As CEO of 1 At Bat Media, I lead a team that helps eCommerce brands accelerate their growth and maximize customer retention through data-driven strategies in paid media and email marketing. With over a decade of experience, I’ve had the privilege of working with brands that generate annual sales as high as $250 million in various exciting niches.

Key areas of expertise include:

	•	Paid Media (Social & Search)
	•	Email Marketing (Klaviyo Partner)
	•	Influencer Management
	•	eCommerce Growth Consulting
	•	Shopify CRO

Let’s connect if you’re looking to scale your eCommerce brand and optimize marketing strategies for profitability.

Travis McEwan

Joel Brody

Ethical Recruitment Leader | Mid to executive-level placement | Helping Qualified Candidates Grow Their Careers by Matching Them with Thriving Companies

Six months. That’s how long a construction firm searched for their next Director of Operations.

Hundreds of resumes. Dozens of interviews. Zero results.

When the CEO finally called me, he was exhausted. The business was growing, but without the right leader in place, he was stuck in the weeds, running operations himself instead of focusing on scaling the company.

Here’s what happened next: I clarified the role, tapped into my hidden network, and within six weeks placed the leader they’d been chasing for half a year. That hire streamlined operations, stabilized the team, and gave the CEO his time back.

This is what I do.
I help mid-market and growth-stage businesses—in construction, real estate, healthcare, and e-commerce—find the executives and senior managers who can turn chaos into clarity and growth into something sustainable.

Not by flooding inboxes with résumés.
Not by recycling candidates who happen to be “looking.”
But through our Right-Fit Recruiting Method™️: deep discovery, targeted headhunting, and cultural alignment that ensures leaders don’t just stick, they scale with you.

Here’s why clients come back:

8 years recruiting across industries that don’t tolerate mistakes

92% retention rate at the 12-month mark for senior hires

A reputation as a trusted advisor to CEOs and founders who are serious about growth

One client put it best:
“Joel didn’t just send resumes, he delivered the leader we’d been searching for. His process saved us months of wasted time and gave us the confidence to scale.”

At the end of the day, I’m not just a recruiter. I’m a headhunter.
I don’t stop until the right leader is in the seat.
I don’t just fill roles, I help companies build futures.

Outside of work, you’ll find me with my family and involved in my community. That same people-first mindset drives everything I do: relationships first, results always.

Looking to make your next senior hire the right one? Let’s talk about how we can find your perfect fit.

Executive Level Recruiter

Inflation hurts strong candidates the most

Here is the part candidates do not expect.

Resume inflation does not hurt weak candidates.
It hurts strong ones.

When everyone exaggerates,
hiring managers raise skepticism across the board.

That means
more scrutiny
longer processes
fewer second chances

At Mai Placement, the fastest hires are often the most precise resumes.
Clear scope.
Clear outcomes.
No unnecessary elevation.

Truth cuts through noise faster than polish.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Your resume is not a vision board

Most resumes I see are not lies.
They are aspirations.

Candidates describe the role they wanted to grow into
instead of the work they actually owned.

Strategy without authority.
Leadership without decisions.
Ownership without accountability.

At Mai Placement, this is where problems begin.

A resume is not meant to show potential.
It is meant to show proof.

When resumes describe future ability instead of past impact,
interviews turn into audits.

Your resume should not tell me where you are going.
It should show me where you have already been effective.

Clarity builds trust.
Inflation creates friction.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

A simple culture test every founder should run

If you are hiring or scaling, answer these honestly.
No spin. No justification.

At Mai Placement, these questions predict retention better than any interview.

Can your leadership team explain success in the same way
Not similar. The same.

Can new hires clearly state what decisions they own in the first 30 days

When something breaks, is accountability clear or political

Do people feel safe raising issues without being labeled difficult

Are strong performers promoted or protected

Does feedback happen early or only when frustration builds

Do exits surprise leadership or confirm patterns everyone felt

If you hesitated on more than two of these, that is not bad luck.
That is culture speaking.

Culture is not your values page.
It is what happens when no one is watching and something goes wrong.

Founders who win long term do not get defensive here.
They get curious.

Because talent does not leave randomly.
It responds to signals.

And the culture you tolerate today is the culture you will recruit for tomorrow.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Companies carry real financial liability when they hire wrong

Hiring is not just salary.

It is onboarding cost.
Management bandwidth.
Client trust.
Team morale.
Lost momentum.

One wrong hire can quietly cost multiples of their compensation.

At Mai Placement, companies are cautious because they have been burned before.
Not because they lack empathy.
But because mistakes ripple.

That is why judgment is probed.
That is why maturity matters.
That is why readiness is screened.

This is not a values issue.
It is a business reality.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

What this entire conversation really comes down to

This arc touched candidates, hiring managers, and founders.
And the reaction was predictable.

Some felt seen.
Some felt uncomfortable.
Some felt defensive.

That tells me the conversation mattered.

At Mai Placement, here is the truth we live in every day.

Candidates want stability, growth, and fair compensation.
Hiring managers want reliability, judgment, and reduced risk.
Founders want speed, performance, and alignment.

None of those goals are wrong.

What breaks hiring is not intent.
It is misalignment and misunderstanding.

Candidates struggle when they do not understand how risk is evaluated.
Hiring managers struggle when they cannot articulate expectations.
Founders struggle when culture is assumed instead of designed.

This was never about blame.
It was about clarity.

Hiring works when reality is understood on all sides.
And it fails when empathy replaces honesty or when standards are hidden instead of explained.

Clarity is not harsh.
It is stabilizing.

And once clarity exists, hiring stops feeling personal and starts working better for everyone involved.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Responsibilities are not the same as ownership

One of the most common resume patterns is long lists of responsibilities.

I managed
I supported
I worked on
I was involved in

None of those tell me what you owned.

At Mai Placement, hiring managers want to know
What decisions were yours
What outcomes you were accountable for
What broke if you did not deliver

Being around work is not the same as driving it.

Ownership creates credibility.
Vague responsibility creates doubt.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Financial stress shows up at work even when people deny it

Candidates often say
My personal life should not matter.

In theory, that is true.
In reality, stress leaks.

It leaks into tone.
Into patience.
Into reactions when things go wrong.
Into how feedback is received.

At Mai Placement, hiring managers rarely reject someone for having bills.
They hesitate when instability becomes visible in behavior.

This is not cruelty.
It is pattern recognition built from past failures.

Stress unmanaged becomes risk unmanaged.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Lifestyle choices send signals whether people like it or not

Vacations.
Leased cars.
High monthly burn.
Lifestyle inflation.

None of these are moral failures.
And none of them are inherently wrong.

But they are signals.

When a candidate is financially overextended, it shows up in subtle ways.
In how they negotiate.
In how urgently they push.
In how risk tolerant or risk blind they become.

Hiring managers are not judging lifestyles.
They are assessing exposure.

That is not personal.
It is practical.

Companies hire to reduce risk, not absorb more of it.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Resume honesty versus resume inflation

Most hiring problems do not start in interviews.
They start long before that.
They start on resumes.

At Mai Placement, we review hundreds of resumes across industries and levels.
The pattern is consistent.

Resumes are polished.
Language is elevated.
Titles are stretched.
Scope is implied rather than proven.

Not because candidates are intentionally dishonest.
But because the market quietly teaches them to inflate.

Job descriptions reward ambition.
LinkedIn rewards perception.
Recruiting advice encourages selling, not explaining.

So candidates learn to write toward the role they want,
not the work they actually owned.

That strategy works
until it does not.

The moment a resume meets a hiring manager who probes
or a recruiter who tests depth
or an interview that requires specificity
the gap shows up.

This series is about that gap.

The difference between responsibility and ownership.
Between exposure and execution.
Between titles and outcomes.

Not to shame candidates.
But to explain why strong people stall
and why clarity always outperforms exaggeration.

Because in the end,
resumes do not fail people.
Misalignment does.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

How strong founders actually fix culture

After my last few posts, a founder messaged me and said,
So what does fixing culture actually look like then.

Fair question.

Fixing culture is not about being nicer.
It is not about perks.
It is not about slogans or values decks.

At Mai Placement, the founders who turn things around do three things consistently.

First, they define success clearly.
No more vague expectations.
No more moving goalposts.
Everyone knows what winning looks like.

Second, they align leadership before hiring.
No mixed messages.
No conflicting authority.
No asking new hires to navigate internal politics.

Third, they take responsibility early.
When something breaks, they look at systems before people.
They coach sooner.
They correct faster.
They do not let resentment build quietly.

The result is not softness.
The result is stability.

Strong culture does not remove pressure.
It removes confusion.

And when confusion disappears, performance usually follows.

That is how culture actually gets fixed.
Not with slogans.
With structure.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Stability is part of seniority whether people admit it or not

Senior roles demand more than skill.

They demand emotional regulation.
Long term thinking.
Delayed gratification.

At Mai Placement, senior candidates who succeed do not build lifestyles that depend on the next paycheck or bonus.

That is not privilege.
It is discipline.

Discipline creates optionality.
Optionality creates confidence.
And confidence is one of the strongest hiring signals there is.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Why some people feel uncomfortable reading my posts

Someone reached out recently and said
Why are you speaking so negatively in public posts. It feels hurtful.

I understand why it lands that way.
And I want to be clear about something.

These posts are not written to attack candidates.
They are written to explain reality.

At Mai Placement, we sit between candidates and hiring managers every day.
We see what gets people hired.
We also see what quietly disqualifies them.

Saying the uncomfortable part out loud is not negativity.
It is transparency.

Hiring is not emotional support.
It is a risk decision.

When I speak directly about readiness, responsibility, and expectations,
it is not to shame anyone.
It is to reduce confusion and false hope.

Clarity feels harsh when we are used to reassurance.
But clarity is what actually helps people move forward.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Covering bills is not the same as being ready for responsibility

Everyone has bills.
Rent.
Mortgage.
Tuition.
Life.

That reality is universal.

But here is where candidates and companies talk past each other.

At Mai Placement, companies do not hire based on financial need.
They hire based on trust.

Trust that someone can make sound decisions under pressure.
Trust that they can manage scope without constant oversight.
Trust that urgency will not turn into poor judgment.

Financial pressure explains motivation.
It does not guarantee readiness.

Hiring is not a rescue plan.
It is a responsibility exchange.

The faster candidates understand that distinction,
the better they position themselves for the right opportunities.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Honesty positions you better than exaggeration ever will

Candidates worry that honesty will undersell them.

In reality, it does the opposite.

Clear scope allows recruiters to place you accurately.
Clear outcomes allow hiring managers to trust faster.
Clear ownership reduces perceived risk.

At Mai Placement, honesty is not conservative.
It is strategic.

The goal is not to sound senior.
It is to be placed correctly and succeed.

Inflation might get attention.
Alignment gets offers.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

Financial pressure and hiring reality

A candidate reached out recently and said
Why are you speaking so harshly. People are just trying to cover their bills.

That comment stayed with me.
Not because it was wrong.
But because it misses how hiring decisions actually get made.

At Mai Placement, we sit at the intersection of people’s financial realities and companies’ risk decisions every day.

This series is not about judging candidates.
It is about explaining what employers are really evaluating when they hire.

Financial pressure is real.
So is hiring risk.

Ignoring either does not help anyone.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

The hard truth candidates avoid

Companies are not hiring your struggle.
They are hiring your reliability.

Covering bills explains urgency.
It does not replace readiness.

Hiring is a risk calculation.
Not a sympathy exchange.

Reality is not negative.
It is actionable.

And once candidates understand how employers actually think,
they stop feeling judged
and start positioning themselves correctly.

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭?
If you want to see more
𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 🔔 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭

taplio

The Battle

Travis McEwan

Joel Brody

Followers

Posts

Engagements

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Performance ScoreJoel Brody's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Travis McEwan

Joel Brody

Followers

Posts

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);}Joel Brody's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreJoel Brody's LinkedIn Performance