#121- The LinkedIn Content Strategy That Built a Recruiting Agency from Scratch

Episode Summary Scott Smith didn't come from recruiting. He came from sales leadership in the material handling and industrial automation space, the people who supply the supply chain. After nearly a decade building and scaling go-to-market teams, Scott and his co-founder Cameron realized that the hardest part of growth wasn't strategy. It was getting the right people in the right seats. That realization led them to launch Henry North, a niche recruiting firm serving the very industry they'd spent their careers in. What happened next was remarkable. In their first year, Henry North cleared seven figures in revenue, without either co-founder having prior recruiting experience. Their secret? Deep industry expertise, a disciplined niche strategy, and a LinkedIn content engine that turned them into the go-to brand in their space before they even made their first placement. In this episode, Scott and Clark break down exactly how they did it, from the 60-90 day pre-launch content strategy to the daily habits that keep their team performing at a high level. The conversation goes deep on what it actually takes to win in a niche: why niching down revealed more opportunity (not less), how their biggest client came from outside their target market because of the brand they built, and why consultative value, not resume volume, is what earns premium fees and long-term client loyalty. Scott also shares how Henry North builds culture in a remote environment, the KPIs that matter most, and why resilience and a positive mindset aren't just nice-to-haves. They're non-negotiables in the agency game. For recruiters thinking about going out on their own, or agency owners looking to scale smarter through content and niche dominance, this episode is a tactical blueprint from someone who's living it in real time. Highlights 00:00 - Introduction and Henry North's rocket ship first year 02:00 - From material handling sales leader to first-time recruiter 04:00 - The 60-90 day pre-launch preparation strategy 05:30 - Why LinkedIn content is their single biggest driver of success 08:00 - Tracking ROI on content and the long game of inbound leads 12:00 - Using AI note-takers and call transcripts to fuel content 15:30 - Why niching down created more opportunity, not less 18:30 - How their biggest client came from outside the niche 20:00 - Building resilience and a performance-driven culture 24:00 - Second and third layer questions that win searches 27:00 - Delivering consultative value beyond resumes 31:30 - Why "no" is never really no and playing the long game 34:00 - Remote team structure, KPIs, and accountability 37:00 - The most important recruiting metric: quality screens 39:00 - Final words on mindset, grit, and outworking failure Scott's Bio Scott Smith is the co-founder of Henry North, a niche recruiting firm serving the material handling and industrial automation industry. After spending nearly a decade as a sales leader in the space, helping build and scale go-to-market teams across the Southeast, Scott launched Henry North with his co-founder in early 2025. In their first year, the firm crossed seven figures in revenue by combining deep industry expertise with a content-first approach to business development. Scott is known for his analytical mindset, disciplined approach to growth, and belief that niche expertise and authentic content are the most powerful BD tools in recruiting today. Henry North is actively growing and hiring top talent. Connect with Scott on LinkedIn at   / scottsmithll   Stop wasting money on lead-gen tools that don't work. Learn how top recruiters are winning on LinkedIn with content, messaging, and automation—without spamming. Get live coaching, ongoing support, and a proven system to drive revenue inside Digital Recruiter Bootcamp. Join now: DigitalRecruiter.io/bootcamp Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnew... For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter