The Finish the Year Strong Summit is a free virtual summit for recruiters running September 28 – October 5, 2026, hosted by Benjamin Mena of The Elite Recruiter Podcast. Across 20+ live sessions, top billers, firm builders, and operators share exactly how they close deals, sign clients, and build pipeline in Q4 — so you walk into January with momentum instead of starting from zero.
Register Free → https://recruiters-finish-the-year-strong.heysummit.com/
Free to attend live. All times EST.
Why This Summit Exists
Q4 is where recruiters split into two groups. The ones who keep billing, keep signing clients, and walk into January already moving. And the ones who quietly downshift in November and rebuild from scratch next year.
Nobody decides that in December. It gets decided now.
Every session this week is built around one goal: making Q4 your biggest quarter — with the BD tactics, AI workflows, delivery systems, and mindset to finish the year strong.
The Full Schedule
Monday, September 28
- Kelli Schutrop (Thoughtful Resound) — Your Voice Is the Strategy: Build Trust, Stand Out, and Attract Opportunities in the Age of AI — 9:00 AM
- Greg Benadiba (Bilingual Source) — Finish Q4 Strong: Use AI to Protect the Peak and Double Your Talk Time — 10:30 AM
- Michelle Flynn (Michelle Flynn Coaching) — High Performance Recruitment: Getting Your Edge Back — 12:00 PM
- David Bradley (Movement Search) — 30 Years. 2,500 Placements. 8 Rules. — 1:30 PM
Tuesday, September 29
- Jordan Shlosberg (Atlas) — Business Development Without the Admin: Turning Conversations Into Clients — 9:00 AM
- Conor Kline & Steven Lu (Pin) — Special Product Release with Pin.com's Steven Lu — 10:00 AM
- Jon Davis & Dawson Merry — How to Start a Staffing Agency — 11:00 AM
- John Ruffini (HealthTrust Workforce Solutions) — Target Recruiting and Candidate Engagement — 12:00 PM
- Julia Arpag (Aligned Recruitment) — The Aligned Business Blueprint: How to Build a Recruitment Firm Without Ruining Your Life — 1:00 PM
Wednesday, September 30
- Anna Frazzetto-Miano (AFM Strategic Partners) — AI in Action: Impact to Sales Organizations — 10:30 AM
- April Ben-Sabat (IC-A) — AI Won't Replace Recruiters — But Recruiters Using AI Will Replace You — 12:00 PM
- Diane Prince — How to Scale Your Staffing Firm Without Working More Hours — 1:00 PM
Thursday, October 1
- James Blackwell (The Agency Blueprint) — 9:00 AM
- Eli Rubel (Collected HQ) — 12:00 PM
- CJ Tufano (Cherrypicker) — Beyond the Placement Fee: Productizing Your Recruiting Business in the AI Era — 1:00 PM
- David Stephen Patterson (The Digital Headhunter) — Automate the Robot's Job. Not Yours. — 2:00 PM
Friday, October 2
- Brian Fink — Boolean Bash 2026: The Undefeated — 10:30 AM
- Allie Milbrath (Quinn-Roberts) — Would You Retain You? A Pep Rally for Delivery — 12:00 PM
- Keely Flood & guests (The Honest Salesperson) — Elite Billers Panel — 1:30 PM
Monday, October 5 — Bonus Day
- Clark (Digital Recruiter) — 11:30 AM
- Reyhan Khan (RecruiterGTM) — 1:00 PM
Sessions Worth Building Your Week Around
David Bradley — 30 Years. 2,500 Placements. 8 Rules. Three decades on a desk, distilled into 75 minutes.
Diane Prince — Scale Without Working More Hours. She built and sold a staffing firm for $28 million. Now she teaches recruiters how to build recurring revenue.
Julia Arpag — Build a Firm Without Ruining Your Life. For everyone who's been grinding all year and wants a business that doesn't consume them.
Brian Fink — Boolean Bash 2026. Sourcing mastery from one of the most entertaining voices in the industry.
The Elite Billers Panel — top producers comparing notes on what's actually working right now.
How It Works
- Register free — takes 30 seconds
- Reserve your sessions — only reserved sessions appear in your daily digest and calendar reminders
- Show up live — sessions run Sept 28 – Oct 5, all times EST
- Want replays? VIP gets every session on demand, or join the Elite Recruiter Community for replays from this summit and every past summit
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Finish the Year Strong Summit?
September 28 – October 5, 2026. Virtual and free to attend live. Register here.
Is it really free?
Yes — every live session is free. Optional VIP access covers on-demand replays.
Who is this summit for?
Agency recruiters, executive search professionals, staffing pros, solo firm owners, and recruiting leaders who want to finish 2026 billing instead of coasting.
How do I make sure I don't miss sessions?
Reserve the sessions you want on the schedule page — reserved sessions show up in your daily digest and calendar reminders.
Who hosts these summits?
Benjamin Mena, host of The Elite Recruiter Podcast — which recently passed 600,000 downloads — runs multiple free virtual summits per year. The most recent, the 2026 AI Recruiting Summit, drew 2,350+ registrations and 3,400+ hours of watch time.
Register Free → https://recruiters-finish-the-year-strong.heysummit.com/