As a new recruitment business owner, how much do you invest in marketing and personal branding? Is the ROI worth it?   Our special guest, Sarah Englade, explained how she scaled to $1.5m in revenue in 18 months with the help of LinkedIn personal branding. She shared her strategies and how she overcame struggles when creating content, which can be helpful if you also find value in content creation.   Sarah Englade is the Owner & Founder of Monarch Talent Solutions, a boutique executive search firm specializing in senior roles in accounting, finance, and human resources throughout Houston, TX.    Before launching Monarch Talent Solutions in 2020, Sarah gained nearly a decade of recruiting and leadership experience at two global recruiting firms. Between 2012-2020, she successfully placing over 2,800 candidates and generating millions in revenue.    Now, Sarah is focused on humanizing the recruiting process, driven by her firm’s core values.    Episode Outline and Highlights   [02:42] How Sarah got into recruiting by accident and how she excelled before launching her firm. [08:15] Understanding contributing factors to burnout in staffing and how to mitigate it early. [11:11] Keys to Sarah becoming a top producer. [13:15] The remarkable story of Monarch's launch during the pandemic. [20:17] Three action items kept Sarah going during the first 6 months of Monarch. [24:27] Sarah’s book recommendations. [26:24] Journey and strategies in building a personal brand through LinkedIn. [36:33] Are you intimidated to do video content? Sarah shares her process. [41:48] What is the ROI in content and personal brand marketing? [48:21] Other elements that contribute to Monarch’s successes on top of personal branding. [54:30] “You always have to be a student of learning” [56:16] Quick fire questions: Tech Stack and Metrics that matter for Sarah, and keys to resilience.   Three Steps That Keep Monarch On-Track in the First Six Months When Sarah launched Monarch during the pandemic, things were not as smooth sailing as expected. Most people would think that the first three months would get them positive traction, but for Sarah, it had already been around six months, and still, not much was happening. She started the company without a book of business and minimal business development experience.   If you are a new recruitment business owner, Sarah’s insights on the three things that kept her going can be helpful. Sarah focused on three key things to keep her business going for the first six months:   Self-development and mindset: Sarah dedicated herself to reading books, listening to podcasts, and staying disciplined to work on her mindset and conquer her feelings of inferiority. She focused on personal growth and overcoming self-doubt. Metrics and consistency: She believed in using metrics to track her progress and committed herself to hitting her numbers. Sarah stayed consistent by posting her goals on a board, reviewing them daily, and compounding her activity to build confidence. Seeking mentors: Despite facing challenges finding local mentors, Sarah sought out mentors in business and recruiting from other parts of the United States. She leaned on their support and advice to navigate challenges and stay motivated in her entrepreneurial journey.   Strategies for Building a Personal Brand Through LinkedIn   A key discussion topic that resonated with me was Sarah's emphasis on personal branding and her strategies for building a brand through LinkedIn.   “As a new business owner you have to really be very smart with your money. But I always say this to people that scared money doesn't make money. As you know you have to spend money to make it. Like part of my budget and part of what's worked for me and my business model over the years has 100% been investing in marketing.”   Sarah was not a LinkedIn expert, as she had just explored it as rec