In every business that's about to be in trouble, the people knew first.
Miners used to carry canaries underground. The bird felt danger before they did — before the air went bad, before anyone got hurt. By the time a person felt something was wrong, it was already too late.
HR is the canary for a small business. The conversations no one wants to have. The patterns no one sees. The risk that only shows itself the day it lands in front of a lawyer.
I built Ezer Unfolding to be that canary.
I came to this work through business coaching and years of corporate HR experience — helping people grow their businesses, develop their leadership, and build teams that actually worked. Then the pandemic happened. And I watched what small business owners were up against. Trying to manage people through a crisis without the tools, the training, or anyone to call. Making hard decisions in real time with no safety net.
I knew this was where I was supposed to be.
I'm Akpene Torku Sims — HR consultant, leadership strategist, and the person small business owners call when they need someone to tell them the truth about their people situation and actually help them fix it.