HR Consultancy (Growth Journey) 

Part 2: The growth from a £120k to £850k HR consultancy while building a comprehensive practice for businesses solving climate challenges.

In Part 1, we explored how Lucy transformed from struggling HR generalist to sought-after climate business specialist, building from £3,500 to £12,000 monthly recurring revenue through strategic positioning. Today, we discover how she scaled from successful consultant to industry authority and team leader. 

 Lucy sat in her coworking office in early 2024, listening to her Executive Assistant coordinate guest interviews for her climate business podcast while reviewing the applications for their latest HR Business Partner position. The morning light illuminated a schedule that would have seemed improbable just two years earlier - client strategy sessions, team meetings, and speaking opportunities that positioned her as a thought leader in the climate business space. 

Lucy had started her second year in business with eight retainer clients and a part-time Executive Assistant. Now, as she reviewed her team's work with climate tech startups, sustainable finance firms, and circular economy innovators, she realised she wasn't just running a thriving HR consultancy – her dream of building the definitive HR practice for businesses working to solve the climate crisis was coming true. 

This hadn't happened by accident, but through careful strategic planning that honoured both her growth ambitions and her commitment to exceptional client service. 

The Strategic Positioning That Enabled Exponential Growth 

We began Year 2 of our work together with a Strategic Positioning Day to review Lucy's consultancy and set ambitious objectives for the next three years. The foundation she had built was solid: eight confirmed retainer clients providing £120,000 confirmed revenue, a budding reputation in the climate business community, and systems that could support systematic growth. 

But Lucy was ready to think beyond individual success to building something that could have greater impact on the climate business ecosystem. We set a goal that felt both ambitious and achievable: onboard one new client each month, ending the year with an additional eight retainer clients while building a team of HR Business Partners who could extend Lucy's expertise across more organisations. 

This systematic approach to growth - one client per month rather than aggressive scaling - was deliberate. It ensured excellent client onboarding experiences, allowed Lucy to maintain her standards for client fit, and made it easier to plan her own recruitment and team development. Quality would drive quantity, not the other way around. 

Building Authority Through Thought Leadership 

With her Executive Assistant handling much of the relationship management and nurturing, Lucy gained precious time to focus on thought leadership that would attract ideal clients rather than chasing individual opportunities. 

We decided that Lucy would launch a podcast exploring the startup and scaleup journeys of climate business owners. This wasn't just content creation but strategic positioning - Lucy would become the voice that climate entrepreneurs and executives turned to for both inspiration and practical HR guidance. 

Her Executive Assistant took on finding guests, coordinating interviews, and managing the production logistics that enabled Lucy to focus on the conversations themselves. Each episode reinforced Lucy's position as the HR expert who understood the unique challenges of building teams around climate solutions, while creating valuable content that attracted exactly the clients she wanted to serve. 

The podcast became a powerful business development tool that worked while Lucy slept, introducing her expertise to climate business leaders who might never have found her through traditional networking. 

Strategic Team Building for Sustainable Growth 

As Lucy's reputation grew and her client pipeline strengthened, she faced the wonderful challenge of demand exceeding her personal capacity. Rather than turning away opportunities or compromising service quality, Lucy began building the team that would enable her to serve more climate businesses while maintaining the expertise and attention that made her practice distinctive. 

• The First HR Business Partner: Lucy hired her first part-time HR Business Partner within six months of beginning Year 2. This wasn't just about building capacity - it was about testing her ability to find, train, and integrate team members who could deliver Lucy's high standards while bringing their own expertise to client relationships. 

• The Apprenticeship Program: In the second half of Year 2, Lucy added a Level 3 HR Support Apprenticeship position. This strategic decision created a pipeline for developing HR talent specifically within the climate business context while providing cost-effective support for routine tasks. 

• Expansion Beyond Expectations: Lucy's success in team integration led her to hire two part-time HR Business Partners rather than the single position originally planned. The demand was there, and Lucy discovered she had a talent for developing others within her specialised focus area. 

Targeted LinkedIn Advertising  

In Year 3, Lucy recognised a challenge that many women in business face but rarely discuss openly: LinkedIn's algorithm shows less content published by women, meaning that in areas like HR where business development and networking heavily rely on LinkedIn, reduced reach translates directly into missed opportunities to engage in critical discussions, build relationships, and advance their work. 

Rather than accepting this limitation, Lucy took control. She partnered with a company to run targeted LinkedIn advertisements that reached her ideal climate business clients directly. This created a reliable source of qualified leads that she could control - both the quality and quantity. Instead of relying solely on her network or client referrals, Lucy's targeted ads directed prospects to carefully designed landing pages that pre-qualified their interest and needs. 

This strategic approach to paid promotion ensured that Lucy's expertise reached the climate business leaders who needed it most, regardless of the limitations of the algorithm. 

The Results That Exceeded All Projections 

Lucy's systematic approach to growth proved even more effective than our optimistic projections: 

• Year 2 Results: Turnover exceeded £275,000, more than doubling her Year 1 performance through strategic team building and consistent client acquisition. 

• Year 3 Achievement: Revenue surpassed £575,000 as Lucy's reputation attracted larger clients and more complex projects while her team enabled increased capacity. 

• Year 4 Success: Turnover reached over £850,000, establishing Lucy's practice as a leading HR consultancy for climate businesses in the UK. 

The one-client-per-month strategy proved brilliantly effective. It created predictable growth that Lucy could plan around, ensured each client received excellent onboarding attention, and allowed her to maintain the high standards that created referrals and long-term relationships. 

Innovation That Expanded Market Reach 

In Year 4, Lucy identified an opportunity that would extend her impact even further. Many climate businesses - particularly startups and scaleups - needed senior HR expertise beyond Lucy’s comprehensive retainer arrangements but couldn't justify full-time hires. 

Lucy launched Fractional HR services, offering climate businesses access to experienced HR leadership on a part-time basis. This innovation served companies at different growth stages while creating another revenue stream that leveraged Lucy's team's capabilities. 

The fractional model also attracted larger, more complex clients who needed strategic HR guidance during critical growth phases, further establishing Lucy's practice as the comprehensive solution for climate business HR needs. 

Building the Team That Amplified Her Vision 

By Year 4, Lucy had created a comprehensive HR practice that could serve climate businesses at every stage of development. Her team included eight HR Business Partners, several of whom had developed through her apprenticeship program, plus her Executive Assistant and a dedicated Business Development Manager. 

This was a carefully designed team that shared Lucy's commitment to climate impact while bringing diverse expertise to serve different client needs: 

• Specialised Expertise: Each HR Business Partner developed particular strengths - some focused on early-stage startups, others on scaling operations, still others on the unique needs of sustainable finance organizations. 

• Development Pipeline: The apprenticeship program created a continuous flow of emerging talent who understood both HR fundamentals and the specific context of climate businesses. 

• Business Development: The dedicated Business Development Manager ensured that Lucy's growing reputation translated into strategic opportunities rather than random inquiries. 

• Operational Excellence: Her Executive Assistant evolved into an operations coordinator who ensured seamless delivery across all client relationships. 

The Leadership Challenge That Accelerated Growth 

Perhaps the most significant transformation was in Lucy herself. The woman who in the early days had found herself adrift - despite her operational expertise - had evolved into a strategic leader in an area of business she felt passionately about. 

Lucy learned to delegate complex client work while maintaining her high quality standards. She developed systems for knowledge sharing that ensured every team member could represent her approach effectively. Most importantly, she created a culture where her team's commitment to climate impact enhanced their professional excellence. 

This leadership development became one of Lucy's greatest competitive advantages. While other HR consultancies struggled with team consistency or cultural alignment, Lucy's practice operated with a unified sense of purpose and shared expertise that clients could feel in every interaction. 

What Lucy's Journey Reveals About Purpose-Driven Scaling 

Lucy's evolution from £120,000 to £850,000 annual revenue illustrates several key principles about building consultancies that can grow significantly while maintaining their essential character: 

• Systematic growth creates sustainable success: Lucy's one-client-per-month approach enabled predictable expansion without overwhelming her systems or compromising client experience. 

• Team development amplifies expertise: Rather than diluting Lucy's specialised knowledge, her team building created multiple experts who could serve more climate businesses while maintaining her standards. 

• Thought leadership drives quality demand: Lucy's podcast and content strategy attracted ideal clients who understood her value rather than prospects focused primarily on price. 

• Fractional innovation expanded market reach: Adding fractional services enabled Lucy to serve climate businesses at different growth stages while maximizing her team's impact. 

• Values alignment created team cohesion: Lucy's focus on climate impact attracted team members who shared her mission, creating cultural strength that became a competitive advantage. 

Most importantly, Lucy discovered that building a team around her specialised expertise multiplied her influence and impact across the entire climate business ecosystem. 

Planning for Continued Evolution 

As Lucy looks toward the future, her confidence and strategic thinking continue to evolve. She's planning a brand refresh to explicitly include circular economy businesses alongside her core climate tech, sustainable finance, and policy focus - recognising that the circular economy represents both a natural extension of her expertise and an evolving market opportunity. 

This expansion reflects Lucy's sophistication as a business leader. Rather than random diversification, she's identifying adjacent markets where her established expertise and reputation create natural advantages. 

The Ripple Effect of Thoughtful Leadership 

Today, Lucy isn't just running a successful HR consultancy - she's creating a model for how professional services can support the businesses working to solve the world’s most urgent challenges. 

Her team members are developing careers around meaningful work. Her clients are building stronger teams that can execute their climate solutions more effectively. Her podcast listeners are learning from successful climate entrepreneurs while discovering HR expertise they need. 

Perhaps most powerfully, Lucy's success demonstrates that specialising in purpose-driven businesses doesn't limit growth potential - it creates sustainable competitive advantages that enable both commercial success and meaningful impact. 

From struggling generalist to £850,000 climate business authority, Lucy's story shows what becomes possible when authentic expertise meets strategic positioning - and when leaders have the support they need to build teams around their deepest values and greatest strengths. 

Her journey proves that the most sustainable consultancies often emerge from the intersection of professional capability and personal purpose, creating enterprises that achieve remarkable growth while making their industries and world a little better than they found it. 

If you missed Part 1 of Lucy’s journey, you’ll find her startup story here.  

Work With Me

Inspired by Lucy's transformation from individual consultant to industry authority? Discover how strategic positioning and systematic team building can help you scale your expertise into something significant. Explore working together to create meaningful impact in your own professional journey.