Declan Kluver’s Post

There's one question I always like to ask any recruiter who is contemplating making the leap. & it's this ⬇️ If you could talk yourself out of it, could you? I suppose we all know it's very easy to let the excitement of starting your own agency take away from assessing all the other factors around the idea. & therefore a question like this really does throw up some interesting answers & really, in my opinion, makes you take a step back & think about the idea a little bit more. #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

Here's 1 sure-fire way you can measure whether you're capable of starting your own recruitment agency ⬇️ Conduct an audit of your current desk. Specifically around New Business.🪴 Look at the last 12-24 months (perhaps a little longer depending on your market) & review 'where' your client base has come from. What I mean by that is have these been clients that you've sought out & won (off your own back, using your own skills & own experiences) & subsequently billed & generated a profitable desk with? Or is your desk predominantly built from pre-existing agency relationships that you, as part of your role within the business, have been asked to look after? Now we all know there may be an element of both when you're working for an agency but you hope, if you're looking at potentially starting your own agency, to be in the region of 75-80% of those billings being from client relationships generated by you. & you only 💯 It might sound like a silly exercise but it will give you a good idea of the reality of that (say) 200k you billed last year really is & what might be realistic for you & your new agency when those clients aren't around. You never know, it might work for you as you spend this week working out the right time to make the leap. #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

Recruiters… scratch that itch and TAKE THE PLUNGE 🪠 Ever thought, “What if I started my own agency?” My advice: Believe in yourself and go for it! Starting your agency is about more than a leap of faith—it’s about having the right tools to thrive. Here’s how Bullhorn can help: ✅ Efficiency: Automate tasks and focus on relationships. ✅ Scalability: Solutions that grow with you. ✅ Insights: Smarter, faster decisions with clear data. ✅ Candidate Experience: Build a reputation that stands out. The perfect time? It’s now. Book a chat, and let’s get you set up for success!

9 secrets to growing an agency: 1. Focus on a specialization 2. Focus on building a brand 3. Find strategic partners to increase your growth 4. Hire based on fit, not (just) resume 5. Hire (and fire) at the right time 6. Build relationships with clients and focus on referrals 7. Adopt a culture of transparency 8. Don’t make yourself indispensable 9. Be selective with your clients #agency #agencygrowth #agencybuilding

I often tell people that my biggest competitors are potential clients. That may sound strange but, we live in a world where almost everything has become “self-serve”. Business owners will often tell me, “We can do our own survey”. My response is usually, “Yes, you can. But should you?” Technically, I can fix my own car. I could find some videos on YouTube that show me how to do something, however, I would not be confident that the issue I am trying to fix is the actual problem. Additionally, I would not feel safe driving my car after I messed around with it. I am not a mechanic. I trust mechanics to fix my car because they have the experience, training, and resources to maintain my vehicle. I do not. Yes, anyone can do a survey. We all can sit in front of Google and find “answers” to questions. We can talk to our family and friends and say that we have conducted interviews. The real question is, why are you doing these things? Just because you can do those things, does that mean you have the experience, training and resources to do them correctly or to get at the core information you actually need? You use a CPA for your taxes. You use an HR professional to help with hiring. You hire an experienced marketer to help with advertising and communication. You could do all of these things yourself, but it actually saves you time, money and stress to invest in professional help. Market Research is no different. There is a lot of art and science involved in gathering the right feedback to address key issues and become better informed. Just because you can…. #Marketresearch #BusinessServices #CuriosityWorks Image source: www.blesta.com

One thing I love about running my own agency. Is the time I get to invest in people, not sales. ⭐️ When employed, I hated that everything had a KPI attached. I am a recruiter as I love people. ❤️ Yet KPIs forced me to focus on things that weren’t important. 🎯 KPIs were the main focus, not relationships 🕰️ Now I invest all the clients / candidates need 🎯 KPIs forced me to chase targets, prioritising sales 🕰️ Now I invest in long-term relationships 🎯 Constantly rushing meetings / conversations 🕰️Now, I get to invest the time to actually help Last week, I spent over 2 hours with a new client, building a strong relationship. This investment pays off in trust and loyalty. I love what I do because I get to invest in people. This is what makes recruitment meaningful. #recruitment #people #hiringnow #newbusiness

I get asked every week to consult on smaller agencies. Here's all you need to know: 1. Hire great people. Without them, you'll constantly be putting out fires. 2. Choose an ICP. Without one, you'll need to endlessly build new skills and SOPs. 3. Become world class at your service. It's easy to scale when you're better than 99% of the market. It may seem obvious, but it's not. Finding an agency excelling in all three areas is near impossible because: → Hiring & retaining great people is incredibly difficult. → Turning down quick money to maintain your ICP is incredibly difficult. → Becoming world class at your service is incredibly difficult. Multiply them all together & you have an insane mountain to climb.

They said ‘You’ll fail’ → I say ‘Not a chance’ ❌People thought I’d fail starting my own agency ✅ 1 year in & things have never looked better ❌I was told I was mad building ‘socially’ ✅ 100% of my leads & candidates are inbound ❌The smiles of being a single mum & business owner ✅ Step-by-step building that perfect lifestyle I’ve learnt when people doubt you. It’s really them projecting their own fears and limitations onto you. 🙄 Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do. #recruitment #workingmum #socialselling #newbusiness

🗣️ "What happens if it doesn't work out?" Great question. Here's the answer ⬇️ No recruiter sets out to start, run & develop their own agency with any intention or single thought around the potential that it might not work out. But everyone seriously considering the idea is also considered; considered in ensuring the timing around the idea is right & support around them is the best & most suitable for what they are hoping to do. Meaning that at some stage or another the question of well, what happens if this doesn't work out, will always (always crop up) 💯 I suppose, in my eyes, if it didn't you'd gently question if they really knew what they were signing up for - after all, running & developing your own agency is tough (really tough) so of course there's always that potential risk of things not quite working out the way they were intended to. In short - in the (very) rare instance where for one reason or another running their own agency isn't quite right for a client of ours, the steps are simple, our focus changing from supporting that business to helping that business gently close up shop & the recruiter to return to employment. It's a process we know (of course) & one that we would never want to saddle our clients with additional costs, bills or liability around. It's hard enough to make peace with the fact that your own agency hasn't quite worked out; so if it's not worked, we don't want to compound that by hitting you with a "early termination" fee (or some rubbish like that) 🚫 For us that negates the shared risk/success model we have. So what happens? Well we shake hands, close things down & go our separate ways. (we just hope it doesn't happen too often!). #recruitmentstartup #recruitmentinvestment #recruitmentbusinesssupport #recruitmentbusinesssetup #businesstips #recruitmentstartuptips

To all the agency owners out there juggling the ups and downs of inconsistent workflow, unpredictable revenue, team morale, marketing, client development, and everything in between — we see you! It’s a tough gig for an agency owner right now. Your team may not fully understand the pressure you’re under, and sometimes it can feel like a lot to balance your own motivation as well as everything else you have going on! If you need someone to talk to, vent to, or bounce ideas off, Lucy Whale, Kyle Blake and I, are here if you need a chat! No strings attached, just a chat. Whether you want to workshop something or just need a listening ear, reach out. If nothing else, we might just be able to help you recalibrate some negative self talk! We all get it ;) Happy Fri all! Hume Scope - 'Developing Exceptional Recruiters' #recruitmenttraining #recruitmenttips #recruitmentconsultant