In this episode, Sarah talks about keeping motivated as we head towards autumn with all the challenges that we face. While it can be hard to stay positive, now is exactly the time when you need to focus and push ahead with your consulting business. September to December is one of the busiest periods for HR consultants and what you do today will take several months to be realised, so it's important to take action now to top up your pipeline as 2023 approaches. Clarity around your goals for the co...
Sep 02, 2022•11 min
Today Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD is re-joined by Julia Crawford, MD of People Pillar. Julia was a podcast guest in Episode 10, talking about credibility and starting out. Just 12 months later Julia is running a very successful HR consulting business. In this episode Julia and Sarah speak more about growing businesses, working with associates and taking on her first member of staff. They also discuss what comes with growing a business, and the journey from being an independent HR consultant, to be...
Aug 19, 2022•23 min
In this episode Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD speaks to Sue Benoke, MD of Smarter Business Consultancy Ltd. Sue is not only an accountant, but also a qualified HR consultant. Sue and Sarah talk about how it’s essential to have a good team around you, the core being a solicitor, accountant and marketeer. Sue goes on to share her journey; from being an accountant, to how she went on to study for a Masters in Business Management and HR, and why she thinks that her two professions fit so well together f...
Aug 05, 2022•20 min
In episode 31 of the Leap Into HR podcast, as part of two special episodes on working with professional partners, Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD is joined by Amy Cousineau, employment solicitor of Woodstock Legal Services. Amy shares with Sarah her top tips for HR consultants, when working with employment solicitors. She talks about the importance of making sure you get the right employment solicitor for you, which builds long term relationships. A lot of this down to personalities and ensuring that ...
Jul 22, 2022•21 min
In episode 30 of the Leap into HR Consulting podcast Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD discusses the growth stages for your business. Listen as she takes you through the various stages starting with pre-launch or pre-seed, right the way through to having a mature business. Sarah’s book ‘Leap into HR Consulting: How to take the leap from corporate to consulting’ helps with this, and goes into greater detail in her 5Cs, and in particular in the confidence and clarity sections. Today Sarah is joined by Tan...
Jul 08, 2022•28 min
In this episode Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD talks about HR retainers. Are they part of your business strategy? Sarah answers a lot of the questions she regularly gets asked about retainers and pricing including: - What is a retainer? - Why should you have retainers? Or should you? - How do you put together packages and prices? - Should these retainers be standard or bespoke? - Should I put the prices of these on my website? Sarah also tackles other essential questions including why it is essential...
Jun 24, 2022•22 min
In this episode of our podcast Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD talks more about relationships and self-care. There are days when we don’t feel ourselves, or want to work. This podcast was recorded at the same time as the Queen, and indeed the whole country, celebrated her 70th anniversary on the throne. We are sure that some days she doesn’t feel like working either, but she keeps going. Is it our duty to serve our community and ourselves? Do we get the balance right? If not, what can we do about it? ...
Jun 10, 2022•11 min
In this episode Sarah talks about the rollercoaster of being a consultant and how you can’t afford to take your eyes off of business development, no matter how busy you get. Now, more than ever, social media and business development is key. It’s essential to be intentional though. What are the niche groups that are most beneficial to your business? It’s also essential not to forget your previous clients, in your search for new ones. Make sure you stay in touch, check in with them regularly, beca...
May 27, 2022•29 min
As it’s mental health week, in this podcast Sarah discusses loneliness and what this means when you are a consultant, often working on your own. Having a support network around you is essential. This can also sometimes be the reason that consultants decide to return to the corporate world, as they miss having a team, or people around them. There are things that you can do, in order to raise your energy, so that you don’t feel isolated. For example those who have attended the Leap into HR Consult...
May 13, 2022•10 min
In this podcast Sarah talks about the dilemmas when setting up your HR consulting business and some of the questions that she frequently gets asked. These include: -Networking – what’s best? Face to face or virtual? -Do I need a website, or is LinkedIn ok? -Should I be a sole trader or a limited company? -Should I grow a team or work on my own? -Should I work from home or get an external office? Sarah shares her thoughts on these plus much more. In this episode Sarah is joined by Sarah Burden (S...
Apr 29, 2022•21 min
In episode 24 Sarah discusses maintaining your income in a crisis. Right now the UK is facing an unprecedented rise in the cost of living and we also have the uncertainty that the war in Ukraine is creating for economies and businesses. This impacts people’s buying habits and may be impacting your business right now. This will also be the topic of a forthcoming webinar: https://bit.ly/LeapCrisisWebinar . It’s tough for many business owners at the moment and you may have seen sales drop off or sl...
Apr 15, 2022•13 min
In this episode Sarah talks about blowing your own trumpet or tooting your own horn – telling people about your skills, achievements, and successes. It’s not about bragging for the sake of it but about demonstrating that you can do what you say you can do, especially when this is recognised by others. It’s not always something that comes easy to consultants, but it is important to show your worth and the value that you bring to your clients. And as it’s the time of year for awards ceremonies, Sa...
Apr 01, 2022•11 min
In this episode, Sarah is celebrating her birthday and the 10-year milestone of her business. She shares how starting and growing a business is much like any journey in life; sometimes fun and exciting, sometimes tough, sometimes unexpected, but never boring. Sarah also talks about how her 'onwards and upwards' approach means that she's as engaged in her business today as she was when she started 10 years ago. There's also news of a new way to Leap Into HR Consulting, with the Bootcamp Flex- plu...
Mar 18, 2022•18 min
In this episode Sarah talks about getting your first client. There are two elements to this which are (1) the processes and (2) the mental challenges, both of which she goes into greater detail on. The processes include how you get your clients. For example do you have the clarity around who your ideal client is, the type of business they are, or what your niche will be? All of these are essential, and are covered in the Virtual Leap into HR Consulting Bootcamp Plus and Bootcamp Flex. Looking at...
Mar 04, 2022•21 min
Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD talks about the many reasons for reaching a crossroads in your career. For example you may be looking for more flexibility due to your personal circumstances, or maybe you have been made redundant? -- Sarah is joined by Gemma Bromfield ACIPD, MD of Go Beyond HR Consultancy Ltd. Gemma found herself at that crossroads last October, when she was made redundant. Setting up her own consulting business had always been in her 5-year plan. Initially, she had thought about apply...
Feb 18, 2022•16 min
In episode 19, Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD talks about the work-life balance and how you achieve this. In her Leap into HR Consulting book she uses a Wheel of Life which adds further food for thought, by looking at how you feel about different aspects of your life. A really important question when setting up your own HR consulting business is ‘What is your why?’ This delves deeper into what you are passionate about, what do you love to do in your career and outside of work, and many more questions...
Feb 04, 2022•14 min
Over the past year analytics and technology has become even more crucial to businesses, HR included. Being able to report to your client on their business HR wise, as well as your own is now an integral part of any business. Having the knowledge and skills to be able to embrace the software and automations available can only be a good thing as it spares up that essential time to do other things. In episode 19 of our podcast we are joined by Lorraine Hunt of the HR Digital Academy. Lorraine is a ...
Jan 21, 2022•15 min
In this episode Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD makes her 2022 predictions. 2022 is set to be a very busy year for HR consultants, with the market place still in flux, the aftermath of Brexit and the continuing issues with Covid. Sarah gives great hints and tips on how you can work on your business now, so that you can maximise opportunities moving forward. Planning is key to all of this. Sarah’s guest is Bootcamp Graduate Lisa Griffiths of Meraki HR & OD Consulting. Lisa started off as an HR gene...
Jan 07, 2022•19 min
This episode of our Podcast is our Christmas special. We have selected our top key nuggets from our virtual Bootcamp Graduates HR Graduates that we have spoken to in 2021. Featuring: Dawn Packham MCIPD of Helix HR Consulting – confidence Steve Carpenter of Herts HR Ltd – success and self-employment Kate Marchant ACIPD of Running HR Ltd – being authentic with your brand Debbie Greenwood of Liaise Ltd – influencing and inspiring Jennie Detheridge of Jennie Detheridge Coaching and Consultancy – sel...
Dec 17, 2021•23 min
In this episode Sarah talks about health and wellbeing, something that is particularly essential when running your own business. When you are working from home or for yourself it brings with it the flexibility to work the hours that you want to, which includes being able to take time away during the traditional office hours to do other things, eg family commitments or a break away from your desk to go for a swim or walk the dog. But not stepping away from your desk, brings with it real health im...
Dec 03, 2021•21 min
This theme for this episode is consistency. Sarah talks about the rollercoaster of having your own business and that it’s essential to put time aside every week for your own business development. She also discusses the importance of daily habits. For example networking and social media posting, where scheduling for example is very useful to be able to ensure even when you aren’t around that you are drip-feeding posts to your followers. However it’s still essential to make time to answer any ques...
Nov 19, 2021•21 min
In this episode Sarah talks about giving 1% every day. In the first part of this podcast Sarah encourages you to look at your business using her 5 Cs model and marking on a scale of 1-10, which is further explained. Your score will help you to address your strengths and weaknesses and enable you to set yourself 3 things you would like to achieve in the next 30 days. The release date of the podcast (5th November 2021) is the first anniversary of Sarah’s ‘Leap into HR Consulting: How to Move Succe...
Nov 05, 2021•22 min
October is National Menopause Month and a topic close to Sarah’s heart. Today for this special longer edition, she is joined by Dee Murray, Founder of Menopause Experts, Sue Benoke, MD of Smarter Business Consulting and Kate Madison-Greenwell MCIPD, Director of People Efficient. Dee discusses her social enterprise Menopause Experts, and talks about her own personal experiences with the Menopause. She also signposts to the Menopause Experts website for free online training for both women and men....
Oct 22, 2021•35 min
In Episode 11 Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD talks about how all new businesses start with small acorns, and that it’s ok to have one or two clients to get going. Sarah reminisces on starting her business when she had no clients. There was no social media, so it was doubly important to get out and about and network. During the pandemic this hasn’t been possible, but being able to meet your clients face to face really does make a difference. Sarah is joined by Steve Carpenter, MD of Herts HR Ltd, who ...
Oct 08, 2021•23 min
In this episode Sarah talks about credibility, and why it’s so important. This leads into how consistency and professional presence is key, in order to build trust with those that choose to buy from you. Sarah gives some great tips on how to ensure your LinkedIn profile is as good as it can be. She is joined by Julia Crawford, MD of People Pillar Ltd, who came along to the Leap into HR virtual Bootcamp last July. Julia shares her journey and how until recently her work was more blended, working ...
Sep 24, 2021•22 min
In this episode Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD talks about how to charge for your consulting services and products. This is a question often asked by new and experienced consultants in the webinars she runs. Sarah will take you through 8 key points on pricing options including passive and referral income, one to one, and one to many. Today Sarah is joined by consultant Emma Johnson FCIPD. Emma launched her business Glass Human Resources last July. She talks honestly about the ups and downs she experi...
Sep 10, 2021•23 min
Join Sarah for this latest podcast when she talks about clarity and why it’s so important when you are starting out as a consultant, refreshing or changing direction within your business. As a business owner, there is realisation you can’t just concentrate on the HR side which you know inside out, but you also have the likes of finance, marketing and IT too. Sarah explains why you should look at sales as being relationship building. Sarah is joined by Pem Paddick of Treenhill Consulting Ltd, one...
Aug 27, 2021•24 min
In this episode Sarah Hamilton-Gill talks about how you can get the best out of the Summer months and continue to grow and build your presence, including by optimising your LinkedIn profile, ready for a busy Autumn. Being able to take time to measure successes by setting just a few key metrics is essential and Sarah gives you some ideas for these. Sarah is joined by one of her Bootcamp Graduates Debbie Greenwood. Debbie talks about her experiences with the Bootcamp, and what happened when just 9...
Aug 13, 2021•17 min
In our 6th episode Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD discusses working relationships and the expectations clients will have of you as their “HR expert”. She goes into greater detail on how it is essential to build honest, open and loyal relationships with your clients, whilst having the confidence and knowledge to be able to handle any of those difficult to have conversations. Today Sarah’s guest is Jennie Detheridge, one of her Leap into HR Consulting Bootcamp Graduates. Jennie expands on how the Bootc...
Jul 30, 2021•12 min
In the 5th podcast Sarah Hamilton-Gill FCIPD discusses how you know if HR consulting is right for you. Additional insight is also offered through Sarah’s free self-reflection questionnaire ( https://leap-into-consulting.mykajabi.com/ICR4U-Questionnaire-Sign-up) , which will help you to start to answer the questions yourself. Also discussed are other psychometric tools available such as motivational maps, disc and 360 degree which delve into “you” in greater detail and how these can also benefit ...
Jul 16, 2021•17 min
