After 14 years in permanent recruitment, Brian Connolly, Founder of Maestro Search, is expanding into U.S. contract recruitment.

Working in the cybersecurity market, Brian had encountered opportunities for short-term, project-based placements. But without the infrastructure to manage contracts, insurance, payroll and compliance, introducing contract recruitment seemed like a significant undertaking.

With support from Lead & Gain, Brian began putting the foundations in place to offer contract recruitment alongside his established permanent recruitment business.

We spoke with Brian about what prompted the move, the challenges he initially anticipated and how his experience of getting started compared with his expectations.

How long had you been working in permanent recruitment before you started considering contract recruitment?

Around 14 years, from when I started in February 2012 until 2026. I only started to seriously consider contract recruitment once I set up my U.S. business entity earlier this year.

What were your main reasons for wanting to move into contract recruitment?

A lot of cybersecurity work is project-based. Offering contract recruitment allows me to meet that need for clients and build recurring revenue alongside permanent recruitment, which still makes up the majority of my business.

Had clients previously asked you to provide contractors, but you felt you had to turn down those opportunities?

Yes, more than once. Clients needed short-term contractors for two to three months, and I turned down those opportunities because I didn’t have the infrastructure in place to support them.

I also felt that the additional costs and time spent on administration and setup wouldn’t justify the revenue I’d generate.

Once I spoke to Lead & Gain, I realised there wasn’t as much involved as I’d initially thought. Alec introduced me to his network of contacts for insurance, finance solutions and other services, so the process was pretty straightforward once I committed to it.

What were the main operational challenges you faced when setting up contract recruitment?

Getting contracts, insurance and compliance right, and learning enough about how everything worked to speak confidently about it with clients and candidates.

Again, Alec at Lead & Gain was super helpful with the information he shared.

How has Lead & Gain helped you get contract recruitment off the ground?

They handle the back office, including payroll, contracts, timesheets and compliance, so I can focus on finding the right people.

The guidance has been just as valuable, particularly on the compliance side of things, which can be a bit of a minefield.

What are your future goals for contract recruitment?

I want to keep growing the contract side until it represents a meaningful share of my total revenue.

As the contract book grows, I’d like to bring in a couple of specialist contract recruiters to build it out properly.

Looking to Introduce Contract Recruitment to Your Agency?

Expanding into contract recruitment doesn’t mean you have to build the entire operational infrastructure yourself.

At Lead & Gain, we help recruitment agencies manage the onboarding, payroll, compliance and back-office requirements behind their U.S. contract placements, so they can focus on winning business and growing their contractor book.

Ready to get started? Get in touch with our team.