
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Episode Sponsor: Atlas
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 look 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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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

Logan Naidu runs Kernel Global-a multi-brand recruitment group with 200 people across London, Hong Kong, Charlotte and New York.
We first spoke in April 2021. He had 180 people. The market was about to explode.
2021: £7 million EBITDA. 2022: £10 million EBITDA. Headcount doubled to 300.
Then March 2023 hit. Logan closed a second PE deal. Paid out over £30 million to staff. The biggest individual payout? Multiple millions.
One month later, he started making cuts.
"I remember talking to my father-in-law saying I'm really embarrassed by this. I've just taken on a load of money from new investors and we're already talking about making cuts and the business shrinking."
By the end of 2023, Logan had cut 100 heads—a third of the business.
But here's what makes this story different: he saw it coming.
December 2022. Their Christmas party. Logan stood up and said: "I think we've forgotten how hard this industry can be. We've had a record year, but we're cutting corners. We're taking clients for granted. That's going to bite us if we don't get back to it really quickly."
It was poorly received. Then 2023 happened.
This week on The RAG Podcast, Logan breaks down the full story.
We cover:
Scaling from £4.9M to £10M EBITDA in three years during the boom
Why he warned his team in December 2022 that they'd "forgotten the basics"
Closing a PE deal on a Saturday morning hours before Silicon Valley Bank collapsed
Making 100 cuts across two waves (and why the second wave was harder)
The criteria he used to decide who stayed: character, work ethic, client treatment
Why his sleepless nights dropped from 2–3 per week to 2–3 per year
Rebuilding to 2022 levels by 2025 with a completely different foundation
His approach to AI, offshoring, and why he won't chase every new tool
Why he still hires graduates despite the cost and cultural shifts
The plan to double the business again by 2029

This isn't about avoiding pain.
It's about a founder who moved fast, made hard decisions early, and came out the other side with a business built to last through cycles.
If you've ever wondered how the best operators stay level when everyone else is drinking their own Kool-Aid, this episode is 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
__________________________________________
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