Episode 146

full
Published on:

10th Apr 2026

HR, Inclusion and Heart-Led Leadership | Lisa Ironside of The HR Dept Aberdeenshire

In this episode of Scale HER Up, I’m joined by Lisa Ironside, owner of The HR Dept Aberdeen Shire and Bagamoyo Consulting Limited.

Lisa shares how Bagamoyo Consulting began as her first business after leaving the corporate world, creating a space for her passion around inclusion, culture, diversity and belonging. She then added The HR Dept Aberdeen Shire as a natural extension, bringing practical HR consultancy and employment law support to small and medium-sized businesses who need trusted advice but do not have in-house HR.

We talk about what small business owners really need when they start hiring, why getting proper contracts and advice in place matters, and how strong communication, clear business values and honest conversations can prevent people problems from escalating. Lisa also explains why the Employment Rights Bill does not need to be something business owners fear, as long as they lead fairly and communicate well.

Lisa is also very open about her own journey into business. She talks honestly about redundancy, illness, recovery, burnout, rebuilding at her own pace, and finding the courage to create a business that reflects her values. It is a thoughtful conversation about leadership, purpose, resilience and the freedom that comes from building something your own way.

In this episode, we cover:

  • What Bagamoyo Consulting and The HR Dept Aberdeen Shire each do
  • Why small businesses need proper HR and employment law support from the start
  • The risks of copying contracts and policies from the internet
  • What business owners should be clear about before they hire
  • Why company purpose, values and story matter when attracting people
  • The importance of honest conversations and tackling issues early
  • Lisa’s transition from corporate life into entrepreneurship
  • Building a business while managing illness, change and personal challenges
  • Hiring her first team member and what that made possible
  • Why heart-led leadership can still be commercially strong
  • The role of music, inclusion and human connection in Lisa’s wider work
  • Her advice to women in business about trusting themselves and taking space
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About the Podcast

Scale Her Up: Female business stories and expert tips for business growth and success
The Female Entrepreneur Show. Sharing business expertise, start-up experiences and business growth strategies to overcome challenges
If you are a female business owner, self-employed freelancer, or girl boss who wants to build a successful business i.e. work less hours, make more money, and get better results from your staff, then this is the podcast for you. Hosted by Dr Brenda Hector MBA from ActionCOACH UK, this podcast provides relatable and accessible business advice and inspiration from successful businesswomen who have been there and done it before you.

This podcast is where you can
• hear female business stories
• share business success
• learn how to overcome business challenges
• get advice for businesswomen aspiring to success
• find out what needs to change
• discover how we can bring about that business revolution

Only 1 in 3 UK entrepreneurs are female.
UK men are 5 times more likely than women to build a business of over £1million turnover

If UK women matched UK men in starting and scaling businesses, it would add £250 billion to the UK economy (Alison Rose, The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship 2018)

As a woman in business, a business coach, and a business growth expert, Brenda’s mission is to help business owners grow their companies, achieve their goals and live the lifestyle of their dreams. She's the help you need to grow your business.
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About your host

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Brenda Hector

I’m Brenda Hector — entrepreneur, business coach, podcast host and writer — and I help ambitious female business owners turn hard work into real results: higher profits, better team performance, and more time back.
If your business relies too heavily on you, growth feels messy, or you’re “successful on paper” but exhausted in real life, you’re not alone — and it’s fixable. My work is about building a business that performs consistently, develops leaders, and supports you to step up and step back when you choose.
On Scale Her Up: The Female Entrepreneur Show, I spotlight women who are building brilliant businesses and share tools and insights to accelerate progress and improve gender balance in entrepreneurship.
"Because being in business should give you more life"