The Small Business HR Playbook
You’re already doing HR on top of running the business. This 15-page playbook shows which parts you have covered, which you don’t, and what to fix first.
Know where your business stands before it costs you.
- The four roles HR plays as a company grows
- Updated for the 2026 overtime salary floor and state pay-transparency laws
- Results from real engagements: a misclassified contractor corrected, conflicting policies consolidated into one digestible version, and a law firm’s 90-day roadmap with an owner on every goal
- A free self-assessment to find your gaps
HR Plays Four Roles. Most Owners Cover All Four Without a Plan.
Each role builds on the one before it. The playbook walks through every one, with a clear “call us if this sounds like you” scenario for each.
The Administrator
Payroll, worker classification, records and total rewards. The basics that keep you out of wage claims.
The Guardian
Legal thresholds, lawful hiring, required policies and your handbook. Where audit exposure hides.
The Cultivator
Onboarding, feedback, development and separations. Why good hires leave in year one.
The Strategic Partner
Workforce planning, org design and the metrics that show whether growth is sustainable.
Built for Teams of 5 to 250.
- Founders, COOs and office managers carrying HR on top of their real job
- Businesses that have added people, locations or entities in the last year
- Owners unsure whether their classifications, policies or handbook would hold up to an audit
- Companies that want to grow without adding a full-time HR leader yet
Real Engagements. Real Results.
After acquiring a smaller plant, the company crossed 50 employees. In 30 days, our review found a contractor doing work similar to employees, FMLA obligations that kicked in at 50 employees, and a missing step in the E-Verify process. The classification issue was resolved, conflicting policies were consolidated into one digestible version, and an onboarding plan brought the acquired employees up to speed quickly.
Nearly every decision ran through the founder. In one planning day, the firm set three business goals and one people goal in 90-day sprints. Every goal left with a single owner and a first task due in 14 days.
Terrence Wright
Terrence founded Wright People Solutions to give growing companies executive-level HR expertise without adding headcount. He brings more than 20 years of HR leadership from Google, Synchrony Financial and GE, and now works alongside founders and leadership teams across Georgia and Florida.
See Where Your Business Stands.
Download the playbook, take the self-assessment, and find out which of the four roles needs attention first.
The playbook is general information, not legal advice.