How to Propel a Cybersecurity Recruitment Venture to $1,500,000 in Year One, with Stuart Mitchell, Ep # 187

08/23/23 • 67 min

Starting a cybersecurity recruitment business during a tech market downturn can be exceptionally challenging for several reasons: reduced demand, intense competition, financial constraints, and talent availability.

Despite these challenges, it's not impossible to succeed in launching a cybersecurity recruitment business during a downturn, as proven by my special guest, Stuart Mitchell.

Stu founded Hampton North in 2022 with the goal of building the most trusted cybersecurity search firm in the united states. Despite the downturn in the tech market, they’re on pace to bill $1.5-2M in their first year.

In this episode, Stu shared his insights into key topics that help him succeed: finding the right people to surround you, attracting and retaining the best people, and how to build a personal brand, and becoming a recognized industry leader.

With over a decade of experience, Stu has been a successful billing manager, having personally billed over a million dollars while building a multi-million dollar team who achieved an EBITA of $1m.

He’s placed some of the most well-known cyber security executives into Financial Services Companies, Retail Brands, and Tech Giants alike. He has built cyber security programs from 0-20+ on multiple occasions, including one of these scale-ups in less than 8 weeks.

Episode Outline and Highlights

[03:30] How Stu got into recruiting leading to him starting his recruitment firm.
[11:30] From good to great - finding the right people to surround you.
[16:18] How Stu began to build his brand by sharing a case study on LinkedIn.
[20:48] Stu shared how he launched Hampton North and what makes them thrive despite the downturn in the tech industry.
[29:52] Attracting, hiring, and retaining the best people as a startup.
[39:21] Breakdown of how Stu became a recognized industry leader.
[50:00] The importance of consistency in creating value-adding content - hear Stuart’s content strategies.
[1:03:30] Stu shares what is next for Hampton North.

Overcoming a Tech Market Downturn - Launching Hampton North and Billing 7 Digits on Their First Year

A remarkable achievement that I wanted to discuss with Stu is how he launched his cybersecurity recruitment business, Hampton North in 2022. What makes it amazing is that despite the downturn in the tech market, they are on pace to bill $2M in their first year!

I am excited to share in this episode Stu’s insights on the things that contributed to this success. We zoomed in on three key factors:

The importance of hard work.
Developing key account relationships.
The quality of people that you hire.

The third topic resonated well with me as I feel the impact of having the right team members to support my business. For many recruitment business owners, especially those who are just starting, hiring someone can be like a roll of the dice. Stu shared how he was able to get the top talents and retain them. It can probably be summarized with a question that serves as his guiding principle when hiring: “Who are the best people that I know, and why aren't they already working here?”

Becoming a Recognized Industry Leader and Consistent in Sharing Relevant Content

Stu also did a phenomenal job in establishing a reputation in the cybersecurity space as a recognized thought and industry leader. With more than 40,000 LinkedIn followers, he is consistent in posting industry-relevant content. I also enjoy the posts that he shares, so I wanted to get his thought process on how he is consistently coming up with ideas.

We discussed the following subjects:

The impact of sharing case studies.
Creating a brand of familiarity less the intention of wanting to be liked.
Avoiding “forced content” by sharing free-flowing ideas.
Strategies in creating 2-3 posts a day consistently.

Stu described his thought process this way, “I think I kind of see this as t kind of the writer's strike in Hollywood, right? The more you force it and try and make things rigid and structured like it's really hard to force great ideas. Great ideas are free-flowing.”

Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

Before becoming a recruitment business owner, Stu has always been a consistently successful billing manager. He billed over a million dollars while building a multi-million dollar team that achieved an EBITA of $1m.

He revealed what can turn a good recruiter into a great recruiter: “I think it goes back, there's a saying of yours, your collective sum of the five closest people around you.”

Stu mentioned great recruiters where he learned to shift his perspectives in terms of what is possible. Surrounding yourself with the right people can shift your whole belief system to dr...

Despite these challenges, it's not impossible to succeed in launching a cybersecurity recruitment business during a downturn, as proven by my special guest, Stuart Mitchell.

With over a decade of experience, Stu has been a successful billing manager, having personally billed over a million dollars while building a multi-million dollar team who achieved an EBITA of $1m.

Episode Outline and Highlights

[03:30] How Stu got into recruiting leading to him starting his recruitment firm.
[11:30] From good to great - finding the right people to surround you.
[16:18] How Stu began to build his brand by sharing a case study on LinkedIn.
[20:48] Stu shared how he launched Hampton North and what makes them thrive despite the downturn in the tech industry.
[29:52] Attracting, hiring, and retaining the best people as a startup.
[39:21] Breakdown of how Stu became a recognized industry leader.
[50:00] The importance of consistency in creating value-adding content - hear Stuart’s content strategies.
[1:03:30] Stu shares what is next for Hampton North.

Overcoming a Tech Market Downturn - Launching Hampton North and Billing 7 Digits on Their First Year

I am excited to share in this episode Stu’s insights on the things that contributed to this success. We zoomed in on three key factors:

The importance of hard work.
Developing key account relationships.
The quality of people that you hire.

Becoming a Recognized Industry Leader and Consistent in Sharing Relevant Content

We discussed the following subjects:

The impact of sharing case studies.
Creating a brand of familiarity less the intention of wanting to be liked.
Avoiding “forced content” by sharing free-flowing ideas.
Strategies in creating 2-3 posts a day consistently.

Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

He revealed what can turn a good recruiter into a great recruiter: “I think it goes back, there's a saying of yours, your collective sum of the five closest people around you.”

Stu mentioned great recruiters where he learned to shift his perspectives in terms of what is possible. Surrounding yourself with the right people can shift your whole belief system to dr...

Previous Episode

How to Leverage the 5 Pillars of Emotional Intelligence for Effective Recruiting, with James Elliot, Ep #186

Recruiting is not only sales and data-driven. It encompasses a broader range of skills, qualities, and considerations which is mainly focused on building relationships and human connection. Effective recruiting involves understanding people's motivations, aspirations, and personalities.

That is why it is important for recruiters and business owners to understand the value of Emotional Intelligence. Emotional intelligence empowers recruiters to navigate the intricacies of human interaction, fostering trust, rapport, and success within the recruitment industry.

In this episode, my special guest, James Elliot, shares the 5 pillars of emotional intelligence which are critical components in becoming effective recruiters. James is very different from my usual guests in that he does not come from a recruiting background.

James joined the British Army in 2006, deploying around the world including to Afghanistan.

After his own issues with mental health, James became a strength and conditioning coach at a national league rugby team, where he learned the power of mentoring. He was then asked to help establish the first-ever British Army Parachute Jumping Instructors Platoon.

At RAF Brize Norton, James also attended several courses in mental health, becoming an instructor, and also broke 2 Guinness world records in feats of endurance in rugby.

In 2018, James became a Mental Resilience Coach for the British Army, where he helped develop and deliver mental resilience training, including to special forces. In 2020, James left the army to take his mental resilience training to a wider audience including high-performing individuals and teams, such as the Paralympic Rowing team.

Episode Outline and Highlights

[1:39] Why understanding human behavior is practical in the recruiting industry.
[04:36] James’ journey as a mental resilience coach and what made him pursue mental health qualifications.
[15:04] James shares the resilience principles that he was teaching in the British Army.
[17:40] Our discussion on the key concepts of resilience.
[31:14] Practical applications of resilience in the field of recruiting.
[39:09] Why emotional influence and biases play a huge role in your decision-making.
[42:29] What should you do when a candidate ghosts you?
[46:49] Zooming in to Emotional Intelligence - what is it and how do you develop it?
[54:10] The 5 Pillars of Emotional Intelligence.
[55:51] James shares his motto "Leave every room better than you found it" - use your positive influence.

Understanding Resilience and Human Behaviour to Become an Effective Recruiter

James explains his approach to mental resilience which focused on adapting to adversity. We discussed key topics o human behavior that can contribute to your success as a recruiter or recruitment business owner. The takeaways that well resonated with me are the following:

Embracing Human Behaviour Insight: He zoomed in on the value of understanding human behavior, which he believes is a massive part of being an effective recruiter. When dealing with your team, a candidate, or a client, this life skill is critical to becoming effective.

Leveraging Human Connection James also elaborated on the importance of engaging with someone on a very human level to bring out the very best of their performance. This is useful when coaching your team. James relayed very specific examples of how this has worked for him and his coachees and how this can work for you.

Thriving Through Resilience The principle of resilience is about turning surviving into thriving. For you to become resilient, it is not always about being the strongest or the sharpest. It is about learning to adapt. For James, it is about changing quicker and adapting faster than everybody.

Unveiling Emotional Intelligence James reveals his thought process about emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and understanding your emotions. These topics are relevant to the recruitment field, which is a people business.

How Emotional Intelligence Influences Your Decision Making

When we say resilience, we do not only refer to overcoming drastic events and momentous situations. For example, recruitment on its own is challenging as is due to its demanding and stressful nature, punctuated by daily rejection. You are dealing with human beings, who don't always do what they say or communicate transparently. A strong will and resilient mindset are critical components to be successful in recruitment.

I had to ask James’ viewpoint on how to develop mental resilience. James argues that resilience isn't about suppressing emotions but understanding them through emotional intelligence. We talked about practical steps that can help you develop emotional intelligence. A good example is when dealing with pe...

Next Episode

How to Conquer Burnout and Overwhelm for Recruitment Entrepreneurs, with Tina Hazlett, Ep #188

Recruitment entrepreneurship can be immensely rewarding, but also brings the risk of burnout and overwhelm. New entrepreneurs can be vulnerable to workaholism, which can lead to negative consequences on physical and mental health, as well as personal relationships. We need to recognize the signs of workaholism and take steps to maintain a healthy work-life balance

My special guest, Tina Hazlett, founder of Spectrum Recruiting Solutions, shares her tips for success while maintaining a work-life balance. She gave at least four intentional steps that she took to overcome burnout, and I am sure you will find value in exploring the same steps.

Tina also shared the journey of how she transitioned from being a recruiter to a business owner, and how she navigated unpredictable market conditions. She also walked me through her advocacy of addressing the gender gap in her industry, and the steps they took to be successful in taking small steps forwards.

Tina has 22 years of experience in recruitment and started her own firm, Spectrum Recruiting Solutions, in 2018. They’ve since grown to a team of 14, based in the Salt Lake City area, Spectrum supports engineering and manufacturing companies in Utah through a combination of Direct-hire recruitment, RPO, and Consulting.

Episode Outline and Highlights

[01:30] Tina Shares the Beginnings of Her Career in Recruitment.
[03:57] Tina's One-Year Sabbatical Journey Before Launching Her Recruitment Firm.
[10:33] Envisioning a Business Founded on Inclusivity and Remote Work Opportunities.
[15:59] Addressing the Challenge of Hiring and Training Individuals Without Recruiting Experience
[17:54] Tina's Four Steps to Overcoming Burnout as a New Entrepreneur.
[24:34] The Evolution of Team Growth Throughout Tina's Entrepreneurial Journey.
[28:30] Cultivating Camaraderie in a Remote Work Environment.
[29:42] Discussing Gender Balance and Diversity in Utah's Engineering Industry.
[37:00] Navigating Challenges in an Unconventional Market.
[40:56] Insights into Tina's Business Development Strategies.
[48:20] Establishing Career Paths and Succession Plans for the Team.
[49:20] Tina's Approach to Transforming Solid Planning into Effective Execution.
[51:48] Recognizing the Right Time to Expand and Grow Your Team.

Overcoming Burnout as a New Entrepreneur

New entrepreneurs can be vulnerable to workaholism for various reasons: passion and drive, new responsibilities, and adjusting to the learning curve of managing a new business. This was exactly how Tina felt when she founded Spectrum.

“If I'm being very honest about a couple years into starting spectrum, I hit a wall and I hit it hard and was so super burned out. And there was about at least a three-week period that I struggled to get out of bed. I was so tired.”

If you are feeling the same way, do not just ignore it. Workaholism leading to burnout can have many negative consequences. Tina was well aware of this fact, so she took action in order to build herself back up. We discussed the four steps she took to overcome overwhelm:

Realigning her priorities and making the most of her support system.
She took concrete steps like scheduling dedicated family time on her calendar
Creating a space for herself to take care of her mental health by doing yoga.
Walking away from adversarial clients.

Gender Balance and Diversity Within the Engineering & Manufacturing Field in Utah

Tina talked me through her advocacy when she was planning to launch her recruitment firm. She said, “We really struggle in terms of our reputation and women's rights. That's one thing that I really wanted to promote. Where we focus on engineering and manufacturing in Utah, there's not a ton of representation for females out here, especially when it comes to equality, politically and professionally. Our goal was to really make sure women have a seat at the table.”

Her team took intentional steps to reach their objectives. They created channel partnerships and pipelines of candidates. They go beyond social media platforms through face-to-face networking. She elaborated on how they would align with a group with similar mission and values for mutual support. This resulted in having females in 41% of their placement, which is an astonishing feat in their industry.

Business Development Strategies

We also discussed Tina’s most influential business development strategy. How are they able to develop their client base? She explains, “Through a lot of our networking events is our number one way to do it where we can get in front of people. For example, we just did a hosted roundtable with the Utah Outdoor Association which does a lot of product development for outdoors like kayaks,...