What I wish I had of known...

This year marks 13 years in business for me, and the last three have been unbelievably challenging and rewarding all at the same time. I started HR Gurus after working in Corporate HR for over 13 years, I was jaded by big business failing to really understand what good HR was about. I wanted to change the dialogue. I was sick of going to BBQs and being embarrassed to say "Yes I work in HR, but I'm not your average HR person"...

You see HR departments mainly had a bad rep, they were the executioners mostly sent in to implement the decisions of the grey-haired male executives working in their ivory towers. Most of the time, with absolutely no regard for the implications or impact on people. On a daily basis, I was being asked to do things that did not align with my personal values. It was both exhausting and soul-destroying.

So I tore the bandaid off, landed my first big client, and I was away - HR Gurus was born. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, or how to run a business but I forged ahead. I was passionate about the SME space as I could see that in Australia Small businesses were the biggest employer yet most had absolutely no HR support and were struggling to manage the growing HR Compliance obligations in Australia.

I tried to create products and services over the years and to be honest, most failed. I also tried to grow my business many times, but my biggest challenge was letting go and delegating to others. I needed to learn how to get out of my own way. I tried various business coaches, marketing programs, SEO experts, and networking groups I have done it all! But I continually seemed to hire the wrong people or invest in training awesome people up, only for them only to leave to start or build their families. In 2016, this culminated in me having a nervous breakdown. My business was falling apart around me and then two of my most valued and experienced employees got pregnant at the same time. I remember lying on the floor at home crying, not being able to stop and pull myself together. My husband did not know what to do, I was simply broken. I felt abandoned and bitter, I had one child at the time and I felt that I was creating an amazing business where everyone else was able to create the perfect worklife balance except for me.

I then hired 4 Millennials, and this is where my next business segway began. All four of them left within the first 6 months of employment. I could not believe this was happening to me, I was at breaking point and attempted to sell the business as I was actually done with business ownership. I felt like a total failure and an imposter.

Only in 2018 when I brought on my best Consultant as an equity partner did things start to turn around. I finally felt supported and had someone to bounce things off rather than me being in my own head, seemingly trying to "do it all".

Just before COVID hit I decided that I did not want to work in the business anymore and I wanted to do something different. I started Generation Us and I decided I wanted to personally focus on Public Speaking and creating Leadership Coaching Programs for Millennials. After my own experience, I decided I wanted to be an expert in this field and embarked on my own research, even writing a book, I was poised to hit the International speaking circuit with my research and book in hand, and then COVID hit. Fuck you very much universe. But everything happens for a reason and even though it was fun to create another brand and business, in hindsight all it did was take my attention away from my core business, my first baby and passion which is HR Gurus. So this article is really about how these distractions only got in my way when I reflect on it now.

During COVID lockdowns, I launched a podcast called Purposely, where I interviewed Millennial entrepreneurs. To my surprise, during this time, I learned the most about leadership and business ownership, and this really helped me move to the next phase in my business journey.

You see, what I learned from Millennials is that you need to own your own story, weave this into your purpose and then just GO FOR IT. Millennials are really the poster children for failing fast, and the more I embraced this ethos, the more my business grew. My biggest learning is that intergenerational transference of knowledge goes both ways. Not only do the older generations have the job of passing down their years of experience and vast knowledge to younger generations, the younger generations also have the task of feeding their digital IQ, and approach to marketing back up the line so that we can all work together to create killer brands and great places to work.

In 2021 during COVID like many people, I took the time to reassess my life and what is really important. My dreams of becoming a millionaire and flying first class have been traded in for more modest aspirations of being able to run my business from my bedroom office in a tiny coastal town in Tasmania.

I decided to take a step back and focus on myself, get some better balance in my life and make my own health a priority while being a present Mum. Something I sincerely regret about the first 9 years of my sons' life is that I missed so many important moments because I was working myself into the ground.

So this post is really a bit of an announcement about my new focus of winding down Generation Us and focusing more on growing my first baby HR Gurus.

My number one passion is still changing the dialogue by helping businesses to humanise HR, and at HR Gurus, we are committed to doing that one workplace at a time. So watch this space as I start focusing on sharing my knowledge and experience in the field of HR.

So, if you are a business owner who is struggling at the moment, maybe you are thinking of throwing in the towel. I see you, and I feel your pain - but don't give up! There is a reason you started your "thang", and please know that you are not alone!

The one thing I wish I had known is how resilient I was and how much I had to learn and experience before I hit my strides. Business is a marathon, not a sprint, and there is no "get rich quick scheme."