Founder-led executive search · Est. 2017
Built by
operators.
For operators building
something that matters.
The executive search industry has two shapes. Global firms move volume with layered teams; boutiques promise attention but quietly pass the work to juniors. We reject both models.
Every engagement is owned, sourced, and closed by Michael Redisch personally. You get the same person on your intake call, your candidate debriefs, your offer negotiation, and every conversation in between. It's how the best PE and VC operating partners run their portfolios — and it's how we run every search.
Every search is personally led by Michael Redisch from intake through close. No handoffs. No junior layers. A single point of accountability from first call to signed offer.
Deep experience supporting PE-backed companies executing multi-site growth and integration strategies. We understand the LOI-to-exit arc — and hire for the chapter ahead, not the one behind.
Focused, highly curated candidate slates. No resume flooding. Every candidate is pressure-tested for real-world execution — not keyword matching or database mining.
A thought partner to founders, CEOs, and operating partners — helping define what success looks like in complex environments before the first candidate is ever sourced. Because the wrong scorecard produces the wrong slate, no matter how good the search is.
The largest executive search firms are excellent at what they do, but they are built for the Fortune 500 board search. Their model requires scale, tenure, and process uniformity. That model breaks when you're a PE-backed platform with a defined hold period, or a growth-stage company that needs a Director of Performance Marketing to hit next quarter's plan.
The economics don't work either. You pay a six-figure retainer for a Partner's name on the SOW — and get an Engagement Manager, two Associates, and a Researcher doing the actual work. We built The Talent Maven for the buyer who wants the senior operator on the file, not just on the kickoff.
PE and VC buyers don't need another recruiter, and they don't need a Fortune 500 search apparatus. They need a peer who has hired the people they're looking for — because they've been the person they're looking for. That's the lens I bring to every search.— Michael Redisch, Founder · 25+ years as operator · Former YPO Board · WSJ thought leader
We believe in transparency about how a search firm gets paid, because it tells you a lot about what a search firm is optimizing for.
At most large firms, the majority of the fee is paid before a hire is ever made — a flat retainer billed in thirds at kickoff, shortlist, and placement. Whether the search produces a great hire, a rushed one, or nobody at all, the firm gets paid the same.
We restructured that. A contained search structure with a project start fee ensures alignment and commitment on both sides — and the majority of what we earn is tied to the actual outcome. When we show up at your kickoff, our incentive is the same as yours: get the right leader in the seat.
A majority of our fee is based on the successful outcome of a hire being made — not on kickoffs or shortlist deliveries.
A project start fee ensures alignment and commitment on both sides from day one, with the balance tied to the placement.
Every engagement is priced against the mandate. We'll walk you through the structure before you sign anything.
If we don't believe the role, comp, or thesis will attract the caliber you need, we'll say so before we take the engagement.
Private equity-backed platforms executing multi-site growth and integration strategies. Day-one value-creation-plan hires through post-close leadership rebuilds. We understand the LOI-to-exit arc — and hire for the chapter ahead.
Founder-led companies transitioning to scaled infrastructure. The professionalization moment — when the roles a founder used to own themselves become dedicated seats, and the people in those seats determine whether the next stage happens.
Companies executing add-on acquisitions and integration playbooks. Where you need integration leadership, growth engines that survive the transition, and finance talent that can hold the model together through the combine.
Align on business context, growth stage, and success profile. We pressure-test the role against the value-creation plan and the team's actual gaps. Half of our "no" moments happen here — and they save months downstream.
Identify talent across relevant and adjacent industries. A handcrafted universe of people who can actually execute the mandate — not an ATS scrape, not a database list.
Pressure-test every candidate for execution, scalability, and cultural fit. Michael personally runs every conversation. We qualify against the scorecard before anyone reaches your calendar.
Deliver a highly curated slate. Five to six candidates, each interviewed deeply, referenced informally, and confirmed serious. No resume flooding. No padding the slate.
Drive the process and secure top talent. We stay in the arena through offer negotiation, start date, and into the new executive's ramp — available for calibration, context, and the thousand small questions that come up in the first months.
§ M.R.
25+ years as an entrepreneur and operator. Michael founded his first company straight out of Michigan State — a staffing agency he built, scaled, and exited — and has since served as CEO of multiple high-growth companies. When the conversation is about revenue architecture, integration strategy, or the hard end of a board decision, PE and VC clients pick up the phone and call Michael directly.
Former board member of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO). Cited as a thought leader by The Wall Street Journal. His operating philosophy is people-first, profit-second — and his track record across the chair explains why he's treated as a peer by operating partners, not a vendor.
At The Talent Maven, Michael personally leads every search from intake through close. Every conversation. Every close.
Tell Michael about the role, the growth stage, and the window. If we're a fit, we'll come back within 48 hours with a scorecard draft and a market point of view. If we're not, we'll tell you that too — and introduce you to someone who is.