Leaving Agency Life: Zack Cress on When to Stay, Switch, or Start Your Own Recruiting Firm (and How to Actually Do It)

Are you a seasoned recruiter wondering if it’s time to move on from agency life? Maybe you’re itching to branch out but feel stuck by golden handcuffs—or curious about starting your own firm but unsure where to begin. This episode of The Elite Recruiter Podcast is your roadmap to clarity.

🎯 2026 Sales and BD Recruiter Summit: https://bd-sales-recruiter-2026.heysummit.com/

🚀 Sponsorship: Atlas – AI-first ATS & CRM

Atlas combines your ATS and CRM in one AI-powered platform. It automates tagging and admin, syncs resumes and emails, and uses AI to create polished profiles and reports—so you can focus on relationships, not data entry. Centralized outreach, reporting, and analytics keep you fast and efficient.

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Host Benjamin Mena sits down with Zack Cress, former agency leader and founder of Catalyst, who’s helped over a dozen recruiters launch successful firms. Zack breaks down exactly how to evaluate your next career move—whether it’s doubling down as a top biller, joining a boutique agency, or building your own recruiting business from scratch.

Inside the Episode

Get real-world insight into what it takes to transition from recruiter to entrepreneur. Zack shares:

• Climbing (and outgrowing) the corporate recruiting ladder
• The real triggers behind deciding to leave a stable agency job
• The first steps to launching a recruiting firm—what to nail and what to avoid

This episode dives deep into business development, back-office setup, compliance, and picking the right tech stack. Zack also gets candid about entrepreneurship’s pros and cons—what he wishes he’d known earlier and how to prepare for risk, finances, and family balance.

Key Takeaways

1. Career Clarity: Learn the signs it’s time to stay, switch, or leap into your own venture—and why comfort can stunt long-term growth.
2. Launching a Firm: Nail the fundamentals—niching down, winning clients, and staying compliant while “building the plane mid-air.”
3. Smart Tech Stack: You don’t need legacy agency tech; tools like ZoomInfo and Dripify can empower solo recruiters.
4. Back Office & Partnerships: Avoid common legal, financial, and operational mistakes new founders make.
5. Is It Worth It?: Zack gets real about the upside of owning your firm and the realities of risk, runway, and freedom.

Feeling the itch to level up your recruiting career? Hit play now to learn how to know when it’s time to make your move.

👉 Subscribe to The Elite Recruiter Podcast for more industry insights.

👉 Connect with Benjamin Mena and Zack Cress on LinkedIn to expand your recruiting network.

Sponsors & Links

• Atlas – AI-first ATS & CRM: https://recruitwithatlas.com
• 2026 Sales and BD Recruiter Summit: https://bd-sales-recruiter-2026.heysummit.com/
• Subscribe to The Elite Recruiter Podcast: https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Follow Zack Cress: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zackcress/
• YouTube:
• Host – Benjamin Mena, Select Source Solutions: http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/
• Benjamin Mena LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/
• Benjamin Mena Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/

⏩ Don’t just recruit—recruit smarter. Listen now, share with your team, and connect with us for a competitive edge in your recruiting journey.