How the Best Recruitment Businesses Actually Do BD | Roheel Ahmad (EP 104)

<p><em><strong>What makes a recruitment BD strategy actually work?</strong></em></p><p>In this episode of The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast, I&#39;m joined by Roheel Ahmad, founder, entrepreneur and recruitment business advisor.</p><p>Roheel co-founded FB in 2016 and helped grow the business globally across London, Nottingham, New York and Dubai before transitioning out in 2024. Today, he works across recruitment consultancy, advisory and recruitment technology through Imagine AI.</p><p>We also discuss how FB improved its BD hit rate from the mid-thirties to picking up a requirement every 11 calls, the importance of building relationships and expanding accounts, why every recruiter should be doing BD every day, and why even your biggest billers are never above training.</p><p><br></p><p><u><strong>Topics Discussed:</strong></u><br>✅ Why recruitment founders struggle to get their BD strategy into the business<br>✅ The difference between pulling jobs and building a consistent desk<br>✅ How FB improved its BD hit rate from the mid-thirties to 1 requirement every 11 calls<br>✅ Building a repeatable BD strategy without removing individual flair<br>✅ Why recruiters should be doing BD every single day<br>✅ The importance of value, relationships and consistent follow-up<br>✅ Why your best billers are never above training<br>✅ How to build a recruitment business that isn&#39;t dependent on one client or the founder</p><p><br></p><p>⏱️ <strong>Timestamps:</strong></p><p>00:00 – Introduction &amp; Welcome</p><p>00:18 – Roheel&#39;s Journey: Building FB to $100M and Imagine AI</p><p>01:02 – The BD Problem Every Founder Faces</p><p>02:44 – Getting BD Out of Your Head and Into the Business</p><p>04:15 – Why Recruiters Overcomplicate BD Strategy</p><p>05:30 – Stop Pulling Jobs, Start Building Accounts</p><p>07:11 – The New Starter Trap &amp; Early Wins</p><p>08:37 – Roheel&#39;s Story: Getting Sacked and Starting Over</p><p>10:19 – The 6-Month Blank: Learning Through Failure</p><p>13:26 – How Process Control Changed Everything</p><p>14:47 – Building Real Relationships vs Transaction Mentality</p><p>17:02 – The Interview Slot System That Works</p><p>21:20 – Documentation Is Your Biggest Advantage</p><p>22:50 – Why Your BD Falls Apart When You Scale</p><p>23:16 – Giving Consultants Framework, Not Complexity</p><p>25:27 – Spec In, Spec Out: The Process That Wins</p><p>27:59 – Teaching Your Team What Actually Works</p><p>51:00 – Building Scalable BD Systems</p><p>55:56 – Cul