It's the most overused word in recruitment. And we use it on ourselves more than on anyone. Hungry. "We want hungry people." "Are they hungry enough?" "Loved them, so hungry." Every job ad. Every interview debrief. Every founder describing the dream team they're going to build. And half the time, when we say hungry, what we've actually gone and hired is desperate. We just prefer the word that sounds like a virtue. Because they aren't the same thing. They aren't even close. Dr

We've got the founder burnout story all wrong. The story goes like this. The hours. The hustle. Sleeping under the desk, answering emails at 2am, the relentless grind that finally grinds you down. Burnout as a workload problem. Too much to do, not enough hours to do it in. It's a tidy story. And it's mostly wrong. Because here's the thing nobody says out loud. People can work astonishingly hard, for years, at something they love, and feel fine. The hours aren't what break you

Why one kills slowly, and the other can kill overnight. Every recruitment leader knows the two monsters lurking in the background: not enough candidates, and not enough cash. But which is the real existential threat? Which one should keep you up at night? Let’s be clear—candidate flow matters. No pipeline, no placements. But a lack of candidates is a commercial problem. It’s solvable. You tweak your sourcing strategy, rework your proposition, pump some budget into brand or re

Another agency gone. Another payroll missed. It’s a pattern I’m seeing far too often, and it’s not about mismanagement or laziness — it’s about conditions tightening faster than many can adapt. The recruitment industry is feeling the chill long before the frost sets in, and the forthcoming November Budget could make the difference between survival and surrender for many UK firms. The temperature on the ground Across the market, the data tells a clear story. According to the O

Economy For years, white-collar work has been held up as the pinnacle of professional success. It came with predictable hours, financial stability, and the promise of a comfortable retirement. Yet in today’s economy, that promise is breaking down. Artificial intelligence is accelerating automation across industries, stripping away office-based roles once thought untouchable. At the same time, rising living costs and longer life spans mean that more over-50s are being pushed t

Let’s cut to it: the recruitment industry is full of noise. Growth charts, headcount targets, LinkedIn humblebrags. But beneath the buzz, the truly resilient recruitment businesses—ones that thrive through market swings, talent shortages, and AI hype—are the ones brave enough to ask themselves the hard questions. Here are five every healthy recruitment firm should be asking 1. Do we know why clients really come to us? Spoiler: it's not just for CVs. It might be speed. Trust.

Why the future of recruitment isn’t artificial—it’s deeply human. We’ve spent the last decade fetishising technology. Every problem? There’s a platform for that. Every inefficiency? Automate it. In recruitment especially, the buzzwords came thick and fast—AI-powered matching, programmatic advertising, virtual interviews, automated onboarding. It was all about speed, scale, and systemisation. And yes, much of it helped. Tech cut admin, streamlined comms, and gave recruiters mo

In recruitment, advertising isn’t just about filling jobs—it’s about capturing attention, earning trust, and building brand equity in a highly competitive market. Having invested in and worked alongside a number of successful recruitment firms, I’ve seen first-hand how great creative can become a growth engine. When done right, it elevates not just candidate attraction, but client perception, too. It starts with clarity. The most effective ads speak directly to what candidate

At Meraki Capital, we don’t just invest in recruitment businesses—we back the people who lead them. Time and again, we’ve seen that the most valuable assets in any agency aren’t the clients or candidates—it’s the leadership team, and their ability to develop the people around them. Recruitment is a people business at every level. Deals are driven by relationships, growth is fuelled by performance, and resilience is built on culture. That’s why we place huge emphasis on leader

In a sector as competitive and fast-moving as recruitment, many firms still overlook one of their most powerful assets: brand. At Meraki Capital, we see brand not as a ‘nice to have’—but as a growth multiplier. Having worked with and invested in a range of recruitment businesses, I’ve seen first-hand how a strong brand can do what sales alone can’t. It attracts candidates before you call them. It wins the confidence of clients before you pitch. And crucially, it retains great

The UK’s recruitment industry is on the verge of collapse. That’s the stark warning from Nick Gordon, founder of Meraki Capital, who believes a perfect storm of government policy, high interest rates, and technological shifts is putting thousands of jobs at risk. In an industry that once thrived on human expertise and strategic hiring that placed humans in jobs in the UK, the balance is rapidly tipping towards automation, offshoring, and cost-cutting measures by our customers

Private equity (PE) investment in the UK recruitment sector is subdued, with limited ‘dry powder’. I personally don’t see it changing during this new year. Market conditions have shifted significantly, driven by declining margins and heightened competition. Many PE firms are now looking beyond the UK for growth opportunities – which isn’t good for UK recruitment entrepreneurs. Economic Challenges in Recruitment The fallout from economic turbulence, akin to the impact of "mini