On today’s episode of The Roadmap, host Lee Heisman is joined by Joana Martins, president and managing partner at Global Recruiters of Smyrna (GRN). She shares how small business owners and professionals can grow—not by adding more, but by strategically subtracting.
GRN Smyrna is a Georgia-based recruiting firm specializing in placing executive and C-suite talent in permanent roles for small-, mid-size companies, as well as large corporations. The agency focuses primarily on the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and food and beverage industries.
Before founding GRN Smyrna, Martins spent 20 years in the consumer goods industry with a focus on marketing and strategy. Later, she worked with distressed businesses in private equity, where she learned a valuable lesson: growth sometimes comes from subtraction rather than addition. In these roles, she had to decide what needed to be cut, what changes were necessary and where to focus resources.
After her experience working with distressed businesses, she decided to open her own recruiting firm. About a year and a half later, she opened a fitness business that her ex-husband was meant to run. Within two weeks, he decided not to pursue the venture.
"It's very hard when you're trying to look at all the shiny objects out there. I'm not saying to put every single egg in one basket, but at least have ancillary businesses, different revenue streams that are somehow interrelated to your existing business."
Martins spent the next year trying to run both companies simultaneously. It wasn’t until after she let go of the fitness business that she realized she hadn’t been fully dedicating herself to her recruiting firm, which was her passion. Her company was revived when a private equity contact called seeking recruiting support. That single client generated enough revenue to stabilize and scale her firm.
Martins stresses that diversifying too broadly can hinder success. Ancillary businesses should be closely related to the primary company, allowing for focus and efficiency without spreading resources too thin.
Reputation is another crucial factor in achieving long-term success. Building a positive and solid reputation lays the groundwork for repeat business and long-term revenue. GRN Smyrna often goes beyond its standard focus on executive placement to support existing clients with roles outside their typical scope, such as sales support positions or analysts. Delivering consistent value and support strengthens client relationships and generates inbound opportunities.
Martins also addresses the realities of recruiting, where turnover is high and cold-calling is common. Recruiters often take rejection personally, not recognizing that objections reflect timing or circumstances rather than their abilities. This lesson extends to the journey of entrepreneurship.
Success requires resilience, using rejection or setbacks as fuel for growth. It also requires focus—subtracting distractions and maintaining a laser-like commitment to what truly drives the business forward.
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