The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast

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.
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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

This is not a typical RAG episode.
Christian Mather is not a recruiter. He has never filled a role, run a desk, or managed a team. He is a wealth planner. And since niching into recruitment founders about two and a half years ago, he has become one of the most in-demand advisors in the industry.
Since January alone, he has had over 100 enquiries and spoken to 60 founders about the same thing: how to turn business success into personal financial freedom. Not through selling the business. Not through scaling to 50 heads. Through understanding one number.
He calls it your freedom number. The amount you need in assets to cover your lifestyle for the rest of your life. And most founders massively overestimate what that number is.
His simple formula gives you your starting point. In this episode Christian walked through real examples of his clients goals and challenges.
A founder who thought he needed £5 million but actually needed £1.2 million. A 29-year-old woman billing half a million on her own, working 20 hours a week, about to hire staff she didn't need. A business doing 1.6 million net fee income with 16 staff but only £150K EBITDA because the founders were doing 80% of the work.
Only 0.3% of recruitment agencies ever successfully sell. That number comes from the REC, and Christian has built his entire practice around the other 99.7%. His argument is simple: your business should fund your wealth, not be your wealth.
We cover:
Why 0.3% of recruitment agencies sell and what that means for your retirement plan
How to calculate your freedom number using the monthly spend x 300 rule
The real cost of treating your business as your pension
Why founders between 40 and 45 are the ones making the call
The financial mistakes costing recruitment founders the most money
How co-founders can align on what they actually want from the business
Why property is not the passive investment most founders think it is
The post-exit identity crisis that nobody prepares for

Christian and I also get into our own stories and share our personal strategies for wealth creation.
If you have ever wondered what your number actually is, or whether you are closer to freedom than you think, 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 Recruitment 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 to £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

David Bloxham first appeared on The RAG Podcast in March 2020. That episode was recorded the week before the world went into lockdown. He had 130 staff, a fresh MBO behind him, and a business that was growing.
Six years later, he is back. Same seat. Very different business.
In the years since, David has navigated a pandemic, a post-COVID hiring boom, a brutal tech slump, and the rise of AI. Each time, his response was the same: strip the model apart and rebuild it stronger.
GCS is now 100 people across 10 global offices, generating over 12 million in revenue with 95% coming from contract. 50% of the team now operates from offshore delivery centres in Cape Town, Mumbai, and Delhi. The permanent division that drove record numbers in 2022 has been deliberately wound down.
"Year on year, since 2019, our contract number has grown year on year. The perm has gone up and down, but the contracts kept rising."
But perhaps the most striking part of this conversation is what comes next. David is building an AI-enabled recruitment tool designed to sit alongside his traditional business, one that could eventually generate the same revenue as his human team. He is not waiting for disruption. He is building it himself.
WE COVER:
How GCS went from 60/40 perm-contract split to 95% contract in under three years
The board-level conversation with nGAGE CEO Tim Cook that changed everything
Why David cut his highest-performing permanent teams at their peak
How 50% of the workforce moved offshore and what the 120-120-120 delivery model looks like in practice
The pivot from software development (47% of vacancies) to AI, cyber, and cloud (after coding roles dropped to 13%)
Why fill rate matters more than job volume and the metrics David tracks at CEO level
The GCS Leaders Series podcast and how 100+ episodes became a business development machine
David's plan to build an AI recruitment tool that could cannibalise his own business

If you have ever wondered whether resilience is a strategy or just a word people put on their LinkedIn profile, this episode has the answer. David Bloxham has been at the same company for nearly 30 years. He has rebuilt it three times. And he is about to do it again.
__________________________________________
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

Ben Richardson & Mike Bott: Why LHi Group appointed two CEOs
For 25 years, LHi Group had one CEO.
Founder Tom Glanfield built the business from scratch with Jim Denning taking over in 2020 and leading it it through COVID.
A global recruitment group, LHi has
5 brands.
300 people.
9Offices across the US and Europe
Ben Richardson and Mike Bott had both spent their careers inside LHi.
Both joined as entry level recruiters
Both built desks, teams and international offices from the ground up.
Both eventually became global recruitment directors.
And both had their eyes on the same job.
"I wanted to be CEO about a week after I joined LHI in 2007."
When Jim Denning stepped down, the expectation was simple.
One of them would get the role.
Instead, the board made a call neither of them had anticipated.
They would run the business together.
Co-CEOs.
This week on The RAG Podcast, Ben and Mike break down how the decision happened and what it actually takes to make a leadership structure like this work.
We cover:
How two recruiters who joined the business years apart both ended up competing for the CEO job
The moment they were told they would be sharing the role instead of one of them taking it
Why the board believed the co-CEO model would work for LHi
How they divide responsibility running a global recruitment business
The leadership principles that allow two CEOs to operate without conflict
Why ego is the biggest risk in a structure like this
The level of trust required to make joint leadership work long-term
What founders should think about when planning succession inside their own businesses
Why promoting from within can be a competitive advantage in recruitment
What the next phase of growth looks like for LHi Group

This episode isn’t really about recruitment.
It’s about succession.
It’s about trust.
And it’s about whether the traditional idea of a single CEO is always the right answer.
Because if you’re building a recruitment business and thinking about who should lead it next…
This conversation might challenge the way you think about it!
__________________________________________
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

Lucy Robinson: Fired from her job, now running a £650k global search firm
Lucy Robinson runs LCR International, a global executive search firm specialising in fresh produce across six continents.
Today, the business is doing around £650k in revenue, but the story really started in December 2019 when Lucy was fired from her job for not hitting targets.
At the time, she had no savings, a three-year-old at home, and had just spent months trying to build a new desk for an agency she’d previously worked for.
Two weeks before she got fired, her husband had said something half-jokingly:
"The only way you’ll ever start your own agency is if you get sacked."
Two weeks later, that’s exactly what happened.
Starting a business at that point didn’t exactly look like the sensible move.
Lucy had a young family, no financial buffer, and was launching into a market she already knew was competitive.
But she did it anyway.
She launched LCR International, working three days a week, just as the world walked into COVID.
The first year, she billed £100k and was mostly filling contingent work.
She wanted to move into retained search, but it wasn’t really working.
In 2023, she decided to change the model completely and invested in proper search training and it changed everything.
The business moved to around 90% retained search, margins improved, and growth accelerated.
Revenue went from £250k to £500k to £650k across three years.
Now the focus isn’t on scaling faster.
It’s about building a profitable, sustainable business that works for her family as well as her career.
The business currently runs at around 20% net profit, with a small team and clients across the world.
And Lucy has no interest in building a huge agency just for the sake of it.
Instead, she’s focused on growing the business in a smarter way - using better positioning, retained search, automation and AI rather than simply adding more headcount.
Her goal now is £800k this year and £1m next year, whilst keeping the business lean and flexible.
This week on The RAG Podcast, Lucy shares the full story.
We talk about:
• Getting fired with no savings and a young child at home
• Starting a business just before COVID hit
• Building £100k in the first year working three days a week
• Taking maternity leave twice whilst growing the business
• Why contingent search stopped working for her
• The training that helped shift the business to retained search
• Growing from £250k → £500k → £650k
• Running a global niche search firm across six continents
• Raising two young kids whilst building the business
• Why she prioritises flexibility over building a massive team
• Her focus on profitability and a 20% net margin
• Using automation and AI instead of headcount
• Her plan to reach £1m revenue without sacrificing family life
What I really liked about Lucy’s story is that she’s building the kind of business more founders are starting to want.
A niche firm.
A strong reputation in a specific market.
Good margins.
A small team.
And a business designed around life, not the other way round.
It’s a great example of what a modern recruitment business can actually look like.
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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/