HR Professionals as Entrepreneurs

08
Aug 2022
215
A light bulb is surrounded by colorful splashes of paint.

Author:  Ada Tai, MBA, CPHR, SHRM-SCP

Entrepreneurship seems to be a very trendy word and an occupational choice these days. In my recent conversations with various HR professionals, a common question arose: How can HR people become entrepreneurs? In other words, if I want to set up my own HR consulting practice, how do I start?

Before we dive into “how” to start an HR business, let’s first understand what being an entrepreneur means. My favourite definition of an entrepreneur is: “An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards . The process of setting up a business is known as entrepreneurship.” 1 This definition emphasizes a few key takeaways: first, being an entrepreneur is a journey of inventing and building something from the ground up. During this journey, you will experience many challenges and joys because of the uncertainty and the potential benefits you will gain through a successful venture. Running an HR consultancy as a business entails helping clients solve problems.

1. A business starts with an idea. (What’s your niche?)

Generally speaking, for HR professionals to utilize their established knowledge and skills, the idea for a business is likely to provide general or a specific area of human resources support, and/or offer training and coaching services. HR consulting is part of the large Management Consulting industry. In the US, the Management Consulting industry revenue is estimated at $250 billion 2 .  In Canada, the industry revenue is estimated to be about $22 billion 3 . Human resources consulting services account for roughly 12% of management consulting revenue 4 .

To set yourself up for success, several key questions to consider include:

  • Do I want to be a generalist or a specialist?
  • Do I want to be a business person or a technical expert?
  • Do I want to eventually build a company or stay as a one-person shop?
  • What is the niche that I can offer to clients?

2. Narrow your ideas down to concrete plans. (What’s your value proposition?)

Although many people prepare great plans, to be effective, these plans need to be tailored to the wonderful service you will provide. Since being a consultant is to solve clients’ problems, your value proposition should clearly communicate the benefit that clients will receive by using your service. In other words, a potential client should be able to distinguish what you offer from the offerings of other consultants. Questions to consider include:

  • Who is my target audience? What are their needs and wants?
  • How will I offer my services? When? Where? And, How?
  • With whom am I competing? What distinguishes my service from theirs?

3. Set up your business or join another business. (Let’s get serious.)

To take the HR consulting idea to the next level, you may set up your business as a Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, or Corporation. Any such form has its pros and cons. Then you will use your creativity to come up with an attractive business name, register for a business number and GST, open up a business bank account, etc. A clear and useful article in which this sort of information can be found is, “Your ultimate guide to starting a business in Canada”. 5

A large portion of the entrepreneurs-to-be choose to join other firms as freelancers or contractors, either full-time or part-time. This gives these consultants who are not ready to go all in on being their own boss a taste of being an independent consultant without bearing the full risk. They also use this option to test whether there is a demand for their skillsets. Some HR professionals decide to be a member of growing boutique companies. Others welcome the opportunities and challenges that large international consulting firms present.

4. Marketing, marketing. (And marketing)

By putting your business plan together, you now know who your targeted audience is. Using different methods to reach your potential clients and convince them to use your service is the magic of marketing. Setting up a website, and creating an email signature and business cards are the fundamentals to get one started. Once you generate a budget and are ready to go one step further, some HR entrepreneurs choose to engage marketing experts who specialize in social media establishment, search engine optimization, advertising campaigns, etc.

What I have found most useful is to create a professional and consistent presence for yourself and your business. This can be done by actively participating in in-person and virtual networking events tailored for your potential clients. Nowadays, while businesses are fighting to hire and retain talents, I find it quite easy to start a chit chat with business representatives about how HR consultants can add value. Be ready to give your elevator pitch about your credentials and your business offerings wherever you go. Furthermore, content marketing has also proven effective. It includes presenting publicly and creating educational articles, blogs, books, videos, podcasts, etc. The key emphasis here is “content.” I firmly believe that without valuable content, marketing becomes meaningless.

5. Let’s get to work! (No promotion can replace quality results.)

Now you have identified your niche area and value proposition, registered a business and utilized marketing efforts to engage one or more clients to understand potential solutions you can offer, the next step is to put a proposal together and present it to the client for approval. Several good templates are explained and included in the book, The Basic Principles of Effective Consulting , by Linda K. Stroh 6 .

Once the agreement is signed by both parties, you will immerse yourself in planning your project approach and methodologies, diagnosing the client’s issue, proposing solutions, gathering feedback from the client throughout the process, and implementing the solutions (if required). In my experience, great consultants are also great business people who can see client’s issues from 3000 feet and offer scalable and sustainable solutions.

Many of you are probably already performing the HR consultant role for your organization as an internal consultant. You may have also helped friends fix resumes, advised your family about workplace situations, etc. In this sense, we are all consultants utilizing our expertise. In my recent webinar, “ HR Entrepreneurs - Have You Ever Thought About Becoming an HR Consultant? ”, invited and hosted by CPHR AB, I shared that to be an effective consultant in this competitive environment, it is critical that we adopt a life-long learning approach with the ability to continuously innovate. The problems we are helping clients solve today may not be the problems the clients face tomorrow.

Reference:

1 Hayes, A. (2022, July 19). What is an entrepreneur? Investopedia. Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/entrepreneur.asp

2 Industry market research, reports, and Statistics. IBISWorld. (n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2022, from https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/management-consulting-industry/

3 Government of Canada, S. C. (2022, February 17). Consulting Services, 2020. The Daily - . Retrieved July 26, 2022, from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220217/dq220217e-eng.htm

4 Industry Overview: Management Consulting in Canada. Industry Overview: Management Consulting in Canada | Small Business Accelerator. (n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2022, from https://sba.ubc.ca/industry-overview-management-consulting-canada

5 Your ultimate guide to starting a business. BDC.ca. (2022, July 20). Retrieved July 25, 2022, from https://www.bdc.ca/en/articles-tools/start-buy-business/start-business/how-start-business-canada

6 Stroh, L. K. (2019). The basic principles of effective consulting. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

 

I see. I hear. I experience . is a column created by and written by Ada Tai, a chartered member of CPHR Alberta. The column is written in a blog format where Ada and invited co-authors will present their own experiences and interpretations of the world of human resources and its impact on business management. This and the subsequent posts are copyrighted materials by the author(s) and only reflect their personal views, not CPHR Alberta’s.

Author bio: With an MBA Degree, a CPHR, and an SHRM-SCP designation, Ada Tai has been working as an HR professional in a variety of industries for over a decade. Through her consulting firm, Ada and the team provide a variety of strategic and pragmatic management consulting services.  Ada’s public speaking skills have enabled her to be regularly invited to speak about HR, people management, career search, and networking topics throughout the province. She is also a well-respected Instructor at the University of Alberta and MacEwan University.

Contact information:

BadaB Consulting Inc. provides a wide range of human resources solutions, including Strategic HR and Succession Planning, Organizational Design & Development, Diversity & Inclusion Program, Merger & Acquisition Support, Recruitment, Skills Development Training, Compensation Design, Performance Management, Workplace Investigation, Policy Development, etc. Another specialty of BadaB’s services is a personal job search and career coaching. The team has effectively helped over 500 people to find work.

 

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.



An Update from your Board of Directors - June 2026

By Marina Perkovic • June 16, 2026
As the governing voice of CPHR Alberta, the Board of Directors meets quarterly to provide oversight and guidance across key strategic and operational priorities.  To maintain transparency with members and stakeholders, we continue to share post-meeting updates to highlight progress, key decisions, and how we are advancing the HR profession while ensuring a strong and sustainable organization. The Board of Directors met in June 2026 to review organizational performance, governance priorities, and long-term sustainability. The Board’s key messages for the membership are as follows: Continued Membership Growth CPHR Alberta continues to grow, with membership increasing by 4% year-over-year to 7,559 active members. Growth is being driven by strong engagement from students, future HR professionals, and members pursuing the CPHR designation, demonstrating the continued strength and relevance of the HR profession across Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Strong Financial Position The Board reviewed Q1 2026 financial results and continues to closely monitor financial performance and long-term sustainability. CPHR Alberta remains committed to responsible stewardship of member resources while investing in programs, services, technology, and professional development opportunities that deliver value to members. Investing in the Future of the Profession Advancing the visibility and influence of the HR profession remains a strategic priority. A new province-wide marketing campaign has launched to position CPHRs as trusted business leaders and strategic partners, while increasing awareness of the value of the designation among employers and the broader business community. Supporting Future HR Professionals Student membership continues to be a key driver of growth, reflecting strong interest in HR careers and the CPHR designation. CPHR Alberta remains committed to supporting students, candidates, and emerging professionals as they progress through their HR careers. Continuous Improvement in Governance and Member Service The Board and its committees continue to strengthen governance practices, review policies, and enhance Board effectiveness. This ongoing work ensures oversight remains aligned with leading practices and supports a strong, sustainable organization for members. Focus on Long-Term Sustainability The Board continues to review long-term financial planning, revenue diversification, and future membership dues strategy. These efforts are aimed at ensuring financial sustainability while maintaining the value delivered to members. Looking Ahead The Board’s focus for the remainder of 2026 includes: Continuing to grow membership and engagement Expanding the visibility and influence of the HR profession Supporting a future-ready HR community Maintaining strong governance, risk management, and financial oversight Delivering high-quality programs, services, and member experiences The next Board meeting takes place in November 2026, after which we will again share our key messages. If you have any questions regarding these key messages or the Board of Directors, please contact chair@cphrab.ca . We welcome your feedback!

Reimagining Modern Fatherhood in the Corporate World

By Jessica Jaithoo • June 11, 2026
Author: Nidhi Gandhi , 2026 Social Media Committee Volunteer "By the time you truly understand your father, you have become one yourself, and your father may no longer be in the world for you to tell him." It's a thought that stays with Jitendra Das, and one that lands especially close around Father's Day. Jitu, to those who know him, is a Senior Human Resources Business Partner at Amazon, where he partners with business leaders on organizational effectiveness, talent strategy, leadership development, and culture. Behind that work sits more than 16 years of HR experience across India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and North America. Alongside his corporate role, he is an ICF certified executive coach at the PCC level with over 2,500 coaching hours, having supported leaders across Fortune 500 companies in unlocking their potential and navigating personal and professional growth. But the role that shapes everything else is a quieter one. He grew up watching a generation of fathers who showed love through provision, and made himself a different promise, to show it through presence. He wants his son, Ayaan, to remember the school runs, the bedtime stories, the nothing-in-particular evenings. As he puts it: "I am not building a career despite being a father. I am building it because of it." This Father's Day, we interviewed Jitu to talk about what modern fatherhood asks of men at work, the leave they don't take, the bias they navigate quietly, and what it really means for a working father to feel safe being fully himself. 1. You are uniquely positioned to advocate for policies like parental leave for fathers. Do you feel a personal responsibility to champion men’s work-life balance and mental health in the corporate world? Absolutely, and I think responsibility is the right word, not just opportunity. Men's mental health and work-life balance remain largely underdiscussed in corporate spaces, and the cost of that silence is real. Burnout, disengagement, and leaders who are physically present at work but emotionally absent at home, these are symptoms of a culture that never gave men permission to be human. In Canada, fathers have access to parental leave, yet the uptake remains far lower than among mothers, not because fathers do not want to be present, but because the culture has not caught up with the policy. I want to help close that gap. Not just through advocacy in meetings, but by modeling it myself, being visible about my own boundaries, talking openly about Ayaan and what being present for him means to me, and making it easier for the men around me to do the same. If I cannot use my platform to normalize that, then what is it for? 2. Working fathers often face a subtle social bias where they are viewed as the 'secondary' parent. How can HR teams and leaders shift corporate mindsets to recognize and respect men as primary, equal caregivers? The bias is real, and it often lives in the small things: a father who leaves early for his child's recital gets noticed differently than a mother who does the same thing, and a man who sets a hard stop for school pickup reads as less committed rather than more present. HR teams need to look at this structurally, because in Canada, parental leave is available to both parents yet the uptake among fathers remains significantly lower, and that gap is not about desire, it is about what leaders normalize. If no senior man in an organization has ever visibly taken parental leave, that silence is a message. I keep Ayaan's school events on my calendar and I do not hide them, because representation in everyday behaviour is more powerful than any policy document 3. There’s an old stereotype that fathers should always be the 'unshakable pillar.' How have you learned to embrace vulnerability, both as a dad and as a professional leader? When we moved to Canada in 2022, I went through a period of professional uncertainty I was not prepared for, having built my career across India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia and then starting over in a new market without the network I had spent years building. My wife Megha held the family steady during that time, and watching her do that taught me the difference between being a pillar and being a wall: she was not unaffected; she was grounded. I have told Ayaan when I have had hard days, not to burden him, but to show him that naming something difficult is not weakness, it is how you move forward. That same principle lives in how I coach leaders now: vulnerability is not the absence of strength, it is the honesty to say where you are, and that honesty builds more trust than any polished performance. 4. What does psychological safety look like for a working father? Have you ever felt pressure to hide family obligations to maintain a certain professional image? Yes, early in my time in Canada I was careful about how much I revealed as a father in professional settings, because there is an unspoken test that working fathers navigate: prove your commitment by making your family invisible at work. But I think about Ayaan running to show me a drawing he made at school, not because it was perfect, but because he wanted me to see it, and that unconditional trust reminds me that the most important audience for how I show up is not in the boardroom. Psychological safety for a working father means being able to say I am leaving early for my son's event without it being read as a lack of ambition. The day that becomes unremarkable is the day we have actually made progress, and as HR professionals, building that culture is not a nice-to-have. It is the work . A Wish for Father's Day “Fatherhood did not soften my professional edge. It sharpened it, gave me a reason to build something worth being proud of, and a daily reminder of what I am actually working for. This Father's Day, my wish is simple: I hope working fathers across Canada and the world feel seen, take the leave they are entitled to, and show up for the bedtime stories. And I hope their organizations build cultures where none of that is a trade-off. Ayaan, this one is for you.” Jitu's wish is a modest one, but the shift it asks of our workplaces is not. It asks for cultures where presence, honesty, and a hard stop for school pickup read as strength rather than absence, where showing up for your child is never a trade-off against showing up at work. This Father's Day, that feels like a goal worth building toward. Wishing everyone a Happy Father’s Day!

International Wellness Day: Prioritizing Wellbeing in Our Everyday Lives

By Jessica Jaithoo • June 8, 2026
Author: Taia Northrup , 2026 Social Media Committee Volunteer Each year, on the second Saturday of June, people around the world come together to recognize International Wellness Day, a global movement dedicated to promoting healthier, happier, and more balanced lives. This special day serves as a reminder that well-being extends beyond physical health; it includes mental, emotional, social, and workplace wellness as well. As HR professionals, wellness is more than a personal responsibility, it is a workplace priority. The Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) profession recognizes that healthy, supported employees are the foundation of engaged, productive, and resilient organizations. HR leaders play a key role in creating workplace cultures that foster psychological safety, work-life balance, employee engagement, and overall wellbeing. International Wellness Day encourages individuals, employers, and communities to reflect on the habits, environments, and relationships that contribute to overall wellbeing. In today’s fast-paced world, it can be easy to put our health on the back burner. This day provides an opportunity to pause, evaluate our wellness practices, and make meaningful changes that support long-term health and happiness. The celebration also aligns with the broader goals of workplace wellbeing initiatives, which focus on creating healthier organizations and communities. Research continues to show that employees who feel supported in their wellbeing experience lower levels of burnout, higher engagement, and stronger workplace satisfaction. Organizations that prioritize employee wellbeing also benefit through improved retention, productivity, and organizational resilience. From a CPHR perspective, wellbeing is not limited to wellness programs or fitness challenges. It involves taking a holistic approach that considers mental, emotional, physical, financial, and social health. Building supportive policies, encouraging meaningful work-life balance, and creating inclusive workplace cultures are all essential components of a successful people's strategy. Wellness looks different for everyone. For some, it may mean prioritizing physical activity, healthy nutrition, or quality of sleep. For others, it may involve managing stress, strengthening social connections, practicing mindfulness, or taking time for self-care. The important message is that small, intentional actions can have a significant impact on overall wellbeing. As we celebrate International Wellness Day, consider taking a moment to invest in your own health and happiness. Whether it’s going for a walk, connecting with loved ones, setting healthy boundaries, or simply taking time to recharge, every positive step contributes to a healthier and more fulfilling life. At its core, wellbeing is about creating environments where people can thrive—both at work and in life. As HR professionals and workplace leaders, we have the opportunity to champion initiatives that support our people, strengthen our organizations, and build healthier communities for the future. How will you invest in your wellbeing today? 
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