HR & Compliance · Hull, UK

Starting a business is exciting!
Getting fined isn't...

Bear & Willow HR helps new and small UK businesses get legally compliant, stay protected, and build on solid foundations — without the jargon, the pressure, or the midnight Googling.

Get the Launchpad Kit · £249 Explore HR Support
Built for neurodivergent founders. Email-first. No pressure.
Emma-Louise Hutchinson, founder of Bear & Willow HR
A calmer, simpler way to start-up a business.
Your Partner in Inclusive Growth

Most new business owners are one mistake away from a fine they don't see coming.

When you start a business, nobody hands you a list of what you're legally required to have in place. So most people skip it, guess it, or google it at midnight and hope for the best.

That works… until it doesn't.

These aren't rare. They happen to capable, hardworking people who simply didn't know what they didn't know.

£4,000+ ICO fine For collecting customer data without a GDPR policy in place.
£150–£1,500 Companies House In penalties for missing your filing deadlines.
Unlimited Client disputes Legal liability from disputes you have no contract to protect you from.
HMRC Tax penalties For missed registration or late tax returns.
That's exactly why Bear & Willow exists.

To give you the compliance foundation most new business owners only wish they'd had from day one.

For the way your brain actually works

Built with neurodivergent founders at the centre — not as an afterthought.

If you're autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, or just someone who finds traditional business advice exhausting and inaccessible, you're in the right place.

We also work with employers and organisations who want to build neuroinclusive workplaces. If that's you, get in touch.

Check out our HR Tools here
01
Plain language, no assumptionsClear guidance without difficult language or hidden context.
02
Use it in any orderStructure you can move through at your own pace.
03
No pressure, no overwhelmTake a breath. Come back tomorrow. We'll still be here.
04
Email-first communicationNo pressure to pick up the phone — ever.
05
Templates that are genuinely usableNot just technically correct — actually editable, in real English.
How it works

A simple way in, at your own pace.

You don't need to know what you need. Start somewhere small, and we'll build out from there.

01 / Start i.

Tell us where you are

Send us a short email or fill out the contact form — Sole trader? Newly registered? Hiring your first employee? or somewhere in between? No discovery call required.

02 / Choose ii.

Pick what you need

- The Launchpad Kit for all-in-one. - Ongoing HR Support for trickier moments. - A workshop if you want to learn the ropes.

03 / Build iii.

Put the foundations in

Editable templates, plain-English guidance, and a real human to email when you get stuck. No jargon, no pressure.

What we offer

Pick the support that fits your moment.

Most popular · Best value

The Launchpad Kit

12 professionally written, legally compliant templates and guides. UK-specific, referenced against current legislation, and written in a neuroinclusive way that anyone can follow.

£249instant download · lifetime access
See what's inside → Get the Kit
Monthly packages

HR Support

HR that grows with your business. Four support packages, from Seedling to Forest, with the Breathe HR platform included.

From £300 per month
Learn more →
Ready to Launch · 4-hour workshop

The Workshop

A structured, neuroinclusive employability programme supporting unemployed and economically inactive adults into safe, sustainable self-employment.

£1200 for up to 12 participants
Find out more →
Emma-Louise Hutchinson, founder
Who's behind Bear & Willow

Founded by Emma-Louise Hutchinson, MSc.

An HR professional based in Hull with a background in compliance, data analysis, inclusive practice, and supporting new businesses through the parts of starting up that nobody talks about.

Emma founded Bear & Willow because she knows firsthand how overwhelming it is to build something from scratch — and how much harder it is when the guidance you find isn't designed for the way your brain works.

Every product, workshop, and resource Bear & Willow produces is built on real expertise, lived experience, and a genuine commitment to making compliance accessible to everyone.

BasedHull, UK
QualificationsMSc · CIPD Level 7
SpecialityCompliance · Neuroinclusion
Read Emma's story
Free guides

Start with something on the house.

Two PDFs, free to download. Use them, share them, scribble all over them.

Guide · for founders

Starting a Business

A step-by-step guide for sole traders and early-stage business owners, from setting up legally to finding your first client.

  • Registering your business
  • Picking the right legal structure
  • Finding clients without burnout
  • Getting clear on your values
Download PDF · 1.2MB
Guide · for employers

Becoming Neuroinclusive

Practical tips and real-world advice on supporting colleagues and building workplace culture that works for everyone.

  • Language that includes, not excludes
  • Easy adjustments with a big impact
  • Encouraging feedback that helps
  • Making policies work for real people
Download PDF · 0.8MB
In their words

What clients are saying.

The Launchpad Kit gave me everything I needed to get started without feeling overwhelmed. Clear, easy to use, and actually made for people like me.
P
PhoenixSoftLash
She is perfect, not just motivation but all the bits that most workshops miss out on. Bear and Willow gave me everything I need.
C
ChelseaChelly Welly Baby

A calmer way to lay the foundations.

Get the Launchpad Kit: 12 professionally written, legally compliant templates and guides. Instant download, lifetime access.

Get the Launchpad Kit · £249 Ask Emma a question
Most popular The Launchpad Kit: instant download, lifetime access.
Get the Kit · £249