Kara Kara: Beyond the Box: How HR Pros Can Design the Consulting Career They Want

Guest Post by Kara D. Kelley, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, CEO of Clinical HR

Like many professionals who find themselves in HR, I never really fit into a pre-made box. 

Before I ever launched my own consulting firm, I had the privilege of working in a unique role inside a CPA firm that specialized in serving a specific niche. My title didn’t fit neatly into one box either, because my work didn’t. I was part Business Development consultant, part client HR advisor, part Marketing Director, part Office Manager, part internal HR - you get the picture. “Queen of the Hyphen,” whose job description would have extended into a double-digit page count if I wrote it as one. On any given day, I might be helping clinical leaders with their employee relations issues, developing growth strategies with partners, recruiting a bookkeeper, drafting handbooks or business  plans, migrating databases for the firm, building a website, designing the next brochure for a marketing campaign, or delivering presentations to position the firm as the go-to resource for clients.

On any given day, I might be helping clinical leaders with employee relations issues, drafting business plans, migrating databases, recruiting staff, building a website, or presenting to position the firm as the go-to resource for clients.

That experience gave me far more than a résumé line. It gave me a front-row seat to the challenges and opportunities business leaders face, and it taught me how HR decisions directly shape growth, financial outcomes, and brand reputation. Working alongside accountants and executive advisors also sharpened my understanding of how business operations and people strategy intersect.

So when I stepped into independent consulting, I wasn’t naïve about entrepreneurship. I already knew what it meant to serve a defined niche and create real value. The difference was, this time, I had the freedom to design a business that was mine.

Building on a Strong Foundation

When I launched my own HR consulting practice, I didn’t start by asking, “Who should I serve?” That was already clear. I had spent years working with dental and medical practice owners, speaking their language, understanding their pain points, and building relationships in their community. I knew that this was where I could make the biggest impact - and where I could stand out.

Instead of trying to serve everyone, I doubled down on what I already knew best. That decision gave me clarity from day one, and it’s what allowed me to build momentum quickly. Within months, I wasn’t just another consultant offering generic HR services. I was a trusted partner to  leaders who wanted to build practices worth working for.

And let me tell you: those skills weren’t developed in any HR degree program. Nor was the confidence to take the leap into independent consulting.

The Leap Isn’t About Quitting - It’s About Reframing

Certification is powerful. It validates your knowledge, gives you professional credibility, and ensures you’re current on compliance. I recommend it wholeheartedly, especially in fields where post-nominals carry weight. 

But certification alone isn’t the whole picture. When you step into consulting, it becomes the foundation - not the structure. Building that structure requires clarity about your services, confidence in how you show up, and a process to connect with the right clients.

That’s where many HR professionals get stuck.

Why HR Professionals Struggle with Consulting

In my work coaching entrepreneurial HR professionals, three challenges appear again and again:

• Clarity: Trying to serve everyone means you stand out to no one.

• Confidence: HR pros are often comfortable behind the scenes, but consulting asks you to be the face of your business.

• Client Acquisition: HR expertise is one thing; creating a steady stream of clients is another. And it’s not about chasing people—it’s about building strategies that make the right clients find you.

None of these challenges are insurmountable. They simply require tools and structure.

What Happens When You Bridge the Gap

In 2020, I founded the HR Consultants Mastermind community on Facebook because I couldn’t find resources tailored specifically to independent HR consultants. HR resources existed. Consultant resources existed. But there was a gap for those of us building HR consulting businesses.

The group quickly grew, and I began developing tools, workshops, and training to support the community. Out of that came the very first version of Consulting with Confidence - a full-day virtual mastermind that gave HR professionals both clarity and actionable strategies.

Over the years, I’ve seen members of that community go from overwhelmed and hesitant to confident and thriving. Once they gained clarity on their services, identified their model client, and built a visibility strategy, things shifted.

Discovery calls became conversations instead of pitches. Prospects said “yes” more quickly. And perhaps most importantly, those professionals began to see themselves not just as HR experts - but as trusted business owners and thought leaders.

That shift in perspective is what opens the door to consulting with confidence.

Consulting With Confidence, 2.0

Last year, inspired by an invitation to present a course for HR Learns, I distilled the Consulting with Confidence mastermind into an information-packed virtual workshop. The next evolution of that original mastermind - updated, streamlined, and designed for the realities entrepreneurial HR professionals face in an AI-driven world - is launching on September 18th. 

In one intensive session, we work through:

• Defining your signature service and positioning it effectively.

• Creating a clear model client profile.

• Outlining a client acquisition process that works for you.

• Differentiating yourself as an authority in your space.

It’s not about theory - it’s about future-focused strategies you can act on immediately.

Saying “Yes” to Yourself

At its heart, transitioning from corporate HR and embracing entrepreneurship as an independent HR consultant isn’t only about serving clients. It’s about reclaiming your career on your terms.

The moment you stop waiting for someone else to validate you - through a job offer, a promotion, or a title - and get clear on what you really want to achieve, you open the door to building something bigger.

If you’ve been thinking about consulting, consider this your reminder: the expertise you’ve built in HR is more valuable than you realize. Your certification proves your foundation. Now it’s time to leverage it into a business that serves both your clients and you.

About Kara

Kara D. Kelley, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the CEO of Clinical HR LLC and founder of the Consultants Mastermind community. She serves as a Fractional HR Business Partner for culture-focused dental leaders who want to build a practice worth working for. Drawing on her background in marketing, leadership, and strategic HR, Kara also coaches entrepreneurial HR professionals to develop branding and growth strategies that position them as trusted authorities in their respective niches.