"Having an embedded People Partner who understands the business and can move quickly on both strategic initiatives and day-to-day people matters has taken a huge amount off my plate."
Lawrence Lees, CEO, Outcast
The Client
Outcast Clothing ~ Fashion Retail
Support Provided
Discovery, people plan, leadership alignment, recruitment, compliance, engagement, and onboarding and coaching Outcast's in-house People and Culture lead
The Challenge
Outcast had grown from 12 to more than 80 people across Australia, the US and the UK in only a couple of years. The brand, the culture and the founders' energy were all there. What hadn't kept up was the structure needed to hold it together.
When Lawrence and the team brought Emma in, turnover was sitting at 38% and only around a quarter of the team were filling in the staff survey. Recruitment ran entirely through agencies, with each manager working with their own recruiters, so there was no shared process and no central data. Outcast had had a People and Culture person before, but the role had been empty for a while as they struggled to find the right level of capability for what the business needed. People loved working at Outcast, but the policies, communication rhythms and leadership alignment hadn't grown with the headcount. The culture was strong, and it was also fragile.
The Approach
Emma started by listening. She interviewed the leadership team, ran group sessions with employees across different levels and lengths of service, reviewed people systems and contracts, and took an honest look at the data.
What came back was consistent. Six themes all pointed to the same need: the business had grown faster than its structure, leaders were committed but working in silos, and the team loved the culture and wanted to protect it. Outcast needed proper people foundations so it could keep growing without losing what made it good.
From there Emma built a People Plan covering leadership alignment, pay and recognition, recruitment and onboarding, engagement and communication, performance and development, and compliance. Each priority came with the commercial reason behind it, and through 2026 the plan was put into action:
A new employee handbook and policies for Australia and the US, trained out to every team, with Outcast Sites as one place to find it all
Recruitment brought in-house, with values-based interview questions, a personal candidate experience with no AI screening, and Puck introduced once the process was ready for it
Manager guides for career conversations, wellbeing check-ins and parental leave
My Growth sessions and succession planning, so leaders look inside the business before hiring from outside
An executive retreat on trust and conflict, drawing on Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team
A rebuilt happiness survey, clearer communication across the business through a regular staff newsletter, and a warehouse move to a 3PL handled with care for the people affected
Alongside the plan, Emma onboarded and coached Sarah Maddern, Outcast's new People and Culture lead, so the business had its own capability to carry the work forward.
The Results
The numbers moved, and they moved quickly.
38% to 23% staff turnover, January to June 2026
25% to 70% survey participation
3.95 to 4.46 happiness score
Between January and August 2026, Outcast made 22 hires across three countries, about a quarter of its workforce. 93% of the team now say they're proud to work there, "leaders keep us informed" was the most improved score in the survey, and Outcast has been named a finalist in the Tiara Awards for TA Team Excellence.
Every exit avoided saves recruitment costs, onboarding time and the slowdown that comes when someone who knows how things work walks out the door. Survey participation nearly tripling matters too. It shows people started to believe their voice was being heard, and the lift in happiness scores shows the changes made in response were the right ones. Even a candidate who missed out on a role said they "loved every conversation" and came away "more excited about the brand."
What Made the Difference
Outcast didn't need a generic HR overhaul. They needed someone who could move quickly, understood a founder-led business, and would work alongside the leadership team.
Being embedded meant Emma could respond to what was actually happening. She built the foundations while supporting the day-to-day, coached Sarah, and made sure the new structure reflected the culture Outcast had worked so hard to create. The way Emma works with Outcast has changed as the business has. In the early days it meant a lot of time embedded in the business. Now the foundations are in place and Sarah leads the people function day to day, so Emma's role has moved to mentoring and coaching Sarah, staying involved in the strategic work, and stepping in where a more senior level of HR experience is needed.
Throughout, the aim was to give a fast-growing, values-driven brand the clarity it needed to keep growing without losing what made people want to work there in the first place. Clear expectations are one of the kindest things a business can give its people.
Client Feedback
“What sets this approach apart is having someone who's truly embedded in the business, not just an external consultant dropping in. The impact has been immediate and the support invaluable as we scale.”
Lawrence Lees — CEO and Co-Founder, Outcast
Key Results
People foundations built to support growth across Australia, the US and the UK
Turnover reduced from 38% to 23%
Recruitment brought in-house, saving around $250,000
An in-house People and Culture lead coached to run the function with confidence
Finalist in the Tiara Awards for TA Team Excellence
If this feels familiar, you're not alone.
Many founder-led businesses grow faster than the structure behind them. The culture and the people are there, and what's missing is the clarity that holds it all together.
That's exactly the kind of work The People Collab exists to support.
If your business is at a similar stage, I'd love to have a conversation.