HR Entrepreneurs Are Rarer Than You Think with John Baldino

Why don’t more HR leaders become entrepreneurs, and what happens when they do?

In this episode of Behind the Build, Curtis Forbes sits down with John Baldino, founder and president of Humanreso, to unpack the business side of HR leadership. With over 30 years in HR, John shares how shifting market dynamics pushed small and mid-sized organizations to compete like enterprises without enterprise resources.

They explore why HR professionals often avoid sales, how relationship-driven business development shaped Humanreso’s growth, and what it really takes to build a consulting firm that scales without losing its humanity. John also reflects on the evolution of HR itself —from in-house payroll to today’s complex ecosystem of outsourced expertise.

Along the way, they discuss content, community, and why humor and authenticity matter more than polish.

About John:

With over 30 years of human resources experience, John’s passion for setting contributors and companies up for success is still going strong. John is a keynote for US and International Conferences where he shares content and thoughts on leadership, collaboration and innovation, employee success, organizational design and development as well as inclusion and diversity. John has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, SHRM Publications and is a regular contributor to the Humareso Blog. John has been named one of the 2025 Top 100 HR Tech Influencers. He is, also, co-host of the wildly popular LinkedIn Live webcast, “But First Coffee.” John is currently the President of Humareso, a global human resources consulting firm, and the husband of 1 awesome wife and the dad of 3 amazing young adults.