Recruitment is splitting into two very different worlds:

• The Commodity End: High-volume, low-margin, AI-driven, outsourced. It’s about efficiency, not intimacy. And it’s where scale wins - or crushes.
• The Value End: Hyper-niche, personality-led, high-touch. It’s about trust, nuance, and human chemistry. It’s where being you is a differentiator, too.

That fork in the road is real. And for smaller players, trying to compete on price or process is a losing game.

But if you can stand out as a 3-D individual - maybe even a bit edgy, then you stand a chance of winning.

It’s not about being outrageous. It’s about being unmistakably you.

In every career, there are periods that were perfect: a great leader, a great team, great work and great outcomes. This is called a Golden Age, and we’ve all experienced them.

The benefits for everybody are enormous: teams stay longer, work harder and are generally happier (so easier to manage).

As leaders, our priority is to create Golden Ages for our team where: -

•             The Vision is shared, not imposed.
•             Teams are empowered, not micromanaged.
•             Work is meaningful, not just productive.
•             People feel seen, not just evaluated.

We aim to build not just a company, but a memory where people will look back and say, “That was the best time of my career.”

Because true leadership is not measured by the span of your tenure, but by the echo of your impact.

I recently attended a recruitment expo that, on the surface, didn’t quite deliver on innovation. But two conversations made the trip worthwhile - one with a former client, and another with a long-time contact who’s never officially come on board.

Both run small operations, one solo and one with a lean team. Both are thriving, like doing very well indeed.

What stood out wasn’t just their success - it was how they’re achieving it.

If you’re only looking at vacancies as jobs to be filled, you’re missing half the opportunity. The smartest recruiters are targeting roles that build relationships, not just revenue. They’re not just filling jobs - they’re building pipelines of opportunity!

One phone call could yield a placement today and a partnership tomorrow.

Let me know what you think.

Recruiters thrive on speed - fill the role, hit the target, earn the commission. But when you step into the business owner role, the game changes.

It’s no longer just about transactions; it’s about building something that lasts: systems, culture, brand, and resilience.

That takes time. And more importantly, it takes grit.

The real mantra?

“Repeat until the thing that you've got works in the environment that you put it.”

Try. Analyse. Tweak. Repeat.

Because the biggest wins - like turning a tea-loving nation into a coffee empire - don’t come from chasing. They come from planting.

Let’s build something that lasts.

Many AI tools are impressive, but they’re often marketed as silver bullets. In practice, they can be clunky, limited, or require more human involvement than advertised.

Sometimes, automation can create more work rather than reduce it.

The real value lies in understanding what these tools can do - and what they can’t.

 Plus, using them to protect your business against …. AIs!

In this edition of FTDOMA, I explain how you’re not behind the AI curve and suggest some simple things you should be doing.

In other words, how can you actually make AI help you become more effective – it’s probably not what you think, either.

Remember, the key is to use AI to support your strengths, not replace them.

Let’s stop fearing the AI wave and start riding it to become more effective and efficient in our work.

When I started, an agency’s database (called a register in those days) was everything.

Agencies were partly valued on the size and integrity of their databases.

Potential clients wanted to know how big it was and who was on it.

These days, we rely more on the job boards and LinkedIn to source candidates.

But there’s some relatively easy money to be made by mining your database.

In this post, I dig deeper into this topic following a conversation with a Director at Bullhorn.

I’ll also add in something that Bullhorn don’t do, which will amplify your results even more.

You could be sitting on unrealised revenue – is it about time you liberated it?

For most recruitment firm owners, 20% of their clients generate 80% of their revenues.

They then spend a lot of time marketing, networking and on LinkedIn to win more of these 20%ers.

Fair enough, but often, this isn’t where our top clients came from.

In this edition of FTDOMA, I explain the first step you should take if you want to win more high-value clients.

It’s surprisingly easy and will give you the insight you need to go out and win more of them.

You might find you spend less time and money on BD too!

Content serves as a powerful catalyst for initiating conversations, but to truly resonate, it hinges on two essential principles:

1. It must deliver genuine value to the audience you aim to connect with.

2. It should be presented in a format that aligns with their preferences.

Consider this: If someone were to present you with something of real significance, wouldn’t you take notice and engage? I know I certainly would, and I believe most people would feel the same.

This is precisely why thoughtfully crafted assets are such formidable tools in business development; they deserve your full attention and appreciation.

In this edition of the FTDOMA, I invite you to join me as we delve deeply into this captivating subject.

You know precisely where you stand right now.

You might already have a clear vision of where you aspire to be. If you don’t, it’s vital to take the time to craft that vision.

Defining a clear goal is the essential first step on your journey to success. However, too often, this is where the journey stalls, leading to stagnation.

I will guide you through a straightforward yet impactful three-step approach to help you move your business forward.

This plan centres on one decisive element—something everyone is capable of handling.

Take just five minutes to watch this video, and let me know what you think in the comments.

If you’re a large company with a strong brand or a big marketing budget, your product or service can be average (think about a famous burger company).

But smaller companies don't have this luxury. They stand and fall by the excellence of the thing they sell.

An outstanding product or service generates more referrals, giving you an edge over the competition.

Sadly, the reverse is true for people who deliver an average or substandard offering.

In this episode of FTDOMA, I explain a simple process that you can use to start lifting your offering into the “excellent” bracket.

I also share a simple test which will help you find out for sure just how good you are.

Outrageous success is within your grasp. Are you ready to take it?