Ep 99: How Roheel Ahmad Bootstrapped a £25M Business... Then Bet It All on AI

In this powerhouse episode of the Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast, I sit down with Roheel Ahmad, co-founder of Forsyth Barnes and the visionary behind Imagine AI - a cutting-edge recruitment technology built to disrupt the traditional CRM/ATS space. From humble beginnings and being sacked from his first job, to scaling a bootstrapped global recruitment business with £100M+ in total turnover, Roheel opens up about the grit, growth, and game-changing mindset that got him there. Now, he’s taking his biggest risk yet: investing over £1.2M into a new AI-driven startup aiming to redefine operational efficiency in recruitment. This episode explores the journey from startup to scale, the realities of leadership, fatherhood, mental fitness, and how to stay grounded while building a legacy. Whether you’re a recruitment founder, tech entrepreneur, or business leader looking to scale smarter, this candid conversation is packed with wisdom, strategy, and actionable insight. In this episode, you will hear about: Roheel’s rise from rejection to recruitment success Building Forsyth Barnes from scratch to £25M+ turnover Why Roheel’s betting on Imagine AI to reshape recruitment The mental fitness and discipline behind high-performance leadership Mistakes, failures, and lessons from the front lines Balancing business and family life as a founder How real leaders navigate culture, growth, and change The future of recruitment: AI, relationships, and impact This episode is ideal for: Recruitment professionals, agency owners, SaaS founders, scale-up entrepreneurs, tech investors, business leaders, AI innovators, and anyone passionate about high-performance culture, startup resilience, and leadership with purpose. Connect with today’s amazing guest Roheel Ahmad via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/roheelahmad/ Connect with me across social media: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/itschrisoconnell/    Twitter - https://twitter.com/ChrisOConnell11  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/  TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/chrisoconnellcoach/  YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ZWYrxrzzaElmpZMy5S86w  Basemindset website - https://basemindset.com/  Pre-order my new book - https://access.basemindset.com/pre-order  About the show: The Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast is the place that helps you communicate, engage and lead with purpose. We lift the lid on what it takes to be a great leader and our guests share tips, principles, wins and failures that will educate and inspire you to lead your own team and business with purpose.