As Bespoke HR celebrates its 21st birthday, founder Alison King looks back at how the business has grown since 2005. She also shares the lessons she has learned in building the Surrey-based outsourced HR provider.
Bespoke HR founder Alison King started out in 2005 as a sole trader. At the time, few small businesses could get affordable HR help from outside. Twenty-one years on, Alison and Ian King own and run the company from Guildford. It provides HR support, training and payroll to small and medium-sized businesses across London, the South East and beyond.
In this interview, Company Director Ian King asks the Bespoke HR founder how the business began, what the first few years were like and how the two of them came to run it together, then about the milestones since. She also talks about what sets Bespoke HR apart and the advice she would give anyone growing a business of their own.
Bespoke HR at a glance
- Founded: 2005, by Alison King, who started as a sole trader and incorporated Bespoke HR Ltd on 3 October 2005.
- Based: Guildford, Surrey, working with businesses across London, the South East and beyond, on site or remotely.
- What it does: HR support, training and payroll for small and medium-sized businesses.
- How clients work with it: pay as you go, on an HR support plan, or for a fixed price on a project.
- Owned and run by: Alison King, Managing Director, and Ian King, Company Director.
How did Bespoke HR begin?
I started off as a sole trader after being made redundant from my in-house HR role on my return from maternity leave. There were few options at the time for businesses to get affordable outsourced HR, so I set up as a consultant. I started by going along to some local networking events and picked up a few clients. We built the business up slowly, but I registered the company name immediately as I knew it was perfect for what I was doing and wanted to keep it. Our first business cards were made on Vistaprint, with one of their off-the-shelf logos.
What did the first few years look like?
The first couple of years running Bespoke HR were very busy. My oldest child, Grace, was just under three and I was pregnant with my son. It's lovely that Grace now works with us at Bespoke HR as our Sales and Marketing Assistant. I was networking a lot and trying to get new clients with no idea how much to charge or how to market myself.
What external support did you enlist?
None during the initial stages. I just relied on trusted friends for support. Ian and I owned two businesses together, Bespoke HR and a software development business. I ran Bespoke HR and Ian ran the software business, so in those early years, the day-to-day running of Bespoke HR was mostly down to me.
When did you move into the first office?
After about four years I was lucky enough to be given some office space in one of our client's offices. This was the first real milestone as it allowed me to take on my first employees.
What was the role of your first member of staff?
I first hired an HR consultant to help me deal with the increasing workload and growing client numbers. Shortly after, I employed an administrator to streamline our processes.
When did we start running Bespoke HR together?
In 2012 we sold the software business, and Ian became Company Director, helping me run Bespoke HR. He carried on developing software alongside it for a while, but over time he moved across to focus on Bespoke HR full time. Today he looks after the finance, marketing and IT side of the business.
What are some of the major milestones?
By 2013 we had grown big enough to start properly thinking about marketing, and we paid for ads on Eagle Radio, which was so exciting. It was brilliant when I would speak to someone I didn't know who told us they had heard of us.
What happened when we moved to Clasford Farm Stables?
We signed the lease on our office at Clasford Farm Stables in Guildford at the end of 2019. While the work to fit it out was still going on, the first lockdown sent everyone home, so we barely made it into our new office at all, and the whole team worked from home instead. It still makes us laugh. It was also one of the busiest periods we have ever had. Clients needed help with furlough and with huge changes to the way they worked, and we supported them through all of it.
How has the business grown since?
Gradually, year by year, taking on more clients and growing the team with them. We have always run training when clients asked for it, with me or one of our consultants delivering it. As more clients wanted it, we decided to make training a service in its own right, so in November 2021 we brought in Katy Wade to head it up. She is now our Managing Consultant and Learning and Development Manager. Payroll was new for us in 2022. Clients wanted their HR and payroll looked after by one company, so we began offering payroll alongside our HR support to give them a complete service. Training and payroll have been a big focus for us ever since. Nowadays we frequently comment in the press about HR topics and advise on webinars, which is great because we get to share our expertise.
What sets the business apart from other outsourced HR providers?
The reason I chose the name Bespoke HR so readily was that I always knew the type of service I wanted to provide. That hasn't changed in 21 years, and we pride ourselves on customising our service to our clients. We know that a 'one size fits all' approach just doesn't work. Our clients like the fact that they have an assigned HR consultant, rather than speaking to a call centre, when they have a problem or need some advice. That's the essence of our business model and something we won't ever change. We also match our consultants with clients depending on their backgrounds and skills, which works really well.
What sorts of clients do we work with?
We work with businesses spanning numerous sectors from hospitality to healthcare. We've worked with start-ups taking on their first employee and with large businesses like Ben & Jerry's.
What advice would you give others who are in the early stages of growing their business?
Just work hard and keep going. Make sure you have good people around you and don't be afraid to ask for help. Always help others, as it may pay you back in the future.
Looking back over the past 21 years, what are you most proud of?
I am just proud of all of it. It's like having children. There isn't one thing that they do that makes you proud, it's the little things every day. A compliment from a client, a referral from a client, or a team member saying how much they enjoy working here. Bespoke HR wouldn't be where it is today without our amazing team and our clients. So thank you to everyone who has been part of Bespoke HR over the last 21 years.
From the Bespoke HR team
How we can help
Twenty-one years on, the service Alison describes is still how we work. Each client has an assigned HR consultant who gets to know them and their business, and the wider team works on the account when needed, from our other HR consultants to our payroll and training specialists. As a result, another consultant covers when the assigned one is away, and somebody with the right experience is on hand when a case needs it.
We provide HR support, staff training and payroll services, and you can choose just the services you need. You can work with us pay as you go, on an HR support plan, or for a fixed price on a project. To hear from the businesses we work with, you can also read what our clients say, or meet the team behind the work.
Common questions
Who founded Bespoke HR?
Alison King is the Bespoke HR founder. She started the business in 2005 as a sole trader in Surrey, after losing her in-house HR role on her return from maternity leave. Today Alison and Ian King own and run the company, and Alison is its Managing Director.
When was Bespoke HR founded?
The Bespoke HR founder, Alison King, set up the business in 2005, and she incorporated Bespoke HR Ltd on 3 October 2005. So the company turned 21 on 3 October 2026.
Where is Bespoke HR based?
Bespoke HR is based in Guildford, Surrey. It also works with businesses across London, the South East and beyond, and its support can be on site or remote.
What does Bespoke HR do?
Bespoke HR provides HR support, training and payroll for small and medium-sized businesses. Clients choose just the services they need, and they can then work with Bespoke HR pay as you go, on an HR support plan, or for a fixed price on a project.
How is Bespoke HR different from an HR advice line?
Each client has an assigned HR consultant who gets to know them and their business, rather than ringing a helpline and speaking to whoever answers. That was the service the Bespoke HR founder wanted to offer in 2005. In addition, the wider team works on a client's account when needed, so another consultant covers when the assigned one is away.
What size of business does Bespoke HR work with?
Bespoke HR works mainly with small and medium-sized businesses, from start-ups taking on their first employee onwards, many with no HR team of their own or with a small one that needs support. Larger organisations sometimes bring it in for a particular piece of work, such as an independent investigation. They also come from a wide range of sectors, from hospitality to healthcare.
