In this episode, host Granger Forson speaks with Claire Bennett, founder of Hornbeam Workplace Wellbeing. Claire shares her journey from a high-flying global corporate career to launching a mission-driven training and consultancy firm. They explore the critical difference between "box-ticking" mental health training and building a genuine culture of inclusion and wellbeing. Claire also opens up about the "loneliness" of the associate model and the hard-won realization that a business owner shouldn't—and can't—do everything alone.
Key Takeaways
- From Personal Drive to Professional Purpose: Claire started Hornbeam after seeing a best friend suffer severe health and legal consequences due to a poorly managed mental health crisis in the workplace.
- Consultancy vs. "Sheep Dip" Training: While Hornbeam offers accredited training like Mental Health First Aid, their focus has shifted to consultancy. This ensures businesses have the infrastructure to support staff before the training even begins.
- The Power of Surveys: Claire shares a success story of a high-pressure public sector client that achieved a massive reduction in sickness absence by first measuring employee welfare and then aligning leadership behaviors with wellbeing goals.
- Building Your "Right Arm": A major turning point for Claire was hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) and specialized IT support, allowing her to stop wasting hours on tasks outside her expertise.
- Resilience in the Face of COVID: Having registered her business just three weeks before the pandemic hit, Claire had to quickly pivot to online delivery and sharpen her problem-solving skills.
The "Hurdle": Balancing Core Revenue with New Service Growth
Claire faces the challenge of growing the consultancy side of her business while still needing to deliver the training that currently provides 70% of her revenue.
The Strategy & Coaching Discussion:
- The "Tweaking" Trap: Claire found herself spending too much time customizing consultancy services for every new sector, which stalled her lead generation efforts.
- Messaging Overload: By trying to solve every problem at once (productivity, legal compliance, attrition, sickness), the core message became diluted.
- Refining the Offer: Granger suggests that "niching" isn't just about sectors; it's about niching the message. Instead of offering everything, focus on one "door-opening" problem—like productivity or absenteeism—to start the conversation.
Claire’s Experiment for the Week
Claire plans to audit her different marketing messages, rank them by strength, and begin trialing them individually to see which one resonates most clearly with the market.
Resource Links & Contact Info
