business plan for recruitment company

How to write a business plan for recruitment in 2024 (template included)

• Published on June 3, 2020
• Updated on February 12, 2024

Writing a business plan in recruitment has always played a crucial part in the interview process for a number of recruitment agencies around the world.

A comprehensive business plan can demonstrate a recruiter’s commitment, knowledge and commercial acumen. During economic uncertainties in 2023, these qualities are more important than ever.

Arriving at an interview armed with a comprehensive business plan before you’re even asked will no doubt set yourself apart from other recruiters.

During economic uncertainties, managers will need to present a business case to leadership for budget approval in order to make a hire. Your business plan will be an important element of this business case. An impressive business plan could be the difference between landing an offer today, or falling into a pipeline of other candidates.

In this article, we share a step-by-step guide outlining how to create a comprehensive business plan. We walk through the key components and include examples.

At the end of the article, you can download a free recruitment business plan template which is tailored towards the key components mentioned in this article.

A business plan should be packed full of relevant information but should be compressed and to the point. Avoid verbiage, stay specific and keep to 4 – 6 pages.

Introduction

Start with a title. Include your name and the company you’re writing the business plan for. A little personalisation will go a long way.

Underneath your title, outline the objective of your business plan and again personalise it towards the agency you’re interviewing with. While you have the hiring manager’s attention, this paragraph is an opportunity for you to demonstrate how comprehensive your business plan is. The aim is to capture the hiring manager’s interest so they continue to read each component:

“The objective of this business plan is to outline the value I can add to employer’s name.

In this business plan, I have highlighted my specialism, hiring activity in my market, my candidate and client strategies, my methodology, how I plan to recruit through economic uncertainties in 2023, my competition and my personal revenue projections over 12 months.”

You can use this paragraph as a way to introduce your business plan verbally if you’ve called up a hiring manager. You can also use this extract in a cold email.

Your specialisation

This is a crucial positioning statement for your value-add. It sets out precisely where your network and experience lies and what you intend to bring to the table in your new role.

Your specialisation can be described clearly by outlining what roles you will specialise in, what industries you will target, what level of seniority you will focus on and what geographies you will cover.

For ease of reading, you can use each component as a title and use bullet points to expand upon your answers.

Taking a Technology recruiter as an example:

What roles I will specialise in:

• Product Management permanent roles
• UX/UI Design permanent roles

What industries I will target:

• Series A – C funded technology startups (high investment, high growth and high volume of roles)

What level of seniority I will focus on:

• Mid to senior (120 – 180k salary range for Product Managers, 140 – 200k salary range for Designers)

What geographies I will cover:

• Based in Singapore, the local market will be my core market
• Secondary markets include Jakarta, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur due to less competition from recruiters and high volume of roles

Hiring activity trends

The hiring activity trends section provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate and portray your knowledge of the market.

The 3 important components of this section are: hiring activity over the past 3 years, hiring activity for next year and how you predict hiring activity to shift beyond that.

Utilise your own knowledge of the market but back it up with research gained from reputable sources related to your market e.g. Tech in Asia, Tech Crunch, Channel News Asia, The Straits Times or The Financial Times.

You’ll want to cover how hiring activity has increased or decreased, what the drivers of growth are in your industry and what the threats and challenges are within your sector.

Candidate strategies

Moving on from market trends, this section indicates how you will acquire candidates for your desk. It offers an opportunity for you to demonstrate the experience you’ve learnt in candidate management from your previous firm, but also an opportunity for the employer to ensure that your approach aligns with theirs.

3 key components of this section include: how you will generate candidate leads, what challenges you expect to face and how you will overcome these challenges.

Taking a Front Office Banking & Financial Services recruiter as an example:

How do I plan to generate candidate leads:

• Direct headhunting using a LinkedIn Recruiter account, this costs approximately $X amount, the key benefits being access to a high volume of InMails and enhanced search capability. This has been the sourcing tool for 60% of my previous placements

Challenges I expect to face:

• In light of economic uncertainties in 2023, highly sought-after candidates may be risk-averse and may not see this as a good time to move jobs

How I will overcome these challenges:

• I will develop relationships with these candidates for the future but I will adjust my sourcing strategy accordingly by increasing volume of direct approaches

Client strategies

A similar section to candidate strategies but geared towards clients. Arguably more important than candidate strategies during a recession as the market could be job-short – even in the good times, strong business development capabilities in recruiters are harder to find.

This section includes 6 key components including how you plan to onboard new clients, how you plan to sustain relationships with clients for repeat business, what industries your clients are in, the challenges you expect to face and how you will overcome these challenges.

Take these bullet points as a basic example:

How I plan to onboard new clients:

• During a recession, I plan to cultivate relationships by helping and consulting clients on non-recruitment related issues, such as advising clients on the current state of the market
• I plan to generate leads by making 25 cold calls per day during the ramp-up period, to again offer support and advice where needed, and to leverage any open roles
• A soft approach of connecting with hiring managers, HR contact and C-Level candidates on LinkedIn, to establish working relationships and eventually convert into clients

How I plan to sustain relationships with current clients and win repeat roles:

• The most important way to sustain relationships is by offering a service that is superior to competitors. That is by being transparent, sticking to deadlines and delivering results
• Regularly catch up with clients on a monthly basis to see how they’re doing and see if you can generate new roles
• Keep yourself updated on company news and congratulate clients on milestones e.g. if they generate a Series C round of funding

What industries I will target clients in:

• Series A – B funded technology startups
• During a recession there is less of an appetite to use agencies due to an unprecedented volume of great candidates available in the market
• Offer free support to companies currently not using agencies, provide an impressive service and convert into paying client post-recovery

The 6th component is “examples of target clients” and this is where you can really demonstrate tangible market knowledge. Use company names, find the potential contact in each company and add your comments, such as the volume of roles you expect from that client. 5 examples should be enough to peak your hiring manager’s interest.

You can use a table to display this information with ease:

It goes without saying that you should never be tempted to use information that is proprietary to your previous employer. This information can be openly found with some basic LinkedIn research.

My methodology

Are you a recruiter that is focussed on crunching numbers? Are you a recruiter who is focussed on cultivating long-term relationships? In this section, you can include a few quick bullet points to explain how you approach recruitment. This information gives your hiring manager an indication about whether you hold similar values and whether you have similar working styles.

How you can adapt to recruiting during a possible economic downturn

This section is a new one in response to market conditions in 2023 but can demonstrate how you are prepared to deal with current and upcoming challenges.

You can use this section as the title and include bullet points to outline how you will adapt to these market conditions.

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My key competitors

Which recruiters and agencies offer the greatest competition? Demonstrating your knowledge in this area highlights that you are commercially aware outside of your core market.

Include about 5 different competitors who are directly competing in your patch. You can use the table below to display this information:

Personal revenue and target projections

In many business plans, financial projections are of utmost importance and can demonstrate your commercial acumen. If you’ve ever watched Dragon’s Den, you’ll know what happens when you don’t know your numbers!

Project your personal revenue for 4 quarters. You can start your calculations by predicting the average annual salary of a candidate in your patch. You can project your average percentage fee agreed with clients and from there you can calculate your average fee. Once you have this, you can predict the amount of placements you’ll be making per month.

Make sure your revenue projections are realistic and achievable. Avoid the temptation to predict vastly optimistic revenues, especially during a possible recession. You must allow time to ramp-up and there must be a logical relationship between your historical and predicted revenues.

The plan only includes project revenue. Your historical revenue should be on your CV.

Take the below as an example:

My predicted average annual salary of candidates:

My predicted average percentage fee agreed with the client:, my predicted average fee:, my predicted average placements per month, my projected revenue over 12 months.

Underneath, you can also include the KPIs you will set yourself to guide you in achieving these numbers. For example, you can set yourself a guideline for how many CVs you need to send, how many candidate meetings you need to arrange, how many client meetings you need to arrange and so on.

The template

We’ve constructed a free template built around the components mentioned above, so you can create your own for when you reach out to hiring managers.

To download this template, please add your email below and you’ll be redirected to the template.

By downloading our busines plan, you agree to our  Privacy Policy and Notification Settings .

This step-by-step guide should give your hiring manager a clear idea of your plan. If executed successfully, you’ve already demonstrated your commitment, knowledge and commercial acumen before even attending an interview.

The way you’ve structured your plan will give your hiring manager a very clear indication of your methodology and whether you’d fit their structure. Keep in mind that if your methodology is focused on high volume recruitment, it’s not going to work well with an executive recruitment agency.

As a next step, learn this plan inside and out. Be prepared to pitch your plan to your hiring manager and answer detailed questions surrounding each component.

Leave your interviewer with no room for concern and secure that role! Lastly, if you enjoyed the article, please consider subscribing or following us on LinkedIn to have new articles for recruiters like this delivered directly to your inbox.

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As Founder of Charterhouse Partnership, I led the opening of 5 international offices, hiring & training hundreds of recruiters. Please subscribe to our weekly newsletter where I share my insights on the recruitment industry.

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Recruitment Agency Business Plan: How to Write One

Launching a recruitment agency demands a solid foundation, and crafting a detailed business plan is the cornerstone. Get started on your recruitment agency business plan with our guide. We will walk you through all the details.

The United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom dominated the recruitment and staffing industry in 2022, generating 55% of its revenue. Global revenue for the staffing industry jumped 4% to $648 billion, according to a report from Staffing Industry Analysts . The current job market, characterized by rapid technological advancements and shifting workforce demographics, is creating a market for flexible staffing solutions.

To cut costs and improve the efficiency of human resources, businesses are turning to staffing and recruitment agencies to secure talent. The rise of the gig economy and the preference for contract or temporary positions among workers seeking greater work-life balance is helping fuel the industry’s growth. Nearly 23% of working Americans also have a side hustle, according to a recent study by Pymnts .

Your Business Plan’s Key Elements

Whether you are a seasoned professional in the staffing world or a newcomer to the field, you need to start with a recruitment agency business plan. Creating a business plan requires gathering a significant amount of information. Start by researching the staffing industry, including market size, growth trends, and regulatory considerations. Network with industry professionals, attend relevant conferences, and utilize online resources to gain knowledge. Financial projections should be based on realistic market assumptions and comparable business models.

Keep in mind you will need a business plan at various stages of your business journey. Initially, it will guide your startup phase, helping you to secure funding and establish your business structure. As your agency grows, revisiting your plan can help you to scale your operations and enter new markets.

A comprehensive startup business plan for a recruitment agency should include:

• Executive summary: Start with a clear and concise overview of your business — your elevator pitch. Highlight your business goals, mission statement, and the services you plan to offer.
• Market analysis: Conduct thorough research on the staffing industry, focusing on your niche. Identify your target market, analyze your competitors, and outline the trends and challenges in the industry to understand your unique selling proposition.
• Services: Detail the types of staffing services you plan to provide. Whether it is temporary staffing, permanent placement, or executive search, be clear about your offerings, the verticals you will serve, and how they meet the needs of your target market.
• Marketing plan: Outline how you will attract clients and candidates with your marketing plan and sales strategy. Identify the channels you can use to build your brand and reach your audience.
• Operations: Describe the day-to-day operations of your agency, including the recruitment process, the technology, the tools you need, and how you plan to maintain quality and compliance.
• Financial plan: Make detailed financial projections, such as startup costs, revenue forecasts, and a break-even analysis to understand the financial viability of your business.
• Management: Highlight your team’s expertise and the organizational structure of your agency. If you start solo, outline your experience and any external support you can leverage.

Partnering With AtWork: A Shorter Path to Your Goal

If you are considering opening a recruitment agency, partnering with AtWork to start a staffing franchise can significantly streamline the startup process. By joining forces with a proven brand, you can cut down on startup costs and bypass many of the hurdles of starting from scratch. AtWork’s recruitment agency business plan also allows you to take advantage of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to lower your operational costs.

AtWork provides comprehensive knowledge, training, and tools essential for launching your staffing business. As a franchise owner, you get in-depth training on running a successful staffing agency, including sales, operations, and compliance. AtWork has state-of-the-art technology and operational tools to simplify day-to-day management, and marketing campaigns to effectively promote your agency and attract clients and candidates. Its support staff also handles all your payroll, allowing you to concentrate on scaling the business.

Learn More About AtWork

Get started to learn more about partnering with AtWork to launch a business in the staffing industry.

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How to write a business plan for your recruitment agency.

Starting a recruitment agency is a great idea because it provides a valuable service to employers and job seekers alike.

It is a great way to bridge the gap between the two and facilitate successful career placements.

But, first thing first, you need a business plan.

A business plan is essential for any new project, as it allows you to clearly define your goals, objectives, and strategies for success. It also provides a roadmap for the future, helping to ensure that your project is successful in the long term.

In short, a good business plan will help make sure your recruitment agency is profitable .

What information should you put into the business plan of a recruitment agency? What's the basic outline for the structure? What financial metrics should be included? What steps should I follow to write a business plan efficiently?

Stay with us: we'll tackle all these questions!

One last thing, you don't have to start your business plan from scratch.

Feel free to download our detailed business plan for a recruitment agency and customize it for your business.

Mapping out a business plan for a recruitment agency

Do you need to develop a business plan for your recruitment agency.

Yes, you need to develop a business plan for your recruitment agency.

Crafting a well-structured business plan will help you to:

• get familiar with the recruitment agency market
• be aware of new consumertrends and apply them to your project
• recognize profitability factors for a recruitment agency
• understand the hiring needs, job requirements, and talent preferences of client companies
• come up with a winning value proposition for your staffing services agency
• identify potential competitive threats
• find distinctive competitive edges for your recruitment agency
• find a business model that delivers consistent positive financial outcomes
• formulate an airtight strategy to maximize business growth
• evaluate potential risks specific to a recruitment agency, including client satisfaction, candidate vetting, and legal compliance

Our team has created a business plan for a recruitment agency that is designed to make it easier for you to achieve all the elements listed.

How to organize a business plan for a recruitment agency?

Inside a business plan, you'll find a lot of important information and details. It must be presented in a structured format, to make easy to read and digest.

When we built and designed our business plan for a recruitment agency , we made sure to structure it propertly.

We've categorized it into 5 sections (Opportunity, Project, Market Research, Strategy and Finances).

1. Market Opportunity

The section number one is titled "Market Opportunity."

In this section, you will find valuable data and insights about the recruitment agency, helping you understand the market landscape and assist companies in finding and hiring top talent.

We constantly update all the data there.

2. Project Presentation

The second part is dedicated to the "Project" of your recruitment agency. Here, you can outline the industries you specialize in, recruitment services offered, candidate sourcing strategies, screening and selection processes, client partnerships, and the unique value proposition that connects top talent with the right job opportunities.

Also, provide a self-introduction at the end of this section.

Discuss your expertise in talent acquisition, your range of recruitment services, and how you plan to provide comprehensive and tailored staffing solutions to clients. Highlight your industry knowledge, your network of professionals, and your dedication to matching the right talent with the right opportunities through your recruitment agency.

We drafted some language for you in our business plan. Adjust it to suit your idea perfectly.

3. Market Research

Then, there is the "Market Research" section.

In this section, you will find a detailed market segmentation analysis for your recruitment agency.

It includes a presentation of other recruitment agencies in the area that will be competing with you. Your agency's expertise in talent acquisition and competitive advantages are also highlighted. A customized SWOT analysis is included.

4. Strategy

The "Strategy" section outlines a comprehensive 3-year action plan, detailing the initiatives and steps needed to transform your recruitment agency into a highly profitable endeavor.

Additionally, there's a marketing strategy, a risk management strategy, and a Business Model Canvas available in this section.

5. Finances

In the end, you'll find the "Finances" section, which provides a comprehensive overview of the financials for your project.

How to make an Executive Summary for a recruitment agency?

The Executive Summary serves as an introduction to the business plan for your recruitment agency.

Keep it concise and ensure it fits within 2 pages. Highlight only the necessary details.

When you present your business plan to investors, this is the section they will read first. It needs to grab their attention and make them want to explore the rest of the plan.

In the Executive Summary of your recruitment agency, address the following queries: what services does your recruitment agency offer? who is your target market? are there other recruitment agencies in the industry? what sets you apart from them? what funding do you require?

How to do the market analysis for a recruitment agency?

Analyzing the market for your recruitment agency allows you to gain insights into factors such as client demands for talent acquisition, competition within the recruitment industry, and emerging trends in HR and staffing.

By conducting a thorough market study, a recruitment agency can understand client hiring needs, offer effective recruitment solutions, optimize pricing strategies, and execute targeted marketing campaigns, ultimately leading to a larger client base, increased job placements, and a prominent position in the recruitment industry.

Here is what you can expect to find in the "Market Research" section of our business plan for a recruitment agency :

• market trends and data about recruitment agencies, including job market analysis, talent acquisition strategies, and industry-specific hiring trends
• a list of potential customer segments for a recruitment agency
• the competitive comparison
• the potential competitive advantages for a recruitment agency

The key points of the business plan for a recruitment agency

What's the business model of a recruitment agency, business model of a recruitment agency.

A recruitment agency's business model revolves around connecting employers with qualified candidates for job openings. Revenue is generated through fees or commissions based on successful placements.

The business model focuses on understanding clients' hiring needs, conducting candidate sourcing and screening, effective marketing to attract employers and job seekers, and building strong client and candidate relationships based on trust and expertise in recruitment.

Success depends on building a robust candidate database, delivering suitable talent for job openings, fostering positive client and candidate experiences and recommendations, and continuously adapting to changing recruitment methods and job market dynamics.

Business model ≠ Business plan

Make sure you differentiate between "business plan" and "business model."

A business model describes how a company generates income and operates successfully.

In a business plan, you articulate your business model through a framework known as the Business Model Canvas.

Rest assured, there is a Business Model Canvas (already completed) in our business plan for a recruitment agency .

How do you identify the market segments of a recruitment agency?

Market segmentation for your recording studio involves dividing your potential clients into different groups based on their recording needs, music genres, and preferences.

These categories may include factors such as music artists, voice-over artists, podcasters, or clients seeking specific recording services or equipment (e.g., vocal recording, sound mixing, podcast production).

By segmenting your market, you can offer specialized recording services and facilities that cater to each segment's specific requirements. For example, you might focus on music artists and provide state-of-the-art recording studios equipped with instruments and production tools for music production, offer professional voice-over recording services for clients in need of high-quality voice recordings for commercials, audiobooks, or animations, specialize in podcast production and provide podcasters with dedicated recording spaces and podcast editing services, or focus on specific recording services or equipment such as vocal recording, sound mixing, or audio mastering.

Market segmentation allows you to effectively target your marketing efforts, communicate the capabilities and technical expertise of your recording studio, and provide a creative and professional recording environment that meets the unique needs and preferences of each client segment.

In the business plan for a recruitment agency , you will find a comprehensive market segmentation that will help you better understand your potential customers.

How to conduct a competitor analysis for a recruitment agency?

Without surprise, you won't be the only recruitment agency in your market. There will be other agencies offering staffing and talent acquisition services to organizations.

Understanding your competitors' strengths and weaknesses is critical when developing your business plan.

Identify their weaknesses (such as limited industry connections, inadequate candidate screening, or poor client communication).

Why is it important to address these elements? Because these weaknesses can impact the effectiveness of recruitment agency services.

By focusing on these areas, you can offer a wide network of qualified candidates, provide efficient and thorough recruitment processes, and deliver personalized and attentive client support, positioning your recruitment agency as a trusted and preferred partner for businesses seeking top talent and successful staffing solutions.

It's what we call competitive advantages—develop them to make your business stand out.

Here are some examples of competitive advantages for a staffing agency: extensive network of qualified candidates, personalized recruitment solutions, timely placements.

How to draft a SWOT analysis for a staffing agency?

A SWOT analysis can help identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a recruitment agency, enabling informed decision-making and increased success.

As you can guess, there is indeed a completed and editable SWOT matrix in our business plan for a recruitment agency

The strengths for a recruitment agency

When we talk about the "S" in SWOT, we mean Strengths, which are the project's internal capabilities or unique strengths.

For a recruitment agency, possible strengths could include an experienced team, a strong network of contacts, an extensive database of candidates, and a comprehensive understanding of the recruitment market.

The weaknesses for a recruitment agency

W stands for Weaknesses, referring to the project's areas or aspects that have room for improvement.

For a recruitment agency, potential weaknesses include difficulty in finding suitable candidates, lack of access to a large pool of qualified applicants, high cost of advertising to attract talent, and potential clients not trusting the agency.

The opportunities for a recruitment agency

The letter "O" in SWOT signifies Opportunities, highlighting the favorable conditions or chances for the project's progress.

In the case of a recruitment agency, potential opportunities include providing executive search services, offering temporary staffing solutions, providing online job postings, and providing career coaching services.

The threats for a recruitment agency

When we use the "T" in SWOT, we're referring to Threats, which are the external risks or challenges that the project may encounter.

How to develop a marketing plan for a staffing agency?

A marketing strategy is a key factor in acquiring customers and increasing revenue, so include it in your business plan.

A well-crafted marketing strategy will attract companies and job seekers to your recruitment agency, emphasizing your expertise in matching the right talent with the right job.

Companies won't hire your recruitment agency without effective marketing; showcasing your talent pool and personalized approach is crucial.

Are you utilizing marketing tactics to attract clients to your recruitment agency? Consider building strong relationships with local businesses and job seekers, offering specialized recruitment services, and utilizing digital marketing strategies to showcase your expertise in the industry.

Don't let a lack of ideas for your project's marketing strategy discourage you.

How to build a solid financial plan for a staffing agency?

A solid business plan must include financial data to provide an accurate assessment of the business's potential success.

Obviously, you should estimate the projected revenue for your recruitment agency.

It's crucial for this revenue forecast to be clear and straightforward.

Our financial plan for a recruitment agency is easy to use and includes built-in checks to help you identify and correct any assumptions, ensuring you create reliable projections with confidence.

Without a doubt, you'll need to come up with a basic budget for starting your recruitment agency. Make sure to include every expense (by the way, they are all listed in the financial plan we've made).

The break-even analysis is central in the financial plan as it will tell you whether your recruitment agency will generate profits or not.

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Sample Recruitment Business Plan

A sample recruitment business plan revolves around basically three words that describe your business philosophy. 3 min read updated on February 01, 2023

Updated November 2, 2020:

Sample Template for Starting a Recruitment Business

Business Niche

Creating a business plan involves making some decisions upfront. This means choosing a niche. By doing so, you'll be deciding the type of recruitment agency to start and the industry to serve.

Observing Competitors

Observe how your competitors' work provides an excellent opportunity and how its recruitment process works.

Gathering Experience

Starting a recruitment agency requires the experience that a recruiter uses to find the perfect match for a company's needs. Examples of what you need to know include:

• Knowledge of recruiting
• Recruitment strategies
• Personal skills

To acquire the type of experience necessary to operate a recruitment agency, it's recommended that you register with a reputable recruitment agency to experience, firsthand, some basic training in how an agency operates.

Building Skills

Keep in mind that part of a recruiter's job is testing the skills of potential candidates for jobs. So, your own skill level must be up to the task. It's equally important that you're able to recognize someone with potential even though they may not possess a lot of experience. You also need the insight to place the right person in the right position.

Evaluating Start-Up Costs

A recruitment agency isn't a cheap business venture to initially get started. You'll need a checklist of all things needed and the cost of each item. Things to include are staff payroll, marketing, insurance, and basic business expenses.

Researching Recruitment Laws

Study and become familiar with the recruitment laws in your state to ensure you aren't in violation. Each has guidelines that may include requirements for specific industries.

Obtain a Business License

Check with your local city and county office as well as the state to find out if or what type of business license is required to operate a recruitment agency. Obtain the license prior to opening for business.

Research Employment Laws

Laws guiding the rules of employment in each state are also in effect and something you must become familiar with. Examples include laws against discrimination and equal opportunity employment .

Business Location

Select a business location that's visible and easily accessible for clients and job applicants.

Register With Recruiters

Register with other companies as a recruiter. This is a way to bring in business should a company need to fill a position and contact you to fill the position.

Create a Marketing Plan

Create a marketing plan that outlines your business and its services. Make a list of businesses to contact and send a letter of introduction letting owners/managers of these businesses know about your company and what it has to offer. Also, follow up on each letter. Take advantage of the internet and newspapers by placing ads to highlight your business.

Create a Business Website

In today's fast-paced world, having a website is the standard operating procedure. A website is a gateway to advertising job vacancies. It's also a way for potential job seekers to provide resumes and conduct online interviews.

Hire Support Staff

A recruitment agency requires lots of paperwork, and you'll need to hire qualified staff to help with the tasks. This means bringing staff on board who have previous recruitment experience.

Contact insurance companies about purchasing liability insurance for your business.

Business Bank Account

Open a business account that's separate from your personal account for accepting payments for services from clients.

Equipment Necessary for a Recruiting Agency

The office space should include a reception area for greeting applicants and receiving applications. There should also be a conference room where you can conduct interviews. Necessary equipment includes:

• At least one computer.
• Testing software (i.e., printer(s), a fax machine, and a photocopier).
• Reliable internet service.
• Business cards.

Potential Recruiter Salary

On average, a recruitment consultant has the potential to earn between $65,000 and $75,000 annually. Charges for placing a candidate can range between 14 and 20 percent. Charges for your services may be based on a percentage of the candidate's first annual salary. The other option is charging a flat fee to the company you're recruiting for.

If you need help with a sample recruitment business plan, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.

Hire the top business lawyers and save up to 60% on legal fees

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How to write a business plan for a recruitment agency

Table of Contents

Why a business plan is important

Provide direction,  minimise risk , reduce spending, market research , budgeting and financial planning, examples of swot analysis for a recruitment agency, opportunities , how countingup can benefit your recruitment agency.

If you’re looking to start a recruitment agency, you’ll need to create a business plan as any other startup would. Remember, though, that you’ll need to also account for the specific situations that might arise while working in the recruitment industry.

This article will serve as a guide to writing a great business plan for your recruitment agency. We’ll look at what your plan should look like, as well as why a plan is important. The topics we’ll cover include:

There are a few different reasons why you need a business plan before starting a business , but one of the most important is that it will guide your business going forward. Without a plan, no matter how simple the plan is, you’ll likely struggle to develop your business and make effective decisions. 

A business plan doesn’t have to be set in stone — you can adapt it to account for any unique events that affect your recruitment agency. That said, it’s essential to have at least a vague idea of the purpose your business will serve, the potential obstacles you might encounter, and how you’re going to deal with those obstacles.

A business plan is also necessary to minimise the risk you’ll face when starting a recruitment agency . One of the key sections of a business plan is the SWOT analysis, where SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

In order to minimise risk effectively, it’s vital that you analyse both the weaknesses of your agency as well as the threats it may face. In doing so, you’ll be able to fix your weak points and avoid potential threats more effectively.

Finally, business plans are important because they provide valuable data for minimising your spending. For example, during your SWOT analysis and financial planning , you may find that you’ve budgeted a large amount of spending to support a part of your business that’s actually very strong. 

In a recruitment agency, this might mean you’ve planned to spend a lot of money on marketing, but your business already has a strong brand because you (as the owner) have many good personal contacts in the industry. In this instance, you can safely reduce your marketing budget and save your business money. 

Thorough market research is the best first step when you’re writing a business plan . Market research means examining the industry your business will exist in, and finding out the needs and preferences of that industry’s consumers.

For a recruitment agency, a key research topic for your business plan would be finding out the impact COVID-19 has had on the market. Many new markets emerged during the pandemic, which you can provide your services to. As the UK is currently recovering from the pandemic, it would also be wise to look into which industries are now recruiting heavily after laying off staff in recent years.

Planning out how you’ll spend your money when starting your agency is also a key part of a good business plan. You need to consider your budget for starting the business as well as how you’ll manage your business finances going forward.

It’s smart to prepare a budget for each section of your business. For instance, you might set aside different amounts for recruiting staff, purchasing business premises, and marketing. Your advertising budget is particularly important when you’re a small business , as you may not be able to rely on personal contacts or existing clients for referrals, so you’ll need to attract clients independently.

Conducting a SWOT analysis is a great way of evaluating your business even after starting up, but it’s particularly helpful when you first put together your business plan. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, so a SWOT analysis requires you to think of an example of these for your business. In a recruitment agency, these might be:

As mentioned above, it may be that you have a good reputation because you have a wealth of experience and personal connections in the recruitment industry, so you’ll not need to worry as much about marketing.

Recruitment agencies frequently have to use a lot of software to track their clients’ needs and organise candidate applications. If you’re not very good with technology, you may need to hire staff who are to account for this weakness.

The UK is currently rebounding from the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this presents a wealth of opportunities for a good recruitment agency.

You need to take immense care when you’re handling people’s personal information, which you’ll often do at a recruitment agency. Sending this information to the incorrect person can have a considerable negative impact on your business, as there is a lot of new legislation regarding privacy. 

Your business plan should include a good amount of financial planning, as tracking your cash flow (your incoming and outgoing cash) is hugely important in any business. 

Countingup is the business current account with built-in accounting software that allows you to manage all your financial data in one app. With features like automatic expense categorisation, invoicing on the go, receipt capture tools, tax estimates, and cash flow insights, you can confidently keep on top of your business finances wherever you are. 

You can also share your bookkeeping with your accountant instantly without worrying about duplication errors, data lags or inaccuracies. Seamless, simple, and straightforward! 

Find out more here .

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Business Plan Template for Recruitment

• Great for beginners
• Ready-to-use, fully customizable Subcategory
• Get started in seconds

Recruitment agencies and talent acquisition businesses know that success in the competitive industry hinges on strategic planning. That's where ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Recruitment comes in!

This comprehensive template allows you to outline your recruitment strategies, set objectives, define your target market, project your finances, and establish operational processes. With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Recruitment, you'll have a roadmap to guide your growth and ensure your business thrives in the ever-changing recruitment landscape.

Don't leave your success to chance. Get started with ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Recruitment today and take your talent acquisition business to new heights!

Business Plan Template for Recruitment Benefits

A business plan template for recruitment offers numerous benefits to recruitment agencies and businesses in the talent acquisition field, including:

• Streamlining operations and ensuring consistency in recruitment processes
• Setting clear objectives and goals for the agency's growth and success
• Identifying target markets and defining strategies to reach and attract top talent
• Creating a financial roadmap, including revenue projections and expense management
• Providing a comprehensive overview of the agency's competitive landscape and positioning
• Guiding decision-making and resource allocation to achieve long-term sustainability and profitability.

Main Elements of Recruitment Business Plan Template

Create a winning business plan for your recruitment agency with ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Recruitment. This comprehensive template includes:

• Custom Statuses: Track progress with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do, ensuring every task is accounted for in your recruitment business plan.
• Custom Fields: Utilize custom fields such as Reference, Approved, and Section to add relevant information and organize your recruitment strategies, financial projections, and operational processes.
• Custom Views: Access different views like Topics, Status, Timeline, Business Plan, and Getting Started Guide to get a comprehensive overview of your recruitment business plan and easily navigate through different sections.

With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Recruitment, you can streamline your planning process and set your recruitment agency up for success.

How To Use Business Plan Template for Recruitment

If you're looking to create a business plan for recruitment, ClickUp has a template that can help you get started. Here are four steps to effectively use the Business Plan Template for Recruitment:

1. Define your business objectives

Before you start creating your business plan, clearly define your objectives and goals for your recruitment agency. Are you looking to specialize in a particular industry? Do you want to focus on temporary or permanent placements? Understanding your business objectives will help shape the rest of your plan.

Use Goals in ClickUp to define and track your business objectives for recruitment.

2. Identify your target market

Next, identify your target market and the types of clients and candidates you want to attract. Consider factors such as industries, job levels, geographic locations, and any specialized niches you want to focus on. Understanding your target market will help you tailor your recruitment strategies and services accordingly.

Use the Board view in ClickUp to create columns for different target markets and track your progress in attracting clients and candidates.

3. Develop your marketing and recruitment strategies

Once you have identified your target market, it's time to develop your marketing and recruitment strategies. Consider the channels and platforms you will use to promote your agency, such as social media, job boards, and networking events. Determine how you will attract candidates and clients, and outline your approach to sourcing, screening, and placing candidates.

Use Automations in ClickUp to streamline your recruitment processes and save time on repetitive tasks such as sending follow-up emails or scheduling interviews.

4. Create a financial plan

Lastly, create a financial plan for your recruitment agency. This should include your projected revenue, expenses, and profitability. Consider factors such as fees, commissions, and any additional services you plan to offer. It's also important to set financial goals and milestones to track your progress and evaluate the success of your business.

Use the Gantt chart in ClickUp to create a timeline for your financial goals and milestones, and track your revenue and expenses over time.

By following these steps and using the Business Plan Template for Recruitment in ClickUp, you can create a comprehensive and effective business plan for your recruitment agency. Good luck with your venture!

Get Started with ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Recruitment

Recruitment agencies and businesses can use the ClickUp Business Plan Template for Recruitment to create a comprehensive roadmap for their growth and success in the competitive recruitment industry.

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to create your recruitment business plan:

• Use the Topics View to outline and organize the different sections of your business plan, such as objectives, target market, financial projections, and operational processes
• The Status View will help you track the progress of each section, with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do
• The Timeline View will give you a visual representation of your business plan's timeline, allowing you to set deadlines and milestones
• The Business Plan View provides a comprehensive overview of your entire recruitment business plan, allowing you to easily navigate and review all sections
• The Getting Started Guide View will provide step-by-step instructions and tips on how to use the template effectively
• Utilize the custom fields Reference, Approved, and Section to add additional information and categorize different aspects of your business plan
• Update statuses and custom fields as you progress through each section, ensuring that all team members are aware of the current status and any required revisions
• Regularly review and analyze your business plan to ensure that it aligns with your recruitment agency's goals and objectives
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Recruitment agency business plan template

Download this recruitment agency business plan template in PDF or Word format, or tailor it to your project directly in our business plan software.

Discover our recruitment agency business plan template

Our recruitment agency business plan template gives you the structure to write a professional plan.

Not accustomed to writing business plans? Our recruitment agency business template will turn a typically challenging process into a total breeze.

Modelled on a complete business plan of a recruitment agency in Normandy, our template features both the financial forecast and the written part that presents the project, its team, the local market and the business strategy implemented by the management.

Cast your eyes on this template to achieve a better understanding of what your bank and investors would like to see, so that you can create a business plan that meets their expectations.

7 day free trial. No credit card required. Recruitment agency business plan template available with paid plans only.

How to use this recruitment agency business plan template

Edit the recruitment agency business plan template online, or download it.

There are 3 ways to use this template:

• Edit it online: you can adapt this template to your business idea by changing the text or the financial forecast directly in our business planning software
• Download in PDF: if you're just after a little inspiration, you can download the recruitment agency business plan template in PDF to read over it
• Download in Word format: want to edit your plan on Word? Simply export the recruitment agency business plan template to Ms Word (.docx) format

Recruitment agency business plan template content

This template includes a complete recruitment agency business plan example, with a financial forecast and the following sections:

• Executive summary: the executive summary gives the reader a clear and concise overview of your business idea
• Company: this section lays out the structure of your business, including its location, management team and legal form
• Products and services: here, you'll give an overview of the services offered by your recruitment agency (express and classic recruitment services)
• Market analysis: the market analysis is where you’ll demonstrate that there is a strong demand for your recruitment agency through a thorough assessment of the industry (customer profile, hot trends, regulation, competition, etc.)
• Strategy: this section highlights your recruitment agency's game plan when it comes to pricing, marketing and mitigating risks along the way
• Operations: this step lays out your recruitment agency's operational organisation, including the recruitment plan
• Financial plan: the financial plan includes a table of sources & uses (initial funding plan), and complete financial statements (P&L, balance sheet and cash flow statement)
• Appendices: this part provides the opportunity to include multiple financial appendices generated by our software (debt maturity profile, monthly financial statements, financial analysis, etc.)

Executive summary for a recruitment agency business plan

The executive summary gives the reader a clear and concise overview of your business idea.

Our recruitment agency's executive summary is formed of the following subsections:

• Business overview: in this subsection, we outline who the recruitment agency founders are, what legal form they've chosen for the business, and the rationale behind the choice of their location
• Market overview: in this subsection, we summarize the conclusions of the market analysis performed by the recruitment agency's owners and explain what industries (hospitality) and business types (cafes, restaurants, hotels) they aim to target
• Financial highlights: in this subsection, we give an overview of the forecasted financial performance of the recruitment agency over the first 3 years of operation
• Our ask: in this subsection, we outline the amount of financing required to start the recruitment agency and how it's going to be funded (the founders are seeking a bank loan to start their recruitment agency)

Company overview included in our recruitment agency business plan sample

This section lays out the structure of your business, including its location, management team and legal form.

Our recruitment agency business plan template's company section is formed of the following subsections:

• Structure & Ownership: in this subsection, we outline who the recruitment agency's shareholders are and what legal form they've chosen for the business
• Location: in this subsection, we present the area surrounding the location chosen for the business and the layout and main features of the premises
• Management Team: in this subsection, we give an overview of the background of each of the recruitment agency's founders, explain how they met and why they decided to start a company together

Products and services offered by the recruitment agency

The products and services section is where you will present the different types of services offered by your recruitment agency.

In our recruitment agency business plan template products and services section, we cover:

• Express service: characterised by speed, this service aims to help hospitality businesses find skilled replacements last-minute (within 24 hours)
• Classic service: a stock-standard service that helps hospitality businesses find skilled workers on a permanent basis

Market analysis for the opening of the recruitment agency

The market analysis is where you’ll demonstrate that there is a strong demand for your products and services through a thorough assessment of the industry (customer profile, hot trends, regulation, competition, etc.)

Our recruitment agency business plan example's market analysis section is formed of the following subsections:

• Demographics and Segmentation: in this subsection, we explore the market in depth. We look at the supply and demand sides both at the national and local level, analyse the hot trends perceived by the founders, and the key statistics that will help the founders build their positioning
• Target market: in this subsection, our founders explain who they view as their ideal customers (our recruitment agency business plan template targets cafes, hotels and restaurants)
• Competition: in this subsection, we take a look at the direct (independent recruitment agencies nearby) and indirect (other ways of hiring staff) local competition to ensure we have a differentiated positioning and that the market is large enough to accommodate the arrival of a new recruitment agency
• Regulation: in this subsection, we give an overview of the main regulation applicable to our recruitment agency

Setting the strategy for our recruitment agency

This section highlights the company's game plan when it comes to pricing, marketing and mitigating risks along the way.

Our recruitment agency business plan template strategy section is formed of the following subsections:

• Pricing: in this subsection, we explain how we set the prices of our main categories of services (express and classic recruitment) and the rationale behind our choice
• Marketing plan: in this subsection, we explain what action we'll put in place to build awareness and loyalty among our recruitment agency customers
• Milestones: in this subsection, we give an overview of the main goals we set for ourselves for the next 3 years
• Risks and Mittigants: in this subsection, we perform an assessment of the medium and long-term risks that could jeopardize the financial viability of our recruitment agency and outline how we intend to mitigate them

Operations section of the recruitment agency business plan template

This part lays out the company's operational organisation, including the recruitment plan.

Our recruitment agency business plan operations section is formed of the following subsections:

• Personnel plan: in this subsection, we explain what our opening hours will be and explain the responsibilities of each of staff member in our recruitment agency
• Key assets and IP: in this subsection, we list the assets and intellectual property rights which are critical to our business operations and explain how we will secure and protect each of these
• Suppliers: in this subsection, we give an overview of the main suppliers we will use our what commercial terms have been negotiated with them

Financial plan included in our recruitment agency business plan template

This section presents the expected financial performance of the recruitment agency over the next 3 years.

Our recruitment agency business plan example's financial plan is formed of the following subsections:

• Start-up funding: in this subsection, we list the cost of each item required to launch the recruitment agency
• Important assumptions: in this subsection, we explain the methodology and the main assumptions used to build the recruitment agency's financial forecast
• Sales forecast: in this subsection, we detail the expected revenues and growth rate for our recruitment agency in the coming years
• Cost structure: in this subsection, we list all the expenses required for our recruitment agency to operate smoothly
• Projected Profit & Loss statement: in this subsection, we analyse our forecasted P&L and comment on the expected profitability of our recruitment agency over the next 3 years
• Projected cash flow statement: in this subsection, we analyse the expected cash generation of the recruitment agency
• Projected balance sheet: in this section we give an analysis of the liquidity and solvability implied from our balance sheet

Appendices of the recruitment agency business plan template

This part provides the opportunity to include multiple financial appendices generated by our software (debt maturity profile, monthly financial statements, financial analysis, etc.).

Our recruitment agency business plan template's appendices include:

• A maturity profile chart showing the principal repayments of their loans over the next 3 years
• A monthly cash flow forecast: showing how much cash is being generated or consumed each month over the first 3 years of operations

Recruitment agency business plan template sample

Executive summary, business overview.

Cavine Recruit will be a recruitment agency specialising in the hospitality sector.

Our primary aim is to help cafés, hotels and restaurants in and around Caen's city centre hire "last minute" temporary staff.

We will also help those hospitality businesses find qualified personnel who are willing to join them on a permanent contract. 

Cavine Recruit will be a limited liability company, managed by Catherine V. and Vincent A. with a share capital of €5,000.

Our offices, located at 34 Quai de la Londe in Caen, are walking distance from the Vaugueux (an area where most of the restaurants in Caen are located). This is ideal for increasing our visibility.

Both managers have known each other for over a decade. Together they have 20 years' experience in hotel and restaurant recruitment. They decided to start their own recruitment agency together to combine their skills and passion.

Market Overview

National Market

The recruitment agency market in France

According to the 2016 Prism'Emploi report, there are 7,257 recruitment and temporary employment agencies in France. The market was valued at €17.7 billion (turnover) that year.

46% of recruitment agency clients are SMEs and recruitment agencies generated €147.7 million of turnover in 2016.

Market leaders in the interim and recruitment agency market include Adecco, Randstad, Manpower and Hays Recruitment. Despite their dominance, many independent and niche firms remain competitive in the market.

When it comes to sectors where a specific profile is desired, companies tend to favour headhunters or independent recruitment agencies specialising in that industry to find the perfect candidate.

Mandates entrusted to independent recruitment agencies are mainly fixed-term and permanent contracts.

How recruitment firms find staff:

• Professional directories
• Approaching profiles on social networks such as LinkedIn
• Advertising on their website
• Advertising on third-party sites such as Reed or Indeed
• Other internet-based methods

According to the 2017 report by the Ministry of Labour, 34% of companies use recruitment intermediaries to recruit employees. This process has a success rate of 15%.

It's not only companies that use recruitment agencies. They have become an ideal springboard for those seeking employment. APEC estimates that 128,159 young executives and graduates used recruitment agencies to find jobs in 2018.

Local Market

The 2018 Calvados Tourism Observatory report estimates that both the City of Caen and its surroundings are prevalent in the hotel sector - accounting for 49% of all hotels and 34% of overnight stays in the county of Calvados.

It's also estimated that 41% of tourist revenue in Normandy in 2016 came from hotels, cafés and restaurants.

According to the FAFIH, there were 9,300 businesses, 12,500 seasonal workers during the summer and 2,900 in winter in Normandy in 2018. 90% of hospitality companies were also micro-enterprises.

The sector mainly consists of:

• Traditional catering (49%)
• Hotels (22%)
• Catering services (15%)
• Others (14%)

A tool set up by Carif Oref Normandie, which deals with training and employment, identifies staff shortages in terms of supply versus demand. Caen lags behind in this aspect in both the hotel and catering sectors.

53% of the recruitment projects recorded in 2018 were assessed as difficult, and 55% were destined to be seasonal jobs.

Financial Highlights

We expect to be profitable in our first year of activity with sales of €95,775 and an EBITDA of €6,056 (with a 6.32% margin) for year 1.

We expect to be able to continue to grow our business to reach €105,375 in sales and €13,572 in EBITDA (with a 12.88% margin) by year 3.

Cash generation should be positive over the duration of the plan.

The business should be sufficiently capitalised to enable us to meet our loan repayments while retaining sufficient headroom to deal with unforeseen circumstances.

We estimate that we need a total of €30,000 to open our recruitment agency.

Our partner will contribute €20,000 (67% of the total amount).

We would like to obtain a bank loan of €10,000 to complete the financing.

500,000+ entrepreneurs have already used The Business Plan Shop

Easy to get started with and well-guided throughout. Lots of business plan templates to help you and writing is easy because there are explanations at each step of the process.

Quite frankly excellent because I was able to finalize my business plan in less time than expected. This software offers a very coherent and complete approach to writing your project.

It is a very well designed software that allows you to visualise each step of your project, understand if the idea is viable or not and think about the steps needed to start your business.

The software is just impeccable. Of course, it meets the requirements of people starting a business. In addition to having a tool for putting together a proper financial forecast, there is also a tool to help write the business plan.

Try The Business Plan Shop before you buy

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Learn more about The Business Plan Shop

Recruitment agency business plan template faq.

A recruitment agency business plan is a written document that sets out the commercial, operational and financial objectives of the company over the next 3 to 5 years.

It consists of two main parts:

• A written part that presents, in detail, your recruitment agency business, the team, your strategy, and your medium-term objectives.
• A financial forecast that highlights the expected profitability of the recruitment agency and the initial funding requirements.

The lack of business planning is one of the main reasons why more than 50% of startups fail within 5 years. If you're starting a recruitment agency, writing a business plan is a must-have in order to reduce the risk of failure of your project.

Business plans are also required by most lenders and investors in order to secure financing, therefore a business plan is also highly recommended if you're seeking a loan or equity investment for your recruitment agency.

Writing a recruitment agency business plan without The Business Plan Shop can be both error-prone and time-consuming - whether you're new to entrepreneurship or experienced:

• You'll need to research the structure of a business plan, what to include in each section, and what key elements investors and lenders expect to see
• You may encounter writer's block (especially if it's the first time you're writing a business plan for your recruitment agency)
• You'll need to create a financial forecast on a spreadsheet which requires a solid understanding of accounting and financial modelling in order to be done without error
• You'll need to spend hours formatting financial data on Excel or Sheets before it's ready to integrate into your business plan
• Any updates to your recruitment agency business plan or financial forecast will need to be done manually

Luckily for you, The Business Plan Shop's online platform and recruitment agency business plan template guide you through every stage of writing a business plan, so that you can spend more time managing and growing your business instead.

Our editor follows a best-in-class structure for professional business plans. Each section and subsection includes examples and instructions to help you, while our business plan templates provide further inspiration if you're stuck.

Our financial forecasting software helps you create a forecast and integrate it into your business plan with ease. Anytime you update your data, your business plan automatically updates.

And with our forecasting software all the calculations are done for you, without errors.

The budget to start and run a recruitment agency will depend on the exact concept and location.

An online recruitment agency that does not have physical offices would probably have much lower startup costs than one that isn't fully remote. This is because staffing costs, rent and other overheads would be minimal or non-existant. Hiring a specialist website designer would also increase startup costs considerably.

As an example, in our recruitment agency business plan template the total initial funding requirement amounted to €30,000 (c. $32,000 or £26,000), with the founders contributing €20,000 (c. $21,400 or £17,000).

In order to assess the exact budget for your recruitment agency idea, you need to do a financial forecast using a financial projection tool such as the one we offer .

The package we offer at The Business Plan Shop goes way beyond a simple blank template you need to fill. With our platform you get:

• Access to one of the best business plan software on the market
• Access to our recruitment agency business plan template which contains a complete example of a written business plan and financial forecast to start a recruitment agency
• Access to our entire business plan templates library - giving you dozens of examples to take inspiration from
• Access to our financial planning and analysis platform so that you can track the actual performance of your business against what you had planned in your business plan and re-plan easily

But you shouldn't take our word for it: try our solution for free and make your own opinion!

The free trial enables you to try the software for free during 7 days in order to verify that it meets your requirements before buying.

Some features are limited during the free trial, the main limits are:

• You can only create one business plan
• The financials of the first year are visible, but data for other years are hidden
• You can export your plan in PDF but not in Word or CSV
• No access to our business plan templates

You can create your account and start your free trial here .

Access to our template is included with all our paid subscriptions.

Please visit our pricing page to learn about this in more detail.

Other business plan templates and resources to discover

Recruitment Agency Business Plan

Striking out and setting up your own recruitment agency is an exciting prospect, and there’s never been a better time to do it. With over 31,000 agencies in the UK, the recruitment industry is booming. Despite the profound impact of COVID-19 on the labour market, recruitment is projected to bounce back massively in 2024, so now is the perfect time to seize the opportunity and open your own agency.

Pre-pandemic, the recruitment industry generated over £42.3 billion in the UK alone, and recruitment agencies and firms are predicted to grow substantially in the next 3-5 years.

It’s clear that there is huge revenue potential in the recruitment industry. However, to stand out from the crowd, you’ll need a great recruitment agency business plan. This will give you the strategy and understanding of the industry you need to succeed.

So, where should you start? Our guide will take you through each individual step in making your own business plan. We’ll take you through marketing strategy, pricing structure and management, all of which are crucial to the success of your recruitment agency. As a new business owner, there will be a lot to take in, but with our recruitment agency business plan, you’ll have the ultimate guide to take you forward.

Is opening a recruitment agency for you?

• How much does it cost to open a recruitment agency in the UK?

What's included in our recruitment agency business plan?

• Your free sample recruitment agency business plan template

Summary and recap

As we’ve already mentioned, there is great potential in the UK for recruiters, and the turnover could be really significant. However, with the popularity of the industry comes a lot of high level competition.

Before you do anything else, you should be clear on who your competitors are, who your clients will be and how you will reach them, as well as fees you might have to pay whilst setting up.

You should start with a business plan. You can use it to gather and collate all of your resources, ideas and research.

You should consider things like:

• How many large recruitment agencies operate in the area (Adecco, Impellam, Reed etc.?)
• How many local recruitment agencies operate in the area?
• Is there likely to be any existing brand loyalty in the area?

How much does it cost to start a recruitment agency in the UK?

The average start-up costs to set up a recruitment agency in the UK vary considerably. More expensive start-ups will cover the costs of leasing premises, employing staff, buying equipment and any insurance you might need.

Key costs of starting your recruitment agency include:

• £12 to register your company, and £30 a month for details such as creating a website, designing a unique brand, setting up a LinkedIn company page and advertising jobs.
• You could also pay for added extras such as LinkedIn Premium and a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), a system which manages interactions with customers through data analysis, to win you as much business as possible.

However, there are ways to set up a recruitment agency without having to pay out thousands at first. By starting out as the sole employee, and even working from home, you can reduce costs to a bare minimum. All you really need is your home PC, mobile phone, some basic web tools and an internet connection.

With this in mind, a recruitment agency business plan is the best way to prepare yourself and plan for any financial obligations from the very start. We can also help you to figure out how to raise the capital you need for your business, based on your current financial situation.

We’ll take you through every step you’ll need to take to start your recruitment agency. It’s important to remember that if you plan to secure funds from a bank, it’s essential your business plan is as rigorous as it can be.

Included within our recruitment agency business plan, we offer:

• A fully completed recruitment agency business plan
• Break-even analysis (12-month analysis)
• Complete business plan guide
• Business plan template (.doc and .PDF)
• Financial planning wizard

Along with that, we’ll offer you a further 25 (at least) ways to market your recruitment agency for free. All of this is at your fingertips.

Download now for only £49

In this guide, we’re going to take you through an outline for a recruitment agency business plan, detailing what you should include within each section, and things you should consider when pitching your business to investors.

However, please remember this is only a guide. When writing your business plan for your own recruitment agency, make sure to take your time and work through everything in scrupulous detail.

When it comes to a business plan, the more thorough the better. You can never over-plan when it comes to a business start-up.

Step 1: Executive summary

Imagine you are pitching your business to an investor, what would you say? Remember that banks and investors will have seen thousands of previous pitches, so you really need to stand out to grab their attention. Putting serious thought and effort into your executive summary will be well worth it.

Make sure to think about these three things:

• Keep your language clear, concise and easy to read. Make it short and sweet.
• What makes you stand out from other recruitment agencies?
• Why should they be confident they will get their money back?

Remember, this is your opportunity to convince investors of your business’ credentials. Keep it positive, clear and easy to understand. Don’t get drawn into detailed descriptions or explanations, and avoid technical terms and jargon. Go out and grab their attention.

Step 2: Company overview

The company overview is your chance to properly introduce yourself and your business. You can give your potential investors a more detailed insight into how you plan to make sure your recruitment agency is a success.

Always remember, your focus should be on why investors should choose to put money into your recruitment agency, and why they should believe they’ll make a return on their investment.

You can consider including the following ideas in your company overview:

• What previous experience do you have managing a business
• What made you decide to start a recruitment agency?
• How will you stand out from your competition?
• Exactly who are your target clients? Do you have an ideal customer?
• What is your current financial status?

You need to show that you have a good understanding of the recruitment industry. Let them know the extent of your knowledge of the current market, how you expect it to change, and how your company is suited to thrive in the future.

You should think like a business person and don’t give your investors any reason to doubt your command of the subject.

Some other things to consider include:

• How you plan to expand your recruitment agency in the future.
• Your local market and competition.
• How is your application different to the others your investors have seen?

Basically, the goal of your company overview is to deliver a complete outline of your recruitment agency to your potential investors. Make sure to include facts and figures, and show off all your skills and expertise.

Feel overwhelmed? Not sure where to start? We’ve done all of the hard work for you.

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Step 3: Management and key personnel

A business is only as good as the people behind it. To really make your recruitment agency a success, you’ll need the support of a great team. In the management and key personal section of your plan you should detail your management, staff, and plans for further growth.

Remember to include:

• Staff members and their roles at the agency
• The previous experience of your staff
• Your staff salaries
• Do you plan to bring new people into the business? If so, when? How many? And what kind of salaries will they be paid?

This section really doesn’t need to be too long or complicated. All investors want to know is that you have a solid management structure and that you’ve made some plans for expansion in the future where necessary. As long as you’ve shown this, you’ll be just fine.

Step 4: External analysis (market research)

It’s crucial to have a strong understanding of your market before launching your start-up. It will help you recognise opportunities for your company to benefit from, and identify threats before they can damage your business.

Make sure you know the competition. What will make you stand out from them?

In this section you’ll also need to look into your target market, and how you’ll attract them over the competition. You should try to make this as detailed as possible, so that investors can see the focus of your agency. Being too vague might lead potential backers to believe you haven’t put much thought into it.

Who’s going to use your recruitment agency? (your target market)

Are you going to focus on recruiting in one particular industry? Or perhaps you’re going to specialise in junior or graduate roles? You need to know who your clients will be so you can tailor your marketing and branding to suit them.

Some things that you should think about include:

• How will you get the attention of clients?
• How much will you charge your clients?
• What will make them choose you over other competitors?
• How can you gain their loyalty?

How many recruitment agencies operate in your area?

In order to attract business you’ll have to stand out from other recruitment agencies that operate in the same region. How do you plan to separate yourself from your competition? Investors might be concerned about market saturation, and you need to prove to them that your agency has more to offer than any other around you.

Some things you can think about:

• How much do you know about your competitors?
• How many large recruitment agencies operate in your area?
• What are the average costs of employing a recruitment agency?
• Do they specialise in any particular industry? How does this compare with your own business?

Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal customer. What is going to make them choose you over another agency?

Step 5: your business objectives

Your business is going to need to have objectives, both for the short term and the long term. These objectives should be an outline to potential investors of what you are expecting to achieve over a time-frame.

Think about where you want your company to be after a month, then six months, a year and even five years. Don’t go crazy though. Ambition is good, but you shouldn’t be suggesting your business is going to become a giant of the industry after the first couple of years, as you will just come across as naive.

You should try to use the S.M.A.R.T criteria to keep track of your objectives.

Your S.M.A.R.T Criteria are:

If you still need some help coming up with objectives, you can consider some of the following:

• How big is the market you’re targeting?
• How do you plan to reach that market?
• How many clients do you expect to have after the first two months?
• How much revenue do you expect after the first six months?

Along with each objective you should provide a plan, as to how you expect them to be achieved.

Step 6: Services, equipment and amenities

By giving a detailed list of all the equipment you need to start your recruitment agency, investors will be able to see what their money is paying for.

This will depend very much on the scale of your planned agency. It would be possible to start by working from home with just your home PC and personal mobile phone. But if you’re thinking bigger, some items and services you should think about would include:

• Office space, along with desks and chairs
• Work Mobiles and mobile contracts

Be realistic in this section. You don’t need twenty PCs if you’re only employing a handful of staff. There’s no point in overspending.

Step 7: Financial forecasting and financial projections

This is the section where we crunch the numbers. Financial forecasting is probably the most important part of your business plan, as you can prove to investors that they will get some return on their investment.

This might be the trickiest and most time consuming part of the whole plan, but it is essential to do it properly.

You’re going to have to show your potential backers how you’ll recuperate the money they’ve invested. How much can you make per client? How many clients will you have?

The fundamentals you’ll need to provide:

• Sales forecast
• Expense budget
• Cash-flow statement

There are a whole lot of things you’ll need to budget for. Some of those might include:

• Purchase estimations
• Hiring costs

If possible, don’t restrict yourself to just one avenue of revenue. Diversifying your income sources will make investors feel much more comfortable with their investment.

We’ve taken all of the hard work out of planning the finances for your recruitment agency. Download your recruitment agency business plan template instantly below.

Instant download

Step 8: Funding

Do you already have existing financial support? Your investors will need to know how much start-up capital you have, and where it’s coming from. You need to let them know whether you’re using money from your own pocket, or whether you have investments from some other backer.

You might have received funding in the form of:

• Personal loans
• Partners or sponsors
• Family and/or friends

Be completely clear about where your money is coming from. Don’t hide anything from your investors.

You also need to be explicit about how much money you need, both now and in the future. You should also detail to investors how you’ll be spending it, whether it’s for equipment, renting premises or paying staff.

At the same time, don’t ask for more than you need, as it’s only likely to put investors off

Your free sample recruitment agency plan

If this is all still seeming a bit overwhelming, you might like to take a look at a small template we provide for a recruitment agency business plan. This can get you started and help you to come up with some of your own ideas.

Included in this template, you’ll get:

• An example of your executive summary
• Products/services on offer
• Staff and management structure

Download .doc here

Launching your own business is a scary prospect. The recruitment industry is already a busy market, but there’s plenty of demand for it and forecasts anticipate its boom to continue. There are over 31,000 recruitment agencies in the UK, with a combined value of over £42.3 billion.

By creating a detailed and clear business plan, you’re giving yourself the best chance of success. You’ll be able to start out knowing you’ve considered every aspect of the business. Investors love an in-depth business plan, so remember: the more detail the better. With our experience, you can kick-start your agency with confidence.

Download the Software

Complete recruitment agency business planning package.

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How to Start a Profitable Recruitment Business [11 Steps]

By Nick Cotter Updated Feb 02, 2024

Business Steps:

1. perform market analysis., 2. draft a recruitment business plan., 3. develop a recruitment brand., 4. formalize your business registration., 5. acquire necessary licenses and permits for recruitment., 6. open a business bank account and secure funding as needed., 7. set pricing for recruitment services., 8. acquire recruitment equipment and supplies., 9. obtain business insurance for recruitment, if required., 10. begin marketing your recruitment services., 11. expand your recruitment business..

Before diving into the recruitment industry, it's crucial to conduct a comprehensive market analysis to understand the competitive landscape and identify potential opportunities. This initial step is foundational in strategizing for your business's success. Below are key points to guide you through the process:

• Analyze the current demand for recruitment services in your target market, considering factors such as industry growth, employment rates, and sector-specific needs.
• Identify your main competitors, their market share, and the services they offer. Look for gaps in their service delivery that you could fill with your business.
• Research the latest trends in recruitment, such as the use of artificial intelligence, remote hiring practices, and the increasing importance of employer branding.
• Understand the regulatory environment of the recruitment industry in your region, including any licenses required and compliance with employment laws.
• Survey potential clients to gather insights on their hiring challenges and preferences, which can help tailor your services to meet their needs.
• Consider the economic climate and its impact on hiring, as this can affect the demand for recruitment services.

Are recruitment businesses profitable?

Yes, recruitment businesses can be profitable. The profitability of a recruitment business depends on a variety of factors such as the size and scope of the business, the demand for its services, the quality of its staff, and its marketing strategy. Additionally, factors such as the local job market and economy can impact profitability.

Starting a recruitment business requires a well-thought-out plan to establish a solid foundation and guide your company towards success. Your recruitment business plan should detail your strategy for sourcing candidates, engaging clients, and differentiating your services in the competitive marketplace. Here are some essential components to consider when drafting your recruitment business plan:

• Executive Summary: Present an overview of your business, including your mission statement, core values, and the objectives you aim to achieve.
• Market Analysis: Research and outline the current recruitment landscape, identify your target market, and analyze your competition.
• Services Offered: Define the types of recruitment services you will provide, such as temporary, permanent, or niche sector recruitment.
• Marketing and Sales Strategy: Describe how you plan to attract both clients and candidates, including your branding, promotional tactics, and sales approach.
• Operational Plan: Detail the day-to-day operations, from candidate sourcing methods to client relationship management systems.
• Financial Projections: Provide realistic financial forecasts, including startup costs, pricing models, revenue streams, and break-even analysis.
• Risk Assessment: Identify potential risks and challenges your business may face and outline strategies to mitigate them.

How does a recruitment business make money?

Recruitment businesses make money by charging a commission fee for each successful recruitment they lead. They typically specialize in a particular industry and will target their services toward that industry's employers and job seekers. For example, a business that provides recruitment services for an air duct cleaning business may target HVAC technicians, sales representatives, and office administrators who have prior experience in the sector. Additionally, they may offer consulting services such as helping employers develop job descriptions to attract qualified applicants for their open positions.

Developing a strong recruitment brand is crucial for standing out in a competitive market and attracting both clients and candidates. Your brand should reflect your company's values, culture, and unique selling propositions. Here are some key strategies to help you build a compelling recruitment brand:

• Define your brand's mission and vision to align with the core values and goals that differentiate your services from competitors.
• Identify your target audience and tailor your brand's messaging to resonate with the needs and preferences of both clients and job seekers.
• Create a professional and memorable logo and visual identity that will be consistently used across all marketing materials and platforms.
• Develop a brand voice and content strategy that communicates your expertise and thought leadership in the recruitment industry.
• Engage with your audience through social media, blogs, and email marketing to build relationships and establish trust.
• Collect and showcase testimonials and case studies from satisfied clients and placed candidates to provide social proof of your brand's success.
• Ensure that your website and all branding materials are clear, informative, and reflect the quality services you provide.

How to come up with a name for your recruitment business?

Coming up with a name for your recruitment business can be a daunting task. It's important to create a name that reflects the values and mission of your business, and that will stick in the minds of potential clients. Brainstorming is a great way to start - getting creative and coming up with all sorts of different ideas is key here. Once you've generated some ideas, narrow down the list and try to combine words or merge two concepts together to come up with something unique. Finally, make sure to research whether the name you have chosen is available in terms of domain name and trademark registration.

Starting a recruitment business requires not only a strong understanding of the job market but also formalizing your business registration to operate legally and professionally. This step is crucial as it establishes your business's legal structure, tax obligations, and credibility in the marketplace. Follow these key points to ensure your recruitment business is properly registered:

• Choose a legal structure for your business (e.g., sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation) based on your needs for liability protection, tax benefits, and business scalability.
• Register your business name with the appropriate state authority, ensuring it is unique and not already in use. This may involve filing a 'Doing Business As' (DBA) if operating under a name different from your own.
• Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS for tax purposes, which is also necessary if you plan to hire employees.
• Apply for any necessary business licenses or permits as required by your state or local government to operate a recruitment agency.
• Check if there are specific industry regulations or certifications needed in your region to run a recruitment business and comply accordingly.
• Register for state and local taxes to ensure you can legally operate and are set up to pay any applicable sales, payroll, or business taxes.

Resources to help get you started:

Explore indispensable materials designed for recruitment entrepreneurs, featuring key insights on market trends, operational best practices, and strategic growth advice:

• Recruitment Agency Expo Blog: Offers a wealth of articles on industry trends, business growth strategies, and operational efficiency for recruitment professionals. Visit here .
• ERE.net: A leading online portal for recruitment and HR professionals, providing in-depth reports, trend analysis, and strategic guidance. Access here .
• Recruiter.com Magazine: This digital publication features expert advice, interviews with industry leaders, and case studies on successful recruitment strategies. Read more .
• The Global Recruiter: Offers international insights into the recruitment industry, including market trends, technological innovations, and business models that drive success. Explore here .
• Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA): Provides comprehensive research, data reports, and global insights into the staffing and recruitment industry. Discover more .

Starting a recruitment business requires compliance with legal regulations to ensure smooth operations. One crucial part of this process is obtaining the necessary licenses and permits. Here's a guide to help you through Step 5 of setting up your recruitment business:

• Research specific industry regulations: Different jurisdictions may require unique licenses for recruitment agencies. Contact your local government or a business attorney to understand the specific requirements in your area.
• Business License: Apply for a general business license to legally operate your recruitment firm in your city or county.
• Employment Agency License: Many regions require a specific employment agency license. This often involves an application process and sometimes a fee.
• State Permits: Check if your state has additional permits for operating a recruitment business. This can often be found on the state's Department of Labor website or equivalent.
• Specialized Licenses: If you're recruiting in a specialized field (e.g., healthcare, legal), you may need industry-specific licenses. Research thoroughly to ensure compliance.
• Tax Registration: Register for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for tax purposes, and understand any sales tax obligations that may apply to your services.

What licenses and permits are needed to run a recruitment business?

In order to run a recruitment business, you will likely need a business license from your local government, depending on the regulations in your city or state. Additionally, you may need specific permits depending on the state you are operating in and what services you are offering. For example, if you plan to offer headhunting services or temporary staff leasing, you may need additional permits.

Setting up a business bank account and securing the necessary funding are crucial steps in establishing a solid financial foundation for your recruitment business. It is essential to keep your business finances separate from personal funds to maintain clear financial records and facilitate business growth. Here are some tips to guide you through this process:

• Research different banks and their offerings for business accounts, focusing on fees, services, and any minimum balance requirements.
• Prepare the required documentation, such as your business registration details, Employer Identification Number (EIN), and personal identification to open a business bank account.
• Consider the type of account that best suits your business needs, whether it's a checking account, savings account, or both.
• Explore various funding options, including business loans, lines of credit, venture capital, angel investors, or crowdfunding, depending on your business plan and financial projections.
• Create a compelling pitch and a detailed business plan when approaching potential lenders or investors to secure funding.
• Be mindful of the terms and conditions attached to any funding you accept, ensuring they align with your business goals and repayment ability.

Setting the right pricing for recruitment services is a critical step in ensuring the success of your recruitment business. It involves balancing your need to be competitive in the market with the need to cover your costs and achieve a healthy profit margin. Here are some guidelines to help you set your pricing:

• Analyze your costs: Determine all costs associated with your recruitment services, including salaries, marketing, technology, office expenses, and any other overheads.
• Research the market: Look at what competitors are charging for similar services to establish a benchmark for your own pricing.
• Value-based pricing: Consider the value you bring to your clients, such as the quality of candidates or the speed of placement, and price accordingly.
• Flexible pricing models: Offer different pricing structures, such as contingency fees, retainer models, or flat rates to accommodate various client needs.
• Transparent pricing: Ensure your pricing structure is clear and understandable to avoid any confusion or mistrust with clients.
• Review and adjust: Regularly review your pricing strategy to ensure it remains competitive and reflects any changes in your service offerings or market conditions.

What does it cost to start a recruitment business?

Initiating a recruitment business can involve substantial financial commitment, the scale of which is significantly influenced by factors such as geographical location, market dynamics, and operational expenses, among others. Nonetheless, our extensive research and hands-on experience have revealed an estimated starting cost of approximately $$10,500 (first month) for launching such an business. Please note, not all of these costs may be necessary to start up your recruitment business.

Starting a recruitment business requires careful planning, especially when it comes to acquiring the right equipment and supplies. These tools are crucial for your day-to-day operations and will help you provide efficient and effective services to both clients and candidates. Here's a list of essential recruitment equipment and supplies you should consider:

• Computers and Software: Invest in high-performance computers and reliable recruitment software to manage client and candidate databases, as well as to track applications and communications.
• Communication Tools: Ensure you have professional phone systems and possibly video conferencing tools for remote interviews and client meetings.
• Office Supplies: Stock up on basic office supplies such as pens, notepads, file folders, and business cards for daily administrative tasks.
• Marketing Materials: Create high-quality brochures, flyers, and promotional items to market your services to potential clients.
• Website and Online Tools: Develop a professional website and utilize online job boards, social media, and other digital tools to reach a wider audience.
• Furniture and Fixtures: Acquire comfortable and functional office furniture to create a productive working environment for your team.

List of software, tools and supplies needed to start a recruitment business:

• Business plan software: approx. $50
• Recruitment software: approx. $1000/month
• Job postings: free or approx. $300/month (paid posting)
• Resume tracking and sorting tools: approx. $200/month
• Interview scheduling tools: approx. $5/month
• Access to career sites and job boards: approx. $200/month
• A website for your company: approx. $200/year
• Office supplies (desk, file cabinets, printer, etc.): approx. $400
• Advertising materials (business cards, flyers): approx. $50
• Networking materials (conferences and trade shows): varies

Starting a recruitment business involves managing various risks, from data breaches to professional liability. Obtaining the right business insurance is a critical step to protect your company, employees, and clients. Below is a guide to help you identify and secure the necessary insurance policies for your recruitment business:

• Professional Liability Insurance: Also known as Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance, this policy protects against claims of negligence or harm due to professional services or advice provided.
• General Liability Insurance: This coverage is essential for any business, protecting against general claims of bodily injury or property damage to third parties.
• Workers' Compensation Insurance: If you have employees, most states require this insurance to cover medical costs and lost wages for work-related injuries and illnesses.
• Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI): EPLI covers your business against claims from employees alleging discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and other employment-related issues.
• Data Breach/Cyber Liability Insurance: Given the sensitive nature of candidate data, this insurance can protect your business in the event of a data breach or cyber-attack.
• Directors and Officers Insurance: If your recruitment firm has a board of directors, this policy can protect the personal assets of the directors and officers in the event of legal action against them.

Marketing your recruitment services is vital to attract both companies looking to hire and job seekers. A well-crafted marketing strategy raises your visibility and establishes your reputation in the industry. Here are some key tactics to promote your recruitment business:

• Develop a Strong Brand Identity: Create a professional logo, business cards, and a website that reflects your business ethos and appeals to your target audience.
• Utilize Social Media: Leverage platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to share industry insights, job postings, and success stories to engage with potential clients and candidates.
• Content Marketing: Publish articles, blog posts, and whitepapers that position you as a thought leader and provide value to your audience.
• Networking: Attend industry events, join professional groups, and connect with both employers and candidates to build relationships and spread word-of-mouth recommendations.
• Email Marketing: Send newsletters with market updates, new job listings, and company news to keep your audience informed and engaged.
• SEO and Online Advertising: Invest in search engine optimization for your website and consider pay-per-click advertising to increase online visibility for your services.
• Referral Program: Encourage referrals by offering incentives to clients or candidates who refer new business to your agency.

Once your recruitment business is established and you've fine-tuned your processes, it's time to scale up. Expanding your business requires strategic planning and execution. Here are some key steps to help you grow your recruitment agency:

• Explore Niche Markets: Identify and target specialized sectors where there is high demand for talent but low competition from other recruiters.
• Invest in Technology: Utilize advanced recruitment software to streamline operations, improve candidate sourcing, and enhance the overall efficiency of your business.
• Build a Strong Brand: Develop a marketing strategy that highlights your unique value proposition to differentiate your services from competitors.
• Expand Your Team: Hire additional recruiters and support staff to manage the increased workload and enter new markets with confidence.
• Form Strategic Partnerships: Partner with other businesses or recruitment agencies to share resources, referrals, and expand your reach.
• Diversify Your Services: Consider offering related services such as temporary staffing, executive search, or HR consulting to broaden your revenue streams.
• Focus on Client Retention: Implement client retention strategies to ensure repeat business and long-term relationships with your clients.

How to write a business plan for recruitment (template included)

• Published on September 23, 2022

Writing a business plan in recruitment has always played a crucial part in the interview process for a number of recruitment agencies around the world.

A comprehensive business plan can demonstrate a recruiter’s commitment, knowledge and commercial acumen. During COVID-19, these qualities are more important than ever and we’re seeing an increase in the number of agencies asking for such a document.

Arriving at an interview armed with a comprehensive business plan before you’re even asked will no doubt set yourself apart from other recruiters.

During these challenging times, managers will need to present a business case to leadership for budget approval in order to make a hire. Your business plan will be an important element of this business case. An impressive business plan could be the difference between landing an offer today, or falling into a pipeline of other candidates or even getting rejected.

In this article, we share a step-by-step guide outlining how to create a comprehensive business plan. We walk through the key components and include examples.

At the end of the article, you can download a free recruitment business plan template which is tailored towards the key components mentioned in this article.

A business plan should be packed full of relevant information but should be compressed and to the point. Avoid verbiage, stay specific and keep to 4 – 6 pages.

Introduction

Start with a title. Include your name and the company you’re writing the business plan for. A little personalisation will go a long way.

Underneath your title, outline the objective of your business plan and again personalise it towards the agency you’re interviewing with. While you have the hiring manager’s attention, this paragraph is an opportunity for you to demonstrate how comprehensive your business plan is. The aim is to capture the hiring manager’s interest so they continue to read each component:

“The objective of this business plan is to outline the value I can add to employer’s name .

In this business plan, I have highlighted my specialism, hiring activity in my market, my candidate and client strategies, my methodology, how I plan to recruit through COVID-19, my competition, my personal revenue projections over 12 months and lastly a suggested solution to reducing my cost during COVID-19.”

You can use this paragraph as a way to introduce your business plan verbally if you’ve called up a hiring manager. You can also use this extract in a cold email.

Your specialisation

This is a crucial positioning statement for your value-add. It sets out precisely where your network and experience lies and what you intend to bring to the table in your new role.

Your specialisation can be described clearly by outlining what roles you will specialise in, what industries you will target, what level of seniority you will focus on and what geographies you will cover.

For ease of reading, you can use each component as a title and use bullet points to expand upon your answers.

Taking a Technology recruiter as an example:

What roles I will specialise in:

• Product Management permanent roles
• UX/UI Design permanent roles

What industries I will target:

• Series A – C funded technology startups (high investment, high growth and high volume of roles)

What level of seniority I will focus on:

• Mid to senior (120 – 180k salary range for Product Managers, 140 – 200k salary range for Designers)

What geographies I will cover:

• Based in Singapore, the local market will be my core market
• Secondary markets include Jakarta, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur due to less competition from recruiters and high volume of roles

Hiring activity trends

The hiring activity trends section provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate and portray your knowledge of the market.

The 3 important components of this section are: hiring activity over the past 3 years, hiring activity during COVID-19 and how you predict hiring activity to shift post-COVID-19 recovery.

Utilise your own knowledge of the market but back it up with research gained from reputable sources related to your market e.g. Tech in Asia, Tech Crunch, Channel News Asia, The Straits Times or The Financial Times.

You’ll want to cover how hiring activity has increased or decreased, what the drivers of growth are in your industry and what the threats and challenges are within your sector.

Candidate strategies

Moving on from market trends, this section indicates how you will acquire candidates for your desk. It offers an opportunity for you to demonstrate the experience you’ve learnt in candidate management from your previous firm, but also an opportunity for the employer to ensure that your approach aligns with theirs.

3 key components of this section include: how you will generate candidate leads, what challenges you expect to face and how you will overcome these challenges.

Taking a Front Office Banking & Financial Services recruiter as an example:

How do I plan to generate candidate leads:

• Direct headhunting using a LinkedIn Recruiter account, this costs approximately $X amount, the key benefits being access to a high volume of InMails and enhanced search capability. This has been the sourcing tool for 60% of my previous placements

Challenges I expect to face:

• In light of COVID-19, highly sought-after candidates may be risk-averse and may not see this as a good time to move jobs

How I will overcome these challenges:

• I will develop relationships with these candidates for the future but I will adjust my sourcing strategy accordingly by increasing volume of direct approaches. I will also focus on great talent who have been affected by COVID-19

Client strategies

A similar section to candidate strategies but geared towards clients. Arguably more important than candidate strategies during COVID-19 as the market is currently job-short – even in the good times, strong business development capabilities in recruiters are harder to find.

This section includes 6 key components including how you plan to onboard new clients, how you plan to sustain relationships with clients for repeat business, what industries your clients are in, the challenges you expect to face and how you will overcome these challenges.

Take these bullet points as a basic example:

How I plan to onboard new clients:

• During COVID-19, I plan to cultivate relationships by helping and consulting clients on non-recruitment related issues, such as advising clients on the current state of the market
• I plan to generate leads by making 25 cold calls per day during the ramp-up period, to again offer support and advice where needed, and to leverage any open roles
• A soft approach of connecting with hiring managers, HR contact and C-Level candidates on LinkedIn, to establish working relationships and eventually convert into clients

How I plan to sustain relationships with current clients and win repeat roles:

• The most important way to sustain relationships is by offering a service that is superior to competitors. That is by being transparent, sticking to deadlines and delivering results
• Regularly catch up with clients on a monthly basis to see how they’re doing and see if you can generate new roles
• Keep yourself updated on company news and congratulate clients on milestones e.g. if they generate a Series C round of funding

What industries I will target clients in:

• Series A – B funded technology startups
• Durving COVID-19 there is less of an appetite to use agencies due to an unprecedented volume of great candidates available in the market
• Offer free support to companies currently not using agencies, provide an impressive service and convert into paying client post-recovery

The 6th component is “examples of target clients” and this is where you can really demonstrate tangible market knowledge. Use company names, find the potential contact in each company and add your comments, such as the volume of roles you expect from that client. 5 examples should be enough to peak your hiring manager’s interest.

You can use a table to display this information with ease:

It goes without saying that you should never be tempted to use information that is proprietary to your previous employer. This information can be openly found with some basic LinkedIn research.

My methodology

Are you a recruiter that is focussed on crunching numbers? Are you a recruiter who is focussed on cultivating long-term relationships? In this section, you can include a few quick bullet points to explain how you approach recruitment. This information gives your hiring manager an indication about whether you hold similar values and whether you have similar working styles.

How you can adapt to recruiting during COVID-19

This section is a new one in response to current market conditions but can demonstrate how you are prepared to deal with current and upcoming challenges.

You can use this section as the title and include bullet points to outline how you will adapt to these market conditions. You can refer to this article if you want some tips on how to adapt to recruiting during COVID-19.

[INSERT_ELEMENTOR id=”15165″]

My key competitors

Which recruiters and agencies offer the greatest competition? Demonstrating your knowledge in this area highlights that you are commercially aware outside of your core market.

Include about 5 different competitors who are directly competing in your patch. You can use the table below to display this information:

Personal revenue and target projections

In many business plans, financial projections are of utmost importance and can demonstrate your commercial acumen. If you’ve ever watched Dragon’s Den, you’ll know what happens when you don’t know your numbers!

Project your personal revenue for 4 quarters. You can start your calculations by predicting the average annual salary of a candidate in your patch. You can project your average percentage fee agreed with clients and from there you can calculate your average fee. Once you have this, you can predict the amount of placements you’ll be making per month.

Make sure your revenue projections are realistic and achievable. Avoid the temptation to predict vastly optimistic revenues, especially during COVID-19. You must allow time to ramp-up and there must be a logical relationship between your historical and predicted revenues.

The plan only includes project revenue. Your historical revenue should be on your CV.

Take the below as an example:

My predicted average annual salary of candidates:

My predicted average percentage fee agreed with the client:, my predicted average fee:, my predicted average placements per month, my projected revenue over 12 months.

Underneath, you can also include the KPIs you will set yourself to guide you in achieving these numbers. For example, you can set yourself a guideline for how many CVs you need to send, how many candidate meetings you need to arrange, how many client meetings you need to arrange and so on.

My remuneration

This is not a standard component of a business plan but is included in response to COVID-19. As mentioned in my previous article , if you demonstrate your willingness to share the pain of your cost with an employer, it will go a long way.

My last drawn salary:

• SGD $5,000 per month

My expected salary:

• SGD $3,000 per month during COVID-19
• SGD $5,000 per month post-recovery

How I propose we can share the pain during COVID-19:

• Reduce my previous drawn salary by 40%
• Reduce the threshold of my commission scheme of 9x per quarter to 7.5x per quarter
• Agree to return to standard remuneration once I’ve hit personal revenue of $60k per quarter

The template

To help recruiters through these challenging times, we’ve constructed a free template built around the components mentioned above, so you can create your own for when you reach out to hiring managers.

To download this template, please click this link and you’ll be redirected to the template.

This step-by-step guide should give your hiring manager a clear idea of your plan. If executed successfully, you’ve already demonstrated your commitment, knowledge and commercial acumen before even attending an interview.

The way you’ve structured your plan will give your hiring manager a very clear indication of your methodology and whether you’d fit their structure. Keep in mind that if your methodology is focused on high volume recruitment, it’s not going to work well with an executive recruitment agency.

As a next step, learn this plan inside and out. Be prepared to pitch your plan to your hiring manager and answer detailed questions surrounding each component.

Leave your interviewer with no room for concern and secure that job!

Speak to a recruiter

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If you’d like to enquire about our services, please feel free to get in touch with our team.

Staffing Agency Business Plan Template

Staffing agency business plan.

If you want to start a staffing agency, recruiting agency, nurse staffing agency, or temp agency or expand your current one, you need a business plan.

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 8,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their staffing agency businesses, employment agencies and recruitment agencies.

How to Write a Staffing Agency Business Plan

Below are links to each section of your staffing agency business plan template:

Next Section: Executive Summary >

Staffing Agency Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my staffing agency business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Staffing Agency Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Salon Business Plan.

Where Can I Download a Staffing Agency Business Plan PDF?

You can download our staffing agency business plan PDF template here . This is a business plan template you can use in PDF format.

What Is a Staffing Agency Business Plan?

A staffing agency business plan provides a snapshot of your staffing agency as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why Do You Need a Business Plan for a Staffing Agency?

If you’re looking to start a staffing agency, or grow your existing staffing agency, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your staffing agency business in order to improve your chances of success. Your staffing agency business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

This is true for an employment agency business plan, a recruitment agency business plan, a healthcare staffing agency business plan or a plan for any type of staffing agency.

What Are the Sources of Funding for Staffing Agencies?

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for staffing agencies are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable. But they will want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

Angel investors are also a common form of funding for staffing agencies. Angel investors are wealthy individuals who will write you a check. They will either take equity in return for their funding, or, like a bank, they will give you a loan. Venture capitalists will not fund a staffing agency. This is because most venture capitalists are looking for extremely fast growth and millions of dollars in return when they make an investment, and staffing agencies, while great businesses, don’t fit this criteria.

STAFFING AGENCY BUSINESS PLAN OUTLINE

• Staffing Agency Business Plan Home
• 1. Executive Summary
• 2. Company Overview
• 3. Industry Analysis
• 4. Customer Analysis
• 5. Competitive Analysis
• 6. Marketing Plan
• 7. Operations Plan
• 8. Management Team
• 9. Financial Plan
• 10. Appendix
• Staffing Agency Business Plan Summary

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All About People

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">.

All About People (AAP) began out of the desire to contribute to this community, just as communities have fed All About People’s proprietor over the years. Although originally from a larger market, the proprietor realizes the need in the southern Willamette Valley for a personnel agency that fills a void left by other temporary and permanent placement agencies. AAP matches specifically skilled workers with clients, saving businesses time and money, while providing for its employees with honesty and honor. This requires a high level of communication. It means asking open-ended questions and listening, not talking. This means knowing the local market so AAP can really serve each client and employee, not just “sell” them our goods. AAP is quality service.

The long-term vision includes a number of offices throughout the southern Willamette Valley. The proprietor sees the challenge in this vision, not in the growth itself, but in training and encouraging all AAP personnel to treat each client and employee with the same care and with the same level of communication.

Managing our Growth AAP is a sole proprietorship that will convert to an S Corporation. As a new corporate entity, AAP will be treated as a start-up in this business plan. During the past couple of years the proprietor provided all services. In Year 1, the company will add a part-time office staff person and an employment specialist. In response to this growth, AAP will have a procedures manual for in-house staff to assure that the information is clear. In addition, AAP will provide employees with regular training within the divisions to assure they understand the details of the work they are doing daily. Year 2 projections include a receptionist, another employment specialist, and a field representative. In Year 3, AAP will examine the feasibility of opening a branch office in the Salem, Bend, or Medford/Ashland areas.

The Market AAP is structured like other temporary and permanent placement agencies. However, it will serve clients with needs for select, specialized professionals rather than clerical or light industrial workers. Several businesses in Portland, Oregon provide a similar service to specific groups of people, but there are none for the Willamette Valley. AAP has five divisions, targeting the following areas of expertise:

• Editors/Writers

Event Planners

Graphic Artists

• Interpreters/Translators.

Services AAP will handle recruiting, including reference checks, skills evaluation, preliminary interviewing,  and screening of all employees for its clients. AAP acts as an extension of the client’s human resource department, assuring that there is open communication between supervisor and employee, and assisting with any troubleshooting or problem solving that may be needed.

Financials The company’s start-up requirements are $55,464, of which $7,600 will be provided for by the owner’s personal investment. The rest will be obtained through loans.

We expect to be able to charge a 50% markup to our business clients. Thus, if an employee is being paid $10 per hour, we are charging the client $15 per hour. The company predicts that it will be able to produce sales of approximately $300,000 by Year 3. The company does not have any direct cost of sales; we track payments to placed individuals as regular payroll.

1.1 Objectives

AAP is structured like other temporary and permanent placement agencies. However, we serve clients with needs for select specialized professionals, rather than clerical or light industrial workers. Several businesses in Portland, Oregon provide a similar service to specific groups of people. AAP followed the model of one placement firm described below.

A contract engineering firm places temporary workers who are hardware and software engineers. Employees earn between $80- $100 per hour and approximately seven employees are placed per month. The firm recruits through its website, advertises in newspapers, magazines, and trade publications. Incentives offered to contingent workers include medical, dental, and disability insurance, 401(K), and a reference finder’s fee for placement referrals. They find their employees are 60 percent male, 40 percent female, and ages spread evenly.

AAP serves the business client by locating a professional worker, interviewing and screening that worker, setting up interviews if necessary, and administering all hiring paperwork. The company runs payroll and bills the client bi-monthly. AAP will also manage the professional, staying in close contact with the client and communicating with the worker regarding any personnel issues that may arise.

The professional worker is served with employment opportunities at no cost; pay rates that are within industry standards; and health insurance may be purchased, if a worker becomes eligible, at a group rate starting at $124/mo. AAP will pay $65/mo for any coverage chosen from the group package.

1.2 Mission

All About People’s mission is to contribute to the community by filling a need for specialized, professional, contingent workers. The company will provide workers with a safe and independent environment. It will also provide businesses with a high-caliber of employee available for project or permanent work. All About People listens to individual needs and customizes personnel solutions for both businesses and workers.

Company Summary company overview ) is an overview of the most important points about your company—your history, management team, location, mission statement and legal structure.">

AAP is a temporary and permanent placement personnel agency working solely with skilled, professional workers and Willamette Valley businesses. AAP differs from other temporary and permanent placement agencies because of our skilled workers. The company believes that the temporary industry pays only cursory attention to providing businesses highly qualified workers for permanent and non-permanent positions. AAP has five divisions, targeting the following areas of expertise:

AAP does not provide general clerical, light industrial, engineers, accountants, nurses, or other medical technicians.

AAP does the following for each client:

• Recruiting (reference checking)
• Skills evaluation (preliminary interviewing)

AAP conducts regular evaluations: AAP checks in with the supervisor and the worker during the first week on the assignment. AAP then checks in as agreed with the client. AAP acts as an extension of the client business’ human resource department assuring that there is open communication between supervisor and employee, and assisting with any troubleshooting or problem solving that may be needed.

Prior to opening our doors, research showed support for the development of a personnel agency working solely with professional contingent workers and Willamette Valley businesses (see topic 7.3 Supporting Research).

According to the Oregon Department of Employment, Lane County has 31 temporary agency firms with 3200 individuals employed. Total employment figures for Lane County are 250,000; therefore, we support between two and four percent of the population.

Through connections in a variety of areas, AAP is able to locate qualified workers not only through advertising, but through a channel of networking. This past year has shown that qualified, willing workers are certainly available as we currently have hundreds on staff willing and able to work.

2.1 Company Ownership

AAP is a sole proprietorship that will convert to an S Corporation. As a new corporate entity, AAP will be treated as a start-up in this business plan.

The sole proprietor, Sarah Wayland, can be reached at AAP’s office, [contact information omitted in this sample plan].

2.2 Start-up Summary

Projected start-up figures are shown in the chart and table below.

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The company is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this market opportunity because of the management and field expertise of the proprietor. Sarah Wayland worked in the temporary employment industry for three years with ADIA Personnel Services (now ADECCO) as Area Account Manager (in training as a branch manager): building business relationships; hiring employees; handling employee issues; working with clients during the implementation of ADIA; and opening an additional office in Beaverton, Oregon.

For one year the proprietor was a District Sales Manager at Columbia Distributing, showing a 10% increase on $3.5 million in annual sales. Managing a staff of nine in sales and customer service, she had the opportunity to delve further into hiring/firing, reviewing, incentives outside of salary, and personnel issues.

Most recently, she has spent several years as Funds and Contracts Manager at the Oregon University System; managing four grants totaling $1.5 million annually and all personal service and interagency contracts as well.

The proprietor’s most notable success was bringing the second branch of Cellular West located in Portland, Oregon, from running in the red, to breaking even within four months of its opening. She accomplished this by using motivational tools and providing the sales force with extensive training.

3.1 Products and Services Plan

Changing labor market conditions threaten the concept of full-time permanent employment.

AAP provides a complex blend of services to distinct populations. The company serves businesses through connecting them with the professional contingent work force. It also serves the worker by connecting them with businesses, at no charge, and providing benefits not often provided by other employment agencies.

Market Analysis Summary how to do a market analysis for your business plan.">

All About People (AAP) is a local firm that costs less than a consultant or agency, provides for both project and long-term needs, and has an easy, pay and billing rate system that covers employee payroll and worker’s compensation insurance.

There are a variety of reasons why businesses may need AAP’s services:

• Spikes in work load
• Business expands into an area that in-house expertise does not yet match
• Special events
• Pregnancy leave or sabbatical
• Business increases after layoffs
• Smaller business does not yet have staff on-hand to complete extra projects.

According to economic forecasters, employment agencies and financial services are expected to have the largest industry growth over the next 25 years. The trend toward businesses cutting back on employees and their benefits due to high costs creates the demand for AAP’s services.

Just consider the time, energy, and resources an employer may spend trying to employ a person for a 20-hour task.

In addition to the already lucrative temporary industry, several companies in the Portland Metro Area place professional contingent workers, but the southern Willamette Valley is not currently being served.

The company approaches businesses primarily through networking and cold calls. Our intention is to utilize a PR agency for more coverage as soon as possible. AAP is a member of the area Chamber of Commerce and actively participates in as many activities as possible, the proprietor is a member of the Women’s Business Network, the Professional Women’s Organization, and we are in the process of connecting with the Society for Human Resource Management. Prior to start-up, AAP also surveyed several area businesses about their use of contingent workers. The company will use its website and other marketing materials that describe what services we provide and explain how simple it is to work with us.

AAP advertises in local papers and trade magazines when absolutely necessary, but most often uses the Oregon Employment Department, both community college and university campuses, and the networking groups we are members of to search out the right employee. Prior to the sole proprietor start-up, the company started recruiting by administering twenty personnel surveys and advertising locally to create a staff of qualified contingent workers. This staff will be unaffected by AAP’s corporate restructuring.

4.1 Market Segmentation

The market can be broken down into two segments: the business market segment, and the employee market segment. Both of these segments are lucrative.

Business market targets: The company targets the University of Oregon, Lane Community College, the nonprofit organizations, the publishing industry, the advertising industry, and other large businesses.

Employee market targets: Editors/writers, graphic artists, computer specialists, event planners/fundraisers, and language translators/interpreters working in the business target markets listed above, as well as any applicants with unusual skills and talents.

4.2 Service Business Analysis

These charts demonstrate the types of workers employed, the type of qualified professionals on file to work for the company, and the types of businesses who have used AAP’s services. These statistics cover the 15-month sole proprietorship period from July 1, 1998 through September 30, 1999.

Types of workers employed by or signed up with AAP

Types of employers using AAP

Each and every contact is entered into the database-either in the professionals file if they are a potential candidate, or in the contacts file if they are another type of contact. The client and jobs files utilize the contact and client numbers to automatically fill in the information from the contact or client files. This means no duplicate typing. In addition, the contacts, clients, and professional files all have follow-up sheets attached making daily follow-up easy. Simply pull the file up for that day and all calls that need to be made that day will be marked.

Searching is easy. The check boxes within each professionals file allows us to check for singular or multiple skills and experience with a click and a return.

4.2.1 Competition and Buying Patterns

First form filled out from the moment the candidate calls. Three screens constitute one file: Personal Information; Job Information; Skills. The professional and contact files have a conversation record that will allow easy follow-up with a list daily of those records needing a call.

Interview Form

Directly from the employee forms the Employment Specialist can select the appropriate interview form. This form consists of three sheets: Basic Questions; Other Information/Recommendations; and Reference Checks.

Employee Profile Sheet

From the above information, a profile sheet is generated in hard copy for the inside of each file. This is our second backup system (besides the tape drive) in case of a power outage, etc.

4.2.2 Contact Sheet

This form is used for all other contacts. From here, a contact can be turned into a client by merely typing the contact number in on the client sheet, automatically bringing in all of the information.

4.2.3 Client Sheet

The client sheet is easily created by filling in the contact number. All pertinent information is automatically entered. The client sheet has its own contact sheet attached generating a daily follow-up list. The client files can also be pulled into a handy contact list.

Strategy and Implementation Summary

AAP is completely service minded, customizing personnel packages and offering the most it can to both employers and employees. The company brokers professional workers to Willamette Valley businesses. Because we serve two distinct groups of people, both businesses and employees will be considered equally important to AAP.

The company consists of five divisions, targeting the following types of workers and needs in businesses:

Computer Division

• Computer Application Specialists
• Computer Hardware Specialists
• Computer Programmers
• Network Administrators
• Web Specialists

Editor/Writers

• Multi-lingual
• PR/Marketing
• Fundraisers
• Large and Small

Language Interpreters and Translators

• Multiple Languages
• Person-to-Person

Within these categories, we originally set up a system of single sheets on card stock and filed them in binders. Since then, an electronic database has been created by one of our professionals. With the push of a button, AAP can search for a client or an employee needed.

Businesses and employees will be able to communicate with AAP via both new technological and traditional methods. Our Web page provides information about AAP including what professional fields we serve, what clients we are working with, and what services we offer. A second-generation Web page will provide information about employees for businesses through a password-protected area. AAP forwards candidates’ resumes and other information through a variety of methods: phone, fax, personal visit, mail, and the Web page.

In August 1999 we moved the offices to the center of town. Accounting is handled electronically by the proprietor through QuickBooks, with the complex needs handled by our CPA. All payroll is generated through the payroll service, Paychex. The office is furnished with all of the technology needed to operate on a daily basis, increase market share, and serve clients.

5.1 Competitive Edge

When a business is contacted and expresses interest in contingent employees that the company can provide, the following procedures will be followed:

• Consult with client and create a follow-up plan.
• Complete the contact, client, and job sheet in the database.
• Print one of each and forward a copy of the job sheet on yellow paper to the employment specialist.
• File original sheets in the appropriate binders.
• Search for matches in the database and pull each folder that looks like it will work.
• Review that folder to assure a match.
• Call each potential candidate and discuss the job and pay to its fullest.
• Fax, e-mail, or otherwise contact client with information and/or resumes for review.
• Schedule interviews or make a decision on appropriate candidates.

5.2 Sales Strategy

When an employee seeks to work with the company, the following procedures will be followed:

• Complete the professional’s form in the database.
• While completing this sheet, screen the employee for experience levels, requiring professional experience in each arena they wish to work.
• Set up an interview with the employment specialist if the professional is qualified.
• Create a file for each employee and place all paperwork, along with a copy of the professional’s form.
• Keep in touch with the professional quarterly if nothing comes up, more often if at all possible.
• When the professional agrees to a position, they will be supplied with an employee policy manual, pieces of letterhead for invoicing, and will complete the IRS I-9 and W-4 forms prior to beginning work.

5.2.1 Sales Forecast

Our sales forecast projections are presented in the chart and table below. Three years annual projections are shown in the table.  The chart shows first year monthly forecast.  First year monthly table is included in the appendix.

5.2.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

The pay rate data will be determined by changing market factors including business demand.

Our experience shows that the following is true in regards to pay and bill rates. A “good deal” for most temporary agencies is a 50% of pay rate markup. Thus, if the pay is $10, the bill is $15. However, we have traditionally used a flat markup that seemed appropriate. Pay and bill rates generally are outlined as follows:

Editors Most editors require between $25 and $35 per hour, and our history has shown a $10 per hour markup is acceptable. One exception is in the technical arena, garnering between $45 and $55 per hour pay; again a $10 per hour markup is typical.

Writers The only writing we have done is creative for [client name omitted], and we paid $15 with a $10 markup.

Event Planners Event planners often will work for between $12.50 and $25 per hour, depending on the length of the job, requirements, and experience needed. We find a $5 per hour markup on the $12.50-$17.50 is reasonable, and a $10 per hour markup on anything over $17.50 per hour.

Fundraisers Fundraisers can start at $10 per hour (nonprofit) and go up to $20 per hour. This usually depends on client and length of assignment. Bill rate markup for nonprofits is $5 per hour, others between $7.50 and $10 per hour.

Graphic Artists Entry level beginning at $12.50 per hour, intermediate at $15 per hour, and a top of the line professional at $25 per hour. The exception may run about $50 per hour. Bill rates are between $7.50 per hour markup ($12.50-$15), and $10 markup.

Language Interpreters This is a tricky arena. Pricing depends on the language (typical/atypical) and the length of the assignment. Interpreters have been known to work for as little as $15 per hour and for as much as $35 per hour. A $10 per hour markup is acceptable.

Language Translators This division is difficult as each language and situation varies slightly. Translators tend to work by page or by word. Technical translation can be as much as $.30 per word. Other translation can be $10 per hour (an hour a page). We are unsure of markup at this time, but would suggest 50% of pay rate.

Computer Specialists:

• Application-Starting at $12.50 an hour based on Xerox experience. Markup $5 per hour.
• Programmer-Starting at $20 an hour based on AlbertIQ experience. Markup $10 per hour at a minimum. Try for $15.
• Web Designer-Entry level positions can start at $10 per hour with a markup of $5. Project work typically starts at $15 an hour, markup at least $10 per hour.
• Administration-Pay rates range between $50 and $75 per hour, with a preferred markup of $25 per hour.

When determining the bill rate, additional expense factors to remember above the pay rate are 15% employer taxes, advertising, and staff time to fill the position.

5.3 Milestones

The company has an outstanding client list and an incredible number of qualified employees available. AAP has a good reputation for providing qualified people in a timely manner.

Management Summary management summary will include information about who's on your team and why they're the right people for the job, as well as your future hiring plans.">

In a variety of settings the proprietor of AAP has strong management experience. The proprietor has the skills to not only listen well, drawing out a person’s needs through open-ended questions, but also has the ability to recognize people’s strengths and weaknesses. She will draw upon this extensive successful experience in addition to the knowledge collected over a period of 18 years working professionally. Much of the “people” skills have been developed during the seven years spent in management roles. This experience, along with a varied background, supports AAP’s goals.

AAP’s objectives are threefold:

• To provide high quality, experienced, professional workers to businesses that are currently relying on the instability of word-of-mouth contacts, and are spending much of their time and resources (and, therefore, money) locating such workers;
• To provide these workers with a path by which to reach the employer without spending their own time, money, and energy finding the work; and
• To use this opportunity to make the contingent work force a better place for both the employer and the employee.

The long-term goal of the company is to franchise and/or to become multi-location, and eventually sell this business.

Management is a style, a belief, and a strategy.

In managing our clients, AAP will communicate regularly with them, setting up a schedule that meets their needs. The company will set goals for retention of clientele and strive to reach those goals by building relationships, listening to the client’s needs, and meeting those needs with a smile on our faces. We will take responsibility for our errors and the outcome.

In managing our workers, AAP will communicate regularly with them, providing them with an employee manual to minimize their confusion, and offer them the best pay and benefits possible. AAP will set goals for retention of employees and strive to reach those goals by treating each employee with respect, provide protection when appropriate, and do everything within our power to assure a healthy working environment.

This is a relationship business. AAP will manage all clients and employees through relationship building.

During 1998-99 the proprietor provided all services. In 2000 the company will add a part-time office staffer and an employment specialist. In response to this growth, we will have a procedures manual for in-house staff assuring that the information is clear. In addition, we will provide employees with regular training within the divisions to assure they understand the details of the work they are doing daily. 2001 projections include a receptionist, another employment specialist, and a field representative. In 2002 AAP will examine the feasibility of opening a branch office in the Salem, Bend, or Medford/Ashland areas.

6.1 Payroll

All About People runs its payroll twice a month. Each professional will be given a check schedule when they work with AAP. Each check covers the previous two weeks.

In order to process payroll; AAP must receive a professional’s signed invoice the Wednesday prior to payday. The invoice, must be on AAP letterhead and include: name, social security number, mailing address, dates of work completed, location worked (at home, at the client’s office), one or two sentences describing what tasks were completed, and how much time was spent each day. At the bottom there must be a place for the client to sign and date in acceptance of the work to date. The original will be submitted to AAP, the client will receive one copy, and the professional will keep a copy.

AAP is unable to provide payroll advances. If a check is lost in the mail, we must wait seven days from the date of mailing, and then if the check has not arrived we will stop the check at the bank and have one reissued.

6.2 Benefits

Because we value our employees, we have employee group health insurance available, and contribute a major portion of the monthly premium. According to the Insurance Pool Governing Board (IPGB) employees must work at least 17.5 hours per week. Employees who work intermittently or who have worked fewer than 90 calendar days are not eligible. IPGB also states that all carriers may decline to offer coverage to the business or to any employee.

Technically, All About People is employer of the professionals we place. This means that we are responsible for covering the worker’s compensation insurance, running payroll, and that we are the ones to whom each employee is responsible. We understand that this can be tricky when employee professionals are working with a client, so we want to describe the expectations of this relationship:

• If the professional doesn’t understand the work or assignment that has been given by the client, then discuss the work with the client.
• If there are issues at work, the employee should inform AAP and then speak with the client.
• If these issues continue, the employee should talk with AAP immediately.
• If the professional feels they are being harassed at work they should let AAP know immediately.
• If the employee should be being asked to perform tasks other than the original assignment, the employee should talk with AAP before beginning any tasks other than the original assignment.
• If the professional is being asked to work overtime (more than 40 hours per week), they should let us know immediately.

AAP does not guarantee either work or wages when you join us to become an AAP employee. We will, of course, strive to keep you as busy as possible. AAP is also not able to guarantee an hourly wage prior to the assignment beginning. If you work on a job, and complete the work successfully, you will be paid at the agreed rate.

This employment relationship differs from others because you, AAP, or the client may end your employment with or without notice and with or without reasons. However, if you accept a job with AAP, we do expect you to finish the assignment.

Marketing Strategy

AAP’s target market is both businesses and professional workers. Phase one of the marketing plan will target the University of Oregon, the technology industry, and the top 500 businesses in Eugene through networking and cold calling. Phase two will target small businesses with less than five employees because smaller businesses may not have the in-house capability to locate, evaluate, and hire potential professional contingent workers through a small PR campaign.

7.1 Businesses

We began marketing the businesses through several personnel surveys. The University of Oregon Alumni Association, University of Oregon Foundation, and University of Oregon Human Resources Department, as well as Symantec’s Human Resources director were approached for information regarding their need for professional temporary and permanent workers. These initial interviewees have all (with the exception of U of O HR Dept) become clients within the first year of business. After these personnel surveys were complete, we adjusted our recruitment of professional workers to meet the demand.

Another tactic was joining multiple business groups. AAP became a member of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce and attends the weekly greeters meetings; the Women’s Business Network and attends the monthly meetings; the Professional Women’s Organization and attend the monthly meetings; as well as the City Club, keeping a pulse on what is happening in the community, attending as the proprietor sees fit.

The next approach is face-to-face cold calls. The tools for these calls are simple-a business card and a brochure. The information collected during the cold call is vital: how many employees does the business have; in what areas have they experienced a need for professional contingent employees; and who is the appropriate contact.

7.2 Professional Workers

Our beginning point in marketing to workers was approximately 30 personnel surveys to professional contingent workers, building the foundation of our database.  AAP intends to recruit workers through advertising in the newspaper and appropriate trade magazines, trade shows, the University of Oregon career center, and by referral. We have found that each division within the company requires a different approach for recruitment. We try not to depend on newspaper advertising as we find the results are moderate. Results are far better with the employment department for some areas, with the U of O for others, and also through a series of developed contacts for the other divisions.

7.2.1 Trust

In order to build trust with both businesses and employees AAP will follow through as promised. We will treat each business, employee, and ourselves, with integrity. AAP will communicate clearly, asking businesses to specify the needs for follow-up service during the time that they employ our contingent worker. We will work with employees to assure that they have a clear understanding of what AAP offers and what we expect of them.

7.3 Supporting Research

“A fading model of employment in the United States envisions a business enterprise with full-time employees who can expect to keep their jobs and perhaps advance so long as they perform satisfactorily and the business continues. Changing labor market conditions threaten the concept of full-time permanent employment. As reported by the Conference Board in September 1995, contingent workers account for at least 10 percent of the workforce at 21 percent of the companies surveyed, or almost double the 12 percent of respondents with that number in 1990. Writing in the Monthly Labor Review in March 1989, Belous estimated that contingent workers constitutes 24 to 29 percent of the labor force in the United States. In August 1995, however, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated the size of the contingent labor force at 2 to 5 percent of the total workforce. However, BLS did not count long-term part-time employees, who constitute 90 percent of part-time workers.”       — Society for Human Resource Management, The Contingent Worker: A Human Resource Perspective, by W. Gilmore McKie & Laurence Lipset taken from Chapter 1, What Is a Contingent Worker?

AAP is a service company providing businesses with customized personnel solutions by connecting them with the professional contingent work force. Research suggests that 2000 is an opportune time to be in the Eugene market with this service. Even with all of the evidence that contingent work is the wave of the present, and of the future, the niche of placing contingent workers who are paid $12.50 to $40 per hour is untapped in the Eugene area. However, a few companies place high-end contingent workers in the Portland area.

There are many reasons why businesses are turning to contingent workers. The Economic Policy Institute’s article “ Contingent Work ” by Polly Callaghan and Heidi Harmann explains that:

“Growth in involuntary part-time employment is causing total part-time employment to grow faster than total employment. Another indication of the shift toward part-time workers: hours for part-time workers are growing faster than hours for full-time workers. Temporary employment has grown three times faster than overall employment and temporary workers are being used for more hours. Contingent employment is growing faster than overall employment. Part-timers are disproportionately women, younger, or older workers. There has been a shift away from manufacturing toward trade and services. These structural changes help explain the growth in part-time employment.”

Because of the changing nature of jobs themselves, AAP’s services are desirable to employers of all sizes. Unlike five or ten years ago, many positions are so diversified, or specialized, that it is not financially feasible for an employer to hire a person to fill one position, requiring several areas of expertise. This is not financially wise for the business because of the pay range required to recruit and hire such a talented person (especially in areas such as graphics, design, etc.). The cost of payroll, taxes, benefits, and other miscellaneous staff required to run employees add to the burden of a downsized staff. Contacting AAP and using a professional contingent worker for each portion of a position as needed will solve this dilemma. Currently most businesses locate needed “qualified” workers by word of mouth. With one phone call, e-mail, or connection with our Web page, AAP makes the task easy.

In addition, Oregon’s economy is expected to continue growing, and employment, total personal and per capita income, and population growth rates are expected to exceed the national average (according to the 1997-98 Oregon Blue Book). Although Oregon’s economy is among the best there is an obvious group of contingent workers available to build an employee labor pool. The company draws from a labor pool of qualified contingent workers which consists of people who work at home, retirees, others who wish to work part-time. According to the Oregon University System, approximately 33% of bachelor’s degree graduates will be unable to find jobs in Oregon each year. So, recent college graduates are also a part of AAP’s labor pool.

Research shows that a large percentage of workers who tend to work more than one job are well-educated individuals who have a higher degree of education. According to Oregon Employment Department’s Occupational Outlook Quarterly , Spring 1997, 9.4% have Ph.D.’s; 6.5% a Professional degree; 9.1% a Master’s degree; 7.9% a Bachelor’s degree; 7.9% an Associate degree; and the remaining 15.8% lesser education. According to a Personnel Journal article “ Contingent Staffing Requires Serious Strategy ,” April 1995, there are also many retirees that enjoy doing contingent work.

Financial Plan investor-ready personnel plan .">

The following sections contain the financial information for All About People. Tables show annual projections for three years. Charts show first year monthly figures.  First year monthly tables are included in the appendix.

8.1 Important Assumptions

The financials of this plan are predicated on the following table of assumptions.

8.2 Projected Profit and Loss

Profit and Loss figures are projected in this table.

8.3 Projected Cash Flow

Our cash flow estimates are shown in the chart and table below. The owner expects to invest further amounts in the business over the next two years to finance continued growth.

8.4 Projected Balance Sheet

Three year annual balance sheets estimates appear below.

8.5 Business Ratios

The table below presents important business ratios from the help supply services industry, as determined by the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) Index code 7363, Help Supply Services.

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How to start a recruitment business

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Today’s recruitment companies are very busy. Post-COVID, the so-called ‘great resignation’ has taken place, with employees up and down the country searching for better jobs made available thanks to the advent of remote working.

Companies are now grappling with a cross-sector labour shortage, while immigration issues caused by Brexit have only aggravated the situation. While this is undeniably a hard environment for recruitment companies to deliver in, the medium to long-term prospects for the industry look very different.

As a recession looms, job seekers are likely to lose confidence in switching roles. Soon, the risk of saying goodbye to a stable salary during a cost of living crisis will outweigh the benefits created by finding a new employer.

Given the mixed bag of opportunities available, any recruitment startup needs to stay on top of the market and ensure they are setting up a business that meets the exacting demands of clients. Below, we’ll get you fully up-to-date on how to set up recruitment firm. We’ll through the type of experience and level of expertise required, to the kind of fees and profits you can look forward to.

There’s a lot of planning that needs to go into launching a successful recruitment agency. Thankfully, one area which needn’t cause undue stress is creating a website to promote your business. Thanks to modern templates like the one below , you can create one of your own in under an hour.

At Startups.co.uk, we test and rate website builder tools, and we’ve identified Wix as one of the best you can choose for creating a business site. Wix even has a selection of  custom website templates designed specifically for recruitment agencies  – you simply drop your own company information, wording and preferred imagery into your chosen template. Better still, it’s completely  free to try  for yourself.

Create a recruitment business plan

Recruitment pricing structure, find your niche, recruitment startup costs, financing your recruitment business, recruitment laws and regulations, final thoughts.

At Startups.co.uk, we’re here to help small UK businesses to get started, grow and succeed. We have helpful resources for helping new businesses get off the ground – you can use the tool below to get started today.

What Does Your Business Need Help With?

As with any business, don’t do anything before you’ve created your recruitment business plan. Our easy-to-use template will take you through each step of the process, but you essentially need to cover the following points:

• About you – Discuss what makes you a good fit to run a recruitment business, and why you want to run one. Discuss your experience, contacts, qualifications, and personal qualities, and make sure to sell yourself
• About your business – There are a wide range of recruitment types, so you’ll need to make clear exactly what your recruitment business aims to do. Which sectors do you want to work in? Do you want to focus on full-time or part-time employees? Is there a particular demographic you feel an affinity with and can target? You’ll also need to explain staffing, and crucially, how you plan to finance your business.
• Market research – Here you can go into more detail on your target market and competitors – how are you going to stand out and attract business? Identify a geographic area that you’ll initially focus on – even if you don’t have an office to start with, you’ll likely need to meet candidates and clients in person, so choose the location for your business carefully.
• Costs and business forecast – Here, you’ll need to outline all the costs your business might incur – everything from website development to office space and business insurance. You’ll also need to give a realistic business forecast that explains how much profit you’ll make in Year 1, Year, 2, Year 3 etc.

While it may not be quite as satisfying as building your own recruitment business from scratch, opening a recruitment franchise has several key advantages. You’ll be able to use an established brand, get expert advice from experienced recruiters, and may also find it easier to get finance than if you were starting a completely new recruitment business.

The total investment varies, but Travail Employment Group , a leading company in this area, suggests a total of £30,000 will be required – including an initial franchise fee of £12,000.

This might be a particularly suitable role for those with little recruiting experience, due to the much greater level of support offered.

Need help staying organised?

Starting a recruitment business will take a number of steps and it’s important to keep everything tracked.

Project management tools are a great way to keep everything moving in the right direction – you can assign tasks, track progress and create projects that everyone can chip into.

Get expert help finding the right project management software for your business .

Expert insight: John Lennon, THRYVE

John Lennon (no, not that one) built innovative tech recruiter THRYVE from scratch to £4mn turnover and told Startups that, when starting out, you should think about all the realities of owning your business rather than just focusing on how you’ll go about getting clients and attracting candidates:

“If I could go back in time, my first hires would be an operations manager and a marketing manager. When you first set up a recruitment business you are a salesperson, a marketer, an accountant, bookkeeper, administrative expert, tax expert, events coordinator and so much more.

“It was only when I started THRYVE that I realised how little I knew about how to run a business. This is why so many recruitment companies fail – most recruitment business owners are great recruiters, but struggle with the transition to becoming a business owner.

“Make sure you educate yourself on basic business principles, understand how to read a profit and loss statement, understand how to forecast, take advice, get mentors and surround yourself with positive people in your space who can help you.

“And, most importantly, be really mindful of cash flow and your outgoings.

“After all, your revenue figures mean nothing if your profit levels aren’t where you need them to be.”

One of the most important decisions you’ll make is how to price your services. This should be a crucial part of your business plan.

The fee you charge will vary depending on whether you are recruiting permanent or temporary staff.

Permanent employees

Rates vary, but research by recruitment training company Social Talent indicates that you can expect to charge a one-off fee of 15-20% of the role’s annual salary for most roles, with this rising to 25% for roles that are particularly difficult to fill. This matches the view of Tim King of IT recruitment specialist Matchking , who charges his clients 20-25% of the employee’s annual salary.

This assumes that you operate on a contingency basis – in other words, that you’re only paid once the job has been filled by a candidate you put forward. In this case, you’ll often be competing with other agencies.

The other option is retained recruitment , where you are exclusively assigned to find candidates for a role. This usually involves a more in-depth process, and is often associated with more senior roles. Consequently, you are able to charge more – 30% is common, while experienced professionals in specialist niches charge up to 50%.

You’ll also be expected to factor a rebate into your fees, where you return part of the fee if the hired candidate leaves the job after a certain period of time. Again, the period and percentage returned varies between agencies.

This variation in fees reflects the fact that recruitment can involve many different processes, from writing job ads to interviewing candidates, and even conducting reference checks. As a recruiter, how many of these tasks you take on will determine the fee you charge.

When starting out, you may also want to be flexible with your fees in order to build long-term commercial relationships.

Temporary employees

Things are a little more complicated when you’re hiring temporary employees.

You’ll need to factor in the following:

• The cost of the worker
• Holiday pay
• National Insurance
• Your desired margin

These costs are initially paid by the agency, before being reclaimed from the client.

The rate may also vary depending on whether the position is fixed-term or paid by the day.

The same Social Talent research found that for a fixed six-month post, agencies would charge 12-15% of the equivalent annual salary ( not the six month period the employee was being hired for).

For a temp position that paid £300 a day, agencies would charge around 15%, so approximately £45 per day in this case.

For both permanent and temporary workers, some agencies are also shifting to a flat fee structure, as this can make them more attractive to clients.

As a newly established recruiting agency, you’re unlikely to survive unless you develop a specialist area. Trying to compete in the general recruitment space is incredibly difficult given the established brands and high visibility of the major players.

Many of the most successful smaller scale recruitment agencies have prospered by sticking to a specialist area they know inside out.

Adam Bolton gave great insight into how he started ABrecruit from scratch on the Undercover Recruiter blog. What really comes across is how he always knew he wanted to focus on .net development, and how he leveraged his experience in this area. He knew the field, knew the people, and knew how to appeal to both companies and candidates – a plan that resulted in a thriving company which has now been going for seven years.

A look at the Startups 100 reveals similar success stories – JHP Recruitment has prospered by focusing on veterinary recruitment, Debut has made waves with its clever platform for graduate recruitment, and The Dots is providing creative professionals with a new way to be seen and hired.

If you can, follow their lead.

Expert insight: James Lloyd-Townshend, Frank Recruitment Group

The chairman and CEO of technology recruitment company Frank Recruitment Group , James Lloyd-Townshend has over 23 years of experience in the recruitment industry. Speaking to Startups, he said that while it may feel like you’re turning down chances to make money, choosing a specialist area and sticking to it is the key to long-term success:

“When starting a recruitment business, you need to understand that not every opportunity is an opportunity.

“This is one of the most common pitfalls, especially in this industry. It’s easy to think that, for instance, that any sector is a potential area to operate within.

“However, that can come at the expense of having the specialist knowledge that can actually be of value to your customers.

“So for us, knowing our niche and focusing just on that, allowed us to provide a level of service that a lot of our competitors have struggled to match and has allowed us to stay out in front.”

Like any other startup, new recruitment businesses can prosper by doing what their larger competitors can’t (or won’t) do.

Being agile is the key. Adam Bolton of ABrecruit made the decision early on to work from 8am to 9pm on weekdays and all day on Saturday – a punishing schedule that enabled him to talk to candidates outside work hours, and have relaxed conversations about what they were really looking for. It’s a great example of the sort of creative thinking you’ll need to employ to make your mark in the early days.

Depending on what sort of candidates you’re targeting, you may also need to consider tech-driven solutions. Already, the job search has largely shifted from laptop to mobile, and the likes of Tempo are trying to reinvent the recruitment process by using AI, video, and rich CVs that include ratings and reviews. All this has the potential to hugely streamline the recruitment process – Tempo boasts that its fastest hire was made in just 27 minutes.

Further along in the process, the traditional supremacy of the interview is also under threat – with alternative and complementary solutions including soft skills assessments, job auditions, and even virtual reality.

As a recruitment startup, keeping on top of these trends is key. While you may not have the established reputations and brand awareness of the big boys, you’re ideally placed to innovate and operate more efficiently.

Expert insight – Malcolm Burenstam Linder, Alva Labs

Groundbreaking recruitment startup Alva Labs is taking aim at one of the central pillars of the common recruitment process – CVs. Instead it wants to use logic and personality tests to remove human bias from the hiring process and quickly find candidates that match the requirements of the role and the culture of the hiring company. This innovative approach has already earned Alva major clients like Arla and Deloitte, and co-founder and CEO Malcolm Burenstam Linder told Startups that the impetus for the company came from seeing traditional recruitment processes fail over and over again in his previous jobs:

“I previously worked for a flourishing private equity company and a rapidly growing ecommerce company, both of which had big problems with staff turnover – hiring managers were in a constant battle with the revolving door and staff weren’t staying because they simply weren’t the right people for the job.

“At both companies, I couldn’t understand how we could be so dependent on data and analytics for almost every decision, but when it came to recruiting new team members, we were relying on gut feeling and personal preference. This is when the extent of the recruitment problem dawned on me.

“By failing to talk and think about talent in an objective manner, we let bias creep into the process and demolish our chances of hiring the best people.

“And by letting our own experiences drive our definition of what ‘great’ looks like in a candidate, we directly stunted company growth.

“Eventually, I found myself waving goodbye to the stability of private equity to kickstart my own recruitment business, Alva Labs, with a vision of improving the quality, efficiency and inclusivity of the job market worldwide.”

There are only two things you definitely need to start a recruitment business – a phone and an internet connection. You can even use your personal mobile at the outset, although a dedicated business handset could cost you as little as £6 a month – check out our guide to the best business mobile phone plans for more info.

However, to really spread your wings and fly, you’ll want to invest in the following:

If you’re a recruitment agency, your website is really, really important – it’s the public face of your business, and it’s how candidates and companies will judge you.

There are a huge range of options available, as detailed in our guide to small business website costs . If you want to take the DIY approach, companies like Wix and Squarespace offer packages for around £10 a month, while a professional web design company should charge you around £1,000.

Make sure your site is set up for mobile – a recent report from recruitment platform Glassdoor found that 58% of Glassdoor users are looking for jobs on their mobiles .

You can find software that promises to help you with practically every aspect of your business, but two areas are really worth looking into for recruitment businesses – CRM software and accounting software.

• CRM software – CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, but as a recruiter, you should think of it as Candidate Relationship Management. Numerous pieces of bespoke software are available to help you easily keep track of who’s applied for which job, and sort candidates according to skills and experience.
• Accounting software – Not many people (apart from accountants) love the financial side of running a business – running payroll and putting together tax returns can quickly make you question the wisdom of getting set up on your own. However, while you’re unlikely to be able to afford an accountant in the early days, investing in accounting software that lets you track expenses and payments could really pay dividends. You can make sure you stay on top of your finances, and don’t have any sleepless nights when it comes to filling in your tax return.

Office space

You might start off in your bedroom, but sooner or later, you’ll want to find a proper space where you can meet candidates and run your business. A co-working space is a great first step, getting you out of your living room but saving you the responsibility of single-handedly renting a space. You can find out more in our in-depth guide to the costs of co-working , but expect to pay anything between £100 and £600 a month in London depending on location and facilities. Outside the capital, prices fall dramatically – with a co-working space in Sheffield, for example, costing approximately £200 a month.

As a recruitment business, you shouldn’t need much in the way of equipment. The days of fax machines are long gone, and contracts can be electronically signed using services like Docusign . Make sure you have a good phone and internet connection, as well as a selection of private spaces where you can meet candidates.

Location is also important: you’ll want to ensure you’re based somewhere that’s easy for candidates to get to, and also consider whether there’s a part of town which is a particular hub for the industry that you specialise in.

There’s no getting around this one – as soon as you employ your first member of staff, you’ll need employers’ liability insurance that covers you for claims of up to £5m. It’s also a good idea to consider getting public liability insurance, which would cover you if anything happens to a candidate or client on your premises, while any vehicle used by the business must have a motor insurance policy in place.

Recruitment is commonly associated with two things – high salaries and high turnover.

Let’s tackle salaries first. While this is likely to be your biggest ongoing expense, it’s a bit of a myth that recruiters are always on high salaries. Nationally, PayScale data indicates that the average UK salary for a recruiter is £26,443 – notably below the UK average of £31,772 a year (or £611 a week).

Of course, this masks significant regional variation, with LinkedIn Salary data indicating that the average for a recruiter in London is £35,000 – compared to £27,500 in Manchester, £29,500 in Sheffield, and £29,500 in Leeds. And you’ll likely need to also factor in commission, which averaged £5,000 according to PayScale and £10,000 according to LinkedIn.

In terms of staff turnover/staff churn, there’s no doubt that this is an issue for recruitment businesses, with rates commonly cited that are double or even triple the national average of 15%. The common turnover factors still apply – make sure you’re open to flexible working, and that salaries keep pace with the industry at large – but dealing with rejection is often cited as the most difficult part of working in recruitment.

It might therefore be a good idea to ensure that a system is in place for employees that are struggling. For a startup, this could be as simple as an empathetic senior member of staff that can offer the benefit of their experience. As you grow, investing in dedicated mental health support could really pay dividends.

With a recruitment business, awareness is key. You need everyone to know what you do, and how you go about it – which makes marketing really important. Consider targeted digital and social media marketing campaigns, as well posting on online job boards.

While it can be difficult to know how much to spend, make sure you don’t commit to a campaign before you know it will deliver a solid ROI. Start small, and then scale up if you see positive results.

Project management software

With so many things to juggle, using project management software can make a huge difference to your recruitment business. Easily keep track of everything that needs to be done, and instantly see which tasks are overdue. Some programs can even automate processes completely to significantly improve efficiency.

Given the myriad costs discussed above, making sure you can finance your recruitment business should be one of your first priorities. Given the delay between outlay and financial return, cash flow is a common issue for recruitment agencies.

Alongside trying to secure investment or a business loan, make sure you consider invoice factoring. This is common in recruitment, and is a great way to manage a temporary shortfall – find out more in our guide to invoice factoring fees .

Two finance providers that specialise in the recruitment industry are Sonovate and Quba Solutions.

Sonovate specialises in invoice finance, allowing businesses to borrow against their outstanding invoices in order to free up cash and pay their contractors on time. It has already funded over £500m in invoices to date.

Quba Solutions

Quba Solutions is a contract finance provider that offers finance and back office services to recruitment firms. Its packages allow you to easily generate invoices, chase payments, and ensure that your cash flow remains positive.

Expert insight: Gary Ashworth

Recruitment veteran Gary Ashworth has over 40 years experience in the industry, founded his first recruitment company when he was just 21, and is currently chairman of three different recruitment companies. Speaking to Startups, he stressed the importance of having a coherent financial plan in place:

“If you want to take advantage of running contract or temporary staff as well as charging a fee for making them permanent, then you’ll have to have a line of credit in place to cover their wages, since you might not get paid for 30-60 days or longer.

“You’ll also need a more sophisticated back office to process all of the transactions and that will come at a cost.

“It’s absolutely crucial you get the numbers right – you should be turning 20% of your net fee income into profit .

“If you’re not doing that, then you’re either paying your staff too much or your establishment costs are too high. You don’t want to be a busy fool who works hard but barely makes a profit!”

The main piece of legislation that covers the recruitment industry is the Employment Agencies Act 1973 . If you want to set up a recruitment business, you’ll need to make sure you know this legislation inside out. The REC has a helpful guide, and this infographic nicely summarises the main points.

Source: Agency Central

Alongside members and key figures from the world of recruitment, the REC has also created the REC Code of Professional Practice, which aims to promote consistent standards across the industry. This covers the following 10 areas:

• Respect for Laws
• Respect for honesty and transparency
• Respect for work relationships
• Respect for diversity
• Respect for safety
• Respect for professional knowledge
• Respect for certainty of engagement (ensuring that workers are fully informed of the pay and working conditions for the role they are being employed in)
• Respect for prompt and accurate payment
• Respect for ethical international recruitment
• Respect for confidentiality and privacy

As is the case with any business, starting a recruitment agency is not for the faint hearted – but following the steps laid out above should ensure you avoid some common pitfalls.

Starting off with a good business plan is crucial – one that makes it clear what your business strategy is, has detailed cash flow forecasts, and demonstrates your in-depth knowledge of your target market. If you’re starting out with no recruitment experience, then taking on an employment franchise could be a great option – and regardless of whether you’re franchising or going it alone, choosing the right pricing structure is key.

The UK recruitment industry is already a crowded market. Finding your niche is extremely important, as is having an innovative mindset that’s open and ready to implement new recruitment solutions.

With initial costs likely to include a website and marketing, and later steps on the ladder entailing expenses like office space and CRM systems, having the right finance in place should be a cornerstone of your business strategy. Finally, make sure you have an in-depth knowledge of the UK’s employment agency legislation to ensure you’re operating legally.

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Related articles.

How to build a recruitment plan, step-by-step

• Recruitment Strategy

Job reqs are boom or bust, so you’re either scrambling to cover everything or worried about proving your team’s value. Every hiring manager has different expectations on compensation and time to hire, and when they change their mind, you always feel like the last to know.

To break the cycle, what you need is a robust recruitment planning process. A full recruitment plan should include an agreed-upon workforce plan, hiring approach, and marketing strategy. If you don’t have time for the full process, you can also do a quick-and-lite version if needed, though we recommend going through all the steps eventually.

A proactive recruitment plan is the first step to becoming a true strategic partner in the organization. You can get ahead of hiring manager requests, set clear expectations, and demonstrate how critical talent is for achieving the broader goals of the business.

We’ve asked our own recruitment team, as well as experienced recruiters from a range of industries, how they do recruitment planning. Here’s their step-by-step guide, along with the real templates they use every day as part of their recruitment strategy. 

Get your free recruitment planning template

Step 1: assess the situation, collect the headcount plan.

Ask each team to share the roles they plan to open this year, and how each role supports their team’s annual goals. For example, this can help you understand which roles must be hired by a certain date, and which roles are more flexible.

You need to understand what the company is trying to accomplish, how that rolls down to [each] department, and then how they see all these hires contributing to that. Mike Bradshaw, PHR Head of Talent Acquisition, Pinpoint

Review internal and external materials

Start by auditing your core metrics. Check internal reports and your ATS’s reporting for core hiring metrics, including:

• Time to hire
• Time to fill
• Average time in each interview stage

Candidate attraction

• Hires by source
• Candidates by source
• Offer acceptance rates
• Cost per hire
• Actual vs. budget
• Net Promoter Score
• Performance after hire
• Retention rates
• Candidates by demographic groups (race, gender, age, disability, veteran status, etc.)
• Hires by demographic groups
• Conversion rates on specific jobs by demographic groups

Then move on to qualitative materials, such as:

• Feedback from candidates (surveys, Glassdoor reviews, coffees with new hires)
• Feedback from hiring managers and leaders (surveys, performance reviews)
• Internal notes on what has and hasn’t worked before

And take a look at your current candidate experience, including:

• Careers site
• Job descriptions
• Communications sent to candidates

Ask for feedback

Have an open-ended conversation with your stakeholders about how they think hiring is going. Consider requesting feedback from:

• Recent hires
• Hiring managers
• Department leaders
• HR and recruiters 

Where do they see untapped potential? Where do they want to see improvements? What attracted them to the company and what was their candidate experience like?

Identify opportunities

As you review all this information, look for signs of issues and potential opportunities. It’s also helpful to write down your baseline in each area so you can track improvements over time. 

Typically, the opportunities you find will fall across three areas: Talent sourcing, employer brand, or new hire onboarding.

Finding talent: Are there untapped opportunities?

• Channels that work and don’t work, untested networks or tactics
• Channels that are delivering volume but aren’t delivering quality
• Channels that have delivered quality, but aren’t getting the attention they deserve

Branding: Are you selling your company?

• Is your employee value proposition (EVP) strong? How can it be improved?
• Is your messaging and branding cohesive across your careers site , branded emails , and job postings? 
• Is your EVP included in each job post?
• What are candidates saying about you in candidate surveys and review sites like Glassdoor?

Onboarding: What happens after a candidate accepts your offer?

• Are systems in place to give HR what they need to set up new hires for success?
• Is your onboarding process streamlined? 
• What’s the feedback from new hires and hiring managers about the onboarding process?

Step 2: Develop the headcount plan

Now that you have context, data, and feedback on previous hires, you can start planning for the future. The more an organization invests time into these exercises, the easier and more likely it will be to meet recruiting goals on time and within budget. 

Understand team goals and priorities at a high level

Organizational goals are driven by your employees. Meet with senior leadership and department heads to discuss company goals for the year. Is this a year of growth, or efficiency? Are there certain departments or regions we want to develop? Answering these questions will help your team to be aligned with leadership on the hiring mission and messaging. 

Design dream staff plans—then prioritize

Give department heads the opportunity to design their ideal team to reach that year’s goals, budget notwithstanding. This will grant you greater visibility into their vision for the department, and what skills they want on the team. 

Then, help department heads refine each job description and prioritize each role, based on actual needs and realistic expectations. Some roles may be less vital this year, or could be solved without a full-time hire. In these conversations, you can help shape the plan for each department, manage expectations around hiring, and avoid frustration later on. 

Get on the same page about levels

Internal alignment on levels ensures your hiring plan is both competitive and equitable. In a competitive labor market where remote work opens up more opportunities for employees, it is even more important to offer the right rate to hire the right person at the right level. 

At the same time, you want to avoid overpaying or overpromising. Not only will this impact your budget, but it could contribute to internal equity issues, which disproportionately affect women and people of color . 

Outline what is required at each level and define salary bands to mitigate the risk of some employees being unfairly valued. If it becomes harder to hire people at the right level because of pay, then it may be time to reassess trends in the market and adjust compensation levels accordingly.

Tip: Salary transparency attracts quality candidates. On Pinpoint, companies that include salaries in their job descriptions move 15% more applicants to the interview stage

Depending on the size of your organization, there are two ways to approach leveling: 

• Uniform leveling: Everyone across the company follows the same track (associate, manager, director, etc.)
• Functional leveling: Each department has a specialized and unique track. For example, the marketing team may have associates, managers, directors, etc., while the engineering team has engineer Is, engineer IIs, staff engineers, senior staff engineers, etc. 

Determine what makes sense for your organization based on your size and complexity. If developing levels from scratch, the process may take upwards of 9 months, but it will give your whole organization greater clarity.

Plan for backfills and promotions

In addition to new hires, you’ll also need to plan for people who are leaving their roles to minimize the impact of losing skills or capacity on the team. To anticipate backfills, consider past year attrition and industry benchmarks along with current economic factors (growth in the sector, recession, etc.). 

Then, look at your current team to understand who is at risk of leaving their role due to performance, attrition, or promotion. Meet with managers to understand who is on track to be promoted and when so you can plan for their backfill. Be conservative with your budget and resourcing plans so you aren’t surprised when the needs arise. 

Set realistic and fair budgets

With defined level expectations and a conservative hiring plan, it will be easier to set budgets for new hire compensation. To stay on top of industry trends and remain competitive, we recommend these resources:

• Comprehensive.io

Include a budget for the resourcing you will need to reach hiring goals. It can be difficult to anticipate how challenging it will be to hire certain roles, and your talent team may be impacted by attrition as well. It’s possible you will need to increase the capacity of your talent team with new hires or external support from contract recruiters, recruitment agencies, or recruitment process outsourcing provider (RPO).

Any budget proposal will inevitably result in pushback. By working through these steps, your plan should already be aligned with company priorities, but you can make your case even stronger by:

• Demonstrating past recruitment cost per hire and recruiting budgets as a reference, and reiterating how the organization wants to improve this year
• Leveraging leaders who are most invested in making good, fast hires to advocate for the budget
• Using research (benchmarks and models) to illustrate estimated return on investment of those hires for the company 

An iterative approach

A workforce plan will set you up for success, but won’t be set in stone. Shifting priorities, feedback from hiring managers and candidates, and macroeconomic factors will alter your plan over time. Regularly report on data, solicit feedback from stakeholders, and realign on goals to stay on top of these changes. How often you should check in on this plan will depend on your team size and existing processes, but here is an ideal cadence: 

• Weekly: Meet with hiring managers while you have active roles open
• Monthly: Meet with department heads if you are hiring for their teams
• Quarterly: Meet with all department heads to review goals, along with potential backfills and promotions

Step 3: Set realistic timelines

Manage expectations for your team and increase the likelihood of hiring people on schedule by setting estimated timelines. Outline the process for hiring managers and any other stakeholders to ensure they know what is required of them, like submitting requisitions in a timely fashion and allocating time in their schedules for interviews. When recruiters and hiring managers know what actions they need to take and when, your team will be able to respond quickly when strong applications come in. 

To set timelines, refer to historical hiring data along with industry benchmarks . Keep in mind that other economic factors may impact timelines. For example, post COVID-19 and the Great Resignation, more people have reevaluated their priorities and found that they could find better options that fit their values , meaning employers have had to act fast to land top talent. 

For hiring managers, the wait always feels long. Be upfront and provide a detailed timeline so they can see what is involved in the hiring process and feel assured that work is being done.

Example timeline from the Pinpoint Recruiting Team:

• Day 1: Job is posted
• Gather initial results from job posts and adjust accordingly (title, salary, location, etc.)
• Fine tune alignment on required skills and background with real world profiles
• Ramp up sourcing and screening
• Initial screening conversations with 5-10 candidates per week
• Hiring manager interviews with 3-5 qualified candidates per week
• Continue to fine tune alignment on job post and target profile
• Continue to source as needed to meet benchmarks for qualified candidates
• At Pinpoint, most roles can be filled in 60 days or less (time to accepted offer). Executive (Director and above), technical, or highly specialized roles could take up to 90 days to get to an accepted offer.

At Pinpoint, we dedicate a section of our internal communication tool to share documentation on the recruitment strategy and approach so the whole team has visibility. We also share reports from our ATS to keep hiring managers and senior leaders up-to-date on the status of open roles. 

If you still receive pushback, explain the value of having recruiters conduct a thorough, high-quality screen. With more time to vet applications, recruiters can protect hiring managers’ time and only forward the best candidates. If hiring managers become the bottlenecks, here are tips for staying on pace without adding more work to their plates:

• Ask hiring managers to share a sample of CVs or LinkedIn profiles that reflect the ideal candidate and align on what “great” looks like 
• Reserve interview blocks on interviewer calendars in advance 
• Bring in additional interviewers for various parts of the recruitment process
• Utilize automatic scheduling in your ATS to allow for one-click booking
• Align on the priority of roles to expedite those that are most immediately needed

Step 4: Launch the search

Search kickoffs are about identifying what kind of candidate you would like to hire, how you’ll get their attention, and how you’ll keep the search on track. 

Start by getting detailed information about what the hiring manager actually wants and needs via a Requisition form. It’s most helpful if they share this in advance so you can review it before the first conversation with them. You can then verify and expand upon this information when you meet.

While it can be tempting to publish open roles as quickly as possible, it’s worth investing time to customize job postings so they communicate your Employee Value Proposition and attract the right talent . This will allow you to bring in qualified, interested candidates more quickly. 

This also applies to marketing the role—collaborate with the hiring manager to think beyond your typical go-to job boards and identify if there’s anything new or different you can try for this particular search. 

Schedule an initial kickoff meeting with the hiring manager to establish your processes for working together. Identify a day and time to meet each week to check in on the search. Confirm the interview process early on so that everyone knows what to expect and this information can be shared with candidates, ideally in the job posting. 

Step 5: Coordinate the recruitment process

Once the search has started, recruiters will be overseeing a lot, including hiring managers. For them, hiring is essential, but it amounts to just a small percentage of their day. An ATS should make it easier for recruiters to keep the process moving without adding excessive work for hiring managers. Here’s advice from some of our customers on how they’ve been able to increase efficiency up to 70%, in part by collaborating better with hiring managers:

Hiring manager portals

The New York Public Library has about 400 managers who are involved with hiring, in addition to their many other responsibilities. The NYPL team set up a streamlined hiring manager view that made it easy for their team to comment, tag, rate, and share feedback on candidates all within Pinpoint. 

Hiring managers now have greater visibility and a more active role in the process, resulting in greater outcomes for everyone.

It’s really allowed us to coach our hiring managers to be better at creating a great experience for candidates. Craig Senecal Senior Director of Employee Experience, NYPL

Interview scheduling

Franklin Electric hires across a complex and international organization. Balancing people’s schedules and time zones can be a huge challenge. For them, the best solution was to find an ATS with automated interview scheduling . Hiring managers are thrilled to have the access and functionality to fill roles faster, without having to wait on HR.

It’s been a game-changer in terms of the impact and how easy it is. Amanda Hecht Corporate HR Manager, Franklin Electric

Icario is always looking for more data behind their hiring decisions, especially to keep track of their diversity and inclusion goals. After implementing Pinpoint, they began using candidate scorecards to standardize the feedback process and make more informed decisions. If your ATS doesn’t have built-in scorecard functionality, you can use this manual score sheet template .

It’s been really cool to see the type of metrics that we get, or that we can even get metrics in the first place! Rachel Todd Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist, Icario

Step 6: Report on progress

To track team goals, you’ll want to get a quick snapshot every week (or more likely everyday) of whether your search is on or off track. Your ATS should be your go-to source for data, with reports and dashboards that allow you to calculate key metrics. 

In some systems, you may need to create or download a report to get this information. If all else fails, you can also manually track this data outside your ATS (e.g. Google Sheets). 

Top 5 metrics to track during a search:

• # Days Open
• Average Number of Daily Applications
• # Candidates in Each Stage
• # Candidates Who Reached Each Stage (aka Historical Activity)
• Conversion Rates (aka Ratios)

These daily or weekly numbers are most useful when compared against benchmarks. You can establish benchmarks based on your own organization’s historical data or public information about the performance of organizations similar to yours. These benchmarks will vary based on industry, company brand recognition, company size, location, level of specialization, management level, and recruiter experience. 

Example: Benchmarks for Days Open

• By 21 days open, should be hitting goals for weekly candidates sourced, screened, and interviewed
• By 45 days open (for non-technical roles), should have 2-4 strong candidates in final stages
• By 60 days open (for technical roles), should have 2-4 strong candidates in final stages

Example: Benchmarks for Candidates in Each Stage

• 25-50 candidates receiving messages from sourcing outreach per week
• 5-10 candidates interviewing with the recruiter per week
• 3-5 candidates interviewing with the hiring manager per week

If you find yourself struggling to meet benchmarks as the search goes along, continue to revisit and ask questions about your sourcing and marketing plans. 

• Do you need to try new channels or new strategies to reach more candidates with the target profile?
• Has the target profile evolved?
• Are there enough people who fit your target profile to realistically fill the job in a reasonable amount of time? (E.g. if you’re looking for someone with niche technical skills within close proximity to a physical office, there may simply not be enough people in that target profile to find someone without providing relocation.)
• Should you try different messaging in outreach to candidates or in the job posting?
• Are you and the hiring manager both clear and aligned on what good and great candidates look like? 

Step 7: Improve year-over-year

The only constant in recruiting is change. Once you’ve devised your plan, be prepared to return to it repeatedly, iterating and improving on your recruitment strategy as you learn. 

With a hiring tracker and reports showing key metrics, your team will be more aware of what is working and can pivot quickly if needed. When you embed reporting into recruitment, your team will be able to see the forest through the trees and have more control over the process. 

And it’s never too late to start. Even if you are beginning this process mid-year, by the time you are planning for the next fiscal year, you will have more documented information to drive decision-making. 

By working directly with senior leadership, department heads, and hiring managers, you will also have greater visibility of the organization and more advocates on your side. With each subsequent year, you will be able to improve efficiency, collaboration, and the candidate experience. 

A final word of advice

As you’re going through the process, “ask a ton of questions and be selfish with your time,” says our own Head of Talent, Mike Bradshaw. When he took over the role—as the company’s first dedicated talent leader—he used a recruitment plan similar to the one outlined here to understand and prepare for upcoming hiring needs. 

Every one of us that's involved in recruitment—from leadership all the way down to individualized hiring managers—has improved the way that we think about talent as a result. Tom Hacquoil CEO Pinpoint

To get that kind of trust from the leadership team, don’t worry about asking a silly question; just focus on making sure you get all the information you need.

“Some people are sort of timid about asking questions, or asking them again, or asking for more time,” says Mike. It’s natural to want to look confident and autonomous, especially if you’re taking over a new role. 

“But then you end up making a lot of assumptions, and you might start running with something and find it doesn’t work out, and then you have to take a step back,” warns Mike. “Ask all the tough questions. Really try to understand what’s going on, good or bad.”

Further reading

Inbound recruiting vs. outbound recruiting, programmatic recruitment advertising: a recruiter’s guide.

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