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From Startup to Exit: Matt Fox on Building, Scaling & Selling Recruitment Businesses

45 minWatch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

About this episode

Nitin speaks with Matt Fox, founder of Exitus Advisory and Polaris Growth, about his journey building and selling a recruitment business. Matt shares his experience launching a recruitment firm in 2011, scaling to award-winning success, and navigating challenges including toxic hires, burnout and COVID before eventually exiting to the right buyer rather than the highest bidder.

Through Exitus Advisory, Matt now helps recruitment business owners plan and execute their exits discreetly. The conversation covers the reality of growing and selling a recruitment business, why buyer fit matters more than price, how to avoid burnout and toxic culture, Polaris Growth's approach to scaling SMEs sustainably, redefining success beyond traditional KPIs, and the isolation many recruitment leaders experience running their businesses.

Key takeaways

  • Choosing the right buyer matters more than accepting the highest offer when selling a recruitment business.
  • Recruitment leaders face isolation and burnout that peer conversations and support can help address.
  • Traditional KPIs don't capture what truly matters for sustainable growth and personal happiness in recruitment.
  • Toxic hires and poor culture decisions can undermine a business's success regardless of financial performance.
  • Planning your exit strategy early, with professional guidance, helps recruitment founders prepare for sale or scale.

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