You are currently using an outdated browser.
Please consider using a modern browser such as one listed below:
“The secret of getting ahead, is getting started”.
Now while I am sure Bill Gates was not directly referring to starting your own recruitment agency, there’s some truth in what he says – wouldn’t you agree?
If you’re a recruiter reading this today, I bet (without knowing you, your story & really, anything about you) you’ve thought about the idea of starting your own recruitment agency.
Why? Because you’d be hard pushed to find a recruiter that hasn’t during their time within recruitment. So for Isotope, in our eyes the question isn’t so much “have you thought about the idea?” but rather – “why do you want to start your own agency?”.
Over the many many years of supporting recruiters in their own agencies we’ve been fortunate enough to get to know recruiters from all markets & all backgrounds & therefore, as a result, feel confident in saying that despite all having their own unique drivers, recruiters tend to start their own agencies for 4 main reasons.
So, as a recruiter reading this today, can you relate?
Your recruitment business is a vehicle. A vehicle that will (we all hope) allow you & those around you to have the life you desire & a vehicle that will give you the personal freedom to do what you want, when you want.
But that final phrase makes it sound as though you won’t be working with insatiable hunger to achieve what you want to in your own agency – when, of course you will. You’ll be obsessed, consumed, transfixed by the outcome you want for your agency (whatever that might be). But you’ll be so, with the knowledge that, ultimately, you have 100% freedom over what you do, when you do it & how you do it.
Because remember, your recruitment business is a vehicle & as a result it will ebb & flow as life does for you; sometimes you’ll need the freedom to take a few hours out in the morning to go watch your sons nativity show, a few hours out in the afternoon to run a few errands, or perhaps a whole afternoon to be the taxi service for your daughter as she goes to & from her music lessons. Whatever happens, you know your business will allow you the freedom, the flexibility & ultimately the permission to have a business that appreciates other areas of your life & the importance of them.
So, why not think of personal freedom like we do?
For us, & our fantastic recruitment clients, we think it’s important to build a business that gives you the work/life integration you need as opposed to “balance”. Why? Because it’s not a balance. Your business is part of your life & your life is part of your business – it’s not about finding separation or creating a clear demarcation between “work” & “life”, but more finding a way to integrate everything that is important to you into this one big thing we like to call “life”.
Running your own agency gives that level of freedom to so many, you need only look at our exceptional client base to see it every day.
Recruiters by nature strive for autonomy. Constantly & consistently managing a process, control & autonomy is in our very nature therefore it is no surprise really that autonomy & control pulls so many exceptional recruiters to start their own recruitment agencies.
Interestingly what we have seen over the years is that (in very general terms of course) there are two types of recruiters we are fortunate enough to work with.
Recruiter #1 comes to us because they have a limited level of autonomy in their current role; yes they may have control over their client base but when it comes to fees, payment terms, geography, client size – they’re limited in what they can do & how they can help. Hugely frustrating, not only for them but for the clients & candidates that hope to represent. These types of recruiters are naturally pulled to explore the idea of starting their own agency because they simply strive for more autonomy than they already experience – they know that with complete control & autonomy over what they do, who they work with & how they work – they’ll earn more, have happier clients & ultimately be more successful.
Recruiter #2 is at the other end of the spectrum; having more autonomy than the Tesla Roadster, it’s the very fact that they have so much autonomy in their current role which is leading them to question why they don’t “do this for themselves”. Which is always a really ironic & fascinating conversation for us to have; because it’s in that extreme level of autonomy enjoyed by some within their employed role that makes them question why they are venturing out on their own & building an agency under their brand, with this culture instilled within it & with the freedom to retain a heck of a lot more of the pie!…
Autonomy & control – you’d be hard pushed to find a recruiter that isn’t in some ways pulled to the idea of starting their own agency because of these two little words. Perhaps you can relate?
When you think about the idea of starting your own recruitment agency, what do you feel?
Out of all the superlatives you have no doubt just used, I bet one of them was the word, pride. & the reason I feel so confident saying that is because the overwhelming sense of pride attached to running your own agency is something that we see pull, drive & push so many of our exceptional recruitment startup clients.
& pride can come in all shapes & sizes & in all scenarios. From that first call representing your own agency (an idea that started in your head & is now out there in the big wide world of recruitment) to hiring staff, expanding your offering, moving into offices, venturing into new markets & your agency being recognised for the value it brings to your sector – there are so many opportunities to feel proud of what you are doing.
But it is never just confined to the professional world; the pride you feel when talking with your family, the pride you feel being able to create a vehicle that directly benefits those you care about & those you love is such a powerful driver for so many recruiters who start & run their own agencies that, despite sometimes being misinterpreted as narcissistic, is a powerful motivator that pulls so many recruiters to explore the idea.
Just imagine it – you start your own recruitment agency, an agency built in your eyes, with your vision, adding value to a market you know & love. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Ah the financials.
Often the first catalyst that pulls a recruiter to think about the idea of starting their own recruitment agency, the financial reality of running your own recruitment agency is something that has (& will always) motivate recruiters to leave the shackles of employment & the variable commission structures that they bring & take the leap of faith into their own agency.
Often more than just the desire to “earn more money”, the potential financial freedom that comes with running your own recruitment agency is rooted in both having the freedom to retain more of what you bill (with the average Isotope client retaining at least 75% of their billings in Year 1 – learn more about this, here) & the realisation that the business you are building is an asset from Day 1. An asset that just so happens to be owned by you.
While never usually the sole driver, you can never underestimate the genuine pull that so many exceptional recruiters feel of both retaining more of what you bill & having the opportunity to grow a business of equitable value.
If you’re still reading blog today, I know you can relate.
The reality is each exceptional recruiter that Isotope are fortunate enough to support starts their own recruitment agency so their own unique & very personal reasons. However, what history has shown the team here, the majority of recruiters are driven to leave the shackles of employment & accept the associated risks & potential successes that come with running your own agency because of 1 (if not all) of the reasons above.
So if you’re reading this blog today, toying with the idea of starting your own recruitment agency & feel a little unsure of where to start – how about you start with having a chat with one of the team here at Isotope? No obligation, no commitment, no expectations; just an honest & open conversation about what you are looking to achieve in your own agency & how Isotope might be able to help.
01442 954702
You are currently using an outdated browser.
Please consider using a modern browser such as one listed below:
