7 Out Of 10 Firms Fail At Offshoring. The Other 3 Do This
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Audible Key Takeaways
- Seven out of ten recruiting firms fail at offshoring because they skip the foundational playbook rather than because the talent is unavailable.
- Guest Greg Fischer scaled his firm from $1 million to $4.2 million by building an 18-person international team using a precise framework.
- Hiring a dedicated offshore sourcer behind a solo biller generating $400K to $600K typically produces a 30 to 50 percent revenue lift within a year.
- Starting with an offshore admin assistant has a low success rate, whereas starting with a dedicated sourcer works about 8 out of 10 times.
- Eighty to ninety percent of major recruiting firms and about half of boutique firms in the $1M to $3M range already utilize international team members.
Firm Leaders Summit (November 16-18): https://firm-leaders-and-owners-recruiting-summit-2026.heysummit.com
Atlas, the CRM that actually understands context: https://recruitwithatlas.com/
Well Oiled Machine, proven offshore recruiters you pay directly, no middleman: https://www.welloiledmachine.co/
Part 1 of 2. I lost thousands trying to offshore. Did every single thing wrong, swore it off, and avoided this topic for two years. Then I sat down with Greg Fischer, who built an 18-person international team inside his own firm while scaling it from $1 million to $4.2 million, and recorded the conversation I wish I had before I spent a dollar.
Greg says 7 out of 10 firms that try offshoring end up worse off than if they had never started. Not because the talent is not there. Because they skip the playbook. This is the first half of that playbook, and it covers the first three steps: function, region, and compensation.
We get into why "I want a cheap recruiter" is already the failure, and what to hire for instead. Greg breaks down the full menu, sourcers, researchers, 180s, 360s, and SDRs, and why a dedicated sourcer behind a solo biller doing $400K to $600K has produced a 30 to 50 percent revenue lift within a year, as Greg tells it. He also shares why a sourcer hire works about 8 out of 10 times while the admin assistant hire most owners start with works about 3 out of 10.
Then the part nobody says out loud: the big firms are already doing this. Greg estimates 80 to 90 percent of the major players have international practices, and about half of boutique firms in the $1M to $3M range have at least one international team member. You just do not see it on LinkedIn.
The compensation section alone is worth the download. Real 2026 numbers, not vendor markup numbers. What a sourcer in the Philippines actually earns. What a LATAM associate recruiter costs. What a true A player who closes $500K a year expects in base and commission. Plus the PTO mistake that insults candidates before they start, and the payment platforms Greg recommends and the two he would avoid.
What You'll Learn:
- Why 7 out of 10 firms fail at offshoring and the one word that separates the 3 that succeed
- The five-role menu and which role a first-timer should never start with
- The rainmaker math: what a dedicated sourcer does to a solo biller's revenue
- Greg's region cheat sheet: Philippines, LATAM, and South Africa, and which jobs go where
- The 50 percent overlap rule for time zones and why 4 hours is the floor
- Real 2026 salary bands for offshore sourcers and recruiters, base and commission
- How to structure commission, PTO, and payment setup without getting burned
Part 2 drops right after this one: headhunting the person, interviewing them, managing them, and the case study of a burnt out $650K solo biller whose offshore hires changed his firm.
Connect with Greg Fischer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/offshoreisasuperpower/
Well Oiled Machine: https://www.welloiledmachine.co/
Firm Leaders Summit (November 16-18): https://firm-leaders-and-owners-recruiting-summit-2026.heysummit.com
Atlas: https://recruitwithatlas.com/
Elite Recruiter Community: https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community
Newsletter: https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do 7 out of 10 firms fail at offshoring?
Firms typically fail at offshoring because they approach it without a structured playbook, often starting with the wrong role like an admin assistant instead of a revenue-generating sourcer.
Who is Greg Fischer on The Elite Recruiter Podcast?
Greg Fischer is an expert who built an 18-person international team inside his own recruiting firm while successfully scaling it from $1 million to $4.2 million in revenue.
What is the best first offshore hire for a recruiting firm?
A dedicated sourcer is recommended as the ideal first offshore hire, particularly to support a solo biller and drive a significant revenue increase.
How common is offshoring in the recruiting industry?
Offshoring is widespread, with an estimated 80 to 90 percent of major players and about half of boutique firms in the $1M to $3M range utilizing international team members.