Season 8 | Ep37 Why Martin Smith spends 90% of his time on what he's best at - BD and brand growth

Most recruitment founders try to do it all and burn out in the process.

On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I’m joined by Martin Smith, founder of Talent Group, who shares how he's structured his business to double down on what he's best at and handed over the rest.

Martin runs TalentDrive and Talent Finance, with a 12-person team across the UK. In this episode, we talk about:

• His journey from agency to founder
• The lessons he learned from early mistakes
• Bringing in an MD to run one brand while he focuses on growth
• Spending 90% of his time on BD, brand, and community
• Why self-awareness and strategic delegation can lead to long-term success

Martin’s also brutally honest about the personal side of business, living on the South Coast, navigating the loneliness of leadership, and staying motivated through tough times like COVID.

If you’re a founder who’s still figuring out where you add the most value or how to step back without slowing down, this one’s a must-listen.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Growth in Recruitment

02:15 Martin's Journey: From Recruiter to Founder

11:11 Transitioning from Agency to In-House Recruitment

18:35 The Decision to Start Talent Group

21:56 Navigating the Early Days of Entrepreneurship

24:21 Navigating Challenges During the Pandemic

27:32 Building Resilience and Community in Business

31:46 Leadership Lessons and Team Dynamics

35:30 Scaling the Business: Growth Strategies and Challenges

39:57 Adapting to Market Changes and New Ventures

46:51 Defining the Role of a CEO and Business Strategy

47:57 Navigating Life on the South Coast

50:07 Balancing Remote Work and Team Dynamics

52:05 Future Growth and Business Strategy

55:26 The Role of AI in Recruitment

01:01:16 The Human Element in Recruitment

01:04:30 Motivation and Personal Values in Business

01:10:11 Finding Balance in Work and Life

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Untapped

Untapped is THE market leader and go-to agency for finding and hiring tried-and-tested offshore talent into UK, US and Australian-based recruitment companies.

They’re providing top-class TEAMMATES, NOT OUTSOURCES! 

We use Untapped for Hoxo’s own offshore hires, and it’s been a total game-changer for our team. No one else can compete with the quality of their network, their in-depth candidate assessment process or their time to hire. 

If hiring elite-level overseas talent into your business to boost sales and increase productivity whilst saving yourself a huge amount in employment costs isn’t on your radar for 2024, it should be!

Untapped are hiring recruitment, sales, marketing and support staff into recruitment agencies of all shapes, sizes and specialisms globally and they are growing rapidly!

Join the waiting list today so you don’t miss out on the next cohort of business-launching hiring projects. https://bit.ly/47GGdvZ 

__________________________________________

Episode Sponsor: Hoxo

Recruitment agency founders - this one’s for you.

What’s your plan for the rest of 2025?

If it’s based on more cold outreach, referrals, or hiring more recruiters… we’ve got news for you. That’s not where the smart money is going.

The market has changed. AI is everywhere. Noise is louder than ever.

So if you want to scale profitably this year, you need to do things differently!

It starts with what you already have.

Your experience. Your network. Your voice.

And we are showing you exactly how to use it in a brand-new, FREE Masterclass - built specifically for recruitment leaders like you.

You’re going to learn:

• Why your LinkedIn content isn’t working - and how to fix it fast
• How to generate inbound leads without being “LinkedIn famous”
• And the exact Hoxo 3X System agencies are using to book more calls - in just a few hours a week

78% of our clients made over 100K in the first 6 months using this. No fluff. No guesswork. Just stuff that works.

The Masterclass is free - but it’s only available for a limited time.

So if you’re serious about growing this year, don’t wait.

Head to https://hubs.ly/Q03lBpYC0 to get started. See you there!