Motivera Search Group

What Motivera Search Group does

Motivera Search Group is a Boston-headquartered national staffing and recruiting company that distributes its services through a network of independently-owned regional franchise offices. Originally founded by Brian Tomasello in 2003 as AVID Technical Resources, an IT recruiting firm, the company rebranded and pivoted to a franchise-based model under the Motivera name. The firm offers five core staffing products — Contract Staffing (W-2 consultants with employer-side overhead absorbed), Contract-to-Permanent Staffing, Direct Hire/Permanent Placement (fee based on first-year salary), Payroll Services, and Executive Search — and explicitly targets eight horizontal industry verticals: administrative/HR support, engineering, finance/accounting, information technology, legal, light industrial/manufacturing, marketing/creative, and executive/leadership roles.

Operationally, Motivera functions as a "business-in-a-box" franchisor: franchisees receive operational software, payroll processing, invoicing, collections, commission calculations, and 100% funded contract payroll, with a 90-day collections policy to manage client cash flow. The parent charges an initial franchise fee of $20,000–$25,000, with total first-year franchise investment costs ranging from $62,500 to $102,500 including software, insurance, and IT support. Active franchise locations currently cover Boston (Technology and Marketing divisions), Amarillo/West Texas, Dallas/North Texas, Sacramento, and Seattle/Tacoma, each typically led by an experienced regional staffing operator who retains brand and vertical independence under the Motivera umbrella.

The company serves both client employers (through franchise-led direct sales and a self-service website with job-order submission) and job seekers (through Indeed and LinkedIn integrations, a job-alert email system, and a content-marketing blog with resume and interview resources). Motivera is a privately held, bootstrapped firm with no disclosed institutional funding, no public listing, and a corporate headcount of 1–10 employees. Its principal go-to-market motion combines a multi-step franchise sales process targeting recruiting professionals with field-level employer engagement by franchise owners, supported by NEFA membership and digital marketing channels.

Name

Motivera Search Group

Legal name

Motivera Search Group

Website

https://motiverasearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Motivera Search Group is a Boston-based national staffing and recruiting franchise network offering contract, contract-to-permanent, direct hire, payroll, and executive search services across light industrial, technology, marketing, engineering, finance, legal, and administrative verticals through independently-owned regional franchise offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Recruiting Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Temporary Help Services (56132), Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

RPO Technology, ATS Administration & Recruitment Operations (BPACABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Onsite / Embedded RPO (In-House Recruiter Teams) (BPACABAD), Administrative, Clerical & Office Support Direct Hire (BPACAFAF), Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops) (BPACAAAB)

Keywords

• Staffing services
• Recruiting services
• Franchise recruiting
• Contract staffing
• Executive search

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Contract Staffing: Provides W-2 contractors to clients who pay an hourly rate. Motivera absorbs overhead costs including FICA/FUTA/SUTA taxes, workers compensation, liability insurance, health, dental and FMLA. Clients pay weekly hourly rates with no long-term commitment required.
2. Contract-to-Permanent Staffing: Flexible staffing option allowing clients to hire Motivera consultants after a contingent contract period. Enables both technical and cultural evaluation before permanent hire conversion.
3. Direct Hire/Permanent Placement: Full-time position placement service charging clients a competitive fee based on the candidate's first year annual salary. Allows immediate full-time onboarding.
4. Payroll Services: Handles payroll processing for clients' direct placements including state and federal taxes, workers compensation, liability insurance, and unemployment fees. Clients pay only the hourly rate.
5. Executive Search: Confidential recruitment service for upper management professionals including Manager, Director, VP, and C-level executives. Provides thorough career objective consultation and active search for ideal positions.
6. Franchise Fees: Motivera generates revenue through franchise fees from independent franchise owners who operate under the Motivera brand. Initial franchise fee ranges from $20,000 to $25,000 depending on the source.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Motivera Search Group is a national recruiting company that provides staffing and talent placement services to employers across multiple industries through a franchise network. Its core offerings include contract staffing (W-2 consultants placed on hourly engagements), contract-to-permanent staffing, direct hire/permanent placement, payroll services, and executive search for upper-management professionals. The company also licenses its recruiting infrastructure to franchise owners who operate local Motivera-branded offices.

Product overview

Motivera Search Group operates as a national staffing and recruiting company structured as a franchise network. The core offering consists of five staffing service products: Contract Staffing (W-2 consultants with benefits), Contract-to-Permanent Staffing (contingent-to-direct placement), Direct Hire/Permanent Placement (full-time recruiting), Payroll Services (outsourced payroll management), and Executive Search (confidential upper-management recruiting). These services are delivered through a network of local franchise owners, with each franchise receiving a complete business infrastructure including operational software, payroll processing, and administrative support. The company also offers franchise opportunities for recruiting professionals seeking to build their own staffing businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contract Staffing Provides W-2 consultants placed with employer clients on hourly engagements; Motivera absorbs overhead costs including FICA/FUTA/SUTA taxes, workers compensation, liability insurance, health/dental coverage, and FMLA, while clients pay only the hourly rate with no long-term commitment required.
• Contract-to-Permanent Staffing Flexible staffing option allowing employer clients to hire Motivera consultants directly after a specific period of contingent contract employment, enabling both technical and cultural fit evaluation before permanent hire conversion.
• Direct Hire/Permanent Placement Full-time position placement service where Motivera charges employer clients a competitive fee based on the candidate's first year annual salary, enabling immediate full-time onboarding.
• Payroll Services Outsourced payroll management for employer situations where a permanent position is not available or cost-effective, handling state and federal taxes, workers compensation, liability insurance, unemployment fees, and other payroll overhead, with clients paying only the hourly rate.
• Executive Search Confidential recruiting service for upper management professionals including Manager, Director, Vice President, and C-level executives, with recruiters providing thorough career objective consultation and active search for ideal job, location, and industry fits.
• Franchise Opportunities Turnkey recruiting franchise offering a "business in a box" model with comprehensive infrastructure including operational software, payroll processing, invoicing, collections, 100% funded contract payroll, 90-day collections policy, half the franchise fee of competing franchise systems, and lower ongoing royalties; initial franchise fee ranges from $20,000 to $25,000 with total first-year investment of $62,500 to $102,500.

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Keesee Staffing Group, LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFranchise partner operating Motivera Search Group Amarillo/West Texas office. Founded and led by Josh Keesee as CEO, providing light industrial, construction and manufacturing staffing services in the Texas Panhandle region. Keesee has received multiple president club achievements and recognition within the industry.
• Butler Workforce Solutions, LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFranchise partner operating Motivera Search Group Seattle/Tacoma office. Led by CEO Mike Butler, providing light industrial, manufacturing, warehouse and production staffing services in the Tacoma, Washington area.
• OliOx LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFranchise partner operating Motivera Search Group Sacramento office. Founded and led by President Julie Pham, providing technology and IT engineering staffing services across Sacramento and Northern California.
• Adrian Facundo (Franchise Owner)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFranchise owner operating Motivera Search Group North Texas office serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Specializes in light industrial staffing with 25 years of experience in the industry.
• Lindsay Sullivan & Meg TomasellocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManaging Partners of Motivera Boston Marketing division with 25 years of combined experience in advertising, marketing, and customer insights fields in the Boston and New England area. Specialize in placing digital, design, marketing, and advertising professionals.
• National Employment Firms Association (NEFA)minorOthersIndustry association membership providing networking, credibility, and industry resources for staffing firms. Motivera displays NEFA membership logo on their website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Express Employment Professionals: The largest franchised staffing firm in North America, operating across commercial, professional, and light industrial verticals via a franchise model — the closest direct analogue to Motivera's franchise recruiting structure.
• Snelling Staffing Services: Franchised staffing company offering administrative, professional, and industrial placements through independently owned offices — directly comparable franchise staffing model with similar multi-vertical service mix.
• HireQuest: Franchised staffing provider specializing in light industrial and commercial placements via franchise and company-owned branches — comparable franchise-based delivery model focused on similar end markets.
• Insight Global: Large private staffing firm specializing in IT, engineering, and professional placements — closely comparable on Motivera's IT/engineering franchise vertical focus and contract-to-perm model.
• PeopleReady (TrueBlue): Specialized staffing provider for light industrial, construction, and manufacturing — closely comparable to Motivera's Amarillo/West Texas and Seattle light industrial franchise offices.

Broad incumbents

• Adecco: Global staffing leader offering contract, permanent placement, and RPO across all major verticals Motivera serves; represents the scaled incumbent benchmark for staffing scale, technology, and client relationships.
• Robert Half: Major staffing and consulting firm with deep presence in finance, accounting, technology, legal, and administrative placements — overlapping substantially with Motivera's professional verticals.
• Randstad: Global HR services firm offering staffing, RPO, and talent solutions across industrial, professional, and digital verticals — broad incumbent comparator in the same $212.8B US staffing market.
• Kelly Services: Established staffing company providing contract, direct hire, and workforce solutions across science, engineering, IT, finance, and education — overlapping with Motivera's multi-vertical mix.

Emerging players

• ZipRecruiter: Digital hiring marketplace connecting employers and job seekers via AI-driven matching — represents the technology-driven alternative to traditional franchise staffing that Motivera competes against for SMB employers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/motiverasearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/motivera-search-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Motivera Search Group