The Moment a Founder Realizes They Need HR

Most founders don’t wake up one morning and decide they need HR.

Instead, it shows up quietly - through tension, confusion, and exhaustion.

It’s the moment when:

• A great hire doesn’t work out and no one knows why

• A manager struggles, and the founder steps back in

• Onboarding feels inconsistent

• Growth feels heavier instead of exciting

At early stages, founders are the system. Decisions live in their head. Culture is intuitive. Communication is informal.

That works - until it doesn’t.

The shift usually happens somewhere between 10 and 30 employees. What once felt flexible starts to feel fragile. Small missteps carry bigger consequences. And “we’ll figure it out” becomes expensive.

This is often where I step in with clients - not to add complexity, but to create clarity.

If growth is starting to feel heavier than it should, that’s usually a signal - not a failure.