In today’s episode, I’m joined once again by Paul Neal, from Verdant Purpose HR.

Since we last spoke, Paul has supported around 25 charities and turned what was once just an idea into a genuine consultancy.

But after a few successful months, things began to slow down.

The familiar feast-or-famine cycle returned—and Paul realised he missed the accountability, support and momentum he’d had when we worked together.

So, he (re)joined the Success Squad.

Within five days, Paul used one simple email to generate two opportunities:

• One existing client upgraded their support
• One long-term email subscriber became a new client

But it wasn’t just the email that made the difference.

Paul also changed the way he handled the sales conversations, got paid to prepare his proposal and used the Success Squad community to work through the opportunity rather than trying to figure everything out alone.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Why Paul came back after previously working with me

• What caused his consultancy to stall after several successful months

• The simple email that generated two opportunities

• How a seemingly cold lead turned into a paying client

• Why Paul got paid to prepare his proposal

• How a second sales call helped him handle objections and win the work

• Why access to lessons isn’t always enough to keep you moving

• The value of accountability, feedback and being surrounded by other HR consultants

• Why launching something at 20% is often better than waiting for perfection

Paul is completely honest about the reality of building a consultancy alongside a full-time job—including the lack of time, the feast-or-famine cycle and how lonely running a one-person business can sometimes feel.

His experience is also proof that you don’t always need another complicated marketing strategy.

Sometimes, one simple action—combined with the right advice and support—is enough to create an immediate return.

👉 Listen now to discover what Paul did, why it worked and how you could apply the same approach to your own consultancy.

Want to build a more predictable pipeline of leads and clients — and grow your HR consultancy to £100K and beyond?

Check out your options here:

https://nickponinski.com/work-with-nick

If you’re new to Marketing Made Easy for HR Consultants, you’ve got more than 100 episodes to choose from.

Which is great… but where the hell do you start?

In this episode, I’ve picked five episodes from the back catalogue that I think every HR consultant should listen to if they want to build a more predictable pipeline of leads and clients — and ultimately grow towards a £100K+ consultancy.

I’ll explain why I’ve chosen each one, what you’ll get from listening, and the order I’d recommend tackling them in.

The five episodes cover:

• The four numbers you need to know if you want to understand exactly where your pipeline is working — and where it’s breaking down.
• The nine things every HR consultant needs to build the foundations of a successful £100K+ consultancy.
• Nine marketing truths that will help you stop relying on random activity and start thinking differently about how you market your business.
• A live coaching session with an HR consultant getting up to 140,000 LinkedIn impressions — and how she can turn all that attention into leads and sales.
• The story of an HR consultant who won two clients within five days of joining the Success Squad — and the simple actions that helped him do it.

You don’t have to listen to them in order.

But if you’re new to the podcast and wondering where to begin, start here.

Links to all five episodes here:

1. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2238493/episodes/17603787
2. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2238493/episodes/16500669
3. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2238493/episodes/15673043
4. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2238493/episodes/17557097
5. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2238493/episodes/19680045

Want to build a more predictable pipeline of leads and clients — and grow your HR consultancy to £100K and beyond?

Check out your options here:

https://nickponinski.com/work-with-nick

In today’s episode, I’m talking about why so many brilliant HR consultants still feel like invisible experts.

You know you’re good at what you do.

You’re posting on LinkedIn, attending networking events and trying to stay visible.

But those activities aren’t reliably turning into conversations, enquiries or clients.

You’re doing plenty of marketing… but everything still feels unpredictable.

The problem probably isn’t your expertise.

And it might not even be a lack of visibility.

The problem is that your marketing activities aren’t connected to a clear route that somebody can follow.

In this episode, I explain why LinkedIn posts, networking events and referrals aren’t a pipeline by themselves — and introduce the three things you need to turn disconnected activity into a simple client acquisition system.

We talk about:

• Why more visibility doesn’t automatically create more clients
• How disconnected marketing keeps returning you to zero
• Why LinkedIn and networking should start the journey — not become your entire strategy
• The danger of relying on the right person noticing you at exactly the right time
• How to Connect with a clearly defined group of people
• Why you need to Capture the interest of prospects who aren’t ready to buy yet
• Why people buy Offers, not lists of HR services
• How Connect, Capture and Convert work together to create a proper pipeline

If you’ve ever thought “I’m doing all the things, so why isn’t anything happening?” or “Why does finding my next client still feel like luck?”, this episode will help you see what’s missing.

You don’t need thousands of followers.

You don’t need to spend every evening networking.

And you don’t need to become pushy or salesy.

You need a clear route that takes somebody from discovering you to understanding why they need you — and what they can buy.

👉 Listen now and discover how to stop feeling like an invisible expert.

And if you’re listening before Monday 24 August, join me at Pipeline Playbook Live, my free online event for independent HR consultants who want a clearer, more predictable route to clients.

Check the link below to register — or, if the event has already taken place, look for details of my next free live event.

https://theinfluentialconsultant.co.uk/free-event-for-hr-experts/

Want more help getting leads and clients for your HR consultancy?

See all the ways I can help you here:

https://nickponinski.com/work-with-nick

Want to build a more predictable pipeline of leads and clients — and grow your HR consultancy to £100K and beyond?

Check out your options here:

https://nickponinski.com/work-with-nick

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Paul Neal, from Verdant Purpose HR.

An HR consultant who went from posting, hoping and winging it to finally building a consultancy he could rely on.

When Paul first came to me, he was doing what most HR consultants quietly end up doing:

• Posting on LinkedIn when he remembered

• Taking the odd referral

• Trying to be consistent without any real structure

• Wondering why everything still felt unpredictable

He wasn’t doing anything “wrong”… he just didn’t have a system that actually worked.

In this conversation, Paul shares the exact moment everything clicked — the moment he stopped winging it, narrowed his niche, plugged in a simple, controlled funnel, and finally started feeling confident about where his next clients were coming from.

We talk about:

• The mistakes almost every HR consultant makes at the start
• How Paul realised he was building his business backwards
• Why “generic HR content” was killing his engagement
• The mindset shift that changed how he sold his services
• The sales call that closed in 7 minutes
• How niching into charities transformed his clarity and results
• Why a predictable pipeline gave him the confidence to think bigger

If you’ve ever thought “I should be further ahead by now” or “I’m doing all the things but nothing feels predictable,” this episode will feel like looking in a mirror.

Paul’s story is proof that when you add structure, clarity and a simple system — everything changes.

👉 Listen now and see what’s possible for your own consultancy.

Want to build a more predictable pipeline of leads and clients — and grow your HR consultancy to £100K and beyond?

Check out your options here:

https://nickponinski.com/work-with-nick

If you’re an HR Consultant who’s tired of the feast-and-famine cycle — one month fully booked, the next wondering where the next client will come from — this episode is going to feel like a turning point.

In this conversation, Lucia shares how she went from “no idea where my next client is coming from” to building a predictable, confidence-boosting pipeline that works quietly in the background while she gets on with client work.

Here’s what you’ll take away:

• Why relying on referrals and hope keeps so many HR Consultants stuck — and why Lucia felt that panic of “nothing on the horizon” before working with me.
• The simple shifts she made that turned overwhelm into clarity and gave her a clear, repeatable plan for finding clients.
• How building her first funnel (and later, her own ads) changed the way she thought about marketing forever.
• Why predictability isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing the right things in the right order.
• How having structure, support, and accountability helped her finally stop winging it and start growing with intention.
• The surprising confidence that comes from knowing you can turn leads on and off whenever you need to.

If you’re done with guessing, done with waiting, and done with feeling like you’re “one dry month away” from panic…

Lucia’s story will show you what becomes possible once you finally have a system you can trust.

Tune in — this might be the moment everything clicks.

Want to build a more predictable pipeline of leads and clients — and grow your HR consultancy to £100K and beyond?

Check out your options here:

https://nickponinski.com/work-with-nick

If you’re an HR Consultant who wants to offer something your competitors don’t, something that instantly makes clients trust you more and rely on you more… this episode is for you.

I sat down with Tom Vivace — People expert, L&D specialist, and Founder of Viva People — to unpack why colour profiling is one of the simplest commercial advantages any HR consultant can add to their business.

In this conversation, you’ll hear:

• Why colour profiling cuts through drama and turns complex behaviour into a simple, shared language.
• How it helps you diagnose problems before they become grievances.
• Why it’s easier to sell than you think — and why clients usually refer you after doing it.
• How you can use it to coach leaders, build better teams, and add real value to every proposal.
• The truth about natural vs. adapted behaviour, and why understanding both changes the way you work.

So if you want a simple, affordable, high-impact service that helps you stand out from every other HR consultant… tune in.

This might be the missing piece you’ve been looking for.

Here's the link to get in touch with Tom: https://vivapeople.co.uk/

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction: Why HR Consultants Need Strategic Tools Beyond Policies
01:00 – What Is Colour Profiling? Simple Definition for HR Consultants
02:30 – How Psychometrics Improve Communication, Teamwork, and Culture
04:10 – The Real Reason Businesses Love Colour Profiling (Easy to Understand Results)
05:20 – Why Colour Profiling Works at Every Level: Junior to C-Suite
06:40 – Using Colour Profiling to Fix Poor Email Communication and Misunderstandings
08:00 – Why HR Teams Use Psychometrics: Conflict Reduction and Psychological Safety
10:10 – Colour Profiling for Change Management and Team Restructures
12:00 – How HR Consultants Can Use Colour Profiling in Recruitment and Onboarding
14:10 – The Commercial Impact: Reducing Grievances, Drama, and HR Headaches
16:00 – How Colour Profiling Builds Stronger Teams and Faster Rapport
18:00 – Real Example: Opposites Working Together (Yellow vs Blue Energy)
21:00 – Natural vs Adapted Behaviour: What HR Consultants Must Understand
24:20 – Why Your Colour Profile Changes Over Time (And What That Means for Clients)
27:00 – How to Sell Colour Profiling as a High-Value HR Service
29:00 – ROI: Engagement, Retention, Communication and Leadership Development
32:00 – How HR Consultants Can Add Colour Profiling to Their Offers Immediately
34:00 – Where to Start: Getting Trained, Qualified, or Partnering with Tom
35:30 – Final Advice for HR Consultants: Why Colour Profiling Is a Commercial Advantage
36:03 – Outro: Why This Tool Helps You Stand Out in a Crowded HR Market

Want to build a more predictable pipeline of leads and clients — and grow your HR consultancy to £100K and beyond?

Check out your options here:

https://nickponinski.com/work-with-nick

We all want things to move forward — more income, stronger relationships, better health, a business that feels easier and more rewarding.

But here’s the simple truth: You don’t get new results by doing the same old things.

Most people try to upgrade their life while keeping everything else the same — same habits, same prices, same routines, same thinking. Then they wonder why nothing shifts.

In this Sunday Session, I’m exploring why what got you here won’t get you there — and why growth only happens when you’re willing to evolve.

We dig into everything from maintaining your health and relationships to the mindset shift needed to go from £100K to £200K — because you can’t network your way to the next level. At some point, you need a new approach.

You’ll hear a simple analogy about a new-build house losing its shine, and how it perfectly mirrors what happens when we stop improving ourselves.

So tune in, reflect, and ask yourself: What needs to change if you want things to change?

Because how we change… is how we grow.

Want to build a more predictable pipeline of leads and clients — and grow your HR consultancy to £100K and beyond?

Check out your options here:

https://nickponinski.com/work-with-nick