We’re here to do what we do best.
So you can do more of what you do best.
Hartley Michaels Consulting delivers senior-level HR, accounting, payroll, and AI expertise through a single, flexible engagement. So your business gets exactly the operational support it needs without the overhead of full-time hires.
Built Around a
Real Business Need
Hartley Michaels Consulting was founded on a straightforward observation: most growing businesses need expert-level support across several different areas of administration. But very few are at a stage where hiring four full-time specialists makes sense.
That gap creates a real problem. HR gets managed reactively. Accounting processes fall behind. Payroll becomes a weekly or biweekly source of stress. And AI tools go unexplored because no one has the time or expertise to evaluate them properly.
Beth Hartley founded Hartley Michaels Consulting to fill that gap; delivering senior-level expertise across all administrative disciplines through a single, flexible engagement. One trusted advisor. Multiple areas of deep expertise. Practical solutions that actually fit how your business operates.
Based in Columbia, Missouri, Hartley Michaels Consulting works remotely with small and mid-sized businesses that need solid administrative support along with proven effective guidance setting your business up for operational and administrative success lasting long into the future.
We deliver solutions that actually work in the real world, not recommendations that look great in a report but fail in practice.
We tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. If something isn't worth doing, we'll say so.
Every engagement is structured around your actual needs, whether that's a defined project or ongoing operational support.
The Advisor
Behind the Firm.
Beth Hartley brings something unique to the consulting world; dual expertise at the senior level across both accounting and human resources. After managing both for most of her career, she understands the full operational picture of a growing business in a way that few single advisors can.
Having worked across multiple industries and organizations, Beth has seen firsthand what happens when HR falls behind, when payroll becomes unreliable, when accounting processes can’t scale, and when businesses miss AI opportunities because no one has time to evaluate them properly.
Her approach is direct and practical. She listens first, diagnoses accurately, and builds solutions that fit how your business actually operates rather than textbook frameworks that require your business to change around them. And she stays engaged until things are working properly.
Beth founded Hartley Michaels Consulting specifically to serve small and mid-sized organizations that need senior-level operational expertise without the full-time hires. If that sounds like your business — or if you’re simply not sure what you need — she’d genuinely welcome a conversation.
Credentials & Qualifications
An Approach Built
Around Your Business
Every engagement begins with understanding, not assumptions. We invest time in learning how your business operates before recommending anything.
We identify the real issues, not just the symptoms. Sometimes the problem you think you have isn't the problem you actually have and honest diagnosis makes all the difference.
Solutions are designed around how your business actually operates rather than generic templates that require you to change to fit the framework.
We don't hand you a document and disappear. We stay engaged until solutions are in place, working properly, and your team can operate them confidently.
We tell you clearly what's worth doing and what isn't. If you don't need something, we'll say so. Even if it means a smaller engagement for us.
Businesses evolve. Your operational needs change. We stay flexible and adapt our support as your business grows, changes, or faces new challenges.
Why Clients
Choose Us.
There’s no shortage of consultants. The difference with Hartley Michaels is the combination of multi-functional expertise, honest communication, and a genuine commitment to practical outcomes. Real-world recommendations that survive contact with the reality of your business.
Some clients come with a clearly defined challenge. Many arrive knowing something isn’t working but unable to identify exactly what. Either situation is the right starting point for a conversation.
From First Call to
Real Results
Free call. No pitch. A real conversation about your business; what's working, what isn't, and what you need to move forward.
We dig into your operations. We identify the actual priorities, not just the surface symptoms. Honest, practical diagnosis.
Solutions built alongside your team and put into practice, not delivered as a document and left for you to figure out.
We stay engaged as your business changes. Adapting, refining, and keeping your operational foundation strong.
Ready to Talk
to Beth?
Whether you have a specific challenge or just know something could work better, one honest conversation is the right starting point.