Boutique and Proud: How to Win Top Talent Without a Big Brand Behind You

Let’s flip the script. If you’re building a team inside a local or regional brand without the flashy pitch deck or name recognition, you’re not at a disadvantage—you’re in a position of power. In this episode of Recruiting Conversations, I break down how to position yourself not in spite of your size, but because of it.

Top producers today aren’t just looking for big names—they’re looking for trust, access, authenticity, and vision. This is your blueprint for turning “small” into elite and building a boutique recruiting brand that wins.

Episode Breakdown

[00:00] Introduction – The big question for small shops: How do I compete with the big brands for top talent?
[01:00] The False Belief – Why “smaller” doesn’t mean “weaker”—it means you have a unique recruiting edge.
[01:30] Own Your Positioning – Don’t apologize for being boutique—embrace it with posture and pride.
[02:00] Shift the Frame – You’re not small, you’re selective. Not under-resourced, but customized and high-touch.
[02:30] Lead with Vision, Not Features – Features don’t move people—vision, identity, and belief do.
[03:30] Sell the Why – Be the leader who shows up with clarity and conviction, not a generic pitch.
[04:00] Agility and Access – Big companies move slow. You move fast. Talk about your speed, flexibility, and personal touch.
[04:30] Customization Is King – You’re not templated. You co-create support and systems around each individual.
[05:00] The Greatest Asset: You – Your leadership, coaching, and mentorship are what sets you apart. Own it.
[06:00] Final Challenge – Audit your language. Are you playing underdog, or owning the boutique high-performance brand you are?

Key Takeaways

• Posture Matters – Stop competing on features. Compete with belief, vision, and leadership.

• You’re Not Small, You’re Specialized – Top talent wants voice, trust, and agility—not red tape.

• Build Around the Individual – Your advantage is flexibility. Co-create solutions, don’t cookie-cut them.

• Lead with Identity – Share your why. Share your leadership philosophy. That’s what people follow.

• Stay in Your Lane – Don’t try to out-tech or out-brand. Win with intimacy, access, and personal connection.

You don’t need a national name or a big checkbook to attract elite talent. You just need clarity on who you are, confidence in what you bring, and the courage to lead with conviction.

Want help crafting your boutique recruiting message? Subscribe to my weekly email at 4crecruiting.com or book a session with me at bookrichardnow.com. Let’s build something real—and worth following.

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
So the big question is this, how dorecruiting leaders like us who have
12 to 15 other job responsibilitieswin at this game of recruiting?
How do we build a system that allowsus to recruit effectively in a minimal
amount of time while motivatingrecruits towards meaningful change?
That is the question, and thispodcast will give you the answers.

(00:21):
My name is Richard Mulligan, andwelcome to Recruiting Conversations.
Hey everybody.
Welcome back to Recruiting Conversations.
I'm Richard Milligan, and todaywe're diving into one of the most
common questions I get from leaderswho are building teams inside

(00:42):
smaller, lesser known brands.
And the question is this, howdo I compete for top talent when
I'm up against the big names?
Or said another way, how do I positionmyself as a boutique or high-end
leader when I don't have the samename recognition or resources as
the big shops I. And look, I get it.

(01:05):
When you're leading a local orregional branch or you're growing a
team inside a leaner operation, it canfeel like the big boys have all the
advantages, bigger comp plans, biggertech stacks, bigger marketing engines.
You show up to the same recruiting meetingand they pull out the shiny pitch deck.
Meanwhile, you're showing up withvision, belief, and a phone call.

(01:26):
But here's the truth.
Top talent is not always looking for big.
In fact, a lot of the top 20%performers are burned out from big.
They're disillusioned, they're tired ofbeing a number, they're tired of empty
promises, red tape and change afterchange with no voice in the process.
So while the big companies havescale, what you have is soul.

(01:48):
And if you learn to positionyourself the right way, you can
actually stand out because you'reboutique, not in spite of it.
So let's walk through how you do that.
First, you've gotta own your positioning.
There's a huge difference betweenapologizing for being small
and proudly standing behindthe value of being boutique.
The moment you say something like, well,we may not be as big as X. You've lost the

(02:11):
posture, you've taken the weaker frame.
So here's the mindset shift.
You're not smaller, you'reselective, you're not limited.
You're customized, you're not underdog.
You're high access,high touch, high trust.
Instead of talking about what you don'thave, talk about what your size allows
you to do better than anyone else.
Here's some language I love to use.

(02:34):
What we offer isn't built for the masses.
We're not trying toscale into the hundreds.
We're intentionally building a hightrust, high collaboration environment
for people who want a voice, who wanta seat at the table, and who want to
grow with the right kind of support.
You see that shift.
Now boutique becomes elite.
Now smaller becomes more intentional.

(02:56):
Now your leadership feels morepersonal, not more limited.
And that brings me to the second piece.
You've got to lead with yourvision, not your features.
Because let's be real, the bigcompanies have more features, but
features aren't what move people.
Vision is people followleaders, not logos.

(03:18):
They follow clarity andthey follow alignment.
They follow conviction.
And when you can clearly communicatewhere you're going, how you're
building, and why you're doing it theway you are, you create something.
The big guys can't competewith emotional buy-in.
And here's the thing.
The big company pitch isalmost always impersonal.

(03:40):
It's built around the what,what tools, what tech, what
support you show up with the why.
You say things like, I built this becauseI got tired of being just a number.
I wanted to create a space where topproducers could thrive without politics,
where ideas actually became action andwhere leaders could grow without limits.
And now you're leading with identity.

(04:02):
Now you're attracting peoplewho want the same thing.
That's how real culture is built.
Next.
I saw a, and this is a game changer.
I saw Nate lean into access and agility.
The big companies have layers.
You have access that, they'vegot bureaucracy, you've got
speed, they've got structure.
You've got flexibility.
So talk about that.
Say when you need a decision made.

(04:24):
you're not submitting aticket and waiting six weeks.
You're texting me, you're calling me.
We're building solutions in real time.
Most top producers want to move quickly.
They want to pivot when the market shifts.
They want leadership that listens.
When you're you can give them that.
Now, let's talk aboutanother differentiator.
Customization.

(04:44):
Inside a big company,everything is templated.
One size fits all.
But in your world, you cancreate a custom experience.
So position it like this.
We build around the individual,your support, your tech
stack, your growth path.
This isn't a plug and play operation.
We co-create what worksbest for your business.

(05:05):
Again, you're elevating what's different.
You're showing that smaller isn'tless, but smaller is tailored.
Last but not least, let's notforget the biggest assets you have.
You, your leadership, your coaching,your availability, your ability to
mentor someone through hard seasons.
Help them scale, help them grow.
That can't be replicated by alogo, that can't be mass produced.

(05:26):
So tell that story.
Share testimonials.
Share what your current team issaying about your leadership, and
if you're just getting started,share your philosophy on leadership.
What you believe, what youvalue, how you plan to build
something worth being part of.
And let me give you one final piece.
This one's important.
Stop trying to compete on thesame things big companies do.

(05:50):
You'll always lose if you try to out tech.
Out brand or out discount the big guys.
That's not your lane.
Your lane is intimacy, connection,trust, customization, partnership,
speed, access, identity, mission.

(06:12):
When you own that lane and you articulateit clearly, you don't just compete.
You win.
So here's your challenge.
Audit your pitch.
Listen to your own language.
Are you showing up as the underdog oras the boutique high performance brand?
You really are.
Because if you can make that shift inhow you speak, how you posture, and how

(06:34):
you show up, your next recruit won'tcare about how big your company is.
They'll care about how strong yourleadership is, and that's what
wins in today's recruiting world.
That's all for today's episode.
Go lead with confidence.
And I'll catch you back heresoon on recruiting conversations.
Want more recruiting conversations?
You can register for my [e-mail].

(06:56):
If you need help creating your ownunique recruiting system, you can book
a time with [e-mail].
I.