Advice for recruitment startup?

[Tealover11]

Hey 👋 I just wondered if anyone can share some tips or advice. I am thinking of launching my own recruitment company and just was looking for so advice on the best way to gain new clients? Is it through cold calling? Or online having a decent website and good online presence on google? Also is there any sort of license I would need in terms of having food industry, construction? Sorry for all the questions. I currently own a large commercial cleaning company (UK based) and looking to invest some money into a new business venture. I built my company up from the ground and am very good at dealing with staff and converting new clients …. I just need some advice of where and how is the best route to gain clients for recruitment. I wouldn’t work in a specialist field would be warehouse, driving , and construction labour work. Uk based

From my experience almost all new clients came from cold calling. It was extremely rare for new clients to be calling us up with jobs. There are so many recruitment companies out there following up on every lead they have that clients don't need to go looking for a company to work with unless they are looking for something extremely niche. And if they are looking for niche they will be looking for an agency with a large established network not a newcomer.

That’s what I was thinking ! I just don’t want to waste money investing and trying on something I am going to struggle with

Why would you not just "stick to the knitting" of what you currently do? Sounds like you have been successful in that?

Everyone (including employers) "hates" recruitment agencies - and, with the power of AI and no particular niche, I'm unsure why you would bother going in that direction?

Are you going to offer a "temping" solution, or just try and recruit for the full time posts?

It probably seems easy money to those outside the industry, but I bet it isn't really.

Then focus it on recruiting for cleaning type roles - the positions you understand and can interpret CVs for, that you can competently interview and triage candidates and so on. Build up a track record then diversify into other segments.
you also have the contacts in this industry from both sides. As a recruiter you need a decent pool of candidates that trust you as much as clients to recruit for. You are working for both. Finding jobs for candidates is just as relevant and the other side that you haven't mentioned at all.

I recently used a recruiter as a client, I'd worked with them as a candidate previously and had built the relationship, so when I was in work and needed to hire I reached out.

I wonder how much business comes from ex candidates in positions where they are hiring?