We Live to Build Hourly vs. Commission: Disrupting the Recruiting Industry (David Windley)
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
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🕒 CHAPTERS
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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
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