From founder dependency to a team that runs.
CMR Jobs is a specialist recruitment business led by founder Josh. Strong track record, motivated team, solid delivery capability. But almost all new business came through one person. When Catalyst12 was engaged, the brief was simple: build the operating infrastructure to change that.
Fixed-fee, time-bounded.
All completed on time.
Individually onboarded.
Zero meaningful resistance.
A business built on one person.
The diagnostic was clear. Josh was generating around 90% of new jobs. The team could deliver once work was on their desks, but they were not consistently winning their own mandates. There was no documented BD process, no shared operating rhythm, and no single source of performance data anyone trusted.
With Josh's second child due and a planned period of reduced availability on the horizon, the dependency problem was no longer theoretical. It was a live business risk.
Human operating system first.
Catalyst12 ran a focused four-week sprint. The deliberate decision was to fix the human operating system before touching any technology. Playbooks, performance frameworks, and a clear management rhythm. Built in four weeks, with the team's fingerprints on every deliverable.
Deliverables
BD Operating Framework
A structured approach to business development that each consultant can follow independently. From identifying targets to converting clients.
Performance Operating Model
Individual revenue targets, activity expectations, and a shared definition of what a good week looks like. Documented and agreed.
KPI and Reporting Framework
Live reporting built on native Job Adder data, integrated with Xero. No new tools, no manual spreadsheets.
Weekly Performance Plans
Individual plans for each consultant. One page, one week, one clear set of priorities.
Core Process Playbooks
Three playbooks covering BD, delivery, and onboarding. Built with the team, not handed to them.
The team was involved, not just informed.
Individual sessions with every team member. Luke, Will, Joe, and Jade. All before a single document went live. The result: every person validated their own plan, added to it, and was bought in before Monday morning. There was no meaningful resistance to any deliverable.
The operating model launched in Week 1. Not six weeks later. Not after a review cycle. Week 1.
What the founder said.
"We now have a new and better way of working. The team has clarity on what they need to do and how to do it. And I'm not the only one holding that." Josh, Founder, CMR Jobs
"I knew we had a dependency problem. I just didn't know how to fix it without everything falling apart. Catalyst12 gave us the structure to change that without disrupting what was working." Josh, Founder, CMR Jobs
A founder who can step back with confidence.
By the end of the sprint, CMR Jobs had five fully validated deliverables, a structured weekly management rhythm, and a team that understood exactly what was expected of them. Individually and collectively.
Xero is now integrated with Job Adder. Josh can pull every report he needs directly from the system. Live, accurate, and without chasing the team. He can see what everyone is doing, understand what good looks like, and identify where support is needed. Whether he is in the room or not.
New consultants can now be onboarded into a defined framework, which means they reach billing activity faster and settle in without needing Josh to hold their hand through every step.
Josh no longer needs to be in the business constantly to keep it running. That was the goal. It's done.