Episode #496 - Putting People First in HR - with Claire Loftus

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Claire Loftus, the dynamic founder of Evolve, a people-first HR consultancy operating across Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and the Republic of Ireland. Claire shares her journey from working in HR and navigating personal health challenges to founding Evolve in 2017. With a team of nine working remotely, Evolve offers flexible, pragmatic HR support tailored to a diverse range of clients – from startups to large corporates – across multiple jurisdictions. 🔍 Episode Highlights: The Evolve Ethos: A refreshingly human approach to HR that blends practical solutions with strong relationship-building. Unique Model: Evolve offers accessible, flexible retainers starting from just £100/month, as well as ad-hoc support and investigations. Entrepreneurial Roots: Claire draws inspiration from a family of entrepreneurs and shares how pregnancy just six months in and the COVID-19 pandemic shaped the business’s early growth. Facing HR Head-On: From managing employee disputes to leveraging personality profiling like DISC, Claire gives honest insight into common HR pitfalls – and how to avoid them. Growth & Self-Awareness: A recent ADHD diagnosis has shifted Claire’s perspective on leadership, leading to greater self-awareness and a stronger emphasis on autonomy for her team. Looking Ahead: Evolve is eyeing growth to a 20-person team, preparing for economic shifts, embracing AI cautiously, and exploring a five-year exit plan. Make sure you don’t miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts. For now, continue listening for the full story from Claire.   Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for. If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here: https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin You can get in touch with Kevin here: kevin@biz-smart.co.uk Kevin's Latest Book Is Available! Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up. More on the Book HERE - https://www.esusgroup.co.uk/   Claire can be found here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claireloftus/ https://go-evolve.co.uk/ https://go-evolve.co.uk/contact/   Resources: Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/rebel-ideas-the-power-of-thinking-differently-matthew-syed/4848192?ean=9781529348408 Outwitting The Devil by Napoleon Hill - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/outwitting-the-devil-with-study-guide-original-1938-classic-napoleon-hill/7758595?ean=9781722507213 Breathe - https://www.breathehr.com/en-gb/hr-software/hr-management-app Remarkable - https://remarkable.com/