For founders and scaling teams

HR without the handbrake.

Lean, AI-built people foundations for startups and scale-ups. Hire sharper, lead better, and grow the team without HR bloat slowing you down.

People strategy that pays for itself.
The handbrake

Most HR shows up as process. We show up as leverage.

When you are scaling, the wrong people decisions cost you months. Most HR support reacts with policy and process. We give founders the systems and the judgement to hire well, keep good people, and build a team that grows with the company.

Lean systems, built to scale

Hiring, onboarding, performance and comp, set up to run without you.

AI does the heavy lifting

Work that used to take an HR team months, done in days for a fraction of the cost.

Decisions tied to the business

Who to hire, who to grow, where to invest. Based on data, not a handbook.

A denser, stronger team

Better hires and better leaders, so the company performs as it grows.

Not sure where your handbrake is?

Score your people setup in two minutes and see exactly what to fix first.

Get my handbrake score now
How we help

A lean ladder of fixed-fee products.

Start with a fast read, then go as deep as you need. No lock-in, no bloat.

Start here

Handbrake Audit

A fast, fixed-fee read on your people setup. What is working, what is exposing you, and what to fix before it slows your growth, with a clear 90-day plan.

from $2,500
Flagship

People OS

The people operating system for a scaling company. Hiring, onboarding, performance, comp and role clarity, set up fast and documented so the team runs without you.

from $9,000
Essential

Compliance Foundations

The legal and compliance basics done right and kept light, so you stay covered as you grow without drowning in policy.

from $8,000
Your edge

AI People Ops

Put AI to work across hiring and people ops. Faster screening, sharper decisions, and the guardrails to use it safely.

from $5,000
Your edge

Talent Density Engine

Behavioural profiling, sharper hiring and stronger leaders, building a high-performing team as you scale.

from $3,000 / module
Ongoing

Fractional People Partner

A senior people partner on tap. Strategy, hiring, the tricky calls and a priority line, without a full-time hire.

from $300 / hour

Also available: Policy Pack (from $1,500) and the AI for People Leaders workshop (from $2,000). All fees plus GST.

Get my handbrake score now
About

The anti-bloat people partner.

Talentsmith exists because traditional HR becomes a handbrake. Slow, process heavy, and disconnected from the numbers. Growing companies need something leaner.

Founded by Paul Smith, Talentsmith brings deep people and hiring expertise, accredited behavioural profiling, and serious AI fluency. We focus on one thing: building the team that lets your company scale, with the compliance basics handled quietly in the background.

Get started

Take the handbrake off.

Start with the free Handbrake Scorecard, or book a fixed-fee audit to see where your people setup stands.

Talentsmith Consulting · ABN 90 119 567 849 · Melbourne, Australia

No lock-in · fixed-fee · founder-friendly