We recently connected with Mallory Herrin and have shared our conversation below.

Mallory, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Our mission is to create work environments that make a positive impact in the lives of our clients’ employees, while helping our clients to achieve growth and success. I think this is really something that all HR professionals aim to accomplish, but this is our mission due to my own experience early in my career.

In my personal life at the time, and this was many years ago, I wasn’t in the greatest situation. I had previously experienced housing instability and was trying my best to land on my feet and improve my lot through better employment. I was in an abusive relationship that stripped me of my confidence, but I felt the responsibility to pay the bills and put food on the table, so I went to work.

I was fortunate enough to land a job at a small company where I ultimately was responsible for the HR function. I’d previously done some work in HR but hadn’t taken quite as deep of a dive into it. Though I didn’t know as much as I would’ve liked to about my field at the time, it was an environment where I was set up for success. My dedication and hard work were rewarded, and I was quickly given promotions, which of course helped my personal situation – allowing me to no longer rely on government assistance and leading to less troubles at home. More than that though, it was, at the time, the only place I felt good about myself and my abilities. Because I was set up to be successful, and the owner really believed in me, I thrived. As I excelled in my work, over time I learned that I had worth. I gained the courage to leave the abusive relationship I was in. That job provided me a place where I felt dignity. It wasn’t always easy, but I learned a lot. I was also given the opportunity to further my education.

Ultimately, I was able to get out of that abusive relationship, and this job, in particular, really launched my career in HR. I know first-hand that it isn’t always possible to leave your personal life at the door as soon as you walk into work, and we spend so much of our lives at work. I also know how much of a difference the work environment can make in your life, and not just professionally.

I want to make a difference for others. Employees, of course, but also employers. Everyone benefits when the right people are in the right jobs and the work environment is one where people can thrive.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As with many others, I sort of fell into HR. At first, I was working at very small companies where everyone had to wear more than one “hat,” if you will, and mine included some HR tasks. Then, I went to work for another small company (though it was much larger than where I had worked before) and I was handed the HR function after a few promotions that included responsibilities in accounting and payroll. The more I learned about HR the more I loved it. It’s not just about cutting payroll checks and complying with a myriad of labor laws. It’s so much more, and it makes a critical difference for businesses and employees. Throughout my HR career, I’ve worked in management/leadership and specialized in the functional areas of HR, prior to getting into consulting. Once I got into consulting I was hooked on the fast pace and opportunity to make a difference as a strategic partner for more than just one company at a time.

I started HerrinHR to provide small to midsize organizations with general HR consulting services, and we’ve expanded our team and our services from there. Our HR consulting services typically start for a client with an assessment of their business and HR function. We gain an understanding of our client’s strategic plan and then do an analysis to determine gaps and opportunities in the people function. This culminates in a report and “road map” of HR strategies and actions that need to be put into place to create a competitive advantage for the client and to help them achieve their business goals.

This can look different based on the client’s unique needs, but we do maintain a focus on compliance and company culture in all of our work. Some clients need us to focus on employee engagement strategies, while others may need an overhaul of their compensation structure. Many clients come to us for talent acquisition and retention strategies. We also work on some of the tactical items that work to support the strategies we develop. This can be creating or updated employee handbooks, job descriptions, and more. We keep our clients informed of changes in the regulatory landscape that will impact them, while also providing strategies to leverage the opportunities or prevent the challenges these changes present. We also stay on top of trends and keep our clients in the know. Overall, our consulting solves the people related challenges that come with being an employer. Our clients are able to outsource a lot of the HR function to us, so they can focus on doing what they do best.

In addition to our general HR consulting services, we also provide recruiting services (with a unique model that makes external recruiting help much more accessible for small businesses), customized live training on HR compliance, management and leadership, and professional development topics, fractional HR leadership, and group benefits. We are also excited to announce that through a joint venture, we now have a service option that combines our HR consulting and benefit services with payroll processing, employer tax services, and a robust HRIS system.

We are different from other HR service providers in many ways. Chief among them include our strategic focus, our unique and custom solutions, and our aim to provide education to our clients in the HR space. We build the foundation and structure of our clients’ HR function, streamline processes while providing HR education, and ultimately position our clients for one of two outcomes: either they have grown enough to hire internal HR help through our work, or things are running quite smoothly and they no longer need us on a day-to-day basis.

I’m really proud of the work we do for our clients and the high level of integrity we operate with. We won’t pretend to be an expert in something we aren’t. If we feel that a competitor may be a better solution for a client, we are up front about it. We work with organizations we can make a real, positive difference for. We also have a commitment to quality and service excellence that is unmatched, in my opinion. As for me personally, I’m such a nerd about HR I’ve even written a book about it: Intentional HR: A Revolution in Strategic Thinking. I also speak on HR topics often at conferences and on podcasts. I have a real passion for HR, and it comes across in our service.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for us has been our current clients and individuals working in the HR space in some way. We have grown solely through referrals from clients and those we meet in our professional adventures – either current or former colleagues, professionals met through networking, or via our philanthropic endeavors. We have never taken on one dollar in debt, sold one dollar in equity, or spent one dollar on advertising. I am incredibly grateful for our growth in this way, as I do not have any sales background. If I were to ever feel that I was “selling” instead of genuinely offering a real solution that could make a difference for a potential client, I would be incredibly uncomfortable. Our work really speaks for itself and this organic (though rapid) evolution through referrals is a testament to the work we put out. In the long term, it will be unrealistic to sustain this growth model, and we do have plans to expand our efforts within sales and marketing. For now, however, I’ll gladly keep taking referrals from clients, business owners, and other professionals.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Our integrity, as well as our consistency and excellence in deliverables, has hands down been a huge factor in building our reputation in the market. In addition, our understanding of small businesses and their unique challenges, as well as our team’s combined knowledge and experience within HR and HR outsourcing also contributes to our reputation. Personally, I’ve been nominated for HR awards, I’ve been referred to as an industry recognized thought leader, I volunteer for the local chapter of our industry organization, and I speak on podcasts and at HR conferences, universities, and other events. I believe this sort of exposure and really putting myself out there (as well as my book) has also helped build our reputation within the market.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://herrinhr.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malloryherrin/
• Other: info@herrinhr.com

Image Credits
Debbie Romeyn Heidi Torres Rheann Leech James Herrin