We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cindy Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cindy below.

Cindy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

As one co-founder behind our company, our shared vision was to pioneer something truly distinctive within the realm of Human Resources. It started with our passion for all that HR professionals have gone through with COVID, social injustice, remote working, etc. the past few years. We wanted to find a way to support and empower HR, simplify it, and build credibility while adding value to the bottom line. Enter ‘Tag4HR’ – a name that not only nods to our HR focus but injects a dose of playfulness with the use of the number 4. Often HR can be taken too seriously, and adding some type of fun and joy back into the profession is something we aim to do.

I truly see an opportunity for HR professionals and the industry itself to emerge from the shadows, redefining both credibility and brand. Thus the inclusion of ‘Tag’ in our company logo serves as a rallying cry: ‘Tag HR – you’re it’! It’s time to seize the opportunity to reshape perceptions and fully align HR efforts with overarching company objectives. It’s a call to action to take center stage and contribute strategically to organizations while making a lasting impact.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve spent three decades immersed in the Human Resources domain. I’ve worked in small business marketing and accounting roles to leading Human Resources at multi-national companies. From solo HR roles to leading teams of 125, my passion lies in understanding people, their narratives, and aligning HR with business growth and outcomes. I have learned the importance of aligning HR work with the business by building strong partnerships with the leadership team, knowing the business inside and out, and bringing confidence to be the one person in the room inserting the people impact to decisions. It is important to me for all employees to be seen and heard. Each person has their own story to be heard, respected, and supported. I have had others tell me that I put the ‘Human’ back in Human Resources. I am a leader with a strong sense of empathy, adept at decision making and execution.

Recognizing the resources challenges HR typically faces, I co-founded Tag4HR. We’re not just another HR company – we are on a mission to empower small to mid-sized companies by upleveling HR in an accessible, affordable, and modern way. We cater to both business owners and HR professionals taking on or supplementing the important work of HR. We can serve as an HR team for a small company, provide resources, consult, or project support until a company is ready to hire and onboard their own HR professional, who can then access our platform independently. Ultimately we are here to enable HR for smaller companies throughout their growth journey.

Our approach goes beyond impacting the business – we prioritize wellbeing. We believe working long hours is not a badge of honor. Instead, we advocate for self-care, awareness, and finding joy in what you do. As an empathetic leader, my commitment is to execute key initiatives that fuel business growth for Tag4HR clients.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Embarking on my own adventure, I left my job in Los Angeles and planted myself in the heart of Austin, Texas, a city where I knew absolutely no one. Determined to meet new people, I reached out to every connection, friend, or acquaintance tied to the area. As I started networking, I encountered fascinating individuals, each introducing me to someone else I ‘must meet.’ This journey led me to meet my co-founder. A coffee meeting blossomed into an hours-long conversation, unveiling shared values, beliefs, and a big passion for Human Resources and the people who work in the industry. Through these conversations we both grew our passion for finding ways to support and uplevel HR professionals. For five years, over countless coffee meetings, we shared our dreams and dedication to uplifting HR professionals. Then it became clear that we might just be destined for a joint business venture.
Our foundation was built on aligning values, problem-solving approaches, and an unwavering commitment to prioritizing self-care. Decision-making is not just about data; it’s also blending in intuition and emotion – how do we truly feel about it? During personal challenges we grant each other the grace to step away when needed. “Go slow to go fast” has become our mantra, and in this deliberate pace, everything has started falling into place.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

In this life, I’ve discovered a monumental lesson: working ‘smart’ surpasses working ‘hard’ when it comes to preserving your health, relationships, and career. I’ve always been a powerhouse, reveling in my ability to churn out tasks with pride. Yet, in my zealous efforts, I often lost track of time, working into the evenings and weekends, oblivious to the toll it was taking on my relationships and well-being. Early in my career, I was rewarded for my hard work. I was the go-to person who could be counted on, always meeting timelines and exceeding expectations, a feat especially crucial as the lone woman in the room. This seemed to serve me well. But I hadn’t paused to notice the void in my life. No close friends, strained family ties, a shaky marriage, and my health gradually slipping away.
Change didn’t happen overnight. It took a personal health scare, a divorce, and the loss of a cherished job to jolt me into reevaluating my approach. That’s when I embarked on the quest to work smarter, not harder. I saw others doing it – so why couldn’t I? It hasn’t been an instant transformation, but I started prioritizing myself, exploring avenues like therapy, nutrition, acupuncture, psychics, retreats, meditation – some of which I still embrace today.
I’ve learned it’s about finding your unique formula for self-care, about setting boundaries, uttering the occasional ‘no’, and disregarding what others may think. These changes have brought me to a better space, not just for myself but to contribute more meaningful to serving others. And that is a lifelong goal I’m committed to pursuing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tag4hr.com
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/cindyijohnson