Season 8 | Ep14 Nick Asbridge on building a £1M AI rec business in 2 years – and working less!

This story is unlike anything I have heard in over 300 episodes of The RAG Podcast.On this week’s episode, I speak with Nick Asbridge, founder of Asobbi, a UK-based AI-focused recruitment company. Nick shares his incredible journey:From 15 years in recruitment to launching Asobbi in January 2023, achieving £1M+ in annual revenue in just two years.Why he worked less and felt less stressed as an entrepreneur compared to his corporate career.The unique company culture he’s built by treating employees like adults.How he prioritises building genuine relationships with candidates and clients.The importance of productising recruitment services for efficiency and sustainability.Balancing personal growth, family support, and business success.Nick’s story is packed with insights on creating a sustainable, enjoyable business while embracing technology and modernising recruitment processes. Whether you're an existing recruitment agency owner or an aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is a must-watch!Chapters00:00 Introduction to Nick Asbridge and Asobi07:05 Nick's journey into recruitment and early challenges15:11 Transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship24:09 Building Asobi: vision and early success31:58 Creating a unique company culture at Asobi36:18 Building a sustainable business model39:04 Embracing brand building and technology42:20 Growth and community building45:24 Productising recruitment services49:13 Navigating client relationships52:07 The importance of quick decision-making55:59 Developing a strong team culture01:00:01 Future aspirations and work-life balance---------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 https://recruitwithatlas.com/therag/