Episode 304: Growing An HR Consultancy for Small Businesses & Startups - with Val Esway
A Better HR Business
In a recent episode of the HR business marketing podcast, A Better HR Business, Ben and his guest, Val Esway, founder of Work with Val, talk about the challenges of hiring, compliance, and employee management for small and growing businesses across the US and Canada.
Val Esway partners with founders and leadership teams to build the recruiting and HR foundations necessary for sustainable growth. With a background spanning early-stage startups, e-commerce brands, and agencies, she has served as a People & Talent Manager, Director of Operations, and Chief of Staff. This unique trajectory allows her to bridge the gap between human-centric HR and the gritty operational realities founders face daily.
Val has completed over 150 projects focused on hiring strategy, HR infrastructure, and people operations. She specializes in helping scaling businesses move away from "firefighting" toward practical, hands-on systems that support first hires and beyond. Val brings a grounded, collaborative approach to every engagement, ensuring leaders can make confident people decisions as their teams evolve.
Val loves sharing her expertise via talks and training sessions. Popular topics include compliance basics, choosing the right HR tools, and navigating the complexities of pay structures (e.g., W-2 vs. 1099). She’s happy to tailor discussions to what founders and business owners need most.
You’ll hear practical strategies for client acquisition, running a workplace consulting business, and packaging consulting offers. Whether you identify as HR, workplace, L&D, OD, recruitment, or people & culture, you’ll discover real stories and actionable advice to attract clients, win contracts, and grow sustainably.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How to get more clients as a consultant through referrals and personalized service
Insights into running a workplace consulting business for smaller and younger companies, including compliance, recruitment, and team development
Val Esway’s journey, including lessons from cleaning up compliance issues, helping founders make their first hires, and developing high-touch HR solutions
Episode highlights:
Val Esway’s background and the types of clients Work with Val serves (00:47)
Common HR challenges faced by small and young businesses, especially those without dedicated HR staff (01:12)
Navigating performance management and terminations thoughtfully and compliantly (02:42)
The impact of terminations on the wider team and why respect matters (03:25)
Recruitment support: Helping founders clarify what role they truly need and managing the hiring process end-to-end (05:11)
Special considerations for e-commerce founders transitioning from agency relationships to hiring in-house staff (08:01)
Popular training topics for business owners, including compliance basics and choosing HR systems (10:01)
Common mistakes in hiring, pay structure, and contractor versus employee classification (12:09)
Why many growing businesses rely on referrals and the value of a personalized, high-touch consultancy (16:03)
Resources & Links Mentioned:
Work with Val website: www.valesway.com
Val's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/valesway
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About The A Better HR Business Podcast
The A Better HR Business shares strategies, tactics, success stories, and more about marketing for HR consultancies and marketing for HR tech companies, and how to get more clients.
Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don’t miss future episodes.
For show notes and to see details of our previous guests, check out the podcast page here:
www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Podcast
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