Last week, Ricky Burns, Co-Founder of Pulse Group, joined the stage at the Recruitment Mentors Live podcast event in London, alongside Mike Bott (LHi Group) and Daniel Cox (Edison Smart).
The session focused on a simple idea, building a recruitment business that lasts, not just one that grows quickly.
Less noise, more honesty
With over 100 recruiters in the room, the conversation stayed grounded.
Ricky spoke openly about where Pulse Recruit is right now, around 19 months in, still early, still learning, and nowhere near “figured out”.
That honesty mattered. It shifted the focus away from big claims and onto what’s actually being done day to day
Foundations first
Rather than chasing rapid growth, the approach has been deliberate.
Putting proper structure in place early:
- clear processes
- visibility on performance
- financial discipline
It’s not the flashy side of building a recruitment business, but it’s what allows it to hold together as it grows.
Growing with intention
Another theme that came through was restraint.
Not hiring too quickly. Not scaling for the sake of it. Making sure each step forward makes sense.
A lot of businesses grow because they can. Fewer grow because they should.
It’s still the basics
Nothing shared on the panel was new.
Execution, consistency, and relationships still sit at the centre of everything. The difference is doing those things properly, over time.
Why it matters
Events like this aren’t about hearing something groundbreaking.
They’re a reminder of what actually works, especially in an industry that can get distracted by short-term wins.
And if there’s one takeaway from the night, it’s this:
Building a recruitment business that lasts isn’t complicated.
Doing it consistently is the hard part.
