The Moss HR Minute

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In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Ryan Leddy, Head of Partnerships and Senior Digital Strategist at Hoopless Marketing. Ryan leads client strategy for a fractional digital marketing firm dedicated to eliminating the "hoops" and vanity metrics often found in the agency world, focusing instead on ROI-driven results for local industries.

The conversation focuses on how business owners can stop spending money on marketing that doesn't tie back to revenue. Ryan breaks down the critical difference between "vanity metrics" like impressions and "bankable metrics" like phone calls and conversions. They also explore the shift from hiring a marketing vendor to embedding a fractional strategist who shares a fiduciary responsibility to the business's bottom line.

Key topics discussed in this episode include:

• Evaluating Real ROI: Why your agency should be eager to prove how many times your phone actually rang.
• The Power of the Map Pack: Why being in the top three local search results is crucial for capturing 75% of page clicks.
• Navigating AI Search: Understanding "zero-click" searches and why core SEO fundamentals still dictate AI visibility.
• Vendor vs. Partner: Why a true partner leads with strategy and "leads and drives" rather than simply following tasks.
• The Role of Radical Honesty: Why business owners must expose the "skeletons" in their business to help fractional partners provide the best support.

This episode provides a practical framework for founders and operators to audit their current marketing efforts and ensure their visibility strategy is future-proofed against changing technology—all explained within one Moss Minute.

Guest Information Ryan Leddy, Hoopless Marketing Email: [email protected] Website: www.hoopless.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-leddy-01b27292/

Contact Moss Consulting

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:

https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:

www.mossconsulting.com

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@TheMossHRMinute

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In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Preslie Dusenbery, Phoenix HR Area Manager of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Brett McCleary and JR Tran-Reno from Holmes Murphy. As specialists in property and casualty risk, employee benefits, and long-term insurance strategies, Brett and JR address the growing frustration business owners face regarding rising premiums and unpredictable coverage.

This conversation peels back the curtain on why insurance costs have seen 28 consecutive quarters of increases and how factors like nuclear verdicts and inflationary pressures are driving the market. Brett and JR explain that insurance should not be viewed as a reactive "fire drill" but as a strategic five- to ten-year growth plan.

Key topics discussed include:
The "Million-Dollar Question": Understanding the external market forces—including weather patterns and litigation trends—that impact your bottom line.

Proactive vs. Reactive Risk Management: How to implement systems like telematics and safety training to prevent claims before they happen.

Safety Culture vs. Checking Boxes: Why true safety buy-in from leadership creates a "good story" that brokers can use to negotiate better rates.

The Consultant Interview: Why owners should interview multiple brokers but ultimately commit to one who understands their long-term vision.

The Worst-Day Action Plan: Crucial steps to take when a claim occurs—and why hiring outside counsel before calling your broker is a common mistake.

This episode is essential for founders and operators who feel like insurance decisions are being made to them rather than with them. By the end of this discussion, you will understand how to transform insurance from a top-three expense into a tool that supports your company’s scalability. Brett and JR also share their expert advice on reducing risk—all delivered within one Moss Minute.

Guest Information
Brett McCleary & JR Tran-Reno, Holmes Murphy
Website: www.holmesmurphy.com
Brett McCleary Email: [email protected]
Brett McCleary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-mccleary-399583182/
JR Tran-Reno LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrtranreno/

Contact Moss Consulting
Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show
@TheMossHRMinute

#hrsolutions #hrconsulting #texas

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In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Julie Barnett, Founder and Executive Director of Lomond Legal. Joined by Preslie Deusenbery, Moss Consulting’s Phoenix HR Area Manager, the conversation dives deep into the high-stakes world of employment law and the critical need for business owners to move from reactive panic to proactive protection.

Julie explains why the traditional hourly billing model often fails growing businesses, leading to "panic buying" legal services only after a crisis has hit. She shares insights into her innovative fixed-fee, all-inclusive legal model that provides employers with predictable costs and a passionate defense.

Key topics discussed in this episode include:

• The Psychology of Legal Risk: Understanding the difference between face value risk, true risk, and negotiation risk.
• The Fixed-Fee Revolution: Why predictability in legal costs allows founders to be proactive rather than waiting for a lawsuit to land on their doorstep.
• The Power of Documentation: Why Julie believes that if a conversation or incident isn't written down, it effectively never happened in the eyes of the law.
• Scaling Across Borders: The challenges and opportunities Julie faced when bringing her UK-tested legal model to the US market.
• The "Owner Mindset": Why employers deserve a legal and HR partner who thinks like a founder and takes their business challenges personally.

This episode is a must-watch for operators and founders who want to safeguard their businesses against EEOC claims and lawsuits while building a culture of transparency and credibility. Julie wraps up the session by sharing her best advice for reducing legal risk—delivered, of course, within one Moss Minute.

Guest Information Julie Barnett, Lomond Legal Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliebarnettel/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lomondlegal/

Contact Moss Consulting Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs: https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services: www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show @TheMossHRMinute

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In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss sits down with Russ Kimberlin, CPA and Managing Member of Kimberlin Company, PLLC, to talk about the financial and compliance realities business owners face as their companies grow.

Russ has spent more than two decades helping organizations navigate accounting, audits, compliance, and financial systems across industries including construction, healthcare, distribution, transportation, nonprofit organizations, and employee benefit plans. In this conversation, he shares practical insight on the financial side of running a business that many founders overlook until it becomes a serious problem.

Nicole and Russ discuss the importance of building strong financial processes early, the role of accounting leadership in supporting business growth, and how business owners can avoid costly mistakes by staying proactive with their financial systems and compliance requirements.

If you are a business owner trying to scale your company while keeping your finances, reporting, and compliance in order, this episode provides valuable perspective from someone who works with growing organizations every day.

This conversation is part of The Moss HR Minute, a podcast focused on helping business owners understand the people, systems, and leadership decisions that drive successful organizations.

Russ Kimberlin, CPA
Managing Member — Kimberlin Company, PLLC

Kimberlin Company, PLLC
106 S Kyrene Rd, Suite 2
Chandler, AZ 85226

Phone: (602) 649-1800
Email: [email protected]

Learn more:
https://www.kimberlincompany.com

Nicole Moss
Co-Founder, Moss Consulting HR Services

Business owners who need help building stronger HR systems, leadership processes, and compliant people operations can learn more here:

https://www.mossconsulting.com

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

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What does modern HR really look like — and how does it impact business growth?

In this full episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss sits down with Ashley Zieman, Area HR Manager with Moss Consulting HR Services, for a conversation that covers hiring, leadership decisions, rapid growth, and what it truly means to build a business through people.

Ashley shares her journey into HR, including a transformative experience at a SHRM event while earning her undergraduate degree at LSU. Hearing HR described as a function that can transform a business through its people reshaped her perspective and influenced the direction of her career.

Throughout this episode, Nicole and Ashley discuss:

• When to coach an employee — and when it’s time to separate
• Interview red flags, including lack of accountability and inability to articulate growth
• The systems every business needs to support rapid growth
• Why clear hiring processes, structured onboarding, and defined role expectations matter
• How strong HR leadership protects culture while driving performance

Whether you’re a founder, executive, or growing business owner, this episode offers practical insights into how strategic HR supports scaling, stability, and long-term success.

If you need support strengthening your hiring process, leadership structure, or HR systems, schedule time with Nicole Moss here:
https://meetings.hubspot.com/nicole-moss/meet-with-nicole

Follow and subscribe for more real-world HR strategy and leadership conversations from The Moss HR Minute.

Ashley works locally with clients in Houston, Texas and serves Moss Consulting clients nationwide. This episode was filmed in Houston.

#TheMossHRMinute #HRStrategy #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #HoustonBusiness #PeopleStrategy

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In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Jillian Renken, Marketing Manager at Frontera Search Partners and Co-Founder of PULSE Networking.

Jillian shares how intentional brand storytelling, authentic marketing, and community-driven events are reshaping how healthcare organizations connect with talent and leaders. Drawing on her experience building PULSE and leading marketing strategy at Frontera, Jillian explains why relationships — not transactions — are the foundation of sustainable growth.

Nicole and Jillian also discuss how healthcare brands can stand out in crowded markets, the role of trust and consistency in marketing, and why creating space for real connection matters now more than ever.

This episode is especially valuable for:

• Healthcare leaders and founders building brands with purpose
• Marketing and business development professionals
• Organizations focused on community, connection, and long-term growth

🎧 About the Guest
Jillian Renken is the Marketing Manager at Frontera Search Partners and Co-Founder of PULSE Networking, a healthcare leadership community designed to foster meaningful, agenda-free connections.

🔗 Connect with Jillian on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillianrenken/

🎙️ About the Show
The Moss HR Minute is hosted by Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, and focuses on modern HR, leadership, and people strategy for growing businesses.

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute

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In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Alyssa Chavez, HR Manager at Moss Consulting HR Services, to answer the real HR and payroll questions small and mid-sized business owners are asking right now.

Nicole puts Alyssa on the spot with a series of direct, practical questions — and Alyssa delivers concise, actionable guidance within one Moss Minute on each topic. The conversation covers overlooked compliance risks, common payroll mistakes that cost businesses money and credibility, and the foundational HR processes companies should build before investing in software.

Key topics include:

• The most overlooked HR compliance risk facing small businesses today
• Payroll mistakes that lead to misclassification, overtime, and multi-state tax issues
• Why onboarding is the most important HR process to build first
• How proactive processes prevent costly problems down the line

This episode is especially valuable for business owners who want to protect their company, support their employees, and build scalable HR systems the right way.

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute

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What is the actual operational toll of an inefficient, fragmented software stack on your corporate revenue stream? In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Marc Martin, an HCM Consultant at Paylocity. Marc brings a wealth of workplace technology and payroll infrastructure expertise to a high-level conversation centered on navigating the hyper-competitive human capital market.

The discussion targets the invisible liabilities that drain profitability and workforce retention from fast-growing organizations, ranging from fractured, multiple-platform legacy vendors to administrative burnout from level-one employee questions. Marc shares how Paylocity leverages in-house coded technology, agentic artificial intelligence, and turnkey API connectivity to simplify back-end accounting workflows while maintaining a highly engaging, unified employee experience.

Key topics discussed in this episode include:

• The Danger of Fragmented Legacy Platforms: Why relying on vendors that split their small business and enterprise segments across entirely separate software systems forces disruptive, high-cost re-implementations down the road.
• The Single-Platform Advantage: How utilizing one scalable, in-house coded HRIS from headcount milestone 2 to 50,000 provides complete quality control and eliminates data migration friction.
• Predictable Unlimited Payroll Streaming: Shifting financial forecasting from variable, per-frequency transactional billing to a transparent, flat monthly SaaS subscription model.
• Deploying In-App Agentic AI Assistance: Utilizing proprietary prompt-based algorithms to securely scan complex internal documentation—including company handbooks, benefits guides, and hazmat protocols—to eliminate basic administrative friction.
• Leveraging Core Systems for Revenue Streams: Transitioning your tech stack beyond standard employee tracking to handle robust data reporting fields for Guided AP, procurement, and corporate asset assignment.
• Driving Modern Workforce Retention and Flexibility: Offering innovative, single-sign-on perks like On-Demand Pay and non-liability PTO-to-cash exchange integrations to optimize the frontline worker experience.

Marc highlights how aligning yourself with an intuitive, unified system protects your operational momentum and shifts human resources directors out of the administrative weeds to focus entirely on high-level long-term strategy—all explained within one Moss Minute.

Guest Information 

Marc Martin, HCM Consultant at Paylocity 

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 346-459-0767 Website: paylocity.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-c-martin/

Contact Moss Consulting 

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs: https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services: www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:

@TheMossHRMinute

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In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, is joined by Hecia Mpanga, HR Manager at Moss Consulting HR Services, to tackle some of the most common — and costly — challenges business owners face when managing people and payroll.

Drawing on his extensive experience in HRIS, payroll software, and HR operations, Hecia shares best practices and pitfalls to avoid, especially for growing businesses. Nicole asks five direct questions based on what Houston-area business owners are asking right now, and Hecia delivers concise, practical answers that are immediately useful.

This episode is packed with actionable insight for business owners who want to improve how they manage teams, choose payroll systems, and build a strong operational foundation.

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs:
https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:
www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:
@TheMossHRMinute

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What happens to your organizational stability when strategic expansion moves faster than your underlying corporate infrastructure? 

In this episode of The Moss HR Minute, Nicole Moss, Co-Founder of Moss Consulting HR Services, sits down with Joaquin "JQ" Segl, President of Segl Consulting and Vice President of Administration at Paradigm Traffic Systems. JQ brings over a decade of high-level international channel distribution and sales strategy experience across the United States, Canada, and Latin America to help growing companies map out purposeful expansions.

The conversation deep dives into the hidden risks that texturally challenge creative entrepreneurs who scale into new operational environments without establishing proper administrative baselines. JQ shares his philosophy on human capital as a core business anchor, moving past commoditized "big broker" advice to find agile mid-market partnerships that aggressively align with a client-first philosophy.

Key topics discussed in this episode include:

• The Internal Communication Gap during Expansion: Why failing to thoroughly articulate the "why" behind regional growth to your existing staff creates sudden operational friction and strategic misalignment.
• Minimum Viable Validation Points: Leveraging organic word-of-mouth recommendations and clear client validation as explicit indicator flags to greenlight regional expansion.
• Overcoming Growth-Stage Imposter Syndrome: Reframing founder self-doubt as an indicator of healthy, rapid organizational maturity.
• The Core Brand Alignment Rule for Distributors: Why choosing medium- or smaller-sized representative agencies prevents your message from getting diluted by bloated corporate catalogs.
• Building a Solid Administrative Team Core: Stabilizing critical multi-state tax compliance, legal frameworks, and payroll structures before deploying marketing or sales assets into new territories.
• Empowerment Over Authoritarian Leadership: Transforming an underperforming workforce into an autonomous asset by establishing unearned baseline trust and facilitating creative freedom.

JQ outlines how to systematically de-risk geographic expansion while protecting work-life balance through innovative concepts like "The Friday Initiative," proving that internal cultural trust directly safeguards external market execution—all explained within one Moss Minute.

Guest Information 

Joaquin "JQ" Segl, President of Segl Consulting & VP of Administration at Paradigm Traffic Systems 

Email: [email protected] 

Website: seglconsulting.com

Contact Moss Consulting

Book time with Nicole to talk about your HR needs: https://mossconsulting.com/book-a-free-consultation

Learn more about Moss Consulting HR Services:

www.mossconsulting.com

Follow the show:

@TheMossHRMinute