Why did David Windley disrupt the recruiting industry by moving from commissions to an hourly model? In this interview, he reveals how he scaled his firm to $50 million in revenue before selling it. He explains why the traditional 33% commission model is broken for clients and how he implemented a professional services approach instead. David unpacks the terrifying reality of a 75% revenue drop during COVID and how furloughing staff saved the company. He also shares why he spun out a software startup (Hoot Recruit) to build AI agents for sourcing, the truth about whether AI will replace human recruiters, and his #1 rule for leadership: character over competence.Check out the company: https://iqrecruit.com

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: welivetobuild@gmail.com

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - The $50M Exit & The Hardest Part 

00:41 - Surviving a 75% Revenue Drop During COVID 

03:11 - Rebuilding to $50M Revenue Post-Pandemic 

05:54 - Why I Sold the Business (The "Accidental Entrepreneur") 

06:06 - Hourly vs. Commission: Disrupting the Recruiting Model 

09:35 - Why the Industry Hates the Hourly Model 

12:42 - How to Generate $50M on Hourly Rates 

14:00 - Spinning Out "Hoot Recruit" Software  

16:35 - Using AI Agents for Candidate Sourcing 

19:26 - Will AI Replace Recruiters? (Human in the Loop) 

25:30 - AI Bias and Why Humans Are Still Needed 

27:26 - The #1 Leadership Rule: Character vs. Competence 

29:08 - Why Culture Matters More Than Policies

📈 WORK WITH ME

▶️ Startup Fundraising: https://welivetobuild.com/fundraising

▶️ Sponsor the Channel: https://www.welivetobuild.com/collaborate

▶️ My AI/Automation Agency: https://optimai.ai

🎧 LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68lykxIMOyofZNiWSF4vFx

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-live-to-build/id1531994765

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