Flexible Key Talent & Executive Search for SMBs
Build a qualified pipeline for critical leadership hires—fast—without a 90–120 day retained search commitment.
SMB hiring is urgent—and high-stakes
When a leadership role stays open, the impact shows up fast: program delivery, product and sales momentum, team morale, and board confidence. At the same time, many firms don’t want to commit to a traditional retained search cycle—and fees that are typically structured as a percentage of first-year salary can be difficult to justify.
Search Sprints give you a faster, more controllable way to:
build a credible external pipeline (even if you’re not posting the role)
benchmark internal or referral candidates against the market
keep stakeholders aligned with transparent reporting and structured evaluation
What is a Search Sprint?
A Search Sprint is a 40-hour block of search work
Instead of locking into a multi-month retained engagement, you invest in 40-hour increments. You can pause the sprint, pivot to a different role, or bank unused time for later.
Designed for real-world constraints:
budget approvals and timing shifts
confidential transitions and internal candidate sensitivity
board and exec stakeholder alignment
competing urgency across multiple roles
As a 25-year HR and TA veteran, I was always frustrated by executive search services that were high-quality but lacked flexibility. A lot can change in a typical 90-day search cycle, and I’ve found myself writing lots of checks for searches that did not cross the finish line.
How 40-Hour Search Sprints Work.
01
WHAT HAPPENS ON A SEARCH SPRINT
Search kick off (SKO) - where we establish the search parameters, the project cadence, milestones, and search deliverables.
System set up - access our real-time client portal where you can view search progress and where we manage prospects, calibrate candidates, and, if required, collect interview feedback.
Regular calibration points - typically, we calibrate/recalibrate every 20 hours to ensure laser focus on requirements.
02
HOW TO START/PAUSE/PIVOT
Send us a note, and we will stop the billing clock while keeping active candidates in the loop as appropriate.
Take any unused sprint time to another project or bank it for future use.
03
WHAT IS THE TYPICAL TIMELINE FOR A SPRINT
Depending on a client’s urgency, a sprint typically takes 2 weeks to complete.
Recruiting Reconnaissance
Our client had what they considered a strong internal candidate to cover the role on an interim basis, but wanted to ensure they looked at the external market. For confidentiality and internal stability, they did not want to post the job, and the cost of a traditional executive search would be $150k+. They engaged us to conduct a confidential search. After three sprints, they had a strong benchmark of external candidates, one of whom they hired over the internal candidate. Through the external search process, they realized they were hiring for what the job was today, not what it would be in 12 months, and that they needed to hire ahead of the role.
Research Only
Our client has a small yet effective recruiting team with a strong brand that attracts top-tier applicants for their posted jobs. However, this sometimes falls short, particularly for niche or senior-level positions. They enlisted us to conduct proactive research to find high-quality senior talent. Depending on their capacity and confidentiality needs, either they managed outreach themselves or IC2 handled it. Typically, a two-sprint investment led to a hire, though occasionally we adjusted our search mid-sprint due to shifting priorities or candidate pools—like that unexpected referral that turned into a perfect candidate!
Succession Planning
Our high-growth client is operating successfully with “home-grown” founding leadership. However, as the company grew, some of the executive team and their direct reports struggled to keep pace with the rocket ship they had launched. The CPO and CEO recognized they were entering a phase where they might need to upgrade some founding talent, but they had not had the opportunity to build a strong bench. They engaged us to identify potential external successors for their most critical roles, where they had the lowest confidence in incumbents. The project delivered on its original intent, with succession plans being tapped for several critical roles. However, it also led to several advisory and coaching connections that helped incumbents stay in role and keep pace with role growth.
Frequently
Asked
Questions
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Search Sprints are priced per 40-hour increment, typically ranging from $10,000-$12,000 per sprint depending on role complexity and seniority. Unlike traditional retained executive search firms that charge 30-33% of first-year salary $120,000+ commitment on signing), you only invest in the sprints you use. Most executive hires require 3-4 sprints so $30,000-$48,000 total, and you can pause or pivot at any time without additional fees.
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Each sprint can include candidate research and identification (15-20 hours), outreach and screening conversations (10-15 hours), candidate evaluation and presentation (8-10 hours), and client debrief with recommendations (2-3 hours). You receive a prioritized candidate slate with detailed profiles, interview scorecards, and recommendations for next steps. Sprints typically complete in 2-3 weeks depending on role complexity and market availability.
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Yes, clients who are looking for a “top-up” search can make a hire with one sprint. This especially common when a client engages us for a “top-up” search, where they have a developed a decent slate of candidates themselves, perhaps from investor introductions, or from internal referrals, but the search team does not have the confidence that the search is going to land or that they have seen the best candidates in the market. A single search sprint with additional on target candidates, either brings them the candidate they hire, or gives them confidence in the candidates they already have.
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It varies significantly, but 90% of searches have been completed in four sprints or less.
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Absolutely. This is the core advantage of our flexible executive search model. If business priorities shift, budget freezes occur, or a strong internal candidate emerges, simply pause your sprint. Your remaining hours bank for future use—pivot to a different role, resume the original search when ready, or use the hours for succession planning research. No penalties, no wasted investment.
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Traditional retained search locks you into 90-120 day engagements with 30-33% of first-year salary fee ($200,000+), regardless of whether you hire. Search Sprints let you invest in 40-hour increments with complete flexibility to pause, pivot, or continue. You get the same quality—but with agility designed for startup speed and uncertainty. Pay only for what you use, change direction when needed.
OUR PARTNERS HAVE WORKED WITH THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GLOBAL COMPANIES.
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