The HR Connection

HR As A Business Partner, Not Just As An Admin

If you're an HR professional in a small business—or someone wearing multiple hats including HR—this episode of The HR Connection is for you. Host Sabrina Baker unpacks one of the most common frustrations in small companies: HR is often seen as just administrative support, not a key driver of business growth.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why HR is frequently viewed as a cost center in small businesses
What stops HR from stepping into a more strategic role
How to start being seen—and acting—as a strategic business partner
5 powerful questions to ask leadership to align HR with business goals
How to use data, metrics, and business language to build credibility
Whether you're a solo HR manager, a startup leader managing people ops, or part of a growing team, this episode offers practical, real-world advice to elevate your HR role and make a bigger impact on your organization.

What does good HR look like in a Small Employer?

Join Sabrina Baker, HR expert and founder of Acacia HR Solutions, as she dives into the essential HR principles for small businesses. In this podcast, Sabrina shares actionable insights on how to adapt HR practices to fit unique team dynamics, foster employee engagement, and build loyalty—all while working with limited resources.
Learn why personalization, generalist knowledge, and the ability to juggle both tactical and strategic HR tasks are crucial for small businesses. Sabrina also explores how to manage HR effectively, from the very first employee to scaling your organization, with a focus on creating a positive employee experience.
Whether you're an HR leader or a business owner, Sabrina provides practical advice for creating strong HR infrastructure that supports growth, compliance, and retention. Tune in for tips, resources, and strategies that will help your small business thrive!

Small vs Large Employers in HR

Welcome back to The HR Connection Podcast! In this episode, host Sabrina Baker—CEO and founder of Acacia HR Solutions—dives into what makes managing HR in a small business (think 1 to 500 employees) so vastly different from doing it in a large organization.
From the “wild, wild west” of HR structures in startups to the deeply personal, small-town feel of close-knit teams, Sabrina shares why small employers operate on a completely different playing field. She unpacks key differences around priorities, budgets, resources, structure, and flexibility—while also highlighting the unique opportunities that come with managing HR in this space.
Whether you're a team of 20 where the marketing guy suddenly becomes HR, or a founder wearing every C-suite hat imaginable, this episode is for you. Tune in to hear why small business HR isn’t just challenging—it can also be a whole lot of fun.

HR Connection Pilot Episode -

Welcome to The HR Connection! In this first episode, Sabrina shares why managing HR in small businesses is a whole different world—and why this podcast is here to help. Whether you're HR, a CEO wearing all the hats, or someone who just “fell into” HR, you're not alone. Let’s talk real challenges, soft skills, and building the support you’ve been missing.