Making HR Sexy

Nicole Anderson worked in human resources at a national law firm, a Florida state prison and a national retailer, where she observed similar problems in the way the companies managed their employees.

"Management was not in touch with employees and there were a lot of bad things going on. I decided there must be a better way to do this," said Anderson, 36, of suburban West Palm Beach. "I said, 'I am going to have my own business, and I am going to teach people how to do better HR.' "

Having been a victim of sexual abuse as a child and young teen, Anderson was determined not to let her past ruin her life. She was motivated to do well and prove she could succeed in a career dedicated to helping improve companies and people's lives. She's also a single mother of Julia, 14, and obtained a bachelor's degree in human resources management from American InterContinental University in 2008.

In 2017 she launched MEND HR Solutions, and in 2020 started MEND Recruiting. The six-employee firm is based in downtown West Palm Beach and has clients in eight states. It handles outsourced human resources for companies and landed its first contract with Panasonic in Atlanta in February 2018 to handle training and development.

"I reached out to people in my network of people I had worked with in the past," she said. "The first year of business, 2018, was slow, but by 2019, things were starting to pick up, and the business grew by 350 percent," she said. "We had projected to grow the business about 200 percent in 2020, based on what we did in 2019."