1% Better Recruitment Podcast9 Sep 2025

EP 57 – Starting a Business During the Pandemic, Personal Branding, and Sobriety w/ Ivor Stratford

What if you launched a recruitment business in the middle of a global pandemic — and then had to rebuild it from the ground up when the tech boom turned bust?

In this episode, I’m joined by Ivor Stratford, Co-Founder of Morpheus, a recruitment business specialising in early-stage, VC/PE-backed tech companies with a strong focus on AI and machine learning.

We dive into what it was really like starting a business in March 2020, why their early success was built on sand, and how they pivoted to create stronger foundations, culture, and credibility. Ivor also opens up about his sobriety journey, how going alcohol-free reshaped his life and business, and why sharing his story on TikTok has built a personal brand that’s opened unexpected doors.

P.S Ignore the crying dog in the background haha

We explore:
✅ The reality of starting a recruitment firm during the pandemic
✅ Why 2021’s “boom” left many recruiters with false confidence
✅ How to fix a business that’s built on dependency, not sales culture
✅ The mindset shift post-COVID recruiters need to make
✅ Building credibility by asking the right questions
✅ Why over-communication & clear KPIs matter for culture
✅ Personal branding on TikTok — and overcoming imposter syndrome
✅ Sobriety, discipline & the hidden impact on leadership
✅ Why consistency beats quick wins for long-term success

If you want to understand the boom-and-bust of tech hiring, the future of sales culture in recruitment, and the lessons from sobriety that can make you a better leader — this episode is a must-listen.

⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome & Ivor’s background
01:20 – Founding Morpheus in March 2020
05:40 – The post-COVID boom & building on sand
09:30 – Why 2022 became their toughest year
12:50 – The tech hiring boom and sudden bust
15:10 – Post-COVID recruiters vs pre-COVID recruiters
23:00 – Location mistakes & building culture
28:00 – Pivoting to sustainable foundations
32:00 – Why over-communication & KPIs matter
39:40 – Questioning as the #1 recruiter skill
48:10 – Building a personal brand on TikTok
57:30 – Sobriety & the turning point for Ivor
01:04:00 – The first year alcohol-free
01:12:00 – New energy, fitness & relationships
01:16:20 – Ivor’s 1% Better tip

🔗 Connect with Ivor
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivorstratford/⁠

🔗 Connect with Charles Kyriakou
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/⁠
TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou⁠
Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-better-recruitment-podcast/id1775201502⁠
YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@charleskyriakou⁠
LinkedIn Newsletter: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7244346543967731712⁠

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(112)

How the Best Recruitment Businesses Actually Do BD | Roheel Ahmad (EP 104)

What makes a recruitment BD strategy actually work?In this episode of The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast, I'm joined by Roheel Ahmad, founder, entrepreneur and recruitment business advisor.Roheel co-fo...

17 Sep 1h 20min

The Difference Between Great Recruiters and Great Leaders | Lily Savage (EP 103)

What separates a great recruiter from a great leader?In this episode of The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast, I'm joined by Lily Savage, Managing Director for Europe Perm Recruitment at Discover Internat...

25 Aug 53min

How to Become the Go-To Recruiter in Your Market & High Performance Hybrid | Rich Westhead (EP 102)

What does it take to become the go-to recruiter in your market?In this episode of The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast, I'm joined by Rich Westhead, Managing Director of AJ Group.Having spent 25 years in...

18 Aug 59min

Has Recruitment Lost Its Sales Culture? | Adam Turner (EP 101)

Why are recruiters becoming afraid to pick up the phone?In this episode of The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast, I'm joined by Adam Turner, founder of Global Veterinary Careers (GVC). Having worked in ve...

11 Aug 1h 4min

The Best Recruiters Always Raise The Average | Sachin Ruparelia (EP 100)

How do the best recruitment leaders consistently raise the average across their teams?In this episode, I'm joined by Sachin Ruparelia, CEO of Camino Partners and Camino Search.Having spent more than 1...

4 Aug 1h 4min

The Difference Between Good Recruiters & Top Billers | Ryan Collett (EP 99)

What separates a good recruiter from a consistently great one?Ryan shares the lessons he's learned over 16 years at SThree, from joining as a trainee after initially failing the recruitment process, t...

28 Jul 1h 24min

The Best Recruiters Play The Long Game | Luke Pitkin (EP 98)

What does it actually mean to play the long game in recruitment?Luke shares the reality of building a recruitment technology business from the ground up, from living in a shed to fund the business, ov...

21 Jul 1h 25min

Recruiters Using AI Are Like Recruiters on Steroids | Elkie Holland (EP 97)

What happens when you combine nearly 40 years of recruitment experience with a genuine passion for AI?In this episode, I'm joined by Elkie Holland, recruitment entrepreneur, tech recruitment specialis...

14 Jul 1h 1min