In this segment of the YouTube discussion, Hishem Azzouz reveals that 85% of the billings in the first year were contingent, highlighting the heavy reliance on this revenue model. He points out that the biggest challenge with contingent work is the allocation of time, resources, and energy toward positions tied to low‑quality or "dog" clients. This underscores the broader theme of the video: recognizing the hidden costs of nightmare clients and the strategic value of saying no to protect capacity for higher‑value engagements.
85% of the, the billings that you did in year 1 was like contingent, 85% of it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So that's why I feel like you're talking about time, because that, that is the often biggest challenge when it comes to contingent, is you are spending or allocating your time, resources, energy to positions that are with dog clients.
100%. And, and I think the biggest thing, the biggest thing is just mutual respect. You know, like, does the client take our recommendation seriously? And, you know, this combination of high revenue and high growth potential is exactly what a star is. And, you know, my top client, they will, they will interview candidates based upon our recommendation before even looking at the resume or write-up. I can just set up the interview. Now, that's a star client. They're a client that I can, I can give feedback to. You know, we're really involved in their workforce planning. We know their culture just inside out. You know, we're an extension of their of their talent team and the business as well. The fees are strong, the process is efficient because both sides are just so invested. So, you know, I spend a lot of time with them versus, you know, I had to for the first time in a decade, I had to pull terms with a client a couple of months ago because I realized, you know, it was low fees, they weren't engaged. I was never able to speak to the business. They were always nickel and diming. It was just a bit of a nightmare. So I just cut ties and I realized very quickly Why am I going to keep— yes, there's multiple roles, but is it realistic I'm actually going to place one? And even when I do, what's the opportunity cost of not going after the question mark clients and the star clients?
