HR That Works for You:
Customizable HR services for growing small businesses
From the hire in front of you to the systems you know you need, we tailor HR support to fit your business and build your team's ability to lead people well.
Our Approch
At E Factor Leadership, we help small business owners handle their people issues and build teams that can lead people well.
You have grown your business by caring about the work and the people who do it. Somewhere along the way, the people side landed mostly on you. Hiring, a tricky employee situation, the handbook you keep meaning to finish. It is a lot to carry alone.
That is where we come in. With more than 30 years of HR experience across many industries, we bring grounded, customized support to the exact challenge in front of you. Not a template. Not a one-size-fits-all program. We read your situation, give you honest advice, and build your team's ability to handle the people side so it stops landing only on you.
When your people feel valued and your team knows how to lead well, the effect reaches everyone. Your employees, your customers, and the business you have worked so hard to grow.
We are not here to solve your HR challenges and leave you dependent on us. We are here to be a partner in the growth of your business, and to leave you more capable than we found you.
OUR SERVICES
Human Resource Management/Fractional CHRO
You may not need a full-time HR leader, but you do need the expertise. We bring strategic HR guidance and hands-on support to your business, whether you want a trusted advisor for the big decisions or a steady partner for the day-to-day. From compliance to talent strategy to building a culture people want to stay in, you get the leadership you need, when you need it, without the full-time overhead.
Leadership Training and Development
Strong people leadership is the difference between a team that struggles and a team that thrives. We equip your managers and owners with the skills and confidence to lead well. Behavioral interviewing, communication, conflict resolution, employee engagement. Whether you are developing a new manager or sharpening a seasoned one, we give your team the tools to lead people with confidence, so the people side does not rest on one person.
A La Carte Human Resource Projects
Sometimes you need expert help on one specific thing. A handbook that finally fits your business. A hiring process that finds the right people. A compliance gap you want closed. Our project-based work gives you targeted support exactly when you need it, without a long-term commitment. You get the expertise and the result, and you keep the systems we build together.
Dr. Kimberly D Washburn
I am Dr. Kimberly Washburn, a compassionate and strategic leadership developer with more than three decades of HR experience across many industries. I help small business owners become exceptional people leaders, turning the employee experience into a real advantage for the business.
By connecting problems with solutions through a caring, coaching-centered approach, I help leaders build high-performing, loyal teams that grow with the business. My strength is seeing how systems, teams, and leadership fit together, so the strategies I bring address the whole picture rather than one piece of it.
As both consultant and coach, I guide leaders through learning, doing, and reflecting, so the change lasts after I am gone. What I care about most is helping leaders know themselves and bring out the best in the people around them. I serve as a trusted partner in shaping a workplace culture people are proud of.
Beyond the work, I am a dedicated spouse, an animal lover, and a Pacific Northwest resident. My values of compassion and connection show up in everything I do.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have employees, you have people situations, and those do not wait until you are bigger. Most of the owners I work with are running growing businesses of roughly 20 to 40 people and have been handling the people side themselves. You do not need a full HR department. You need the right support at the right moment, sized to where you are now.
No. That is the thing I do not do. Every business communicates and operates differently, so I read your situation and shape the work to it. And I do not create a dependency on me. I build your team's ability to handle the people side, so you are more capable after we work together, not more reliant on an outside consultant.
It starts with a conversation, not a contract. We talk through what is on your plate, and I bring back a clear proposal shaped to your real needs. Some owners start with one specific project, like a hiring process or a handbook. Others want ongoing HR guidance without the full-time cost. There is no set package you have to squeeze into. We figure out what fits.
The opposite is the goal. The point of this work is to take the people side off your plate and leave your team able to carry it. You should feel freed up, not more managed. I handle the complexity so you can get back to running your business.
That is often exactly when owners reach out. The nuanced people call, where you want to do the right thing and stay out of trouble, is where 30 years of experience helps most. You do not have to have it figured out before we talk. We can figure it out together.
