Built to level the playing field
Senior HR consulting founded by Riyadh Daud. 20+ years in Fortune 50 and startup HR. Every engagement is senior-led from day one.
Our Story
Riyadh Daud is the founder and CEO of TalentForge360. His HR career started at Target in San Diego, where he spent more than eight years inside the HR department of one of America's largest Fortune 50 retailers. Target runs HR at a scale that forces you to build systems, not instincts: high-volume recruiting pipelines, workforce planning across large and diverse employee populations, compliance for thousands of team members across multiple states, and people programs that have to work without exception.
From Target, he moved into Head of HR at QB Medical, Inc. in San Diego, a specialty healthcare distribution company serving government agencies. The environment was compliance-intensive by design: federal procurement rules, government contracting requirements, and zero tolerance for HR errors when your customers are federal agencies. He built the recruiting infrastructure, the compliance policies, and the people programs from the ground up.
From there, he spent six and a half years as HR Director at Mashura in Scottsdale, Arizona, a healthcare technology company building inventory automation software and hardware for veterinary and dental markets in 16 countries. He managed the full scope of that scale: workforce planning, multi-country and multi-state compliance, benefits strategy, complex employee relations, and high-stakes people decisions.
What he kept seeing across all three roles was the same gap: growing companies either had no HR infrastructure at all, or they were being served by large consulting firms that treated them as low-priority accounts. He founded TalentForge360 to close that gap. Every engagement is senior-led. The expertise you see on this page is the expertise that shows up to do the work.
What We Stand For
Transparency
We tell you what we cost, what is included, and what is not. No hidden fees, no bait-and-switch.
Senior accountability
Every engagement has an experienced lead responsible for strategy, quality, and sensitive matters.
Long-term thinking
We build relationships, not dependency. Our goal is for you to outgrow your problems, not your consultant.
Small business first
This is not a side practice. Startups and growing companies are the only clients we serve.
Practical over theoretical
Real advice for real stages. We skip the jargon and give you what actually works at your size.
Honest counsel
If we are not the right fit for your situation, we will tell you. That honesty is the foundation of every engagement.
How We Work
Free 30-minute call
We start with a conversation, not a proposal. You tell us where you are, what is keeping you up at night, and what you are hoping to build. We listen and ask the right questions.
Honest assessment
We tell you what we see: where your gaps are, what the risks look like, and what we recommend. If we are not the right fit, we say so. No pressure, no sales deck.
Custom scope
If we move forward, we scope the engagement around exactly what you need. No pre-packaged programs you have to fit yourself into. Month-to-month from day one.
Senior-led delivery
TalentForge360 is a founder-led HR firm built around senior accountability. Delivery structure, responsibilities, communication cadence, and any specialist support are documented in each engagement scope.
Who We Serve
1 to 15 employees
Early-stage startup
- Offer letter and onboarding process support
- Employee handbook and foundational HR policies
- HR operational support around worker classification questions
- Payroll provider coordination and vendor selection support
- Interview process and hiring manager coaching
Most startups at this stage have limited HR infrastructure. We help establish practical documentation, onboarding, and people processes appropriate to the organization.
15 to 50 employees
Scaling company
- HR infrastructure that scales without breaking
- Performance management systems that actually work
- Multi-state compliance as you hire remotely
- Compensation bands and pay equity review
- Benefits design and open enrollment support
This is where DIY HR breaks down. The stakes get higher, the laws get more complex, and the cost of a wrong decision grows with your headcount.
50 to 250 employees
Established SMB
- HR audit and compliance gap assessment
- Manager training and leadership development
- Structured recruiting and workforce planning
- Employee relations and investigation support
- HR strategy aligned to business objectives
You have outgrown your original approach to HR but are not large enough to justify a full internal team. Fractional HR gives you the senior expertise without the overhead.
Any size, nationwide
Multi-state employer
- State-by-state HR requirements
- Remote work policies and multi-state handbooks
- Wage and hour process coordination
- Leave process coordination across jurisdictions
- Coordination with qualified counsel and providers
Hiring remotely across multiple states creates a new layer of HR operational requirements. We help assess those requirements and coordinate with qualified specialists where needed.
How TalentForge360 delivers
TalentForge360 is a founder-led HR firm built around senior accountability. Clients have an experienced lead responsible for strategy, quality, and sensitive matters throughout the engagement. Delivery structure, responsibilities, communication cadence, and any specialist coordination are documented in the engagement scope.
Common Questions
We only have 8 employees. Do we really need HR?
Yes, and here is why the timing matters more than the size. Most employment laws do not wait until you have 50 employees to apply. The FLSA, EEOC guidelines, and many state wage laws apply from day one. The average cost of a single misclassification audit or wrongful termination claim is many times more than a year of HR support.
What is the difference between fractional HR and just hiring an HR person?
A full-time HR hire adds salary, benefits, payroll taxes, and management overhead that most companies under 50 employees cannot justify. Fractional HR gives you senior-level expertise at a fraction of that cost, without the commitment of a full-time hire.
We are based in North Carolina. Do you work with companies in other states?
Yes. TalentForge360 works with companies across the United States. Riyadh is based in Research Triangle Park, NC, but the nature of HR consulting means most work is done remotely. We have supported multi-state employers hiring across the country.
We already have someone handling HR part-time. Can you work alongside them?
Absolutely. Internal HR coordinators or office managers often handle HR admin tasks but do not have the senior experience to navigate compliance questions, complex employee relations issues, or strategic workforce planning. We step in as the senior layer.
How quickly can you start and how long does an engagement typically run?
We can typically begin within one to two weeks of a signed agreement. Engagements are month-to-month with no long-term commitment required.
What happens if we need to let someone go? Can you help with that?
Yes, and this is one of the areas where having HR support matters most. A poorly handled termination is one of the leading causes of employment claims. We help you understand the legal risk, prepare documentation, and handle the process in a way that protects both the company and the employee.
Do you do recruiting, or just HR consulting?
Both. Recruiting and HR are integrated services at TalentForge360. If you need a recruiter-only engagement, we can scope that. If you need full Fractional HR that includes talent acquisition, we do that too.
Ready to talk?
Book a free 30-minute consultation. No slides, no pitch deck. Just a conversation.