Small Businesses Deserve Better Support.

That's the idea People Powered Business was built on, back in 2006, and still today.

For two decades we've worked exclusively with small and medium business owners across Australia, helping them hire right, manage well, avoid people drama and master the mental game of being the boss.

This is our story.

Our Story

Q: What is People Powered Business?

People Powered Business is an Australian HR and people management company dedicated exclusively to small and medium business owners. Founded in 2006 on the NSW Central Coast and now operating nationally, People Powered Business provides practical HR support, tools, resources and private mentoring to help small business owners build better teams, navigate HR compliance and master the mental game of being the boss.

Q: What does People Powered Business offer?

People Powered Business offers a range of support for small business owners across Australia. People Powered HR is an affordable monthly membership giving small business owners access to HR templates, tools, Fair Work compliance updates and expert support, built around the P.E.O.P.L.E. Pathway framework. Power BOSS is a private 6-month mentoring partnership for established business owners who want a trusted advisor in their corner for every people decision they face. Bespoke solutions are also available so we can meet you where you are at.

Q: Who is People Powered Business for?

People Powered Business works with Australian small business owners who have staff, typically between 3 and 40 employees, who want to get HR right, build stronger teams and feel more confident as the boss. Whether you're dealing with a people problem right now, trying to get ahead of one, or simply want the structure and support to lead your team well, there's a solution for where you are right now.

In March 2006, our Founder Kristy-Lee Billett quit a perfectly safe and secure job to chase something she believed in. Small businesses on the NSW Central Coast deserved practical, professional recruitment support that actually worked in the real world.

So she founded Footprint Recruitment to fill the gap.
A specialist recruitment agency dedicated to servicing Central Coast business owners. Word spread, the business grew quickly and before long, it became clear that recruitment alone was not enough.

Recruitment On Its Own Isn’t Enough

By 2010 it was clear: hiring was only part of the picture. If what existed beyond that was broken or non-existent, business owners would have a revolving door of people issues. They didn't just need help finding people. They needed help keeping and leading them.

The Fair Work Act had just landed, and small business owners were lost.

Confused and overwhelmed, no one was there to help them navigate these huge changes in their obligations. So Footprint HR launched, supporting small businesses with outsourced HR, performance management and people decisions. Work that was getting more complex by the year as teams expanded Modern Awards rolled in.

The business kept growing. More clients, bigger teams, more responsibility, and the same challenges kept showing up again and again. By 2012 the work consolidated under The Footprint Group, bringing recruitment and HR together under one banner.

The Footprint Group > People Powered Business

Timeline showing the evolution of People Powered Business from Footprint Recruitment in 2006 through to People Powered Business in 2024

Why “People Powered Business”?

Because businesses don't grow through systems alone. They grow through people, including the person at the top.

Getting your people right changes everything about how your business feels to run. And that's exactly what we're here to help you do.

Are you ready to have a People Powered Business?

Book a chat

Trusted by Clients Like You

"Being in People Powered HR means that I don't need to worry about the HR side of things. I know that you will keep us up to date and if I have a question I know that you will give a detailed and easy to understand response. Plus I have used many of the resources in the library when it comes to team structure, engaging staff, performance reviews and more. Being a member means that there is one less thing that I need to worry about and that is great when there are so many other things to worry about when running a business."

Angela Counsel

CEO Honey & Fox

"When I joined I thought PowerBoss was HR advice when I needed it. But once I got into it I realised it's so much more than HR. It's all the parts of the business and how they fit together - the finance parts, the HR parts, the business strategy parts. My whole business ecosystem. Before, I had a habit of either saying too much, putting too much emotion into things because it was fear-based, or shutting down and not saying enough, then expecting people to read my mind. PowerBoss helped me find the middle ground. Less oversharing. Less undersharing. Just clear communication. I actually cannot imagine running my business without PowerBoss. It's just naturally there now. It's ingrained in what I do."

Amy Geach

Founder and CEO Health Nest and The Connection Co

"Perhaps the most important thing I learned is that everything is fixable. Every engagement is an opportunity to learn and grow, with the best interests of the business, and protecting me as a CEO, at heart. If you're a busy business owner who feels like you're the one doing all the work and picking up the pieces at the end of the day, PowerBoss is your answer. It will start to change the game very quickly and have you fall back in love with your business again. "

Yvonne Shepherd

CEO Women's Fitness Adventures

The Real Problem Became Clear

This period gave Kristy-Lee a front-row seat to the realities of small business leadership. Across hundreds, if not thousands, of businesses, one thing became obvious:

The biggest problems weren't policies, awards, or compliance. They were confidence, clarity, and decision-making.

Business owners were:

avoiding difficult conversations
second-guessing people decisions
carrying the emotional load of their team
and constantly wondering if it was meant to feel this hard

But there were only so many businesses that could be helped with the existing model.

By 2019 it was time for something to change.

A National Focus, Clearer Focus

In 2020 The Footprint Group moved fully online, allowing support to extend across Australia. At the same time, The People Powered Business Podcast launched, creating a new way to speak directly to business owners about HR, people management and the mental load of being the boss.

Soon after, People Powered HR was created as Australia's first online HR subscription designed specifically for small businesses, giving business owners across Australia access to expert HR support, compliant templates, tools and resources at the most affordable price possible.

Where We Are Today

Today, People Powered Business exists to support business owners who want better teams, clearer direction and a business that doesn't rely on them for everything.

The focus is no longer on HR being done to businesses. It's about helping business owners think more clearly, lead confidently and build teams that support growth, not stall it.

Everything we do is built around the P.E.O.P.L.E. Pathway, our framework for supporting small business owners across the entire employee journey, from hiring the right people the first time through to managing, developing and leading them every step of the way.

That's why our work now centres around People Powered HR, structured practical HR support for small business owners across Australia, and Power BOSS, private mentoring for business owners who want a trusted thinking partner for every people decision they face. Bespoke solutions are also available so we can meet you where you are at.

Kristy-Lee is also a sought-after speaker and expert guest, regularly sharing her expertise on small business HR, people management and leadership across Australia. She hosts The People Powered Business Podcast and co-hosts The Australian Small Business Show - two weekly podcasts dedicated to the realities of running a small business with a team.