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"Pick a niche, stick to it, and attack it hard. Brand yourself as the specialist — that's what you do."
This episode is a little different. Last month we took Carrot & Stick on the road to the Recruitment Agency Expo in London — the one weekend a year the industry's sharpest leaders, biggest billers and best thinkers all gather under one roof.
So we grabbed our mics and put the same five questions to ten of them. The result is a rapid-fire snapshot of what recruitment's best really think right now — on the habits that make a top biller, where AI helps (and where it absolutely doesn't), what should never change, and how they'd build an agency from scratch today.
What we cover in this episode
The Habit That Separates Top Billers
Discover why consistency of activity — not chasing revenue — is the one trait every rookie should steal.
Why People Still Beat Tech
Hear why every leader landed on relationships and the human touch as the thing that should never change.
Using AI Without Losing the Plot
Learn where AI genuinely earns its place — and why the hype is running well ahead of the reality.
How to Start a Successful Agency Today
Pick a niche, keep it simple, and pick up the phone. The founders' advice for building from scratch in 2026.
Turn Insight Into Action
The leaders all agreed: consistency of activity is what separates top billers — but you can only build it if you can see it.
OneUp turns your team's live call, meeting and deal data into leaderboards and dashboards, so managers can spot who's consistent, who's slipping, and step in before it shows up in the billings.
