Season 8 | Ep16 James Sanders: 200 employees & 4 brands to selling 50% for £1 to survive!

Some recruitment founder stories end with an exit.This one starts with it falling apart.On this week's episode of The RAG Podcast, I am joined by James SandersJames built PSR Solutions from his bedroom to:£65M turnover200+ staffMultiple acquisitions4 specialist brandsThen came an unexpected call:£3M due. 7 days to pay.But some key lessons came from all of this and in this powerful episode, James candidly shares:The rise of PSR Solutions from a startup in 2005 to a business with 200+ employees and four brands.The challenges of navigating financial turmoil, including going into administration with £3M in debt.Hard-earned lessons on leadership, adaptability, and resilience during the toughest times.The importance of building strong client relationships, fostering team loyalty, and investing in personal well-being.How James is rebuilding and looking ahead with a renewed focus on growth and stability.This candid conversation dives into the highs and lows of running a recruitment business, offering valuable insights for entrepreneurs navigating challenges in any industry.Chapters00:00 Introduction to PSR Solutions and James Sanders' Journey02:49 Early Career and Transition to Recruitment06:14 Branch Management and Leadership Style09:09 The Decision to Start PSR Solutions12:05 The First Year of Business and Initial Challenges15:00 Building a Brand and Establishing Reputation17:52 Growth and Expansion of PSR Solutions20:47 Navigating Challenges and Market Changes24:10 Leadership Changes and Strategic Decisions27:03 COVID-19 Impact on Business Operations43:12 Navigating the Pandemic: Building Loyalty and Transparency45:08 Strategic Acquisitions: Expanding into Healthcare47:33 Innovating Through Technology: The Birth of Novello51:20 Challenges in FinTech: The Impact of Market Changes56:30 Crisis Management: Facing Financial Turmoil01:01:56 Rebuilding After Administration: A New Beginning01:08:24 Stability and Future Growth: Lessons Learned---------------------------------------------------------------------------Episode Sponsor: AtlasYour memory isn’t perfect. So Atlas remembers everything for you. Atlas is an end-to-end recruitment platform built for the AI generation. It automates your admin so you can focus on the business tasks that matter. How many conversations do you have every day? With clients. Candidates. Your team. Service providers.Now how many of those conversations can you recall with 100% accuracy? How many hours a week do you spend making notes to try and retain as much as possible? And how much is still getting lost along the way? Traditional CRM systems weren’t built for the type of recruitment business you’re running right now. They were built to rely on the structured, tagged, categorised, and formal data you could feed it. Manual processes that needed you to input specific information, based on specific questions and answers. But what about all the other conversations you’re having every single day? Atlas isn’t an ATS or a CRM. It’s an Intelligent Business Platform that helps you perform 10X better than you could on your own. How? By removing all your low value tasks, acting as your perfect memory, and providing highly relevant recommendations to impact your performance. Learn more about the power of Atlas – and take advantage of the exclusive offer for The RAG listeners – by visiting