Page 22 - December 2020

HR-PRENEUR
INTERVIEW WITH LISA HARLEY

HR-Preneur & Founder of Harley Consulting

Stronger2gether were really pleased to have the opportunity to interview HR-Preneur Lisa Harley, in which we
learnt of her jump to entrepreneurship and, of course, how she has been dealing with COVID-19.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES challenging thing I have
BETWEEN BEING AN HR-PRENEUR AND YOUR ever done. My advice
PREVIOUS INHOUSE JOB? would be that there
is a world of
It’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made; the opportunity out
freedom and flexibility of being your own boss, there and that
making your own decisions and not having to deal anything is
with any company politics—it’s perfect! possible if you put
your mind to it.
WHAT WAS YOUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
IN BECOMING AN HR-PRENEUR? WHAT WERE WHAT ARE SOME OF
THE BIG FACTORS YOU HAD TO CONSIDER,AND THE THINGS YOU
HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THEM? CERTAINLY WON’T MISS ABOUT BEING

It took fifteen years of working in the corporate EMPLOYED?
world to both build up the experience and pluck up Being chained to my desk from nine to five every
the courage to become an HR-preneur.The biggest day, a controlling boss, commuting, company politics,
factor I had to consider when making the transition rules and regulations, limited holidays, completely
was my financial situation and support network. unnecessary meetings, boring training, impossible
Unfortunately, even with an extremely supportive deadlines and tight operations budgets… Need I say
partner, it was still a leap into the unknown, and it more?
was alien to my friends and family – this left me
feeling isolated at the beginning. Fortunately, once WHAT WORRIES YOU? WHAT IS ITTHAT KEEPS
you start networking to build your client-base, you YOU UP AT NIGHT?
start meeting all these other entrepreneurs, and you Fear of failure. I feel like I have a lot to prove, so
quickly realise there’s a whole network of them out letting the people closest to me down is a big one.
there.
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST LESSONS YOU’VE
IF YOU KNEW SOMEONE WHO WAS MAKING A LEARNT FROM COVID-19?
SIMILAR TRANSITION, WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE Like everyone else, I guess, having to adapt to a new
OF ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE THEM? way of working is arguably one of the biggest things
SOMETHING YOU WISH YOU’D KNOWN ABOUT I’ve learned from the pandemic.There will be a
FROM THE BEGINNING OR YOUR BIGGEST positive shift in how organisations both manage and
SHOCK. train their employees. Companies are beginning to
realise that by allowing staff the flexibility to manage
COVID-19! Setting up a business in the middle of a their own time and have a greater work-life balance
worldwide pandemic has got to be the most means they feel more empowered to do their jobs,

19 D L P . O R G . U K