EP329: Being on The Apprentice: Taking Risks & Starting Again - Melica Moshiri, Founder, SkillTorch

What really happens when you leave your recruitment business behind to compete on one of the UK’s biggest TV shows? In this episode of The Recruiter’s Recruitment Podcast, host Lysha Holmes sits down with Melica Moshiri, Founder of SkillTorch, AI and robotics search specialist, TEDx speaker, podcast host, and former contestant on BBC’s *The Apprentice*. Melica shares her journey from a law graduate accidentally discovering recruitment, through high-performance agency life, relocating to the US, and eventually launching her own executive search business focused on AI, automation and robotics. She also opens up about the realities of building a company, navigating homesickness, and having to effectively start her business twice. Melica also shares candid advice for recruiters, founders and aspiring entrepreneurs on resilience, adaptability and creating opportunities in rapidly evolving markets. 🔗 **Connect with the guest** Melica Moshiri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melica/ SkillTorch: https://skill-torch.com/ 🔗 **Connect with the host** Lysha Holmes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyshaholmesr2r/ Qui Recruitment: https://www.quirecruitment.co.uk/ Thanks to John Gaughan for the introduction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johngaughanfja/ Follow the podcast on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/@therecruitersrecruitmentpod https://the-recruiters-recruitment-podcast.captivate.fm/ —————— The Recruiter's Recruitment Podcast is proudly sponsored by **Paiger**, and partnered with **Needi**, **Keybridge IT Solutions**, **Bristow & Hardy** and **Diversity in Recruitment**. **Our sponsor:** **Paiger** - Making Recruiters Smarter and Faster. Paiger helps recruiters build personal brands, identify new business opportunities, attract candidates, and have better conversations. Find out more about Paiger: https://paiger.co/ **Our partners:** **Needi** is a concierge gift-matching service using psychology and AI, to pinpoint the perfect gifts and experiences for your recipient, from the best local independent businesses. Their team of expert gift finders save companies time and money with their complimentary corporate gifting service. https://needi.co.uk/ **Bristow & Hardy** partners with SME recruitment agencies to accelerate growth through sales enablement and recruitment marketing. With over 7 years’ experience, we specialise exclusively in the recruitment sector, delivering strategy, branding, websites, marketing campaigns, and sales support. Our proven growth suite of products helps agencies attract more clients, win more business, and scale efficiently. https://www.bristowandhardy.co.uk/ **Diversity in Recruitment** helps recruitment businesses understand diversity, equity, and inclusion in a way that makes sense. Our training and advisory work is designed to attract diverse talent, recruit inclusively, improve your candidate journey and confidently partner with their clients. DE&I doesn’t have to be complicated and scary - it’s simply about fair, ethical and high-quality recruitment. https://diversityinrecruitment.com/ **Keybridge IT Solutions** is a London-based Fully Managed IT Support and solutions Provider - Providing 24×7 Support to all Customers. Specialities include Microsoft Cloud, including Office 365, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure, Security, Internet Connectivity, VoIP, and much more. https://www.keybridgeit.com/ **#RecruitmentPodcast #RecruitmentIndustry #ExecutiveSearch #ArtificialIntelligence #Robotics #TheApprentice #Entrepreneurship #RecruitmentFounder #TalentAcquisition #StaffingIndustry #PersonalBranding #BusinessGrowth #RecTech**