- How much does it cost to start a staffing agency or search firm? A 2026 budget for the US and UK What it costs to start a staffing agency, recruitment agency or executive search firm: the fees fixed by law in the US and UK, the costs you set yourself, published estimates, how to size your runway, and why temp staffing needs far more cash, sourced as of November 2026.
- How to start a recruiting business with no team: a guide for solo recruiters Running a recruiting business alone: a model one person can carry, the setup, how many roles you can run, what to keep and what to outsource, split placements, cash flow, US tax on lumpy fees and when to make the first hire, sourced as of November 2026.
- How to start a recruitment agency in the UK: setup, the Conduct Regulations and the first year Employment agency or employment business: what the Conduct Regulations require from your first candidate, when a licence is needed, setup costs, terms of business, temps, IR35 and umbrella rules, and the cash gap built into notice periods, sourced as of November 2026.
- How to start a recruitment agency in the US: models, licensing and the first year Direct hire, retained search or contract staffing: how the model you choose decides licensing, payroll duties and cash flow, with state and city rules from California, New York and Massachusetts, terms of business and the year-one stack, sourced as of November 2026.
- How to start an executive search firm: a 2026 guide for recruiters going independent Restrictive covenants, a niche, the legal setup in the US and the UK, terms of business, fee models, the first clients, the cash gap built into retained fees and the year-one stack, with every fee and rule sourced as of October 2026.
- What executive search software costs, and why per-seat pricing fails boutiques Published prices for Crelate, Talentis, Clockwork, Loxo and Recruiterflow as of October 2026, what a five-person boutique pays in a year, the costs that are not on the pricing page, and why per-seat pricing fits a retained firm badly. Written by a vendor, and said so.
- Why recruitment software adoption is slow in executive search Search firms are not short of tools. The data underneath them, software built for volume hiring, painful switches and nobody owning the change hold adoption back. What the 2026 surveys say, and what a boutique can do about it.
- Crelate vs Recruiterflow for search firms: reporting and client dashboards Two agency platforms compared on what a search firm reports to its partners and shows its clients: report builders, client portals, feedback links, price and contract terms as of October 2026. Written by a competitor to both, and said so.
- Thrive TRM vs Loxo for boutique search firms A relationship system against a sourcing platform: how Thrive TRM and Loxo compare on the map, off-limits, the client view, price and contract terms as of October 2026. Written by a competitor to both, and said so.
- Clockwork Recruiting alternatives for boutique search firms Eight alternatives to Clockwork for retained and boutique firms, grouped by why you would leave, with published prices, contract terms and switching costs as of October 2026. Written by a competitor, and said so.
- Bullhorn Invenias for executive search: an honest review What Invenias by Bullhorn does well, where it falls short, what each edition includes and how it is billed as of October 2026, with a test to run before you sign. Written by a competitor, and said so.
- How to choose executive search software: a 12-question checklist Twelve questions to put to any executive search software vendor, on the mandate, the data, the client view and the contract, with what a good answer looks like, the red flag, a scoring sheet and a two-week trial plan.
- Best executive search software in 2026 Ten executive search platforms compared by the job they do – search-native systems, relationship intelligence, agency platforms – with published prices as of October 2026 and a test to run before you sign. Written by a vendor, and said so.
- ATS for executive search What an ATS for executive search has to run on a live mandate – off-limits at the point of approach, confidential pipelines, a slate against the scorecard, a client view – and how to test one with your own last search.
- Executive search CRM What an executive search CRM has to remember between mandates – off-limits, role history, fee milestones, coverage – and how to test one with your last closed search.
- Retained executive search What retained executive search is, what it costs, how the fee is paid in thirds – and what each third should buy. From 1,200+ searches on the system we run.
- Executive search software A buyer guide for boutique and independent retained-search firms – what to buy, how it differs from an ATS, cost models, and an evaluation checklist. Not another top-10 listicle.
- Talent pipeline management A standing map and a small named bench, kept warm between mandates – not a CRM graveyard, and not the same thing as a search.
- Market mapping The named employers that produce this profile – direct, adjacent, transfer – and the circle they sit in. Not a logo slide, and not the same thing as a talent map.
- Talent mapping A named universe of companies and seats you can argue with – not a network, not an org chart, and not the same thing as a search.
- The executive search process How a retained search actually runs – brief, market map, longlist, slate, offer – and why the client’s calendar, not the research, decides the clock.
- Interim executive search A senior leader who can start while the chair is empty – not a faster retained search, and not a contractor with a better title.
Every note here comes out of a live mandate. If you have one on your desk this month, we will show you the first week. Start a search