Charlie Isgette’s Leap of Faith to Network Success

Sometimes, the best business decisions start with a leap of faith. Just ask Charlie Isgette of Marlie Park Group, who joined TE Network after attending a conference where she didn’t know anybody and wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

Fast forward to today, and Charlie has already made seven split placements in Top Echelon Network, generating a cash-in total of $49,234.54.

Not bad for someone who initially wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into!

Charlie’s journey with Top Echelon began in the spring of 2025, when fellow recruiter Gary Kaufman recommended that she attend Top Echelon’s conference in Nashville. Despite not knowing anyone, Charlie decided to take a chance and see what the Network was all about.

“I honestly didn’t know what to expect!” said Charlie, who’s been in the recruiting profession since 2000. “On a recommendation from Gary Kaufman, I took a leap of faith and attended the Top Echelon conference in Nashville in the spring of 2025. I went in not knowing anyone or exactly what I was getting myself into, but I met some really cool people! Everyone I met seemed willing to share their experiences, knowledge and advise.”

That experience made enough of an impression that Charlie decided to join the Network following the conference.

And as her seven split placements demonstrate, that decision has paid dividends.

However, Charlie’s success hasn’t happened by accident. Like other successful Network members, she’s discovered that building relationships, communicating effectively, and taking a proactive approach are essential ingredients for split placement success.

According to Charlie, below are four big takeaways from her experience in TE Network so far.

#1—Building Relationships is the Foundation of Success

One of the biggest advantages of Top Echelon Network is the opportunity to build relationships with other recruiting professionals who can help you expand your reach and make more placements.

Charlie discovered this almost immediately after joining.

Her first split placement involved Brad Dodge of iLocatum and a Refrigeration Technician position. After sharing the job order with the Network, Charlie connected with Brad to discuss the opportunity.

“My first Network placement was with Brad Dodge of iLocatum for a Refrigeration Technician position,” Charlie said. “After I shared the job order with the Network, Brad and I connected for a brief phone call. We talked a little about our recruiting backgrounds, discussed the position, and established expectations for how we’d work together. A month later I billed for a start!”

That’s a pretty impressive return on a relatively simple investment of time and effort. But perhaps even more importantly, that initial placement helped establish a productive recruiting relationship that continues to generate results.

“We have a great partnership,” Charlie said. “In fact, most of my Network placements have been through Brad and his team.”

This is a perfect example of how split placements can lead to something even more valuable than a single fee: an ongoing relationship with a trusted trading partner.

And as Charlie has discovered, those relationships can become a significant source of additional revenue for a recruiting firm.

#2—Communication and Collaboration Make a Difference

Of course, building a successful split placement partnership requires more than simply sharing a job order or submitting a candidate. It requires communication, responsiveness, and a willingness to collaborate.

Charlie understands that not every recruiting relationship is going to be a perfect fit. After all, recruiters have different personalities, business philosophies, and expectations. And that’s perfectly fine.

“You’re not necessarily going to be the right recruiting partner for everyone, and that’s okay!” Charlie said. “We all have different personalities, expectations, and ways of doing business. If you find that someone’s approach doesn’t align with yours, simply focus on building relationships with those who do.”

This is an important point, especially for recruiters who are relatively new to split placements. You don’t have to work with everybody in the Network to be successful. Instead, focus on developing relationships with recruiters whose approach to business complements your own.

Charlie also emphasizes the importance of treating trading partners the way you would want to be treated.

“Just be the kind of recruiting partner you’d want to work with,” she said. “Be willing to provide the same level of communication, responsiveness, and collaboration that you expect from others.”

In other words, successful split placement relationships are a two-way street. And when both parties are committed to communicating and working together, the chances of making placements increase.

#3—The Network Can Help You Grow Your Business

For Charlie, Top Echelon Network isn’t simply a way to make an occasional additional placement. She sees it as a resource for growing her recruiting business.

By collaborating with other recruiters, she can expand her reach, pursue more job opportunities, and potentially increase her firm’s production without immediately adding more internal resources. n fact, Charlie already has a specific goal in mind for the future.

“My goal is to continue building strong relationships with other recruiters and expand our opportunities through the Network. Ideally, I’d love to grow our involvement to the point where I can add another seat for one of my recruiters, allowing us to work both sides of the Network, sharing job orders and sourcing candidates for other partners.”

And Charlie isn’t interested in expanding her involvement in just one direction. While her initial success has involved sharing job orders and working with other Network members to fill them, she also sees tremendous potential in having one of her recruiters work on positions shared by other TE members.

“One who can expand our involvement on the other side by having them focus on filling positions shared by other Network members,” Charlie said. “I think there’s tremendous opportunity to contribute in both directions.”

That’s an important distinction. Top Echelon Network is a split placement network and sourcing marketplace for recruiting agencies, meaning members can benefit from both sides of a split placement.

They can share job orders with other recruiters, and they can provide candidates for positions shared by their trading partners. For Charlie, the long-term objective is to leverage both opportunities to help Marlie Park Group grow.

And with seven split placements already under her belt, she’s certainly off to a promising start.

#4—You Get Out of the Network What You Put into It

Perhaps the biggest lesson Charlie has learned is that success in Top Echelon Network requires active participation. Simply joining the Network isn’t enough. You have to make the effort to connect with other members, build relationships, communicate consistently, and look for opportunities to collaborate.

When asked what advice she would give to somebody considering Network membership, Charlie didn’t hesitate.

“You get out of it what you put into it!” she said. “Be proactive, build relationships, pick up the phone, and get involved.”

That’s pretty straightforward advice, and it’s advice that Charlie has clearly followed herself.  After all, her first placement resulted from sharing a job order, making a phone call, establishing expectations, and developing a relationship with another recruiter.

One month later, she was billing for a start. Of course, Charlie also recognizes that no business relationship is perfect, and that occasional challenges are inevitable. However, she’s been pleased with the support she’s received from Top Echelon when questions or concerns have arisen.

“My experience has been great,” Charlie said. “Nothing is perfect, and like any business relationship, there are going to be occasional challenges. I greatly appreciated that anytime I’ve brought a question or concern to the Top Echelon team, they’ve been responsive and willing to work toward a solution.”

Ultimately, Charlie’s experience reinforces an important principle: The more engaged you are with your Network membership, the more opportunities you create for success.

A Leap of Faith to Nearly $50,000 in Fees

When Charlie Isgette attended Top Echelon’s Nashville conference in the spring of 2025, she didn’t know exactly what to expect.

She didn’t know the other recruiters who would be attending. She didn’t know what kinds of relationships she might develop. And she certainly didn’t know that joining the Network would eventually lead to seven split placements and nearly $50,000 in cash-in.

But she was willing to take a chance. That initial leap of faith led to new relationships, new opportunities, and a productive partnership with Brad Dodge and his team at iLocatum.

And Charlie isn’t finished. She wants to continue building relationships, expanding her reach, and growing Marlie Park Group through increased participation in the Network. Her story also offers an important lesson for both current and prospective TE Network members.

You don’t necessarily need to know everybody in the Network, you don’t need to have years of split placement experience, and you don’t need to develop dozens of trading partner relationships overnight. Sometimes, all it takes is attending an event, introducing yourself, sharing a job order, and picking up the phone.

Of course, you also have to be willing to put in the time, energy, and effort. Charlie Isgette has done exactly that.

And she now has seven split placements and $49,234.54 in cash-in to show for it.

Not bad for a leap of faith!