Chris Relth is a seasoned professional with 19 years of experience in the talent industry, recognized as a thought leader and an agent of change. He is the Founder and CEO of Artemis, a specialized staffing and executive search organization, where he brings a tenacious approach to concierge-style permanent search and staffing services. Additionally, Chris is a Managing Partner for Artemis United, a DVBE-certified joint venture that works with the state, fed, and clients to help meet their vendor diversity needs. Artemis United only hires military veterans internally to help with their transition to the civilian workforce.

Chris' leadership philosophy is rooted in the belief that fostering a supportive and collaborative work environment is critical to the success of his team, and ultimately leads to successful outcomes for his clients. His company is dedicated to the satisfaction of its team members and is committed to contributing to positive, long-lasting impact through the promotion of happier, healthier workforces.

A Bay Area native, Chris holds a degree from Chico State University and has been a resident of Orange County for over a decade, where he currently resides in Ladera Ranch, CA. In his free time, Chris channels his energy into philanthropic pursuits as a partner of Miracles for Kids and sits on various boards. He is also a youth football and baseball coach and is heavily involved in fitness.

Chris Relth

I had a bad interview with an internal hire. 
But he'd told me he'd lost 100 pounds. 
He became one of our best hires.


On paper, he wasn't impressive. His answers were average. He stumbled through a few questions. 

If I'd scored him purely on interview performance, he wouldn't have made the cut.

But then, he showed me a photo of himself from a couple of years earlier, and I barely recognized him. He'd lost 100 pounds and completely transformed his body.

That told me everything I needed to know.

Losing that much weight is hard. You need to show up every single day, and twice when you don't feel like it. It takes discipline to work when no one's watching. To refuse to quit when progress feels invisible.

Those are the exact traits that separate good salespeople from great ones.

He's ended up being one of our most successful hires. 

He outworks people who interviewed circles around him and built a strong book of business. 

Proof that grit beats polish every time.

Because of him, I now ask every candidate I interview a simple question: what's the hardest thing you’ve done recently?

If they can give me proof they don't quit when things get difficult, they're in.

That's the stuff you can't teach.

Want to know if you're working with a headhunter? 
Ask the candidate one simple question:
"Why are you looking?"



I've noticed over my years how the words "headhunter," "recruiter," "staffing," "executive search," and "direct hire" all get thrown around like they mean the same thing.

But they don't.

And if you're a hiring manager trying to fill a senior role, 
Understanding the difference is important.

It could save you months of wasted time and dozens of interviews with the wrong people.

If they say:
"I’ve been applying to roles online..." 
Actively looking, browsing job boards, or applying because they're unhappy...
You’re working with a recruiter.

If they say:
"I wasn’t looking, but your opportunity sounded worth a conversation..." 
You’ve hired a headhunter.

That’s the difference.

→ Recruiters work in the active market.
People who are already looking, updating their CVs, and responding to job ads.

→ Headhunters work the hidden market.
People who are not looking, but are good enough to be worth interrupting.

Both have their place.

But if you’re hiring for leadership or niche talent, one approach gets you mediocrity while the other gets you momentum.

When every candidate on your shortlist is unemployed or “exploring,”
You’re competing for availability.
Not necessarily the best candidates.

And the best headhunters don’t wait for candidates to apply.

They call the people every other firm can’t reach and make them interested.

That’s the real difference.

Recruiters fill roles.
Headhunters change companies.=by securing the best talent IN not ON the market

And it all comes down to the quality of talent you eventually bring in.

If a CV says "led initiatives" and "managed projects."
Here's the translation:
"I've done nothing measurable."


OK, every salesperson's resume has BS on it. I get that.

But there's a huge difference between embellishing a story and talking generalized gibberish.

When I'm scanning resumes, I hunt for one thing: Evidence.

Here are some red flags to look out for:

> "Led cross-functional initiatives" - What revenue did this generate?
> "Managed key accounts" - By how much did those accounts grow?
> "Collaborated with stakeholders" - Cool story, but can you close deals?

What I want to see is completely different:

> "Grew territory from zero to $1.5M in 18 months"
> "Increased account penetration by 40% year-over-year"
> "Consistently hit 120% of quota for three consecutive years"

See the difference? 

One talks in generalisations. 
The other talks about results. In numbers. With data, you can check.

The best salespeople don't hide behind vague corporate BS. 

They lead with their wins because they understand that in sales, results are the only currency.

The numbers tell the real story. Everything else is fluff.

TakeTwoBrothers

This recruiter leads a 55 person firm 
And he still personally bills 750k+ 
His secret? 50 names on a notepad every night.



David has a team of 55 recruiters. 

He's one of three partners. 

And he STILL personally bills between $750K and $1.2M every single year.

Here’s how: 

Every single night, he writes down 50 names.
 
People he's going to call the next morning. 

Not a vague to-do list. 
Actual names. 
Actual numbers. 

Ready to dial the moment he sits down.

Some are candidates for live searches. Some are people he's reaching out to for other recruiters' roles. And some are marketing calls where he's got a strong candidate to pitch.

The mix changes. But the number doesn't.

"If I have the 50 calls planned, everything else flows from there. All the crazy distractions that pull you in a million directions? They'll happen anyway. But having the plan means I never lose the morning."

Here's what I took from it:

It doesn’t matter if you’re the leader of 55 person team 

Or just starting out in recruitment. 

- Win the morning 
- Consistent Activity (Calls, emails, LinkedIn) will always move the needle forward. 
- AND GET THE LIST READY THE NIGHT BEFORE  : ) 

Full podcast in comments : ) 

Topbillers toolkit is back, baby!!!! 

We have some insane guests lined up.

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Pinnacle Society Top 1% of Headhunters Nationwide | Engineering & Manufacturing Headhunter | Automation, Controls, Maintenance, Ops Leaders, Accounting/Finance, Human Resources

We Interview the top 1% of recruiters and share their PROVEN strategies to Win More Placements. 100+ episodes with top billers: from $500k to $2.5 Million producers.

Spoke with a recruiter yesterday. 
He earns $300k working 6 months a year. 
Then he switches off completely.



Plays guitar (his actual passion) 
Time with the kids 
Long holidays

He works in legal with $50-100k fees. 

A handful of deals and he's done for the year.

Not saying I would do this (so much wasted potential!) 

But recruitment is one of the few professions where you can build a pretty cushty lifestyle business.

Would you do this?

Since dating a Taiwanese woman
I’ve been reminded of one very human thing. 




It doesn't matter where you're from  

Different countries. 
Different religions. 
Completely different upbringings.

You can still love, build friendships and connect.

I'm dating a Taiwanese woman. 
My sister-in-law and niece are Jamaican. 
I've got Belgian friends, English friends, and Iranian friends. 
And one mate who looks like a bit of everything.

It’s pretty cool : ) 

(P.s, My first hotpot with the gang 👇 )

My brother lives 2 hours away.
But we saw each other twice last year  : ( 
Over Christmas, we spent 4 days together… 



We both brought our partners 
And our cats : ) 
We talked rubbish. 
Drank too much whiskey.

And I got to spend some precious time with my niece, Akira
(the little sliver thing in my brother's arms lol)  

And after this trip, one thing became very clear. 

I need to spend more time with my family. 

So thats exactly what I'm doing in 2026. 

No excuses. 
No more “waiting for the right moment. 

This year, I'm booking the trips first and taking the time off. 

Family stuff goes in the diary before work. 

I've got big targets for 2026. That hasn't changed.

But I'm not missing another year with the people who matter! 

Here's to a year of success, ambition, but putting family first : )

Spoke with a recruiter billing $540k 
He uses MPC’s to win new business 
But he’s doing something I haven’t heard before 



Here's Jeffrey's trick:

Before he sends a cold email to a potential client…

He sends them a LinkedIn connection request WITH a note.

Not just "Hey let's connect"

But an actual MPC pitch in the connection message.

300 characters or less. 
Lowercase.Straight to the point.

Something like:

"hey, saw your post looking for a PM. working with a candidate who's done $25M projects in your space. not sure if you're still looking but thought it might be worth a look?"

Same day or sometimes the next day?

Same pitch. Via email.

Here's why it's brilliant: 

A LinkedIn connection request has guaranteed deliverability ( as long as they use the platform )  

And it warms them up before the email. 

They know you're legit. 
They know you work in their niche.
They've probably clicked your profile.

So that "cold" email?

It’s a tad warmer. 

Plus, they are more likely to read it! 

Simple tweak.

Big difference.

FULL podcast in comments.

Founder @ Lakeview Search | Recruiting Top Construction and Engineering Pros

This recruiter went from 30K to 557K 
(In a single quarter) 
Because of ONE shift in strategy



When Elizabeth launched her business, her BD was generic. 

Pitching aimlessly. 
Shooting blind at targets and hoping something would stick.

Then she realised something.

She was getting insane intel from candidate conversations. 

When she sat down with an A-player who's been in the space for 15 years, they knew things no desk research could uncover… 

Who's actually hiring
Which teams are breaking
What's happening behind the scenes

So she flipped her entire approach.

Instead of chasing clients and hoping they had a need, she built deep relationships with the best candidates first. 

Then she'd turn those relationships into targeted BD.

Here's what that looked like:
She'd write a one-page profile on the candidate, their background, accomplishments, and what makes them exceptional. Then she'd send them a list of 15-20 companies she thought would value their skillset. The candidate would rank them 1, 2, or 3 and share who they knew at each one.

Now she's not cold pitching. 

She's reaching out to clients with a specific A-player, warm connections, and real market intel.

That's how she went from 30K to 557K.

She stopped selling recruitment. She started introducing solutions.

Full Podcast in comments

Spoke with a recruiter recently. 
He spent 2 years perfecting his spec emails. 
Here are the 5 things that actually work: 


1. Keep them stupidly short. 5-6 lines. That's it.

EXAMPLＥ： 

"Hey, working with a candidate at the moment based in [location]. Here's the details of them, they've got [brief info]..."

- Salary expected
- Location
- Years of experience

"Let me know if you need anything, or if you're looking for any other candidates - we have a database of X amount in this area."

Done.

2. Subject lines that get opened:
"Requested candidate"

Or his personal favourite:
"When are you going to send me my money for this?"

Ballsy. But it works.

3. Never attach the CV.
Sounds counterintuitive, but less info = more curiosity.
They come back asking questions. Now you've got a conversation.

4. One candidate per email. Always.
Long emails with 4 candidates? Straight to the bin.

Two short emails over two days beat one long email every time.

5. Stick to bread and butter candidates.
Entry-level. Easy to place. Cheap.

The complicated ones? Save those for actual phone calls, where you can provide context.

Simple stuff.

But most recruiters overcomplicate it.

Link to full podcast in comments

This sounds bloody weird saying this out loud.
But one of my goals for 2026... 
Is to be a dad.



My older brother has a son (Ziggy). 

My twin brother has a daughter (Akira).

And up until about 12 months ago… I wasn't really sure I wanted children.

In fact, I was pretty convinced I was going to be that weird single uncle who always brings a new woman to the family gathering every 6 months.

But two big things happened that completely changed that.

1. I met the woman of my dreams (Joanne)

2. I started to spend more time with my niece and nephew

And although they are bloody hard work, with insane amounts of energy, and they seem to get sick every 3 weeks. 

The moments of joy, like playing in the garden and seeing their little faces light up, were enough for me.

I don't want to downplay parenthood; I've heard how tough it is.

But… for the first time in my life, I think I'm ready.

Hopefully God agrees :)

When I was single, I was in a club 
And out of the blue, my friend shouted…
"OMG!!!, You guys are all bald, that's so funny!"



"Can we take a picture!?!?!?"

(complete strangers by the way) 

Everyone started looking at us.

The old Ben would have been mortified.

But when you've been bald long enough, you stop fighting it.

We smiled, laughed, and posed for the photo.

From years of unsolicited head-related interactions... 

I've realised, you can either resist the thing that makes you different…

Or you can own it.

Blokes: if you're losing your hair and stressing about it - shave it off. Trust me. It's easier, and it makes you stand out.

If you're already bald… just know I'm giving you the nod right now. You know the one.

The photo from that night? Still makes me laugh.

3  bald heads. Zero shame.

We've been working with a recruiter for 12 months.
He's posting twice a week (Tues and Thurs).
Here are the results:




- Over 4 million impressions from his target market
- $300k in trackable ROI from posts that directly triggered inbound leads
- Weekly messages from contacts praising his content
- At events, people point him out and mention his posts
- Competitors have started copying his content style ( Lol ) 

We've also gathered a ton of data. We know exactly what topics trigger more impressions, engagement and inbound. 

The next stage is scaling through ads. Now we can really turn up the engine.

Just a reminder:

If this guy hadn't worked with us, he'd still be doing well. 
He's an expert at what he does.

But he'd have no system for inbound. 
No data on what works. 
No content doing the BD for him while he works. 

He'd still be relying on referrals and hoping the phone keeps ringing.

Now he's got an asset that compounds every single week.

If you're an expert in your niche with no system for turning that into inbound... 

I'd love to show you what we do, for free : ) 

Link in comments

Are you a Top Biller? ($500K+)
Then you should be seen.
I’d love to have you on my podcast! : ) 




Sam and I have spent the last 2 years interviewing the BEST of the BEST in recruitment.

Here's a sample: https://lnkd.in/eT9CTF3Y

We've had $500K billers who are hungry and climbing.
$2.4 million billers who have mastered BD 
Founders who've exited for $20 million. $50 million. One for $100 million.

And lifestyle recruiters who work 4 days a week, pick their kids up from school, and STILL generate over $1 million a year.

Every single one of them dropped gold.

So what do YOU get?

Some of our podcast promotions have had over 400,000 eyeballs.
Your face. Your name. Your brand. In front of recruiters who actually care about getting better.
You'll also get a permanent spot on our WALL OF FAME.

An elite group of recruiters who sit in the top 5% of billers worldwide.
And finally…

You'll get to meet a couple of bald-headed twins.

Look, I can't promise we'll be mates for life.

But I CAN promise you'll leave with a smile on your face.

And a few warm conversations that probably wouldn't have happened otherwise.

Who knows, we might even have you back for round 2.

If you're billing $500K+ and you've got a story worth sharing…

DM me or feel free to book a call using the link in the comments: 

Let's make it happen :)

This recruiter started in 2020 (A tough market) 
He billed $200k in year 1. 
Then jumped to $1 MIl in year 2. Here’s how 



Here are Kent's numbers for the last 6 years:

2020: $200k 
2021: $1M 
2022: $1.1M 
Joined a new firm 
2023: $500k 
2024: $700k 
2025: $1.1M

All full-desk perm.

Kent puts the SPEED of his success down to two things. 

1. Working in a tough market forced him to learn the fundamentals VERY quickly. He had to perform, or he was out. He couldn't afford to get fired. 

2. He was able to learn from two exceptional recruiters. He soaked up everything they said and took action relentlessly. 

As a result... when the market shifted, and the money started flowing... 

He billed $1M in his second year. Almost unheard of.

Good reminder: Tough markets are good in some respects. Good recruiters will either sink or swim.

ALSO

Who you surround yourself with as a recruiter has a HUGE impact on your success.

FULL podcast in comments

Headhunter | 350+ Placements | Building World Class Product, Engineering and Sales/Marketing Teams

You know what I've realised?
After speaking to over 70 top billers
I'm convinced anyone can be successful in this industry.


I've interviewed:
→ A teacher on $40k a year who now bills over $600k 
→ A man with $500 left in his bank who now bills over $800k 
→ A woman who billed £20k or less for three years straight, now running a successful business 
→ A man who was homeless for 10 years and bought a recruitment firm in his 40s

Interviewing this many people has been a huge eye-opener.

It's shown me that it doesn't matter:

Your age 
Your race 
Your religion 
Your financial situation

If you love recruitment and you want it badly enough, you can still do it.

I've spoken to people who've done exactly that under seemingly impossible circumstances.

If they can, there's a chance you can too.

If you need some inspo, listen to their journeys : ) 

Link in comments to our podcast.

Spoke with a recruiter last year. 
He billed $1.1M with a small team. 
And he's done it all without LinkedIn.



No content. No brand. No inbound.

Just cold calls, Emails, referrals, and grinding the phones.

$1.1M.

Honestly? That's impressive as hell.

But here's what I can't stop thinking about…

What happens when you add fuel to a fire that's already burning?

His BD machine works.
His team can close.
His niche is dialled in.

Now imagine thousands of decision-makers seeing his name every week.

Imagine prospects already knowing who he is before he picks up the phone.

Imagine inbound enquiries landing while his team works on existing deals.

That's when content gets scary good.

If your foundations are already solid…

Content doesn't just "help."

It multiplies everything you're already doing.

We're running a 2-week free trial.

2 posts. Written for you. Designed to generate traction.

Some recruiters have won £30K+ just from the trial alone.

Link in comments : )

Got up at 6 am this morning 
Planned to smash through some work. 
Ended up on the toilet for 35 minutes. 





Good reminder: 

Don’t have strong coffee and spicy food on a Sunday.

Reminder: 
You can have a million-dollar business. 
And finish work at 5 pm…




Don’t believe me? 

This chap has done it. 

He Bills $1 mill. 
Finishes at 5 pm. 
Takes 6+ trips a year with his family. 
Hasn’t made a candidate call in 6 years lol 

Not saying it’s easy 

But it’s nice to know someone has done it. 

Because now we know it’s possible : ) 

And Pree goes through it in detail. 

Check out the podcast in the comments.

CEO at UltraTalent | Global Sales and GTM Recruitment | Top 1% Recruiter | Investor

Spoke with a recruiter last year.
He had 2-3,000 hiring managers on LinkedIn. 
ALL of them in his first-degree network.



I asked him what he was doing with it.

"Not much. Sending the odd message here and there. Mostly just waiting for them to reach out."

And honestly? I get it.

He was busy. Deals were coming in. 

There was no urgent need to go hunting for more work.

So we had a brief chat and parted ways.

Four months later, he saw one of my ads and reached back out.

Different story this time.

The pipeline was looking thin. Now he wanted to start marketing.

I didn't say this out loud ( he'd have thought I was an arrogant tosser ), but I couldn't help thinking...

If he'd started nurturing that network when things were good, he wouldn't be scrambling now.

This is the trap so many recruiters fall into.

When you're busy, marketing feels unnecessary. When you're quiet, it feels desperate.

The reality is, the best time to build relationships with your network is when you don't need anything from them. That's when you can show up consistently, add value, and stay front of mind, without any pressure.

Then, when things slow down (and they always do), you're not starting from zero. You've got warm conversations ready to go.

If you want a simple, long-term strategy for nurturing your audience and turning those connections into actual opportunities, I'm happy to walk you through it.

We have a 2-week free trial, and it will show you our exact process. 

Follow the link to learn more :

Spoke with a $1 million biller. 
His MPC campaigns have won him 40+ clients. 
Here it is, almost word for word:


-----------------------------------------

"Hey, I'm Kent. I specialise in senior software hires. 
Here's one of the strongest engineers I'm working with right now:

- MIT graduate with a PhD
- Two-time Math Olympiad winner
- Staff Engineer at Airbnb, then Staff Engineer at Snapchat
- Recently founded his own company and built an app from zero to one

Is it worth a chat?"

-----------------------------------------

This same approach works for sales, marketing, tech and legal hires.

Find an exceptional candidate. Put them in front of the right people. That's it.

No fancy tools. No AI software. Just the fundamentals done well.

He's won 40+ clients and billed over $1 million three times using this exact method.

Full podcast in comments

Recent conversation: 
Me: “How are you winning new business?”
Owner: (laughs) “If I’m honest? 80% is from me… 



Me: “And you’ve got 12 recruiters?”

Owner: “Yep. Brilliant at delivery. Just not hunters.”

Me: “So if you stopped pushing BD for a month… what happens?”

Owner: (pause) “We’d feel it.”

Me: “Fair enough” 

Owner: “I don’t want to turn them into salespeople. That’s not who they are.”

Me: “I agree” 

Owner: “So what’s the alternative?”

Me: “You maximise what you already have.”

Owner: “Meaning?”

Me: “You’ve got 15k connections.
You’re well known and respected in your niche.
You know your shit.
It’s time to start shouting about it.”

Owner: “And that actually works?”

Me: “Yep, and I’ll show you for free. 

Owner: “How?”

Me: “We write two posts. Free.

We show you the traction they create.

If it changes the quality of conversations, we continue.

If it doesn’t, you walk.”

Owner: “Alright” 

Link in comments : )

This recruiter did $500k year 1 
And jumped to $1.8 Million in year 2. 
Here's how he did it...

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