MINI PEOPLE TEAM
Head-of-People calibre support, minus the full-time hire
Managers are underwater. Feedback loops have stopped looping.
By the time you hit 25, 40, 50 People, the cracks aren't cracks anymore - they're chasms.
You're still the cultural heartbeat, but you can't be everyone's manager forever. The scrappy, everyone-does-everything energy that got you here is now the thing holding you back.
You need proper People infrastructure, but hiring a full-time Head of People feels premature (or unaffordable, or both).
This is your fractional People function.
This is for founders who:
(01)
Are past 25 People and the "just figure it out" approach has stopped working - managers are struggling, culture feels fragile, and you're spending more time firefighting than building.
(02)
Know you need People infrastructure but can't justify (or afford) a full time Head of People yet - you need senior strategic thinking plus hands-on execution.
(03)
Are tired of being the default People person for everything - the place People come when something's weird, tense, or unclear - and you need someone else in your corner who's navigated this before and has your back when things get difficult.
(04)
Need systems that scale beyond you - performance rhythms that aren't performative, pay structures that make sense, manager development that builds capability, and values that actually guide decisions.
How we work together
You get your fractional People function: me (strategic thinking) + associate support (execution and ops). We embed the systems that actually matter at your stage, working in two week sprints so you see progress, not just activity.
The rhythm:
Two 60 minute syncs per month to work through priorities and coach through live situations
Ongoing access via Slack + Notion for rapid fire questions and decisions
Quarterly roadmap reviews to make sure we're focused on what matters most
We become your team's People contact - the place they go when something needs attention
What we focus on:
The infrastructure that makes scaling sustainable. Values that guide decisions. Pay structures that make sense. Performance rhythms that drive growth. Manager development that builds capability. Culture measurement that keeps you honest. The work varies by stage, but it's always focused on building systems that work without you in every decision.
What makes this different:
You get senior strategic thinking without the £100k+ salary. You get hands on delivery without hiring a team. And you get flexibility to scale up or down based on what each quarter demands. Plus, I've done this before - I know what matters at your stage and can see around corners you haven't reached yet.
Your Roadmap
Following Discovery, we craft a custom People roadmap based on where you are and what will make the most impact. The kind of things we build:
Employee handbooks (capturing how you work, not just compliance tick boxes)
Pay and progression frameworks (so "what about my salary?" stops being a constant question)
Hiring processes that turn your intuition into something repeatable
Performance reviews People don’t dread
Feedback loops that work (not just 1:1s that keep getting cancelled)
Values that actually mean something
Org structure for your next stage
Role clarity (who does what, who decides what)
Why People should join you (and stay)
People ops setup (HRIS, workflows, the operational backbone)
Onboarding that actually prepares People for the job
Coaching and support for you and your managers
Investment:
From £4,000 per month
We’re now 50+ People and this framework has been transformational. Danielle's ability to transform and optimise People processes truly impressed us. She brought a fresh perspective to our organisation and helped us gain clarity on how to approach our People infrastructure.
“
Natasha Guerra, Founder + CEO, Runway East
What happens Next
Most founders stay with Mini People Team for 12-24 months because the need doesn't disappear - it evolves. As you scale from 40 to 60 to 80+ People, new thresholds bring fresh challenges.
Your options along the way:
Continue the partnership - Most common path. Monthly work continues, but priorities shift each quarter as new challenges surface.
Add intensive project work - When something needs concentrated effort (full manager academy, compensation overhaul, leadership offsite), we scope it separately with dedicated capacity.
Transition to your own hire - The ultimate goal. When you're ready for a full time Head of People, I help you define the role, recruit well, and ensure they inherit systems that work.
This isn't a retainer that balloons every quarter. It's a partnership built around what you actually need right now.
Ready to stop being your own Head of People?
Not sure if this is right for you? Discovery helps diagnose what you actually need.
Not sure what you need yet? Discovery gives you a clear read on where to start.
The people patterns that don't show up on an org chart.
Every startup is haunted: past decisions, habits, founding stories and memories that quietly shape how teams work. Some ghosts hold us back. Some keep us grounded.
Organisational Ghosts is where you’ll learn to spot them early, understand the patterns driving your team, and avoid the traps that stall growing startups.