Advisor to small recruitment firms looking to scale to 7 figures | Check out my website to see about working together

Two years ago, I started working with a boutique recruiting agency that had hit a wall.

The founder was stuck. No consistent pipeline. Sales were reactive. Everything depended on him — and when he focused on delivery, growth stalled.

Over 18 months, we rebuilt his outbound engine from the ground up. Account targeting, messaging, automation, KPIs — all designed to operate without him. Today, that firm has scaled to $5.6M, and their pipeline runs with consistency and control.

That story isn’t unique. Since then, I’ve helped dozens of founder-led recruiting firms move from ad hoc sales to structured, scalable growth.

I do this through The Systematic Recruiter — a proven 90-day method to build outbound systems that generate pipeline even when the founder is focused on running the business, not stuck inside it.

This isn’t coaching theory. I work hands-on inside my clients’ CRMs — writing sequences, mapping targeting frameworks, and building processes they can rely on.

The outcome? A fully operational sales system designed to run without the founder.

Most of my clients come to me when they’re ready to move beyond survival mode and scale with intention.

If you're still relying on referrals, sporadic outreach, or bursts of activity during slow months — it’s time for a system.

Book a call and I’ll walk you through it. No pitch unless it’s a fit.

Keely Flood

CEO at FJR Group- Passionate about building high performing teams

Forge Talent has been founded on the core principle that we are focused on relationships not transactions.

We’re not here to disrupt the traditional recruitment model but with a relationship-first approach we drive real results by adding value.

As a specialist Finance and Accounting talent partner, we connect high-growth, private equity-backed businesses, major PLCs, and ambitious SMEs across the North West with the best talent in the market.

Our expertise spans three dedicated brands:

Transactional & Part-Qualified Finance
Traditional & Commercial Finance
Leadership Finance

Everything we do is underpinned by our values:

We’re driven by Relationships
A true talent partnership 
We Show Respect
Act Responsibly 
Always Honest 

If you want a recruitment partner who will back you, challenge you, and put you first, get in touch today.

Max Learmonth

Fortune favours the brave. 📣

That’s what Phil Sheridan said to me in a boardroom in 2016, right before he gave me the biggest shot of my career at that point. 

Since then, every bold move I’ve run past Phil. (Along with a few others) 

We hadn’t seen each other in person since 2018 which is crazy. 

Yesterday, we changed that.

This time we were talking about what’s next!

Rolling the dice, making a move that is going to challenge the status quo again & make people uncomfortable.

What’s cooking?

You’ll find out soon.

Let’s just say when you’re a challenger brand with the right people in your corner, the big plays get a whole lot easier. 🔥

Fortune favours the brave. 👊🏼

Founder - Forge Talent, Building Finance Teams across the North West 🚀

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Immediately available Financial Controller needed!! 📣

PE Backed business, North Manchester, £120,000-£130,000.

Lead all finance operations and reporting.
-Own monthly management accounts and board reporting.
-Drive budgeting, forecasting and performance analysis.
-Partner with operational leaders to provide commercial insight.
-Maintain robust financial controls and governance.

Interviews Wednesday.

(Must be ACA/ACCA/CIMA Qualified & based in the North West).

Drop me a message if interested. 👊🏼

Hellllllooooooo London!!! 📣

Did you miss me……?

It’s been a minute. Not that long ago I was basically on a bi-weekly residency.

Back in town and it’s stacked:

–A seriously exciting conversation about what’s next for Forge Talent.
–Early discussions around a new offering/venture.
–Intros flying around with Private Equity partners.
–Deep dives into People, Process & Systems transformation projects.
–And a catch up with the man who gave me some of my biggest breaks in this industry.

Couple of small windows in the diary while I’m here.

Coffee? Beer? Ideas on a napkin?

Drop me a message. 👊🏼

New Starter 🙌🏼

Today we welcome Luke Salczynski to the Forge Talent team!!

Luke brings over 10 years experiences in the industry, delivering specialist consultancy led recruitment solutions across multiple sectors.

Throughout his career, Luke has worked within global recruitment firms and boutique consultancies, successfully building and leading teams, managing senior level appointments, driving new business and consistently delivering.

Luke will be partnering myself & Amber Long across Senior Finance so if you are a Head of Finance, Controller, Director or CFO looking for your next opportunity or want a no nonsense approach to recruitment please get in touch direct. 👊🏼

Commercial Financial Controller – PE Backed, High Growth, North Manchester, £110,000–£130,000. 📣📣📣

We’re partnering with a PE-backed, high growth business in North Manchester to appoint a commercially minded Financial Controller.

Key Responsibilities:

-Lead all BAU finance operations and reporting.
-Own monthly management accounts and board reporting.
-Drive budgeting, forecasting and performance analysis.
-Partner with operational leaders to provide commercial insight.
-Maintain robust financial controls and governance.
-Oversee and develop a strong finance team.
-Collaborate closely with the CFO and M&A team during integration phases.

Want to know more then get in touch ASAP because interviews will happen next week. 👊🏼

Interim Chief of Staff for an exit readiness programme. 📣

Manchester, High Growth, PE, 6 months, outside IR35, £500-£600 per day. 

-Leading the end-to-end preparation of Board, Executive and Stakeholder reporting packs.
-Translating financial and operational performance into clear executive-level narratives.
-Ensuring consistency, relevance and accuracy across governance forums.
-Coordinating inputs from the Executive Leadership Team and functional heads.
-Managing reporting timelines and enforcing contribution deadlines.
-Maintaining reporting frameworks, templates and performance dashboards.
-Integrating financial, commercial and operational metrics into cohesive outputs.

Want to know more, drop me a message and send me your CV. 👊🏼

Finance Procurement – Permanent Team Build in Manchester 🔥 

Another transformation project that Forge Talent are partnering on with a scaling business.

We’re supporting the build out of a brand new Finance Procurement function and this one is exclusively with us.......AGAIN. 

We don’t take on team builds if multiple agencies are involved.

We are hiring:

Head of Procurement – £80,000 - £90,000
2x Senior Procurement Managers – £60,000
2x Procurement Analysts – £40,000

Interviews will be taking place next week.

Want to know more?

Drop me or Mike Dias a message 👊

Recruitment Partnerships. 📣

-Not new.
-Not sexy.
-Widely misunderstood.

A partnership is not:

–Someone spamming CVs at you.
–Someone nodding along to everything you say.
–Someone slashing fees to win business.

A real recruitment partnership is different.

-It’s someone who knows the market inside out.
-Who sees the problem before you do and brings the solution.
-Who doesn’t hide behind a job spec because they instinctively know what good looks like.
-Who has a track record in delivering. 

That’s a partnership.

When you’re scaling? You need a partner.

In times of transformation? You need a partner.

When it all goes sideways? You really need a partner.

Because recruitment isn’t a transaction.

It’s a partnership.

Tired of the same old bullshit from the dinosaurs in the industry. 

Start building partnerships. 👊🏼

Old volume driven PSL’s are outdated & damage your employer brand!! 📣

You will start to see them disappear.

There is next to no benefit to being on that PSL.

-5+ agencies on it.
-Portal led.
-Rock bottom fees.
-6 month rebate periods. 
-Little hiring manager contact.
-Zero process management.
-3+ interview stages & testing. 
-Internal team dislikes agencies & vice versa.
-S£&T communication.
-Time to hire is 12+weeks. (On average)

All that happens is you get average recruiters giving you S£&T service.

What’s the incentive???

Times are changing people.

(PSLs that are a strategic partnership……. very very different). 👊🏼

Who doesn’t love multiple transformation programmes across the North West... 📢 

Well Forge Talent has just been engaged on another one. 🚀 

This time it’s centred around Financial Reporting & Business Intelligence improvements for a major Manchester based organisation.

We’re looking for a Financial Reporting & Business Intelligence Lead.

You’ll be responsible for:

-Leading the end-to-end preparation of Board, Executive and Stakeholder reporting packs.
-Translating financial and operational performance into clear executive-level narratives.
-Ensuring consistency, relevance and accuracy across governance forums.
-Coordinating inputs from the Executive Leadership Team and functional heads.
-Managing reporting timelines and enforcing contribution deadlines.
-Challenging and validating submitted data.
-Maintaining reporting frameworks, templates and performance dashboards.
-Integrating financial, commercial and operational metrics into cohesive outputs.
-Streamlining reporting processes through automation and BI tooling.

Day rate DOE & Must be Manchester based. 

Interested? Drop me a message. 👊

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The Battle

Keely Flood

Max Learmonth

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The Battle

Keely Flood

Max Learmonth

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Max Learmonth's LinkedIn Performance

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