HR, leadership and people management support for small businesses
You built the business. Now you're leading a team.
I help owners of small independent businesses lead their people with confidence: setting clear expectations, getting the best from performance, and handling the difficult moments well when they come.
A confidential first conversation · No obligation
Running a business means leading people too. And that can bring conversations and situations you were never trained for.
Most owners are brilliant at what they do. Leading a team is a different skill.
Whether you run an independent clinic, an optician, a pharmacy, an estate agency or a professional services firm, the people side can take up more of your time and energy than the work itself. In a small team, every relationship matters, and one unresolved issue can affect everyone.
You probably do not have an HR department, and you may not need one. What helps is someone experienced in your corner, who can help you lead well day to day and knows what to do when something gets difficult.
Leading well
Building your confidence, and your managers', to set expectations, give feedback, run one-to-ones and lead the team day to day.
A team that performs
Clear standards, applied consistently, and a team that knows what good looks like and is supported to develop.
When it gets difficult
Specialist HR and employee relations support with conduct, absence, grievances and formal processes, so situations are handled properly and do not escalate.
Your customers feel how your team is led
Customers rarely see what happens behind the scenes, but they feel it. In the welcome they get, in how smoothly things run, and in whether they see familiar faces each time they come back.
Familiar faces
When good people stay, customers build relationships with your team, and keep coming back.
A calmer atmosphere
Tension in a small team is hard to hide. A well-led team is calmer, and customers notice.
Consistent service
Clear standards mean every customer gets the same experience, whoever is working that day.
Simple, practical, and built around your business
A confidential conversation
We talk through what is happening in your team and what would help most.
A clear picture
We look at how your team is led and managed, and agree where to focus first.
Coaching and support
Regular sessions to build your skills and confidence as a leader, with guidance on live situations as they come up.
Common questions
How do sessions work?
Sessions are usually 90 minutes, by video, so they fit around your working day wherever you are. If you would prefer to meet in person, that can be arranged. Between sessions you can email me about anything that comes up, and I will reply within one working day.
Is this just for dental practices?
No. Dental practices are my main specialism, but the fundamentals of leading people well extend far beyond dentistry. I also support owners of other independent businesses with people management, performance, difficult conversations and employee relations.
Do I need to have a problem to get in touch?
No. Much of the work is developmental: helping you and any managers set clear expectations, give feedback well, and get the best from the team.
What if something has already become difficult?
That is exactly when early, experienced support helps most. You do not need to arrive with the answer worked out.
Tessa Creary-Bennett
Assoc CIPD · Founder, Practice People Advisory
- 27 years in senior leadership at Santander UK
- Hands-on experience of performance, absence, grievance and disciplinary matters
- Trained and developed managers to lead their teams well
- CIPD qualified (Assoc CIPD)
I spent 27 years leading teams and developing managers. Much of that work was the people side: the performance conversations, the absences, the grievances and the disciplinaries, and helping managers handle them well.
My career was spent leading and developing people in a large organisation, not in one sector, and the fundamentals of good people leadership travel well. Most of my work today is with dental practices, and I also support owners of other independent businesses who are excellent at what they do and have found themselves leading a team without ever being shown how.
I work with you calmly and confidentially, so leading people becomes something you feel confident doing, not something you put off.
A confidential first conversation. No pressure.
You do not need to prepare anything formal. Tell me a little about your business and your team, and we can talk it through.
Want to ask something first? Send me a message and I will reply within one working day.
Thank you.
Tessa will be in touch within one working day to arrange a time to speak. Your enquiry is strictly confidential.