Erin | Hermitage Consultancy | People Partner for SME Founders & Business Owners
I solve people problems before they become big, expensive ones.
I’m Erin, founder of Hermitage Consultancy. After 22 years in recruitment, I made a decision: stop being a recruiter and start being a People Partner.
There’s a difference. A recruiter fills a vacancy. A People Partner helps you figure out why you keep having one.
I work with SME founders and MDs – typically businesses with 10 to 200 people – who are growing, changing, or simply tired of making expensive hiring mistakes. My clients don’t just get a shortlist. They get someone in their corner who understands people, culture, and what it actually takes to build a team that works.
WHAT I DO
Hiring right – I manage permanent and temporary recruitment end to end, with 22 years of judgment behind every shortlist. You’re not buying a CV. You’re buying the expertise to know which CV matters.
Leading confidently – I support founders and managers through the people conversations that feel hard: performance, culture fit, team dynamics, difficult decisions.
Removing HR admin burden – through my retained People Partner packages, I become your embedded HR resource. No hiring a full HR department. No navigating it alone.
The People Concierge – for business owners who want expert people support without the commitment of a retainer. Book a focused session with me, get clear advice, a clear action, and walk away knowing exactly what to do next. No bullsh!t.
WHAT WORKS FOR MY CLIENTS
“Most repeat hiring problems aren’t a candidate problem. They’re a clarity problem.”
This landed with a lot of business owners — because it’s true. The problem usually isn’t that the right people don’t exist. It’s that the brief was vague, the culture wasn’t defined, or the role had grown beyond what was originally hired for. I fix that before we go anywhere near a job advert.
WHO I’M LOOKING TO CONNECT WITH
Founders or MDs with 10 –150 staff who:
— Are about to hire and want to get it right first time
— Have made a bad hire recently and want to understand why
— Are growing fast and their people processes haven’t kept up
— Want an experienced person in their corner without the cost of a full-time HR hire
FREE TALENT AUDIT
If you’re not sure whether your hiring process is working for you, I offer a free talent audit to allow businesses to truly understand where they are, where they want to go and where the risks lie. There no obligation to use my services afterwards and you’ll even walk away with a report!
