By 1998, it was clear that the search industry was shifting — and so were we. We recognized that transactional, contingency-based recruiting wouldn’t allow us to scale in the way we envisioned. We needed stability. So, we made a bold move and transitioned to a retained revenue model, locking in long-term partnerships that allowed us to focus on quality, trust, and results — not just speed.

This shift was transformative. Retained work gave us predictable revenue, stronger client alignment, and the space to invest in growth. It was a strategic decision that paved the way for our evolution into a full-scale, relationship-driven executive search firm.