What’s the fastest way for a recruitment agency to break through the $1M plateau? For Greg Fischer, the answer was building a high-retention offshore team and embedding himself inside client organizations through RPO.
As Co-Owner of AMI Network, Greg scaled from flatlining at $1M to $4.2M revenue and $1.4M profit, sustaining 30–40% margins along the way. The secret? Hiring offshore staff directly, integrating them as equals, and using a 2:1 sourcer-to-recruiter model that freed his consultants to bill more. Alongside that, Greg mastered the art of qualifying and pricing RPO, transforming a one-off $30K search into a $1.5M account.
Today, as the founder of Well Oiled Machine, Greg helps other recruitment firms replicate this model. He also shares his unique approach to LinkedIn business development—where strategic commenting outperforms cold calling and even outshines posting.
Episode Outline and Highlights
- [6:42] From solo founder’s first hire to 40-person team and how they scaled.
- [7:40] Breaking the $1M ceiling with offshore hiring after failed BPO attempts.
- [12:37] Why sourcing was the first offshore function, and how it lifted recruiter billings.
- [23:18] Landing a $50K/month RPO by reframing a client’s hiring challenge.
- [28:07] How that grew into an $80K/month RPO account with 30–40% margins.
- [30:45] When to pitch RPO: the minimum job volume that makes it viable.
- [33:47] The “open + close” fee model that stabilized cash flow.
- [36:23] How a 2:1 sourcer-to-recruiter ratio frees recruiters to bill more.
- [39:08] Why most agencies fail with offshore—and how to do it right.
- [43:59] Leaving AMI Network to launch Well Oiled Machine.
- [47:19] Choosing the right country: Mexico vs Philippines vs South Africa.
- [54:51] Greg’s daily LinkedIn commenting routine that built his inbound pipeline.
The 85% Retention Rate That Changes Everything
Greg’s agency was stuck at $1M revenue for four years. They tried outsourcing to BPOs, but the quality wasn’t there. They tried freelancers, but they juggled multiple clients and flaked out.
The breakthrough came when Greg stopped treating offshore like a shortcut and started treating it like team-building. He hired people directly, gave them training, SOPs, and regular coaching. One of his first hires, Claude, became a cornerstone of their sales engine and is still with the company years later.
Within three years of making offshore staff equal to onshore recruiters, the firm scaled to $4M+ revenue with 30–40% profit margins. Retention stayed above 85% annually, proving that offshore talent, when appropriately managed, is not a “cheap fix” but the lever that frees recruiters to focus on revenue-driving work.
The RPO Question That Unlocks Recurring Revenue
Most agencies assume RPO is only for the enterprise market. Greg proved otherwise with one question.
A referral called about hiring an internal recruiter, a standard request. But Greg’s partner asked, “Why now? Why is this so important?”
The client replied: “We need about 50 hires over the next six months.”
Instead of pitching a $30,000 placement, Greg asked, “Have you heard of RPO before?”
That conversation turned into a $50,000 monthly retainer for three years, worth $1.5M.
Greg’s rule: RPO only works when there are 5–10 monthly live requisitions and at least $15,000 in monthly revenue. Anything less, and you’re just doing contingent search without the benefits of being embedded.
The magic happens when you act as an extension of the client’s team, improving their processes, understanding their technology roadmap, and speaking like an internal recruiter because you practically are one.
Greg’s pricing evolved from flat retainers to an “open fee + closed fee” structure. For a $100,000 role at 5%, they charged 2.5% to open the search and 2.5% when closing it. Clients always had active searches, so revenue kept flowing.
The payoff: 30–40% profit margins. “It was wildly profitable because we set that system up to back them.”
LinkedIn Strategic Commenting Works
Greg’s LinkedIn comments received 20,000+ impressions, more reach than most agency posts. After building AMI Network through relentless cold outbound, he wanted a smarter approach for Well Oiled Machine.
His system: identify 60 recruitment thought leaders, build a custom LinkedIn feed, and comment daily. He spends 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after posting, adding thoughtful, authentic comments to their content.
The result? Visibility without endless cold calls. Some of Greg’s comments earned 20,000+ impressions, more reach than most agency posts ever get.
Greg explains: “If I could go engage with those individuals in a way that’s authentic, interesting, and supportive, they would take notice and other people engaging with their content would take notice.”
On LinkedIn, comments are content. And they’re measurable; LinkedIn shows exactly how many people see them. This is a repeatable, low-cost BD strategy for agency owners that builds authority and trust in the right audience.
