Episode 28

Fractional HR for Small Business | When to Hire HR & Protect Your Business

Published on: 5th August, 2026

Hiring employees is exciting—but it also comes with responsibilities many small business owners never expected.

In this episode of Giants Helping Giants, Lois Wyant talks with Penny McNerney, founder of Total Circle HR, about how fractional HR support helps growing businesses navigate hiring, onboarding, employee handbooks, compliance, payroll, documentation, and even difficult termination conversations.

If you're a home service business owner, contractor, or entrepreneur growing your team, this conversation will help you avoid costly mistakes while creating a better experience for both you and your employees.

In this episode you'll learn:

✔ When it's time to bring in HR support

✔ Why every business needs an employee handbook

✔ How to properly onboard new employees

✔ Common HR mistakes small business owners make

✔ Documentation tips that can protect your business

✔ How employment laws change as your business grows

✔ Why termination conversations require planning and empathy

✔ How fractional HR saves time and reduces risk

Growing your business doesn't mean you have to become an HR expert.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennymcnerney/

penny@totalcirclehr.com

totalcirclehr.com

Watch this episode to learn how having the right HR partner can protect your business while giving you more time to focus on growth.

🎥 Watch the full episode here:

https://youtu.be/T3qtVu1fMso

Learn more about Giants Helping Giants:

https://GiantsHelpingGiants.com

#SmallBusiness #HR #HiringEmployees #Entrepreneur #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #HomeServiceBusiness #FractionalHR #GiantsHelpingGiants #LoisWyant

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About the Podcast

Giants Helping Giants
Giants Helping Giants is a podcast for home service business owners who want to grow smarter, attract better customers, and build stronger companies. Hosted by Lois Wyant, each episode features conversations with entrepreneurs, coaches, and industry experts who help local businesses succeed. The show focuses on practical strategies that HVAC companies, plumbers, electricians, pest control businesses, roofers, solar installers, and other service professionals can use to generate more leads, improve their marketing, and scale their operations. Running a home service business is demanding. Owners are often balancing service calls, managing employees, handling customer expectations, and trying to keep their marketing working at the same time. Giants Helping Giants brings together experienced voices who share proven ideas, systems, and insights that can help contractors grow their businesses with more clarity and less chaos. Episodes explore topics such as contractor marketing strategies, lead generation for service companies, local SEO, automation tools, business systems, customer experience, and leadership for growing teams. The mission of the podcast is simple. Connect local business owners with the people, programs, and strategies that can help them build something bigger. If you run or work in a home service business and want practical ideas that actually work in the real world, this podcast is for you. Learn more at GiantsHelpingGiants.com.

About your host

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Lois Wyant