The RAG Podcast - Recruitment Agency Growth Podcast Season 9 | Ep13 Pete Watson: 22 years as a solo Rec2Rec in Australia (and why he'd never do it again)
Pete Watson: 22 years as a solo Rec2Rec in Australia (and why he'd never do it again)
Pete Watson is the longest-serving boots-on-the-ground Rec2Rec in Australia.
22 years running Mint R2R. Thousands of placements. A recognisable name across the entire Australian recruitment market.
But 18 months ago, he was at the gym when he asked himself one question:
"Would I do it all again?"
His answer was immediate: "A fast no."
Not because he failed. But because of what success actually cost him.
"Even though people look at 22 years as a business owner and go 'that's amazing, congratulations' - it's been brutal. It's been lonely. It's been isolating. It has not been good for mental health."
So that afternoon, he knocked up a logo on Canva and launched Recruitment United.
Within a week, 70 agency owners joined a WhatsApp group.
Within four months, 500.
Today, there are 330 subscribing members accessing weekly training, mate rates discounts, and a proper community of peers.
This week on The RAG Podcast, Pete tells the full story.
We cover:
- Why 22 years as a solo Rec2Rec nearly broke him mentally
- The gym moment that changed everything
- How he built a 500-member community in four months with zero plan
- Why the majority of his members have no intention of scaling
- The rise of lifestyle businesses over exit strategies
- Navigating divorce, becoming a stepdad, and buying back his family home
- 13 years alcohol-free and why he finally started talking about it
This isn't about building an empire.
It's about a founder who realised that isolated recruitment success was killing him—and built something to solve that for himself and others!
If you've ever felt lonely as a solo founder, or wondered whether there's another way to build, this episode is for you.
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