
Ben Townsend
With extensive experience building global recruitment teams from scratch, Ben Townsend, turned down a series of attractive offers to join some of the world’s largest and most prestigious recruitment and crypto companies to found Frederick Stanley.
Operating throughout the US, Frederick Stanley places Software Engineers into the Blockchain and Web3 ecosystem. We caught up with Ben to discuss why he started his own recruitment business, what motivates him and why you should follow your gut instinct.
KEY REASONS:
- My niche as a recruiter is building divisions and teams from the ground-up. I’ve done this several times, so why not do it for myself?
- There’s no more answering to people who won’t take the time to develop or mentor me. With RecruitHub I am supported on the operational side of running a business which is what I was really craving.
- A lot of people within the industry who I trust said “just do it – create something for yourself.”
- RecruitHub’s model is really succinct and clear – you retain full control and own 100% of your fees.
WATCH THE INTERVIEW:
KEY QUESTIONS:
What were the first steps you took to start your own business?
- I sought guidance from people I’ve worked with and respect and the feedback was “just do it, you’d be silly if you don’t.” Everyone I spoke to whether they are a friend or someone I’ve previously worked with said “you need to do it and create something for yourself.”
What options did you explore? And why were they not quite right for you?
- I know a lot of people that set up on their own and run very successful businesses of all sizes. But, they each had to give up a major stake or needed a lot of cash to finance it themselves. This wasn’t a strategy I wanted to follow.
What attracted you to RecruitHub?
- I did a deep-dive into the way the agreement was structured and researched other founders in the RecruitHub community. It was clear that RecruitHub partnered with some cool people – this helped my decision.
What are the major benefits of being on RecruitHub?
- The flexibility and control. RecruitHub prepared financial projections against the various directions that I could take the business in. Being in full, strategic control and having option to grow and scale the business as I see fit is a huge benefit.
How does RecruitHub’s integrated stack enhance your business processes?
- My niche as a consultant is my ability to build in new markets. The techstack is pivotal to this – here’s how RecruitHub’s is helping.
- I want structure to my day and the stack provides this
- I’ve been able to build a richer database in less than month compared to 18 months in my previous company
- When I start making hires, i’ll be able to build their markets with them. From day one they will be productive and that is really impressive because there’s no ramp up time.
TOP TIPS FOR SOMEONE WHO IS PREPARING TO START UP:
- If you’re a good recruiter and can build a market, don’t worry about the operational elements of running a business – the finance, the marketing, the website – RecruitHub supports you day-to-day to run a business.
- Don’t doubt yourself – back yourself.
- If you bill half of what you’ve done in your best year, you’re infinitely better off in terms of what you can pay yourself, how you can grow and scale your business and what you can get out of it benefits wise. Most people are giving away 70% plus of their billings to a company and getting 30% or below in commission, it’s a completely different game when you set up on your own.
Thinking about launching your own agency?
Download our free Startup Blueprint – a summary of the key strategy and planning points for experienced recruiters preparing to launch their own companies.
Download the guide