The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast Season 9 | Ep18 Peter Kornberg: How a Non-Recruiter Built $1M+ Revenue 15 years in a row (with Just 6 People)
Peter Kornberg: How a Non-Recruiter Built $1M+ Revenue 15 years in a row (with Just 6 People)
Peter Kornberg never worked a day as an agency recruiter.
He worked in Advertising and Marketing and became a Chief Digital Officer.
He ran a product design agency in New York City. Clients started asking for talent they couldn't afford to engage the agency for. So Peter said: "We can provide you some people."
That was 15 years ago.
What started as an ad hoc favour became UX Hires -a staffing and recruitment firm that's done $1M+ in revenue every single year since (with a team of six).
But it wasn't always lean and profitable.
In 2021, they had 60 open roles. A full team of employees. An expensive New York City office. Peter hired a leader to run the recruitment business.
"He didn't bring in any business. He wasn't particularly effective at managing," Peter admits.
"Didn't really fulfil that potential."
They were grinding. Burning out. Taking on everything that came through the door.
"We didn't effectively weigh the roles that came in as we saw everything as money. Everything was opportunities. So we just went for everything."
The team wasn't profitable, this model wasn't working.
So Peter stripped it back.
He kept only his best recruiters and sourcers. People who could deliver exceptional outcomes regardless of market conditions. No 360 recruiters, only delivery consultants with him focusing on winning all new business.
"Really focus on people that can deliver great outcomes," he says. "I can handle the rest around that, which is client relationships."
But here's what makes Peter different.
He split his team between sourcing and recruiting. Sourcers find people; that's all they do. Recruiters manage clients and placements. It's all relationship-based building.
60% of his revenue now comes from contract and he's rebuilt his entire approach to work: "I could probably get more done in five hours of really productive work than 15 hours of grinding away and burning out."
He doesn’t believe in “hustle culture” and he’s not trying to build an empire. He’s quietly built a sustainable, profitable role business that gives him his life back.
We cover:
- Why never being a recruiter became his biggest advantage
- The 60-role mistake that nearly broke the business
- How he rebuilt around just 6 people and hit $1M+ consistently
- The split desk model (and why he refuses 360 recruiters)
- Why 60% contract revenue changed everything
- The failed leader hire (and why BD roles are so hard to delegate)
- Time blocking and the 5-hour productivity principle
- How AI is reshaping UX and product design recruitment
This isn't about scaling fast or an exit strategy.
It's about a non-recruiter who stumbled into being a recruiter, nearly burned out chasing growth, and rebuilt a million-dollar business around what actually works: small team, high margins, client relationships.
No investment decks and growth-at-all-costs. Just profitability and freedom.
If you've ever wondered whether you can build a 7-figure recruitment business without the complexity, the burn-out, or the endless headcount - this episode will help!
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