The pinned post of starting your firm is lacking some financial aspects. We discussed last year and I thought it could be of use.

It seems that the pinned post on launching your firm could use some additional financial insights. We discussed this last year, and I believe it would be beneficial to share my thoughts. Below is a breakdown of my ideas categorized into three tiers:

1. Shoestring Budget

Minimum of $250 per month without an office.

2. Solid Setup

$800 a month for a reliable foundation with all the essential tools for success, plus an additional $500-900 per month for an office space.

3. Premium Investment

$2,000-$4,000+ monthly for a top-tier setup, along with $900-1,400+ for an office and possibly a virtual or part-time assistant.

Breakdown of Costs

For $250 +/- (assuming you have a laptop/computer; if not, add a one-time cost of $500-800):
– $79 for Sales Navigator (with 100 InMail messages)
– Free or $20 for Loxo or Manatal ATS/CRM
– $50 for a cell phone
– $50 for internet
– $39 for SalesQL (email/phone lookup)
– $20 per year for a GoDaddy domain and personal email
– $50 +/- for cloud storage and miscellaneous expenses

For $800:
– $79 for Sales Navigator
– $200 for a full premium Loxo account with all features
– $29 for Grasshopper or similar phone service
– $100 for cell and internet
– $200-$400 for a sourcing system (Hirez/Seekout/Chatterworks) with email/phone lookups
– $50-100 for cloud storage and miscellaneous costs
– $20 for a simple website or Outlook 365 suite

For $2,000-$4,000+:
– $79-140 for an upgraded Sales Navigator or $200-1000 for Recruiter/Recruiter Lite
– $200 for Loxo
– $200 for a fully integrated office phone system
– $800-$1,000 for ZoomInfo premium
– $100-300 for comprehensive cloud storage
– $200 for training programs like Next Level Exchange or Morgan Consulting
– $20-$100+ for a website with job board integration
– $200 for job posting services (Monster/CareerBuilder/Indeed)

One-Time Setup Costs (Depending on Your Budget):

• New computer: $500-$2,000
• 2-3 monitors: $300-$2,500
• Keyboard/mouse: $100
• Headset: $50-500
• Desk/standing desk: $100-1,000+
• Office chair: $50-500
• Miscellaneous office supplies: $100-300

These are my personal opinions based on 25 years of experience. When I started my firm in 2011, I operated with just a cell phone, a GoDaddy URL for email, Google Voice, Google Suite for email/docs/cloud storage, and LinkedIn (which didn’t have Recruiter Lite back then). I also rented an office, totaling around $600. Today, the total cost with an office is approximately $1,300-1,600 (the office being around $800), though this can vary based on whether I use a paid sourcer.

Note: Since this information is a year old, I would recommend budgeting an additional $50-100 per month for note transcription services (like Metaview or Otter, around $20-40) and a pro-level ChatGPT subscription ($20), along with an assistant tool like Merlin or MaxAI ($10-30).

Quantitative finance firms London?

Which quantitative finance firms in London are the top players? I’m curious about the best firms that specialize in placing talent in investment banking, asset management, hedge funds, trading, research, and more. Any recommendations?

What percentage of your job orders are exclusive versus non-exclusive?

What is the breakdown of your job orders in terms of exclusivity? Specifically, what percentage are exclusive compared to non-exclusive? I’m interested to know if this varies across different industries.

Linkedin Recruiter search method improvements?

Enhancing LinkedIn Recruiter Search Strategies

I’m currently directing my in-house team to boost our productivity with LinkedIn Recruiter, which contributes to 70% of our hires.

Our primary focus is on optimizing channels that yield higher response rates. We’ve explored sequenced campaigns—both built-in and third-party tools—along with engaging content like memes, tech stack insights, company PDFs, and various message lengths.

For our search strategy, we implement a structured approach that begins with highly targeted criteria and gradually expands. This includes:

• Role titles and their synonyms
• Exact job location, followed by a broader geographical range
• Key terms and sub-categories related to specific skills
• Company size, which may influence cultural fit or expertise
• Lists of target companies that are similar in profile
• Lists of companies from which we have successfully hired
• Lists of firms that the similar companies have recruited from
• Previous positions that candidates held before transitioning to the current role
• Types of degrees
• Target universities and specific programs

What additional strategies are you incorporating into your sourcing plans?

I’d love to hear the tricks and techniques your teams use to enhance LinkedIn searches and improve message response rates!

Job offer – private sector IT recruitment

Job Opportunity – IT Recruitment in the Private Sector

Hi everyone! I’ve been with my current agency, a major IT recruitment firm in the UK, for the past couple of years. My focus has been on developing a cold desk in the NHS sector, which has proven to be quite challenging.

Currently, I’m on a £30k base salary, but unfortunately, I’ve had very few deals, and the last six months have left me without any new placements.

I’ve received an offer from a larger agency where the role consists of 50% managing existing clients and 50% new business development. This firm is well-established in recruitment, and their IT team has a strong track record. However, they’re offering a base salary of £26k, with the potential to earn around £38k OTE through bonuses—though there is scope for higher earnings.

I’m seeking advice. I don’t want to remain in a position where I’m not making placements and feel at risk of losing my job. However, £30k is still a solid salary, and while the new position offers growth opportunities, established clients, and access to a large database, I’m hesitant about taking an initial pay cut.

Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Looking for Work from home oppurtunities in Recruitment

Seeking Remote Opportunities in Recruitment

UK – Registered Nurse Recruitment

UK – Registered Nurse Recruitment Update

Hello everyone,

I’m excited to share that I’ve launched a Registered Nurse recruitment agency in the UK as a side venture alongside my Tech Sales career.

Recently, I’ve begun making placements, which has been encouraging, and I can see the potential for greater earnings if I were to pursue this full-time.

However, I’m faced with a decision: should I leave my current job to fully commit to this endeavor? I have great medical benefits and a solid salary with bonuses from my tech company.

What are your thoughts on the current market? Is this type of business sustainable in the long run?

I would appreciate any insights!

Looking for advice (UK)

Seeking Advice (UK)

A brief background: I’ve been in the recruitment field since 2017, working both in agencies and in-house. My last two positions paid between £36k and £37k, but I’m currently looking for new opportunities after completing a contract.

It’s been incredibly challenging. I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs in my area and had several interviews, but when I reach the final rounds, the selected candidates always seem to have something extra that I lack.

Most job postings I come across now are in the mid-£20k range. I started my career at £23k in 2017, and just recently an agency wasted my time with a job offering only £25k. For context, I was previously a Recruitment Manager.

I’m feeling really lost. I’ve tried every strategy I know, but I haven’t secured solid work since March—just a few temporary positions.

If anyone has any recommendations or advice, I’d greatly appreciate it, as I feel like I’m struggling to stay afloat. Thank you!

Can you help me close this position?

Subject: Seeking Support to Fill Open Positions

Hello Everyone,

I’m currently looking to fill several backend engineering and product roles. I’m reaching out to agencies and freelance recruiters interested in partnering with me on a shared basis to help close these positions.

Thank you!

Dean DaCosta’s Start.Me page. A plethora of info for all recruiters (updates sans link)

Check out Dean DaCosta’s Start.Me page—it’s a treasure trove of resources for recruiters!

For those unfamiliar with Dean, he’s a sourcing and Boolean expert, and he runs a fantastic site called The Sourcing Links, packed with valuable information (I won’t share the link due to rules).

To find Dean’s Start.Me page, simply search for “Dean Da Costa Start Me,” and you’ll see it pop up across the first page of results.

Dean has curated an extensive list of tools, software, Facebook pages, and other resources that every recruiter should have at their fingertips. He regularly updates this page and includes the dates for each update or addition.

If you haven’t heard of Start.Me yet, it’s a great platform! It’s free to use, and I use it as my homepage to organize all my bookmarks and frequently used sites. Many users, like Dean, share their pages, and you can easily copy sections to incorporate into your own Start.Me for quick access. I’ve saved several of Dean’s pages and even discovered a fantastic Start.Me created by someone focused on AI and ChatGPT, featuring loads of links on how-tos, prompt engineering, OpenAI API, and AI tool aggregators.

I’m not quite sure how to search for other Start.Me pages, but I’m sure there are plenty more out there that could benefit those in recruiting or business development/sales!