I was sitting at my kitchen table after 4 months of working for my (then) employer. Feeling pretty happy having just secured my first hefty chunk of commission as a result of some hard work; but I was also feeling a bit of discontent. The commission was great don’t get me wrong but there had to be more than just these short-term wins.

Finally I mustered up the courage to speak to my (then) boss about the option to forgo future commission & instead receive the opportunity to invest into a handful of recruitment startups. After a bit of back & forth all was agreed & now all I needed was a recruitment investment company to house them. But what to call it?…

At this stage the model was simple. Work hard for my (then) employer & as a result, have the opportunity to hold a tiny equity position in these budding new recruitment startups. Despite the perceived “simplicity”, challenges started to arise & we had to start drawing on professional support around us. But that’s all part of business, right?

A few years in & we enjoyed our first “equity exit”. An ambitious recruitment duo keen to purchase our small equity position within their business after a successful 24 months of trading. This was great for Isotope; not only was it proof that our model worked but also it gave us the capital we needed to ask ourselves - is now the time to think about enhancing our offering? Hypothetically speaking, of course…

Change. Nagging frustrations that my philosophy didn’t sit nicely with my (then) employer coupled with an underlying desire to offer more to the recruitment world, it was time for Isotope to spread its wings & offer a comprehensive incubation model to budding recruiters looking to start, run & develop their own recruitment agencies. What now? Build a team of superstars to help deliver that offering.

Team Building: a year of great development, despite the world turning on its head. Isotope welcomed some key members into the business – with Jordan Kennerley & Alan Ashby both joining the team (both of whom we are lucky enough to still have as part of our growing team) - & we began well & truly building our client base. 1 client led to 2, 2 led to 3 & before we knew it, we had a portfolio of ambitious recruiters all with their own ups, downs & challenges that we were lucky enough to help them through.

A growing client base & an unwavering dedication to ensure the support our clients received from Isotope was always of the highest standard, meant that Isotope gently continued to grow; both in terms of our internal headcount & also the superstar clients we were lucky enough to support. IsoConnect was also born - our online platform connecting our client base through bi-weekly webinars & training modules in all things business ownership.

50 business launches. A fantastic landmark for the team - which was the theme for this year. Landmarks were reached & targets were continually smashed by our client base; with businesses growing, they continued to lean on the accounts, legal, marketing, creative & HR support provided to them by Isotope. After all that’s what successful businesses are all about; partnerships.

With a number of our client base reaching a level of maturity, they were faced with a new set of challenges as they started to enter the second phase of their startup journeys. A phase that Isotope knew very, very well. Monthly, quarterly & bi-annual business reviews became the theme of the year, ensuring our client base received the hands on support required to help them navigate this new & exciting phase of their business growth. All the while Isotope continued to grow, welcoming new team members into the fold to accommodate for the growing demands of our client base.

A year that threw curveball after curveball at our client base with no sector untouched by the unique nature of the recruitment market in 2024. Despite the challenges, our clients were able to navigate the hurdles that were placed in front of them; with so many continuing to hire, grow & smash targets they set just a year before. Isotope were busy ensuring that our clients felt supported in dealing with these market fluctuation (both from a recruiter & agency owner perspective) & ensuring that with the acceleration in AI & rectech, our agencies were not left behind.

An exciting & important landmark for the team. Exciting as it highlighted the sustained value that the Isotope offering was providing the recruitment industry; important because with the more agencies we supported, the better our ability to ensure that our clients were being provided with the right support, in the right way, by the right people. It was also a year that saw key members of our team celebrate some pretty big work anniversaries. Further highlighting, we’re only ever as great as the team we have.

Come back in 2027 to find out what 2026 had in store for Isotope, our team & our growing client base.