Bringing
People & Culture Expertise to Small (or Growing) Businesses

Your growing business deserves professional people operations without the full-time price tag.

As a small business owner, you're wearing too many hats. HR shouldn't be one of them.

I’m the People & Culture expert who solves remote startup team disconnection by creating bridges across time zones, fostering a sense of belonging, and shared purpose.

I partner with small business owners and founders and CEOs who are ready to build exceptional workplace cultures and employer branding initiatives but don't need (or can't afford) a full-time HR leader.

My mission is simple: Help small businesses create thriving workplaces through practical, affordable people operations solutions.

After 6+ years working in TA, HR, and People Operations across startups and established companies, I noticed a pattern. Small business owners were struggling with the same people challenges as larger organizations, but without the resources to address them properly.

That's why I created brndfwd (read: Brand Forward), to provide fractional People & Culture expertise and ready-to-use frameworks that actually work for small businesses.

No corporate jargon. No unnecessary complexity. Just practical tools and expert guidance when you need it.

Hi, I'm Nikola

How will I help your business

Fractional
People & Culture Partner


Get expert People Operations support without full-time costs. I'll work with you only on the stuff that your business actually needs, such as:

  • Design and implement essential people processes

  • Create or refine your employee handbook and policies

  • Develop performance management frameworks

  • Improve your recruitment, hiring, and onboarding systems and processes

  • Build your Employer Brand and EVP (Employee Value Proposition)

  • Handle sensitive employee issues professionally

  • Ensure compliance with employment regulations

  • And more!

Perfect for: Small businesses with 3-200 headcount who need professional HR expertise but aren't ready for a full-time hire or just need help with specific areas.

Starting at €1800

Custom Workshops & Training


Upskill your leadership team with targeted training on:

  • Manager Effectiveness

  • Giving Constructive Feedback

  • Building Team Cohesion

  • Conflict Resolution

  • Creating Psychologically Safe Teams

  • Sometimes, a business needs someone external to audit the processes, I can help

  • And more!

Perfect for: Growing teams that need to develop leadership capabilities.

Starting at €500

HR -> PX made simple, scalable, and effective.

With fractional People & Culture support, you’ll have access to top-tier expertise without the overhead of hiring full-time staff. Let me take care of the details so you can focus on growing your business.

WORKED WITH

Helping SaaS startups build their HR systems
Helping fintech startups build their HR systems
Peaq logo Helping web3 companies build their HR systems with fractional HR
Helping small businesses build their processes
Processes and structures
Black hexagonal icon with three hexagons connected
Abstract grayscale geometric shape on black background.

My Approach

Understand

First, I take the time to truly understand your business, team dynamics, growth plans, and specific challenges. No cookie-cutter solutions here.

1

Prioritize

We identify the highest-impact people operations improvements that will solve your immediate pain points while setting foundations for growth.

2

3

Implement

Whether I'm implementing solutions for you or providing you with templates and guidance, everything is tailored to work for your specific business context.

Evolve

People operations isn't "set it and forget it." I provide ongoing support or check-ins to ensure systems evolve as your business grows.

4

  • My fractional partnerships typically range from 5-20 hours per month, depending on your needs and team size. We'll determine the right scope during our discovery call. Monthly retainers start at $1500, with flexible month-to-month agreements.

  • Absolutely! Unlike most HR templates designed for larger organizations, mine are specifically created for small businesses with 3-50 employees. They're comprehensive enough to be effective but streamlined to be practical for small teams.

  • Yes, though I'm not a lawyer. My frameworks incorporate best practices for employment compliance, and I can coordinate with your legal counsel when needed. For small businesses, having basic systems in place significantly reduces compliance risks.

  • Three key differences: 1) I focus exclusively on small businesses, not corporate environments; 2) I provide practical solutions, not complex systems that gather dust; and 3) I emphasize building cultures people love, not just administrative compliance.

  • Most clients see meaningful improvements within the first month. For template users, you can implement basic frameworks in just a few days with the help of my video guides.

FAQs