Talent Titans

Episode 128 - 90% of Staffing Agencies Will Never Sell for What They're Worth — Here's Why

Is your staffing agency actually sellable — or are you just building a bigger cage? In this solo episode, Suky Sodhi breaks down the single most important shift staffing founders need to make if they ever want a high-value exit: margin over revenue. Most agency owners chase headcount and top-line growth, not realizing their low-margin book of business is quietly destroying their valuation. Suky walks through the brutal math that separates a $8M exit from a $16M exit — with the same profit — and gives you a three-step blueprint to flip your valuation before it's too late. In this episode: * Why revenue is a vanity metric and EBITDA is everything * The "Valuation Chasm" — why low-margin agencies get 3-5x and high-margin agencies get 7-10x * Client concentration risk: if one client is >20% of your revenue, you're a high-risk gamble * Keyman risk: why being indispensable makes you unsellable * The three-step blueprint: Strike Teams, Dolphin Clients, and the High-Margin Pod * How to build a business where you're the least important person in the building The bottom line: The path to that sandy beach is a maths problem. Let's solve it. Key Moments 00:00 – Welcome to Talent Titans & Ascen Sponsorship 00:41 – The Big Contract Myth That's Keeping You Trapped 01:36 – The Only Number That Matters: Your Exit Multiplier 02:00 – The Valuation Chasm: 3-5x vs. 7-10x EBITDA 03:00 – Owner A vs. Owner B — The $8M vs. $16M Exit 03:48 – The Real Cost of Chasing Low-Margin Business 04:14 – The Poison Pill: Client Concentration Risk 05:00 – How Buyers See You (And Why They'll Lowball You) 05:48 – The Low-Margin Treadmill: Stuck as Chief Everything Officer 06:12 – Keyman Risk: Why Being Indispensable Makes You Unsellable 07:04 – Vanity Revenue vs. Real Wealth — The Choice 08:00 – The 3-Step Blueprint to Flip Your Valuation 08:39 – Step 1: Strike Team + Dolphin Clients 09:27 – Step 2: Grow the High-Margin Pod 09:52 – Step 3: Move from Supplier to Specialist 10:52 – The 3-Part Exit Formula (Your Sandy Beach) 11:29 – Thanks for Listening + Follow & Share Check out more episodes of the Talent Titans Podcast: Why Contingency Recruiting is Dying: https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74 [https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74] Master Niche Recruiting: https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0 [https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0] Connect with Suky: Award-Winning Advisor & Industry Voice | Founder: Canadian Staffing Summit, Talent Titans, Recruitment Professionals Forum | Backing Bold Moves in Staffing, Tech & Investment — No Clickbait, Just Real Talk Suky doesn't just observe the staffing industry — she helps shape it. She's built platforms where the industry's most honest conversations happen: 🔹 Canadian Staffing Summit [https://canadianstaffingindustrysummit.com/] 🔹 Talent Titans Podcast 🔹 Recruitment Professionals Forum [https://recruitmentprofessionals.org/] For over two decades, Suky's helped recruitment businesses scale with integrity — from internal team builds to boardroom strategy. She works with agency leaders, tech innovators, and the investors backing the future of staffing. But here's what Suky doesn't do: copy-paste playbooks, fluff-filled advice, or empty hype. She believes in smart growth, real talk, and community over competition. Her work sits at the intersection of: People + Performance Tech + Disruption Strategy + Soul Whether she's coaching founders, advising SaaS firms, or connecting those quietly rewriting the rules — one thing holds true: Suky backs those who build. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukysodhi/] www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com [http://www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com/] Grab of a copy of "How to Launch a Staffing Agency: Plan to Profits in 90 Days or Less" [https://a.co/d/09Y42Tl] Talent Titans is sponsored by Ascen. Ascen is an employer of record that helps staffing and recruitment agencies hire employees compliantly throughout the US and Canada. Ascen's all-in-one, white-label platform handles onboarding, timesheets, payroll, benefits, insurance, invoicing, and funding so you can grow quickly in the US and Canada without worrying about back office and paperwork. Visit ascen.com [http://ascen.com/] to learn more.

Episode 127 - Your Staffing Model Is Broken — Why the 'Unemployable' Are Your Best Hire

What if the people your competitors are screening out are actually your best hire? Marcia Nozick didn't come from the world of HR or corporate recruiting. She came from community economic development — and she built a multi-million dollar staffing company out of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside by betting on the people everyone else wrote off: those with addiction histories, criminal records, and experience with homelessness. Embers Staffing is a fully self-funded social enterprise that reinvests 100% of its profits back into its workers. And in this episode, Marcia makes a compelling, data-backed case that the traditional staffing model is extractive by design — and that the agencies clinging to it are leaving both talent and margin on the table. This is real talk about what resilience actually looks like in a workforce, why construction is opening doors that corporate HR won't, and what it takes to build a staffing company around loyalty instead of just labour. In this episode, we cover: * Why the "unemployable" label is a competitive blind spot — not a hiring signal * The bottom-up financial model that outperforms traditional margins in a downturn * How Embers builds worker loyalty through community, not just compensation * Client reactions to placing workers with criminal records — and where the industry is genuinely open * Removing real barriers: PPE lending libraries, counseling, housing support, and more * Why screening for resiliency beats screening for risk every time * The tech adoption balance — automating without excluding your workforce * Embers' expansion plans from BC into Alberta and Ontario Key Moments 00:00 Introduction & Sponsor Welcome 00:30 Meet Marcia Nozick & Embers Staffing 01:52 Why Not-For-Profit? The Origin Story 04:25 The Bottom-Up Financial Model 06:57 Building Trust & Community With Workers 09:07 Client Reactions to Non-Traditional Hires 11:09 The Hidden ROI: Embers' Competitive Advantage 14:00 Removing Barriers: PPE, Food & Support Programs 17:46 Is the Staffing Industry Leaving Money on the Table? 20:18 Managing Risk & Overcoming Prejudice 29:51 Hiring Internal Staff & Workplace Safety 33:56 Self-Funding & Technology Adoption 38:33 Expansion Plans: Alberta, Ontario & Beyond 39:53 The Alternative Staffing Association 41:00 Closing Remarks Connect with Marcia Nozick: Marcia Nozick founded EMBERS (Eastside Movement for Business and Economic Renewal Society) in 2001 to create economic and employment opportunities for low-income residents in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Over the past 23 years, her leadership has helped thousands overcome barriers through self-employment education, training, job placements, and ongoing support. In 2008, she launched EMBERS Staffing Solutions (ESS), a self-sustaining social enterprise that reinvests profits into the community. In 2024 alone, ESS paid $10.9 million in wages & benefits and employed more than 1,600 people in flexible, short-term roles. Marcia's work has earned national recognition, including the Governor General's Innovation Award (2020), the BC CEO Lifetime Achievement Award (2021), and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award (2016). She holds a Master's in City Planning and is the author of No Place Like Home: Building Sustainable Communities, praised by David Suzuki as "a must read." LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcianozick/ Check out more episodes of the Talent Titans Podcast: Why Contingency Recruiting is Dying: https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74 [https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74] Master Niche Recruiting: https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0 [https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0] Connect with Suky: Award-Winning Advisor & Industry Voice | Founder: Canadian Staffing Summit, Talent Titans, Recruitment Professionals Forum | Backing Bold Moves in Staffing, Tech & Investment — No Clickbait, Just Real Talk Suky doesn't just observe the staffing industry — she helps shape it. She's built platforms where the industry's most honest conversations happen: 🔹 Canadian Staffing Summit [https://canadianstaffingindustrysummit.com/] 🔹 Talent Titans Podcast 🔹 Recruitment Professionals Forum [https://recruitmentprofessionals.org/] For over two decades, Suky's helped recruitment businesses scale with integrity — from internal team builds to boardroom strategy. She works with agency leaders, tech innovators, and the investors backing the future of staffing. But here's what Suky doesn't do: copy-paste playbooks, fluff-filled advice, or empty hype. She believes in smart growth, real talk, and community over competition. Her work sits at the intersection of: People + Performance Tech + Disruption Strategy + Soul Whether she's coaching founders, advising SaaS firms, or connecting those quietly rewriting the rules — one thing holds true: Suky backs those who build. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukysodhi/] www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com [http://www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com/] Grab of a copy of "How to Launch a Staffing Agency: Plan to Profits in 90 Days or Less" [https://a.co/d/09Y42Tl] Talent Titans is sponsored by Ascen. Ascen is an employer of record that helps staffing and recruitment agencies hire employees compliantly throughout the US and Canada. Ascen's all-in-one, white-label platform handles onboarding, timesheets, payroll, benefits, insurance, invoicing, and funding so you can grow quickly in the US and Canada without worrying about back office and paperwork. Visit ascen.com [http://ascen.com/] to learn more.

Episode 126 - The Truth About DEI in Canada That Nobody's Talking About with Angelina Brathwaite

Episode 126 - The Truth About DEI in Canada That Nobody's Talking About with Angelina Brathwaite What does it take to build a 20-year career in staffing — and still love what you do? Angelina Brathwaite, Director of Life Sciences at Brunel Canada, has the answer.In this episode of Talent Titans, Suky Sodhi sits down with one of Canada's most respected voices in talent acquisition for a raw, honest conversation about purpose-driven leadership, the evolution of the staffing industry, and why relationships will always outperform technology. Angelina shares the real story behind her 20-year journey at Brunel — from clearing ATMs at Royal Bank to leading Life Sciences recruitment across Canada. She opens up about the autocratic managers who shaped her empathetic leadership style, the hustle of building a recruitment desk before LinkedIn existed, and why she chose purpose over success — and how that decision changed everything. 🎯 In this episode, you'll learn: How to lead with empathy, integrity, and team buy-in (without losing results) Why networking isn't something you start — it's something you are The truth about DEI in the staffing world: "Sometimes the language changes, but the purpose doesn't" How to overcome fear of cold calls using the discipline of an athlete What it really means to build your personal brand inside an organization Whether you're a recruiter, staffing leader, or talent acquisition professional, this conversation is packed with hard-won insight from someone who's been in the trenches — and thrived. Key Moments: * 00:00 Introduction & Award Recognition * 02:00 Angelina's Personal Philosophy: "A Human in Training" * 03:00 Her Diverse Career Before Recruitment * 07:00 How the Staffing Industry Has Changed * 12:00 How Bad Management Shaped Her Leadership Style * 17:00 Building a Hustle Culture Without the Old-School Pressure * 19:00 From 360 Desk to Director of Life Sciences * 23:00 DEI Leadership & Community Involvement * 28:00 Why Relationships Still Win in Recruitment * 30:00 Overcoming the Fear of Cold Calls * 35:00 Future Plans: Board Certification & Consulting * 39:00 Advice for Career Growth & The Power of Teamwork Favorite Quote: "I always thought — do I want success or purpose? And for me, purpose drives success." Connect with Angelina: Angelina Brathwaite has been a dedicated member of Brunel Canada Limited for the past 18 years, where she currently serves as Director of Life Sciences and Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) Leader for North America. In 2006, Angelina founded Brunel's Life Sciences practice in Canada, building it from a single client relationship into a trusted national business line supporting leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and emerging startup organizations. Under her leadership, the practice has expanded to include the food, beverage, and agriculture sectors—solidifying Brunel's presence as a comprehensive partner across the life sciences value chain. Angelina is recognized for her inclusive leadership style, her ability to elevate talent, and her commitment to shaping a high-performance culture rooted in collaboration, confidence, and accountability. She has a proven track record of developing long-standing client partnerships, driving strategic growth, and empowering teams to deliver exceptional results. Passionate about industry advancement and community impact, Angelina actively contributes to several organizations. She serves on the boards of Women Leaders in Pharma, Advancing Black Talent in Pharma, and the Clinical Research Association of Canada, and is a member of the Advisory Board for The Mina Project under the Learning Enrichment Foundation. Angelina's dedication to creating opportunities for others, championing diverse perspectives, and strengthening Canada's life sciences ecosystem has established her as a respected leader within Brunel and across the broader industry. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelina-brathwaite-4173914/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelina-brathwaite-4173914/] Check out more episodes of the Talent Titans Podcast: Why Contingency Recruiting is Dying: https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74 [https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74] Master Niche Recruiting: https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0 [https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0] Connect with Suky: Award-Winning Advisor & Industry Voice | Founder: Canadian Staffing Summit, Talent Titans, Recruitment Professionals Forum | Backing Bold Moves in Staffing, Tech & Investment — No Clickbait, Just Real Talk Suky doesn't just observe the staffing industry — she helps shape it. She's built platforms where the industry's most honest conversations happen: 🔹 Canadian Staffing Summit [https://canadianstaffingindustrysummit.com/] 🔹 Talent Titans Podcast 🔹 Recruitment Professionals Forum [https://recruitmentprofessionals.org/] For over two decades, Suky's helped recruitment businesses scale with integrity — from internal team builds to boardroom strategy. She works with agency leaders, tech innovators, and the investors backing the future of staffing. But here's what Suky doesn't do: copy-paste playbooks, fluff-filled advice, or empty hype. She believes in smart growth, real talk, and community over competition. Her work sits at the intersection of: People + Performance Tech + Disruption Strategy + Soul Whether she's coaching founders, advising SaaS firms, or connecting those quietly rewriting the rules — one thing holds true: Suky backs those who build. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukysodhi/] www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com [http://www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com/] Grab of a copy of "How to Launch a Staffing Agency: Plan to Profits in 90 Days or Less" [https://a.co/d/09Y42Tl] Talent Titans is sponsored by Ascen. Ascen is an employer of record that helps staffing and recruitment agencies hire employees compliantly throughout the US and Canada. Ascen's all-in-one, white-label platform handles onboarding, timesheets, payroll, benefits, insurance, invoicing, and funding so you can grow quickly in the US and Canada without worrying about back office and paperwork. Visit ascen.com [http://ascen.com/] to learn more.

Episode 124 - How to Build A High-Performing Staffing Team Without A Toxic Sales Culture with Corie Begley

Episode 124 - How to Build A High-Performing Staffing Team Without A Toxic Sales Culture with Corie Begley The staffing industry thrives on performance...but at what cost? In this episode of Talent Titans, Suki is joined by Corie Begley, Senior Vice President at Vertical Staffing Resources, to unpack one of the most overlooked challenges in recruitment: the rise of the "lone wolf" biller and how it silently erodes team culture, client growth, and long-term success. Corie shares how her organization transformed from siloed, individual-driven performance into a collaborative, high-impact model, without sacrificing results. From navigating client demands, AI in recruitment and protecting margins to knowing when to walk away from bad business, this conversation delivers valuable leadership lessons for anyone in staffing or sales. If you're leading a team, scaling an agency, or trying to survive in a high-pressure sales environment, this episode will challenge how you think about performance, culture, and growth. Key Moments: * 00:00 Intro and Message from Ascen * 00:40 Meet Corie Begley * 01:37 The Lone Wolf Culture * 03:41 Building Collaboration * 16:19 Upgrading Candidate Quality * 22:59 Walking Away from Risk and Over Terms * 26:44 Honesty Builds Partnerships! * 28:49 An AI Hype Reality Check * 39:18 We're in The People Business Favorite Quote: "We're in the people business. If everything becomes manufactured, you lose the relationship—and that's everything." Connect with Corie: Corie is an accomplished executive with a diverse leadership skill set that spans sales, marketing, operation strategic planning, and finances. For the past 10 years she has leveraged these experiences to ensure best-in-class client service delivery, building and maintaining key partnerships as well as driving sales, profit, and market shares in the staffing industry. As the Senior Vice President at Vertical Staffing Resources Inc, one of Canada's fastest growing staffing companies, Corie oversees the success of 5 regional operational teams, a national sales team, and a successful direct hire division. She has been instrumental navigating two acquisitions in under four years setting the standards for creating a collaborative, inclusive, empowering working environment while striving to ensure Vertical remains a trusted, respected business partner to their many clients across Canada. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coriebegley/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/coriebegley/] Check out more episodes of the Talent Titans Podcast: Why Contingency Recruiting is Dying: https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74 [https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74] Master Niche Recruiting: https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0 [https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0] Connect with Suky: Award-Winning Advisor & Industry Voice | Founder: Canadian Staffing Summit, Talent Titans, Recruitment Professionals Forum | Backing Bold Moves in Staffing, Tech & Investment — No Clickbait, Just Real Talk Suky doesn't just observe the staffing industry — she helps shape it. She's built platforms where the industry's most honest conversations happen: 🔹 Canadian Staffing Summit [https://canadianstaffingindustrysummit.com/] 🔹 Talent Titans Podcast 🔹 Recruitment Professionals Forum [https://recruitmentprofessionals.org/] For over two decades, Suky's helped recruitment businesses scale with integrity — from internal team builds to boardroom strategy. She works with agency leaders, tech innovators, and the investors backing the future of staffing. But here's what Suky doesn't do: copy-paste playbooks, fluff-filled advice, or empty hype. She believes in smart growth, real talk, and community over competition. Her work sits at the intersection of: People + Performance Tech + Disruption Strategy + Soul Whether she's coaching founders, advising SaaS firms, or connecting those quietly rewriting the rules — one thing holds true: Suky backs those who build. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukysodhi/] www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com [http://www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com/] Grab of a copy of "How to Launch a Staffing Agency: Plan to Profits in 90 Days or Less" [https://a.co/d/09Y42Tl] Talent Titans is sponsored by Ascen. Ascen is an employer of record that helps staffing and recruitment agencies hire employees compliantly throughout the US and Canada. Ascen's all-in-one, white-label platform handles onboarding, timesheets, payroll, benefits, insurance, invoicing, and funding so you can grow quickly in the US and Canada without worrying about back office and paperwork. Visit ascen.com [http://ascen.com/] to learn more.

Episode 123 - How Top Staffing Leaders Are Reinventing Growth in 2026 (AI, Culture & Risk)

Episode 123 - How Top Staffing Leaders Are Reinventing Growth in 2026 (AI, Culture & Risk) The staffing industry is changing faster than ever...shrinking margins, rising compliance risks, AI disruption, and talent shortages. The firms that adapt now will dominate the next decade. In this episode of Talent Titans, Suky sits down with top industry leaders to break down what's actually working right now, from self-managed organizations and AI-driven workflows to compliance strategies and global workforce trends. You'll learn how leading agencies are eliminating operational friction, leveraging global workforce trends, and turning uncertainty into growth while smaller firms discover how to compete without massive resources. If you run or are scaling a staffing agency, this is a must-watch. Get your tickets for the 2026 Canadian Staffing Industry Summit here: https://canadianstaffingindustrysummit.com/book-your-spot-now [https://canadianstaffingindustrysummit.com/book-your-spot-now] Key Moments: * 00:40 Summit Updates and Giveaways * 02:27 Meet The Panelists * 11:34 Differentiation, Fear, and Collaboration * 20:54 Compliance Risk Subvendors * 28:58 Why You Need to Modernize Agency Processes * 30:04 Missing Out on Gen Z * 30:49 Automate Shifts and Workforce Tools * 32:43 Eliminate Friction, Improve Flow * 33:30 Scaling Tech For Small Firms * 34:45 How Global Trends Reshape Canada * 39:35 Employee Expectations Flexibility * 41:26 Canada's Opportunity In Chaos * 45:25 Finding Opportunity In Downturns * 50:25 Enterprise Risk Management Future * 51:32 Get Your Tickets for the Summit! Favorite Quote: "When people truly understand the business and feel ownership, that's when innovation accelerates." Check out more episodes of the Talent Titans Podcast: Why Contingency Recruiting is Dying: https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74 [https://youtu.be/BAE9lrl8z74] Master Niche Recruiting: https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0 [https://youtu.be/RoRWQ5bwPm0] Connect with Suky: Award-Winning Advisor & Industry Voice | Founder: Canadian Staffing Summit, Talent Titans, Recruitment Professionals Forum | Backing Bold Moves in Staffing, Tech & Investment — No Clickbait, Just Real Talk Suky doesn't just observe the staffing industry — she helps shape it. She's built platforms where the industry's most honest conversations happen: 🔹 Canadian Staffing Summit [https://canadianstaffingindustrysummit.com/] 🔹 Talent Titans Podcast 🔹 Recruitment Professionals Forum [https://recruitmentprofessionals.org/] For over two decades, Suky's helped recruitment businesses scale with integrity — from internal team builds to boardroom strategy. She works with agency leaders, tech innovators, and the investors backing the future of staffing. But here's what Suky doesn't do: copy-paste playbooks, fluff-filled advice, or empty hype. She believes in smart growth, real talk, and community over competition. Her work sits at the intersection of: People + Performance Tech + Disruption Strategy + Soul Whether she's coaching founders, advising SaaS firms, or connecting those quietly rewriting the rules — one thing holds true: Suky backs those who build. LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukysodhi/] www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com [http://www.eliteglobalrecruiters.com/] Grab of a copy of "How to Launch a Staffing Agency: Plan to Profits in 90 Days or Less" [https://a.co/d/09Y42Tl] Talent Titans is sponsored by Ascen. Ascen is an employer of record that helps staffing and recruitment agencies hire employees compliantly throughout the US and Canada. Ascen's all-in-one, white-label platform handles onboarding, timesheets, payroll, benefits, insurance, invoicing, and funding so you can grow quickly in the US and Canada without worrying about back office and paperwork. Visit ascen.com [http://ascen.com/] to learn more.