1% Better Recruitment Podcast23 Sep 2025

EP 59 - Building and Dominating a Niche Market, From Fear of Starting Alone to Discipline & Resilience w/Emma April

What if the best way to succeed in recruitment wasn’t to be everywhere, but to dominate a niche so well that clients had no choice but to come to you?

In this episode, I’m joined by Emma April, Founder of HuntStart Consulting, a specialist recruitment agency for FX brokers and fintech companies across Cyprus, the UAE and beyond.

We dive into Emma’s journey from HR in Cyprus to recruitment in London, the fear that held her back from starting her own business, and the personal challenges she faced while launching her agency — including losing her father and navigating a miscarriage. Despite everything, Emma built a reputation so strong that clients know her by name, not just her company.

This is a raw and inspiring conversation about resilience, discipline, and what it really takes to dominate your ICP in recruitment.

We explore:
✅ How to build a desk from scratch in a new market
✅ Why specialising in your ICP beats being a generalist
✅ Time management & consistency as recruiter superpowers
✅ The role of mentors in early career success
✅ Grit, resilience & discipline as the real differentiators
✅ Shifting from personal brand to company brand
✅ Why mistakes are part of building any business
✅ What makes a truly great recruiter in 2025

If you want to understand what it really takes to build a recruitment business, dominate your market, and grow through resilience, this episode is a must-listen.

⏱ Timestamps:
00:00, Intro & welcome
01:20, Emma’s background in HR & move from Cyprus to London
07:00, Early career in FX & fintech recruitment
13:30, Quitting on day one and rebuilding from scratch
18:30, Building out the Cyprus desk and finding her niche
24:00, Facing the fear of starting her own agency
29:00, Leaving comfort vs betting on yourself
36:30, The investor who gave her the push to launch
39:30, Personal challenges: miscarriage & losing her father
45:00, Starting Hunt Stop properly in August 2024
48:00, How to build and dominate a niche market
52:00, The 3 keys to building a desk: consistency, time management, mentors
58:00, Why discipline matters more than hacks
01:04:00, Listening to your gut as a founder
01:08:00, Mistakes, resilience & founder lessons
01:09:30, Emma’s 1% Better tip

🔗 Connect with Emma
LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-april/⁠

🔗 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

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