
The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast Season 9 | Ep12 Michael Green: How he made $700K in year one (after not billing for 6 years)
Michael Green: How he made $700K in year one (after not billing for 6 years)
Michael Green spent six years running teams of 100+ recruiters.
Building offices. Managing people. Zero placements.
When he launched Unico in April 2024, he had to go back to basics.
"I had to do role plays to myself. I hadn't qualified a candidate in six years."
Day one was brutal. Just him, his house and a dog.
But Michael had something most recruiters don't: a genuine answer to "what makes you different?"
While everyone else competed on job boards chasing $30K fees, Michael went the opposite direction.
Senior positions only. Architect level and above.
New York Location only
His average fee jumped from $30K to $60K overnight.
His biggest placement? $170,000.
12 months later: $700K gross profit. Solo.
Year two: $1.5M with just four people.
But here's what makes Michael different.
He's not scaling headcount - he's scaling quality.
Ultra-niche: ServiceNow and bleeding-edge SaaS. One technology. Total focus.
Last week, a major partner messaged him: "I've seen your posts. I've heard your reputation. We want to use you exclusively."
He'd never spoken to them before..
He's now targeting growth15 profitable recruiters and $3M in 2026.
This week on The RAG Podcast, Michael tells the full story.
We cover:
- Why he walked away from running 200 people to start from scratch
- How he made $700K in year one after six years out of recruitment
- The "top 3%" model that clients can't say no to
- Why he pivoted from $30K to $100K+ fees overnight
- The AI screening tool that's changing his close rate
- His LinkedIn strategy that generates 70% conversion rates
This isn't about scaling fast.
It's about a man who had to relearn his own trade, doubted himself daily, and built a
$1.5M business in 20 months that doesn't require 100 heads to hit seven figures.
No venture capital. No growth-at-all-costs.
Just profitable headcount over vanity metrics.
If you've ever wondered whether you can start your own agency after years of management - or if there's a smarter way to scale than just adding bodies – this episode has the blueprint.
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Episode Sponsor: Hoxo
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