Matt McFarlane, Founder of FNDN, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about how to build a successful HR consulting business, why niching down and strong branding matter, and how to create sustainable growth through content, community, and a portfolio career.
----
Sponsor Links:
🔗 Book a conversation with Compete at compete.com/mpl
🔗 Learn more about Tilt at hellotilt.com/mpl
MPL Links:
🔗 Go sign up for MPL Build.
----
(05:07) Matt’s Career Story: From In-House HR to Founder of FNDN
(08:03) Why Compensation Became Matt’s Core Focus Area
(11:34) Taking the Leap: Leaving In-House and Starting from Scratch
(12:09) Early Validation: Talking to Customers Before Selling
(15:59) Finding a Niche: From Broad HR to Focused Compensation Services
(17:19) The Importance of Customer Research and Feedback Loops
(20:17) Building a Brand That Stands Out in HR Consulting
(23:51) First Clients: How Matt Landed His Initial Work Without Cold Outreach
(27:09) Using LinkedIn and Content to Build Trust and Generate Inbound Leads
(30:00) Pricing Your Services: From Salary Goals to Hourly Rates
(36:49) Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Charging What You’re Worth
(41:18) The Challenges of Going Solo: Isolation and Losing Team Dynamics
(43:04) The First Invoice Moment and Early Wins as a Founder
(44:58) Reflecting on Growth: Building a Business and Lifestyle by Design
(48:22) From Consulting to a Portfolio Career: Expanding Beyond Time-for-Money
(50:28) Launching a Podcast and Newsletter as Growth Channels
(52:26) Creating Startup People Summit: Building Community and Events
(54:20) Lessons from Running Events and Building in Public
(56:44) Brand Playbook: Intentionality, Consistency, and Differentiation
(01:01:31) Where to Find Matt and His Work
----
📬 Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get episode recaps
💡 Follow The Modern People Leader on LinkedIn
😊 Follow Daniel Huerta on LinkedIn
😊 Follow Stephen Huerta on LinkedIn
----
Past guests on MPL include Brené Brown, Annie Dean (VP of Team Anywhere, Atlassian), Josh Bersin, Katie Burke (Chief People Officer, Harvey), Liz Fosslien, Helen Russell (Chief People Officer, HubSpot), Dave Scott (Chief People Officer, ADT), Melanie Rossenwasser (Chief People Officer, Dropbox), Crystal Boysen (Chief People Officer, Sprout Social), and many more.
