Jennifer Morehead, CEO, Flex HR

In this episode of the Think Small Podcast, Jennifer Morehead, owner of Flex HR, shares the story of how she purchased a 20-year-old fractional HR consulting firm at the height of COVID in December 2020 and has since grown it from 13 employees and five consultants to a team of 40 employees and 40 consultants serving more than 280 clients across the country. Founded in Atlanta in 2001 by Jim Cichanski, who had the early foresight to see fractional HR becoming a major trend, Flex HR assigns dedicated fractional HR managers, payroll managers, recruiters, and benefits consultants to small and midsize organizations, typically under 200 employees, giving them the continuity and expertise of an in-house HR function without the cost or risk of a single full-time hire. Jennifer discusses how COVID permanently removed the primary objection to fractional HR, which was the need for someone down the hall, and how the resulting labor market chaos of 2021 through 2023 created enormous tailwinds for the business. The conversation explores how Flex HR thinks about protecting its own business model by deliberately targeting industries that are AI resistant, with 71% of current clients in sectors like manufacturing, nonprofits, veterinary clinics, and schools where people cannot simply be replaced by technology. Jennifer also shares her philosophy on HR as a strategic driver of top line revenue and net income rather than a cost center, why employees leave managers not companies, and how building a culture by design rather than by default is one of the most important things a small business can do. As Flex HR celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026, Jennifer reflects on the challenge of integrating a wave of new technology while preserving the family-oriented culture that has made the company's remote-first model work so well. Connect: Website: https://www.flexhr.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennymorehead