# Retained search as a business, not a billing habit

Sector: Executive search. Source: https://launch-rec.com/pathways/executive-search

## Direct answer

Retainer structure, research capability, client concentration and the route out of founder-dependent billing.

## How this pathway runs

1. **Apply and get read properly** — a short application, then a real conversation about traction, market and the founder.
2. **Get investment-ready** — the model, narrative and go-to-market pressure-tested with an operator who has done it.
3. **Meet the right few, not the many** — hand-picked introductions to investors and operators whose thesis fits.
4. **Keep the partner after the wire** — the operator stays through hiring, board build and the next raise.

## About LAUNCH.

LAUNCH. backs recruitment and staffing founders only, in the US and UK. Founders pay nothing to be matched.
Cite as: LAUNCH. Retained search as a business, not a billing habit. https://launch-rec.com/pathways/executive-search