One placement can be a transaction.
Or it can be the start of a long-term enterprise relationship.
Most recruiters treat it like the first.
Brendan Thomas built his career on the second.
He started recruiting at 36, got fired after his first $60,000 placement, and joined a new agency six months later with two clients and limited experience. By December 31st of that same year, he had built over $600,000 in billings.
Six years on, he has generated more than $5 million in lifetime billings, averaged $1 million per year, and qualified for CEO Club every quarter.
He did it by ignoring the advice nearly every experienced recruiter gave him.
“I reached out to everyone I knew that was billing somewhere near a million or more. And the one bit of advice I kept getting was to avoid large enterprise clients. For some reason, I just didn’t buy into it.”
In this episode, Brendan breaks down how he cracks major enterprise accounts most recruiters won’t touch, how he navigates HR and Talent Acquisition without getting blocked, and how he earns the kind of deep access – hiring manager calendars, ATS logins, long-term contracts – that turns one deal into recurring revenue.
Episode Outline and Highlights
- [0:38] The $60,000 placement that got Brendan fired – and what he did next
- [1:01] Starting over at a new agency: $600,000 in billings in six months
- [3:25] How Brendan entered recruitment at age 36
- [10:53] Why he ignore his manager and pursued pharmaceutical roles instead of tech
- [18:46] The question he asked million-dollar billers – and the advice he rejected
- [23:16] Why enterprise accounts are harder to crack – and why he pursued them anyway
- [28:15] How to approach hiring managers before going to HR (and what happens next)
- [35:38] The three HR responses – and how to handle each one
- [46:14] Red flags, yellow flags, and green flags: deciding which accounts to double down on
- [54:15] Expanding an account after your first placement (and when to ask for referrals)
- [56:42] Earning direct access to hiring manager calendars
- [1:03:23] The 5am-5pm Pacific window: what “uptime” really means for a million-dollar biller
The Account Nobody Wanted and Why Brendan Went After It Anyway
Most recruiters play it safe.
They work with growing SMEs, gain direct access to decision-makers, command strong fees, and avoid enterprise bureaucracy.
It’s sensible advice.
Brendan heard it. And ignored it.
“When you see a company with 300 jobs versus 30 jobs – I want the company that has 300.”
His reasoning was straightforward.
Enterprise accounts have budget. They have volume. And once you earn trust inside them, they compound.
He didn’t go exclusively after enterprise from day one. He built SME relationships alongside them. But he never disqualified a company because of size.
Over time, that decision changed the trajectory of his desk.
Today, 75% of his year is spent working with companies of 5,000+ employees generating $5-10 billion or more in annual revenue.
The Niche That Made It Possible
Brendan chose finance and accounting – not because of a degree, but because the conversations made sense to him.
He could speak credibly with controllers, cost accountants, and financial analysts. He understood their world. Candidates trusted him. Clients tested him.
And he asked better questions.
“I’d ask them questions where they’d say, ‘That’s a really good question. Let me talk to the hiring manager.’ And then I’d say, ‘Can I be on that call?'”
Most recruiters don’t ask to be on that call.
Brendan does.
That curiosity – paired with subject-matter depth – opened doors others never even knocked on.
How to Navigate HR Without Getting Blocked
Here’s where many recruiters get stuck.
They go to HR first. They receive a vendor list. And the conversation ends.
Brendan takes a different route. He leads with a real candidate. Not a hypothetical profile. Not a “perfect match on paper.” A real person, genuinely open to a move.
“Go find a real candidate that’s looking. Ask if you can market them. They’ll say yes.”
Once the hiring manager sees value, they become the internal advocate. HR gets looped in – but now from a position of credibility.
The Three Responses You’ll Get from HR
When HR enters the process, Brendan says it typically goes one of three ways.
The first is a hard no. You’re not on the vendor list. They don’t need another agency. His approach has evolved here. Instead of passively saying “keep me in mind,” he acknowledges their vendor relationships and asks for one shot on one candidate – no strings attached.
“I’d hate to get in the way of this candidate potentially getting this job – especially if they’re the right fit.”
Sometimes that earns him a trial.
The second is lukewarm. They send standard terms – often unfavourable – and negotiation begins. These are experienced TA leaders who test before they trust. Many of their best agency partners once started as a cold call.
The third is a full yes. They sign your terms, open the role, and you’re off. Least frequent – but powerful when it happens.
Expanding the Account the Right Way
Brendan never asks for referrals until the candidate has started and had at least a week in the role.
“You don’t ask someone to give you a good review until they’ve eaten the meal.”
After week one, he checks in. If feedback is strong, he asks who else in the business is hiring – and whether an introduction would be appropriate. Often, the hiring manager copies the next decision-maker directly into the reply.
That’s how enterprise relationships expand.
What It Really Takes to Bill $1M+ Per Year
Brendan is transparent about the hours.
He operates coast to coast, available from 5am to 5pm Pacific – a 12-hour window for meetings, calls, and candidate conversations. Offline work happens outside that window.
But hours alone don’t explain the numbers. What separates Brendan is his discipline about where he invests that time.
Green Flags and Red Flags
When a client responds quickly, provides clear feedback on submitted candidates, makes themselves available, and moves decisively on interviews, Brendan goes all in.
“I’ll work 12 to 14 hour days to deliver. You’ve done all the work to get to this point. Now you need to execute.”
But when a client takes four or five days to respond, rejects candidates without explanation, avoids meetings, or treats him as a last resort, he addresses it professionally and directly.
“If a client is treating you like a last resort, chances are you are their last resort.”
He’s not afraid to walk away. That selectivity protects his time and keeps his desk focused.
The Access That Changes Everything
ATS access. Hiring manager calendar access. Multi-year contracts.
None of this comes from asking too early. It comes from earning trust.
Deliver strong candidates. Make the first placement. Follow up properly. Then ask: “What would make this process easier for you?”
Sometimes the answer is: “That would be genius. Please do that.”
That’s when you know you’re inside.
