Fractional HR & People Experience Support

A trusted HR partner for the messy people stuff — and the growth ahead.

Start With Heart works alongside founders, GMs and managers to handle difficult people matters, build better systems and strengthen leadership, without the overhead of a full-time HR team.

Talk through your people challenge See how I can help

Melbourne-based. Flexible support. Clear, practical next steps.

Sound familiar?

You may be here because…

  • A difficult employee or workplace issue is starting to escalate.

  • Managers need help handling performance, conflict or accountability.

  • Business growth has outpaced roles, systems and communication.

  • You need experienced HR support, but not another full-time employee.

You do not need to have the solution worked out before making contact. Start with what is happening, and we will work out the right next step.

How I Help

Practical support for where your business is now

  • 01

    Ongoing HR Partner

    Fractional or embedded HR support for businesses that need a trusted person in their corner. This can include ongoing advice, manager support, employee relations, documentation, recruitment and day-to-day problem solving.

  • 02

    People Foundations

    Contracts, policies, position descriptions, onboarding, role clarity and performance processes that are designed around the actual business, not copied from a generic template library.

  • 03

    Tricky People Matters

    Calm, practical support with performance concerns, conflict, grievances, difficult conversations, workplace change and sensitive employee situations.

  • 04

    Growth, Structure & Leadership

    Support with organisational structure, reporting lines, leadership capability, team rhythms, accountability, culture, engagement and larger People & Culture projects.

The difference

More than templates. Better judgement.

Good HR is not just knowing the process. It is understanding the people involved, the needs of the business and what is really happening beneath the issue.

Start With Heart helps leaders balance care, clarity, accountability, risk and commercial reality, and then turns that thinking into practical action.

Human connection is not the soft stuff. It’s the strategy.

Who It's For

Built for growing businesses that want to lead well

Start With Heart works with founders, owners, GMs and managers in businesses that have outgrown informal people management but are not ready for a large internal HR function.

The approach is particularly suited to hands-on and operational businesses, where leaders are close to the work and need advice that is realistic, usable and grounded in the day-to-day business. It is a practical alternative to outsourced HR for small business owners who want a familiar, senior People & Culture consultant rather than a call centre.

  • You care about culture and commercial performance.
  • You want more structure without becoming overly corporate.
  • Your managers need practical support and confidence.
  • You want a trusted advisor who becomes familiar with the business.
Todd Rogerson, People & Culture consultant and founder of Start With Heart
Todd Rogerson, founder

Meet Todd

Meet Todd Rogerson

I created Start With Heart because I believe the best People & Culture work happens when commercial thinking and human understanding come together.

I work alongside owners and managers to understand what is really happening, help them say the hard things well and build practical people systems that stick.

My approach is warm and supportive, but I am also direct, commercially grounded and focused on action. The aim is not to make a business more corporate. It is to help good people lead more clearly, confidently and consistently.

Recent work includes

  • Building practical leadership and manager training programs
  • Supporting complex employee relations and workplace matters
  • Redesigning roles, reporting lines and performance processes
  • Running recruitment and onboarding for critical roles
  • Helping businesses navigate growth and organisational change

Why Start With Heart

What working together looks like

  • I get close to the business

    I take the time to understand the people, operation and context rather than advising from a distance.

  • I help handle the conversation

    You will not simply receive a letter or process and be left to deliver it alone.

  • I balance people and commercial reality

    The advice considers employee impact, business needs, workplace risk and what is realistically achievable.

  • I leave useful structure behind

    The goal is to build confidence, tools and systems that leaders can continue using.

Contact

Not sure what kind of HR support you need?

Tell me what is happening. We will have a no-obligation conversation, make sense of the situation and identify the clearest practical next step.

No hard sell. No obligation. Sensitive enquiries are treated discreetly.

  1. You send a short note about what is going on.
  2. We have a no-obligation chat about what you need.
  3. You get a clear, practical way forward.

Prefer email? Reach me at todd@startwithheart.com

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