CEO, Highland & Haskill Creek • Founder of Classy (acq. by GoFundMe) • Founder of nonprofit, Save Farmland

Every week I tackle management, operations & startup topics that are helping 250,000+ people. Sign up free: www.scotchisholm.com

I also run a leadership accelerator that helps founders develop into top CEOs. Apply here: https://joinhighland.com/apply/

My backstory: 

🚀 Founder of Classy, SaaS for nonprofits raising billions per year

🎗️ Acquired by GoFundMe in ‘22 to create largest giving platform in the world

🌲 Investor in dozens of startups out of family fund, Tall Timbers Holding Co, (Ripple, FanDuel, Hubble, Casetext, etc.)

🏔️ Founder of Highland, leadership accelerator & community for founders

🏡 Co-founder of Haskill Creek, modernized & healthier version of a Walgreens or CVS 

⚽️ Co-owner of Albion Soccer Club, top youth soccer club in country

🧑🏼‍🌾 Founder of Save Farmland, a nonprofit protecting local farmland & food 

⚙️ Industrial engineer & lean six sigma nerd, UMass Amherst grad 

❤️ Board experience: Nature Conservancy, Abundant Montana, Team Rubicon, Street Soccer USA, Montana Pediatric Cancer Foundation

It's been a wild ride. If you're interested in any of the above, please visit my website and reach out to me there. 

www.scotchisholm.com

Scot Chisholm

Launch your own recruiting business & get new clients without quitting your 9-5 (see my 50+ LinkedIn recommendations below)

Are you an agency recruiter, corporate recruiter, or industry expert who wants to build your own recruiting business, but don’t know where to start or how to get new clients?

Maybe you’re:

- Unsure which niche to focus on
- Struggling to find clients 
- Trying to avoid conflicts with your current 9 to 5
- Worried about job security and looking to create an extra income stream

I get it, the idea of going out on your own can feel overwhelming and even experienced recruiters often struggle with business development

I’ll work with you to:
✅ Refine your niche, launch your recruiting business, and run it in “incognito mode” if you have a day job
✅ Land your new clients using our proven automated client acquisition systems
✅ Make your first $20,000+ placement (often in under 90 days)
✅ Follow the same system that’s helped 300+ people launch and grow profitable agencies

If you’re ready to take control of your income, flexibility, and future:

Click on the link below to watch my training video:

www.recruitinglaunch.com

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬 (𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦)
- 15+ years of experience in recruiting — built and sold my own recruiting agency
- Launched profitable recruiting business for clients across various industries, including tech, sales, healthcare, legal, finance, engineering, marketing, construction, and more
- 50+ client testimonials (check out my LinkedIn  recommendations at the bottom of my profile)

Jon Chintanaroad

If you've been thinking about starting your own recruiting business in 2026, here's what you need to know:

You don't need prior recruiting experience. You don't need a degree or certification. You don't need a huge network. You don't even need to quit your 9-5.

Here's the reality most people don't understand about recruiting:

The industry did $26.7 billion last year in the US alone. There are over 4 million job postings on LinkedIn right now from companies struggling to find the right talent.

And the math is simple.

When you help someone land a $100k job, you earn 20% of their salary. That's $20,000 for making one hire.

Small to medium-sized companies don't have the budget for internal recruiting teams. So they post jobs online and hope the perfect candidate finds them.

But the best candidates? They're already employed. They're not scrolling job boards.

That's where you come in.

You become the matchmaker. You find those passive candidates and connect them with companies who will pay a premium for the help.

The process isn't complicated:

Pick a niche based on your background or industry experience. Find hiring managers on LinkedIn who are actively hiring in your niche. Reach out and offer to send them strong candidates. Get a simple agreement signed. Fill the role and invoice 20% of the salary.

Monthly overhead? A couple hundred bucks for tools. That's it.

It took me years to figure all of this out the hard way.

When I first branched out on my own, there was no one to help me start my recruiting business. No roadmap. No mentor. Just trial and error, lots of mistakes, and missed opportunities I'll never get back.

That's exactly why I built Recruiting Launch.

Over the last 5 years, I've helped 400+ people skip the painful learning curve and launch their own profitable recruiting businesses while keeping their day jobs.

And here's the thing about timing:

January is when hiring budgets reset. Hiring managers have growth top of mind. For recruiting business owners, it's a land grab for new clients.

That's why we offer a 14-day build, done with you, with our team.

Niche optimization. Branding. Automated client acquisition. All set up so you're not "thinking about it" anymore. You're fully operational and having conversations with hiring managers while the iron's hot.

If 2026 is the year you finally bet on yourself, click the link in my profile to learn how we can build this together.

You don’t need a “launch plan” to start a recruiting business.
You need momentum.

Most recruiters overthink this.
They wait weeks.
They research tools.
They talk to lawyers.

And nothing actually moves.

You can set this up in a weekend if you focus on the right things.

Here’s what actually matters:

1.⁠ ⁠Pick a tight niche
Think about restaurants.
An 8-page menu tells you nothing is great.
A one-page menu tells you they’ve mastered it.

Hiring managers think the same way.
When you focus on 4–6 specific roles, they assume you’re good at them.
Generalists stay stuck. Specialists get hired.

2.⁠ ⁠Keep the setup simple
Your LinkedIn profile matters more than your website.
When someone gets your message, they click your name first.

If your profile doesn’t clearly say who you help and how, the conversation ends there.

Build a clean, basic website if you want, but don’t obsess over it.
Most clients never look at it anyway.

3.⁠ ⁠Use a one-page agreement
Long contracts slow deals down.
Simple ones get signed.

All you need is:
– Fee percentage
– 90-day replacement guarantee
– Net 30 terms

One page. Clear. Done.

4.⁠ ⁠Automate your outreach
This is the real unlock.

Take the messages you’d send manually and load them into a daily sequence.
That way, new conversations start even when you’re busy working job orders.

No guesswork.
No waiting.
No “someday.”

Just the basics, done properly.

If you want the full breakdown, I walk through this step by step in the video.
Link in the comments.

$52,000 placement fee in under 90 days.

That's what Joy Boston from UXL Consulting did after joining our program.

She landed her first client within a few weeks of launching our automated client acquisition system. Then placed a senior-level robotics engineer for them.

Joy had been recruiting for years. She was good at it. But she felt stuck.

She knew how to find candidates. What she didn't know was how to market herself, get her own clients, and build a business around her expertise.

Sound familiar?

Here's what changed for her:

She got clear on her niche. Robotics engineering. Very specialized. Very in demand.

Joy started using our automated client acquisition system. Hiring managers started responding.

Then she followed our authority-building content marketing strategy. She started posting consistently on LinkedIn. Some posts went viral.

Inbound leads. From content. While automation runs in the background.

That's the combination that builds a real business.

And she didn't do it alone. She collaborated with another recruiter from our community on a split deal. Turned a potential loss into a $52k win.

Joy said it best: "Even though I've been recruiting for years, I needed formal guidance to get to the next level."

Now here's why this matters for you right now:

It's the new year. January is when hiring budgets reset. Hiring managers have growth top of mind. For recruiting business owners, it's a land grab for new clients.

You still have time.

We build your recruiting business with you in 14 days. Niche optimization. Branding. Automated client acquisition. All done with our team.

So by the end of January, you're not "thinking about it." You're signing your first 20-25% fee client.

And if you have a day job, no problem. We set everything up in what we call "incognito mode" so you can do this part-time, on the side, completely under the radar.

If you want to strike while the iron's hot, click the link in my profile to watch our 4-step process video.

Recruiters: It's the first full work week of 2026. How do you feel?

If you jumped out of bed this morning genuinely excited about what's ahead, good for you. That's awesome.

But if you're not feeling that way, maybe it's worth asking yourself why.

If you're a corporate recruiter:

Maybe you're dreading another year of overwhelming req loads, shrinking teams, and wondering if you'll be the next one impacted by layoffs. You know you're a rockstar and can fill almost any role. But you also know the path you're on won't get you to your financial goals or give you the freedom to pick your own clients.

If you're an agency recruiter:

Maybe you're looking at another year giving up the lion's share of the fees you earn while making the agency owner wealthier. You already know the real money comes from keeping 100% of what you bill. And you're doing pretty much all the work already.

Regardless of what type of recruiting you do, if today wasn't the day you jumped out of bed with a sparkle in your eye, this might be the year to start building your exit plan.

Not by quitting your job tomorrow. But by spinning something up quietly on the side.

Here's where most people get tripped up when starting their own recruiting business:

They pick too broad of a niche. They don't know how to brand themselves to attract clients without raising red flags with their employer. And they get stuck on business development and setting up LinkedIn automation.

That's why at Recruiting Launch, we take that off your plate.

My team and I build your recruiting business with you over 14 days. We meet with you one-on-one to optimize your niche, design your branding, write your messaging, and set up your entire automated client acquisition system.

We deploy our proven best practices that have helped over 400 recruiters over the last 5 years successfully branch out on their own.

And we support you until you make your first placement. That way, it's not a matter of if you'll be successful. It's a matter of when.

Two weeks from now, you won't be thinking about "going off on your own someday." You'd be fully operational and already generating conversations with hiring managers.

And you'd be running your business part-time using our Incognito Mode process. That means you keep your 9-5, do this ethically and under the radar. Over five years, we've never had a single incident of someone's employer finding out.

Build your getaway car quietly. Sign a few private clients. Keep $20,000 to $30,000 or more for every role you fill on the side.

Give it a try. Who knows. You might like it.

Follow the link on my profile to watch our 4-step process video and learn how to get your first recruiting client without quitting your day job.

If you're a corporate recruiter who believes your job is to help candidates find a happy home, you should probably have your own recruiting practice on the side.

Let me explain.

Last week I was talking to a corporate recruiter named Sarah.

She told me about a candidate she'd been working with for weeks. Software engineer. Great culture fit. Made it all the way to final rounds.

The hiring manager went with someone else.

Sarah broke the news, wished him well, and moved on to her next req.

Two days later, that candidate got a call from an independent recruiter who ended up placing her candidate three weeks later on a $140k base salary.

That recruiter made $28k.

Here's what hit Sarah hard.

She already knew everything about that candidate. His skills. His experience. His target comp. What his dream role looked like. She'd spent hours building that relationship.

And some recruiter who'd never spoken to him before swooped in and collected a $28k fee on HER candidate.

Spoke with a tech recruiter recently who's been billing $400k+ for her agency and wants to branch out on her own.

But here's her problem: She recruits software engineers. Her agency recruits software engineers.

"How can I possibly start my own tech recruiting business while working for a tech recruiting agency?"

I hear this every single week.

Here's the truth most people don't realize:

Non-competes are almost always just a deterrent.

And in many states, like California, aren’t even enforceable. 

That said, I always recommend doing this 100% ethically.

There's no point in pursuing your dream of keeping $20k to $40k per placement if you're constantly stressed and looking over your shoulder.

Here's how to navigate it:

1. Don't try to poach your agency's clients. Ever.

2. If a candidate is already interviewing for your agency's job orders, don't touch them.

3. But if a great candidate doesn't get placed with your agency's clients? Reach out. Have a discreet conversation about opening other doors for them.

4. Fish in a different pond. If your agency services California, target other states. If they focus on software engineers, specialize in sales engineers or technical account executives.

Here's what most people get wrong:

They think this means building an agency from day one. Employees. Brick and mortar.

No. This is a lifestyle business.

One placement every 60 days on top of your current workload.

$100k candidate at 20% fee = $20,000 in your pocket.

That's $120,000 additional income per year.

And instead of comparing what you bill to what you take home and wondering "why am I making the agency owner rich?"...

You're keeping 100%.

If your employer situation has been the thing stopping you, it's more navigable than you think.

If you're curious how to do this without your boss ever finding out, I break down our "incognito mode" process in a short video. Link's on my profile.

First work week of 2026 is in the books.

Hope you're feeling set up for the year you've been dreaming about.

I spent the holidays with my wife and son, River. Moments like these remind me why I do what I do.

Here's something I've noticed after helping 400+ people start their own recruiting businesses:

The ones who are most successful don't chase money for money's sake.

They see financial goals as stepping stones to life goals.

More time with loved ones.

More control over the type of work they do.

More freedom over their schedule.

The money is just the vehicle. The destination is a life they actually want to live.

When I ask people why they want to start a recruiting business, they rarely say "I want to make $200k."

They say things like:

"I want to be there when my kids get home from school."

"I want to stop dreading Sunday nights."

"I want to build something that's mine."

"I want to stop trading my best hours for someone else's dream."

The income matters. But it's what the income unlocks that really matters.

If you're still figuring out what 2026 looks like for you, that's okay.

It's still the beginning. There's time to design your year.

And as cheesy as it might sound, there's still time to make this your best year ever.

Wishing everyone a strong start to 2026.

People overcomplicate starting a recruiting business.

You don't need weeks of planning. You don't need a lawyer. You don't need a fancy website.

You can launch over a weekend.

Here's what you actually need:

1. A focused niche

Think about restaurants with 8-page menus. You automatically assume they can't make everything well.

But a fine dining spot with a one-page menu? You trust they've mastered every dish.

Hiring managers think the same way about recruiters.

When they see you only fill 4-6 specific roles, they assume you're great at it.

Generalists spin their wheels. Specialists get clients.

2. A simple setup
Your LinkedIn profile matters more than your website.

When a hiring manager reads your message, the first thing they do is click your name. If your profile doesn't scream "I can help you hire," you've already lost them.

Your website? 80% of clients never even look at it. Make it clean and professional, then move on.

Stop perfecting. Start launching.

3. A one-page agreement

People think they need a 5-page contract reviewed by legal.

That's how you lose clients.

Keep it simple: Fee percentage. 90-day guarantee. Net 30 payment terms.

One page. Easy to sign. Done.

4. An automated way to find clients

This is the real game-changer.

Take the messages you'd send manually and load them into a sequence that runs on autopilot.

Even when you're busy with job orders, fresh opportunities keep coming in.

That's it. Niche. Profile. Agreement. Automation.

Click the link below to watch the full breakdown.

One phone call got me a job at Google.

Two weeks later, I realized the "dream job" was a nightmare.

Here's what happened:

I was cold calling candidates at a temp agency when someone flipped the script on me.

She said: "I just looked you up on LinkedIn. I'm recruiting for a recruiter position... at Google."

I was making peanuts at the time. Google was offering six figures.

A few weeks later, I walked onto that campus feeling like I'd made it.

The red piano in the lobby. People riding scooters. Fancy cafeterias everywhere.

I thought: "This is it. I'm set."

Then I asked my manager a simple question on my first real day of work.

"How long are lunch breaks?"

His answer: "The cafeteria is right there. However long it takes you to eat. Like 15 minutes."

That's when I started noticing things.

Everyone was stressed. Heads down. No chatting.

A coworker pulled me aside: "Dude, we're hourly contractors. If we don't hit our numbers, we're gone like that."

I said: "But if we work hard, they'll convert us to full-time, right?"

He laughed.

"If the company goes on a hiring freeze, who do you think gets cut first? The recruiters."

That's when I learned the truth about corporate recruiting.

The "safety" is an illusion.

Your job security depends entirely on whether the company feels like hiring.

The moment they don't... you're out.

This experience changed how I thought about my career.

It's why I eventually started my own recruiting business.

Click on the link below to watch the full story.

PJ Milam closed a five-figure placement last month.

Beat out four other agencies the client was already working with.

Delivered the candidate in less than a week.

Now that client wants to clear their roster and work exclusively with him.

One account turned into a parent company plus three subsidiaries.

He's got 15 candidates interviewing across 10 active job orders.

Here's the part most people miss:

When we first started working together, PJ was whale hunting. Chasing the same big fish every other recruiter was going after.

Broad targeting. Competing with everyone. Blending into the noise.

Then he niched down into insurance recruiting.

That's when everything changed.

The lesson is simple.

Your niche is the tip of the spear. It's not meant to limit you. It's meant to get you in the door.

Once you're in and you deliver, they roll out the red carpet.

More job orders. Introductions to other departments. Other companies in their portfolio.

PJ's not limiting himself by specializing.

He's building a recruiting business with real momentum.

If you're thinking about starting your own recruiting business and want to learn how we help people get clients without quitting their day job, follow the link in my profile.

Today's the last day of 2025. If starting your own recruiting business has been on your mind, here's a checklist so you can actually launch this weekend instead of "someday."

People overcomplicate this.

You don't need months of preparation. You don't need a perfect website. You don't need a 10-page contract reviewed by lawyers.

Here's what you actually need:

1. Pick your niche (4-6 specific roles max)
Think of it like a restaurant. When you see an 8-page menu, you assume nothing's great. When you see a one-page menu, you trust they've mastered it. Hiring managers think the same way about recruiters.

2. Optimize your LinkedIn profile

When a hiring manager gets your message, they click your name first. Your profile should scream specialist, not generalist. If your headline still mentions your college, fix it.

3. Set up a simple website

Use Wix or any AI website builder. Takes a few hours. 80% of clients never even look at it. Don't overthink this.

4. Create a one-page agreement

Fee percentage (20-30%), 90-day replacement guarantee, net 30 payment terms. That's it. Clients sign simple agreements. They send complicated contracts to legal and you lose the deal.

5. Set up automated outreach

Take the messages you'd send manually and load them into an automated sequence. This runs daily while you sleep.

You can do all of this over the weekend.

But if you haven't done it yet, I understand.
I thought about branching out on my own for years. Kept it on the back burner. Told myself I'd get to it eventually.

It took getting laid off from my last recruiting job to seriously consider going solo. And even then, I needed support. My two first clients believed in me when I barely believed in myself.

Jeff and Tina, thank you for being that support when I needed it most.

Here's the truth: everyone needs support.

It's like Newton's first law. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest until acted on by an outside force.

That's not a character flaw. That's just physics.

If you know you need that outside force... a guiding hand... a mentor in your corner... that's exactly why we exist.

We build your recruiting business with you.

Niche optimization. Branding. Automated client acquisition. We set it all up for you so that by early January, you're not still "thinking about it."

You're fully operational and starting conversations with hiring managers.

And timing matters. January is when hiring budgets reset and managers are most receptive to working with independent recruiters.

If 2026 is your year, click the link in my profile and let's build this together.

Most independent recruiters prepare too much for sales calls.

They walk in with proposals ready, fee structures memorized, and three different contract options in their back pocket.

And then they wonder why the conversation feels forced.

Here's what I tell the recruiters I work with:

Think like a doctor, not a salesperson.

A doctor asks questions before prescribing treatment. They don't walk in with medication already in hand.

Same with sales calls with hiring managers. 

Your only job in the first conversation is to learn. Where are they at with the search? What have they tried? What's getting in the way? When do they need someone by?

The more you understand, the better you can prescribe a solution that actually fits.

Now, if you’re meeting with an early stage start-up, one question every recruiter needs to ask but feels awkward asking:

"Do you have a budget for this?"

Here's how to ask it without sounding like you're interrogating them:

"I imagine when I start reaching out to candidates, they're going to ask about your company, your funding situation, the stability, etc. So when they ask, what should I tell them?"

Same question. Softer delivery. And now they're answering it in a way that feels helpful to them, not intrusive.

One more thing.

Sometimes you'll talk to a hiring manager who genuinely needs help but has no money to pay you.

Most recruiters walk away from that conversation.

I don't.

Here's what I say instead:

"Based on your current situation, my standard engagement and fee probably wouldn't make sense for you right now. But I'd still love to help. How about this…let me send you five profiles of people I think could be a strong fit that you’re welcome to reach out to about your opportunity. If you like what you see, would you be open to writing me a LinkedIn recommendation about the quality of candidates I brought to you?"

Now you didn't get paid. But you got social proof.

And social proof compounds.

Three to five LinkedIn recommendations from hiring managers and suddenly new clients stop asking if you know what you're doing. They already see it.

That's how you turn a "no budget" conversation into a future client magnet.

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