Founding a USA Recruitment Agency From the UK

Building a recruitment business with £100 million+ in revenue in just six years

“It became apparent that the pace of progress in the UK recruitment industry didn’t align with our ambitions.”

Roheel explained that his desire to expand beyond the UK came from a natural ambition to achieve more. After meeting his future co-founder Scott in recruitment, the pair initially went their separate ways before reconnecting several months later. Following honest discussions about their ambitions and vision for the future, they decided to launch Forsyth Barnes together.

It’s fair to say that their determination to challenge the status quo and build something different has paid off. Today, Forsyth Barnes operates internationally with successful operations across both the UK and US markets, specialising in eTail and FinTech recruitment.

Roheel, how did you go from studying law to eventually building an international recruitment business?

Commercial and financial opportunities in recruitment

“My chosen degree programme had less than favourable commercial and financial prospects compared to what the world of recruitment could bring.”

Roheel explained on The Global Talk that he studied law at university before discovering a greater interest in recruitment, largely because the commercial opportunities aligned more closely with the lifestyle and ambitions he wanted to achieve. Many successful recruitment founders follow a similar path. After building a successful business in the UK, they begin looking beyond their home market and exploring opportunities internationally.

For many, the US is the obvious next step. Not only is it the world’s largest staffing market, but it also offers the potential to build a truly global recruitment brand and increase the long-term value of the business.

How did you find the process of scaling your business to more than 80 employees globally?

“We learn on the job, and along the way, we make mistakes. However, it’s in those mistakes that we find the greatest opportunities for growth.” 

Forsyth Barnes is now larger than it has ever been, and as Roheel says:

“…Every day is a journey. It’s a learning curve for us. It’s a new experience, and there’s no better way to learn than by doing it.”

Expanding on Roheel’s advice, Workwell Global has seen many UK recruitment leaders take the leap and explore opportunities in the US market. We always emphasise that there is no time like the present and, through our Recruit From Afar™ resources and support, agencies can begin building a presence in the US market before making a significant commitment.

Many recruitment businesses start by developing relationships, exploring opportunities and generating revenue from the UK before deciding whether to establish a physical presence in the US. This lower-risk approach allows agencies to test a market before investing heavily in offices, relocation or local infrastructure.

“Our US growth happened organically.”

Roheel describes the US expansion as an organic evolution. The founders began by specialising in particular markets, developing relationships with US organisations and gradually growing their presence through networking and business development.

This mirrors what Workwell Global frequently sees among successful international expansions. Recruitment businesses often gain the greatest traction when they enter the US through a specific niche, build a focused network and gradually expand from a position of strength.

Did you experience any setbacks when scaling your business in the US?

“One of the key issues was the closure of borders into the US, which made it difficult for the company to carry out its expansion plans. Additionally, the embassy was facing a significant backlog of items to process, which could have been related to immigration or visa applications.”

Immigration and visa considerations are often among the biggest concerns for recruitment leaders when looking at the US market. International expansion can present a range of challenges, including travel restrictions, immigration processes, local regulations and operational hurdles. However, as Roheel’s experience demonstrates, successful businesses find ways to adapt and continue moving forward.

What attracted you to the US recruitment market versus the UK?

The growth opportunities in the US recruitment market

“The growth opportunities available to establish a global business, and when you talk about growth and scaling, there’s no better environment than the US”

When speaking with recruitment leaders Workwell Global has supported with US expansion, one of the most common motivations is the opportunity to build and grow their recruitment business on a global scale.

“In the UK Recruitment industry, inner growth and ambition to succeed in one’s immediate surroundings is essential, but having the vision and strategy to thrive on a global scale, is what’s going to help you make it in the USA.”

Many UK recruitment founders are attracted by the scale of the market, higher growth potential and the opportunity to increase the value of their business through international expansion.

Just like Roheel, many of Workwell Global’s clients share similar views regarding entering the US market. Common attractions include access to the world’s largest staffing market, opportunities to create a global brand and the ability to generate revenue quickly across a diverse range of industries. While the UK and US share some cultural similarities, successful expansion requires understanding important differences in areas such as employment law, hiring practices and workplace culture.

There are 50 states to choose from

“What makes a successful company in the global expansion puzzle is having the foresight to recognise where opportunities lie!”

Roheel, like many of Workwell Global’s clients, carefully researched each state and city to determine which would be the best fit for the company. Forsyth Barnes chose New York as its launchpad into the US market, but the founders have continued to explore expansion opportunities beyond the East Coast as their business evolves.

What is essential to be aware of before deciding to enter the US?

Issues when operating in the US from the UK

“The challenge lies in expanding something globally while not being physically present in the US every day, however Workwell Global has consistently demonstrated exceptional support, being available at any time of the day, and readily extending their assistance even beyond standard working hours. This has been invaluable for our expansion in the United States.”

Recruitment leaders expanding from the UK often highlight the importance of ensuring operational processes, compliance procedures, and support structures are robust enough to enable international growth. Workwell Global has helped many recruitment agencies place and payroll contractors with US clients before establishing a physical presence in the market. Despite the challenges that can come with distance and time zones, there are several reasons businesses choose to recruit from afar initially:

• Lower financial risk through avoiding immediate office, visa and relocation costs
• Ability to build market knowledge before investing heavily
• Opportunity to develop US clients and candidates before relocating
• Faster route to validating market demand

These principles sit at the heart of the Recruit From Afar™ approach.

What preparation and research did you do before deciding on New York?

“Our decision to choose New York was driven more by our desire to challenge ourselves in one of the toughest markets.”

Roheel explained that the opportunity to take Forsyth Barnes to New York stemmed from a desire to prove the business model in one of the most competitive recruitment markets in the world.

As the saying goes, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.”

As one of the most competitive markets in the US, New York presented challenges including higher costs, taxes and increased competition. However, Roheel found that access to talent, opportunity and market visibility outweighed many of the perceived disadvantages.

Cultural aspects

“Our initial ambition was clear: stay true to our roots. While there were some necessary adjustments for cultural differences, we’ve found that staying true to our core values and what makes us unique has worked well.”

While the UK and US share similarities, Roheel noted that businesses should not underestimate cultural differences. Maintaining a unique company identity while adapting to local market expectations often proves to be one of the most important factors in successful expansion.

How easy is it to find candidates in the US?

Outreach difficulties in the US

Roheel explained that simple operational challenges created friction during Forsyth Barnes’ early expansion into the US. Something as straightforward as calling candidates and clients from a UK phone number often resulted in calls being flagged as spam, making it harder to build relationships and generate opportunities. However, by adapting their approach, introducing new technology and refining their processes, the team was able to overcome these challenges and continue building their US presence.

This is a great example of why preparation matters when entering a new market. One of the checkpoints included in our Recruit From Afar™ checklist is ensuring you have a US phone number when selling into the market. While it might seem like a small detail, having a local phone number can help improve contact rates, build credibility with candidates and clients, and remove an unnecessary barrier to business development.

The Recruit From Afar™ Readiness Checklist is designed to help recruitment businesses identify practical considerations like this before they become obstacles, covering everything from market readiness and commercial positioning to compliance, operations and sales enablement.

Download Checklist

UK Recruitment Agencies versus US Staffing Firms

“The US market can be seen as somewhat less mature, so businesses in the US rely on their own efforts to get things done.”

Many of Workwell Global’s clients highlight differences in buying behaviour, sales culture and communication expectations when entering the US market. As Roheel explained:

“Our focus is on highlighting the advantages of our approach and the additional value we bring to the table, setting us apart from the competition.”

Roheel believes the consultative approach often adopted by UK recruiters can be a competitive advantage when operating in the US market.

Growing the Forsyth Barnes team in the US – how did it work?

“We conducted a thorough examination of our UK team members’ personal circumstances and professional aspirations, ensuring that we fostered alignment so that the move to the USA would be mutually advantageous for both individuals and the organisation.” 

As travel restrictions eased, Forsyth Barnes gradually increased its presence in the US through business trips before ultimately relocating members of its UK team. This measured approach allowed the business to build confidence, gain experience and ensure the transition worked for both the company and its employees.

“We’ve been practical with managing time zones. In the UK, we used to work during US hours from Monday to Thursday to bring the team together on Fridays. In the US, our team had flexible hours to accommodate the time difference.”

Many recruitment businesses incubating a US desk from the UK adopt a similar approach, adjusting working hours to maximise overlap with US clients and candidates while maintaining team cohesion.

Was it difficult to maintain the culture of Forsyth Barnes beyond borders?

“Our venture’s success in the US is primarily due to our exceptional core team. They’re dedicated, cohesive and have been the backbone of our expansion. The unity and effectiveness of this team serve as a prime example of a successful office, and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Culture can often be one of the biggest concerns during international expansion. Forsyth Barnes’ experience suggests that investing in relationships, communication and shared values early in the journey can help maintain culture even as teams spread across multiple countries.

What advice would you give recruitment founders thinking about entering the US market?

“Building a strong local presence and network is crucial and the goal is to bring some of your core team members from your existing business and build around them.”

Speaking with Roheel, it’s evident that what makes great success in the US market for any recruitment founders is building and bringing a great team along with you. Building a strong, reliable founding base in the UK is what’s key, and the best thing about it is it comes at very little risk or cost – so you hit the ground running once your first location is open in the US.