Achieve Recruitment Agency Success with Andrea Ross and Adam Carabetta
In Episode 59 of Talent Talk Asia, I sat down with Adam Carabetta, co-founder of Formative Search, in their stunning new Singapore office, a treehouse-inspired space complete with a rooftop garden and plans for client events, yoga sessions, and even a podcast studio. Adam’s journey from managing renewable energy desks at Drake International to co-founding a boutique firm with Nick Ryland in 2018 is nothing short of inspiring. But what struck me most wasn’t the rapid growth, the niche focus on new energies, legal, and technology, or even their innovative office design. It was Adam’s deep, authentic commitment to building a business that prioritises people: his team, his clients, his candidates, and himself above all else.
🎧 Listen to the full episode: A chat with New Energy Expert Adam Carabetta
This conversation, recorded in early 2022, remains one of my favourite episodes because it captures the essence of what modern leadership in recruitment should look like: empathetic, purpose-driven, and unapologetically human. A 2025 McKinsey Global Institute report reveals that 73% of employees now prioritise workplace culture and leadership empathy over salary when choosing an employer. In an industry notorious for high churn, where traditional agencies accept 80% turnover in the first year as “just business”, Adam and Nick have built something different. Their retention rates are exceptional. Their team is engaged. Their clients trust them. And their candidates keep coming back.
This five-part blog series dives deep into the Formative Search model, drawing directly from our 70-minute conversation. We’ll explore how Adam and Nick rejected the old-school recruitment playbook, how they use empathy as a competitive advantage, how they’ve embedded wellness into their DNA, and how they’re future-proofing their business for a post-pandemic, purpose-hungry world. Whether you’re a solo recruiter, a team leader, or a founder contemplating your own agency, this series will give you actionable insights to build, or rebuild, your business with heart, strategy, and sustainability.
The Moment Everything Changed
Let’s start at the beginning. Adam didn’t wake up one day and decide to launch a recruitment agency because he wanted to make millions. He did it because he was tired of watching good people burn out in systems that didn’t care.
“I think a lot of people I work with, you work with, have come from those really iconic, traditional, big pioneering recruitment agencies,” Adam told me. “And they’re great at what they do. But are they still relevant for this time? Are they relevant only for a certain number of people where they’re happy with the collateral damage of knowing 80% will churn after 12 months?”
That question stopped me in my tracks.
For years, I’ve coached recruiters who’ve left those environments traumatised, carrying imposter syndrome, anxiety, and a belief that success in recruitment means sacrificing your soul. Adam saw the same. He’d lived it. At Hydrogen Group, he led oil and gas teams. At Drake, he scaled renewables. He knew how to bill. He knew how to win. But he also knew the cost.
So when he and Nick Ryland decided to go out on their own, they made a pact: We will not build a business that chews people up and spits them out.
They started in a 14-square-foot office. No fancy pitch deck. No big investor. Just two guys with a vision: to create a recruitment firm where people wanted to stay, where clients felt truly served, and where profit was a byproduct of doing the right thing.
Six years later, Formative Search occupies a sprawling, light-filled office in Singapore’s CBD. They’ve hosted client sundowners on the rooftop. They’ve run team yoga sessions at sunrise. They’ve taken the entire company on incentive trips. And perhaps most importantly, they’ve retained their people.
Empathy as a Business Strategy
Adam’s number one CliftonStrengths talent? Empathy.
And he doesn’t just wear it as a badge. He uses it.
“I like to think I’m a humble guy,” he said. “I’m not the number one authority when it comes to recruitment agencies. But we’ve built something I’m proud of. And a lot of it comes down to asking: Why are you here? What’s driving you to trade your time with us?”
This isn’t fluffy HR speak. This is a strategy.
A 2025 Gallup study found that employees who feel their manager understands their motivations are 3.2 times more likely to stay long-term. In recruitment, where poaching is rampant and burnout is real, this is a superpower.
Adam doesn’t just ask these questions during onboarding. He asks them repeatedly. In 1:1s. In team huddles. In casual rooftop chats. He wants to know:
What energises you?
What drains you?
What does success look like for you, beyond the KPI dashboard?
How can we support your growth?
And then, he acts on it.
One team member wanted to explore podcasting. Adam gave them airtime on Recharge: Talking New Energy. Another wanted flexibility after having a child. They redesigned hybrid working before it was trendy. A third wanted to lead wellness initiatives. Adam said: Go for it. Bring a yoga teacher in.
This isn’t micromanagement. This is empowerment through understanding.
From 14 Sq Ft to Treehouse: The Physical Manifestation of Culture
You can’t talk about Formative Search without talking about their office.
“It’s a bit like a TARDIS,” Adam laughed as we walked through. “Looks small from the outside, but inside, it’s massive.”
And it’s not just size. Its intention.
Open-plan collaboration zones for brainstorming
Quiet pods for deep-focus candidate calls
A rooftop garden for wellness, events, and downtime
A podcast nook for thought leadership
Plants everywhere, because oxygen matters
“We wanted to create a space where people want to be,” Adam explained. “Not just because they have to, but because it feels good. It reflects who we are.”
This isn’t vanity. A 2025 Harvard Business Review study found that employees in intentionally designed workplaces report 31% higher engagement and 27% lower stress. In recruitment, where margins are tight and pressure is high, this translates directly to better client relationships, stronger candidate experiences, and higher billings.
The Missteps That Shaped the Vision
Adam is refreshingly transparent about failure.
“We made a lot of missteps,” he admitted. “We hired too fast. We took on clients who didn’t align with our values. We overworked ourselves in the early days.”
But here’s the difference: they learned.
Every misstep became a data point for refinement.
Hired a high-biller with a toxic attitude? → Introduced a values-based interview process.
Took on a client who ghosted fees? → Created a “no-asshole” client policy.
Burned out in year two? → Embedded wellness from day one in the new office.
This reflective practice is now baked into their DNA. Monthly “Lessons Learned” sessions. Quarterly offsites. Annual vision resets.
“We don’t hide our failures,” Adam said. “We celebrate them. Because they’re what got us here.”
The Strengths-Based Revolution
In 2021, the entire Formative Search team enrolled in The Career Establishment’s Strengths-Based Business Development Programme. I was their coach.
I’ll never forget the moment Adam discovered his top five strengths:
Empathy
Developer
Connectedness
Individualisation
Harmony
“No wonder I care so much,” he laughed.
But more importantly, he saw how to leverage them.
Empathy → Deep client and candidate relationships
Developer → Growing junior recruiters into leaders
Connectedness → Seeing how new energies, legal, and tech intersect
Individualisation → Tailoring BD strategies to each team member
Harmony → Resolving conflict before it festers
We mapped every role, every KPI, every client interaction to individual strengths. The result? A team that wasn’t just working, they were thriving in their zone of genius.
The Future Is Human
As we wrapped up, I asked Adam for one piece of advice that still rings true.
His answer?
“You can’t love anybody else until you love yourself.”
Simple. Profound. And in an industry that glorifies hustle, grind, and 80-hour weeks, this is revolutionary.
Formative Search isn’t perfect. They’re still growing. Still learning. Still iterating.
But they’ve proven one thing: You don’t have to choose between profit and people.
You can build a recruitment agency that:
Bills strongly
Retains talent
Delights clients
Champions wellness
And still makes money
All while staying true to your values.
What’s Next in This Series?
This is just the beginning. Over the next four blogs, we’ll dive into:
Part 2: How Adam builds high-performing teams using strengths and psychological safety
Part 3: The empathy-led leadership model that retains 90% of staff
Part 4: Designing a thriving agency culture, wellness, rituals, and rooftop yoga
Part 5: Future-proofing your agency for 2030, with Adam Carabetta and Andrea Ross
If you’re ready to stop accepting 80% churn as “normal”…
If you’re tired of watching good people leave…
If you believe recruitment can be a force for good…
Stay with me.
Because Adam Carabetta isn’t just building a business.
He’s building a movement.
And you’re invited.