After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Madison-native Laura Gmeinder, PHR, was quick to move up the career ladder in the world of human resources. Her experience is a reason why those looking for help in reaching their professionals goals should consider Laura Gmeinder Coaching & Consulting, LLC, which she founded in late 2010.

“It’s my calling to help people get what they want out of life,” Gmeinder said. “Happy people are engaged employees, which is why businesses hire me, too. It’s a win-win.”

About the time Gmeinder (pronounced je-MINE-der) was having a quarter-life crisis, she was asked to start career coaching one of her mentors and “loved it.” According to Gmeinder, what started as a hobby soon became a business.

In addition to career coaching, Gmeinder also offers HR consulting and life coaching. The former involves working with businesses to uncover opportunities for improvement, such as in employee relations, while the latter includes identifying goals, creating actions and creating accountability with clients.

Gmeinder says her skill set, expertise and “ability to keep it real” help her company stand out in the marketplace. Among her clients, located throughout the country, are small- and medium-sized businesses that have limited or no access to HR expertise.

No matter the client, Gmeinder looks to identify what problem they want to solve, find out what the desired outcome is and strategize how to get there.

“I am in business to help people be happy in all they do,” Gmeinder said. “(My clients) appreciate that I keep the process fun.”