At Growth Hub, we build embedded operational capability for financial services firms.

We remove the operational drag that sits around deals and internal workflows, so operators can focus on high value work.

That includes:

Deal Operations
CRM hygiene, pipeline maintenance, targeting, and deal tracking. Owned, predictable, and run properly.

Research & Intelligence
Structured, factual research that supports decisions without interpretation or noise.

Business Operations Support
Internal operational workflows. Admin, registers, HR and TA operations, vendor data, policy tracking.

Everything is designed upfront, documented through SOPs, QA’d, and rolled out on a clear 30 / 60 / 90 day plan. This behaves like an internal function, not an outsourced task list.

What we do not do is deliberate.
No advice. No insight. No lead generation. No ad hoc support.

We run defined workflows end to end, and we do them well.

Build leverage. Reduce operational drag.

Dan Vanrenen

If you have come across Growth Hub through my posts or conversations, this is the clearest way to understand what we actually do:

We work exclusively with financial services firms.

Growth Hub installs embedded operational capabilities that remove operational drag from deal teams and operators, so they can focus on high value work.

We do this through three clearly defined capabilities.

1. Deal Operations
- CRM hygiene
- pipeline maintenance
- targeting and account lists
- deal trackers and coverage workflows

2. Research & Intelligence
- structured, factual company and sector research
- market and competitor mapping
- transaction data and news monitoring
  (always factual, never interpretive)

3. Business Operations Support
- internal operational workflows and registers
- HR, TA, and people operations admin
- policy, compliance, and vendor data management
- onboarding and offboarding workflows
- document control and internal trackers

Most teams start with Deal Operations.
Once execution is clean, they add Research & Intelligence.
When internal admin drag becomes obvious, they add Business Operations Support.

Everything runs on SOPs, QA, and a clear 30 / 60 / 90 day rollout, so this behaves like a real internal capability, not a collection of tasks.

For clarity, what we do not do:
- lead generation or outreach
- insight, analysis, or advice
- ad hoc “help with whatever” work
- providing individuals rather than a capability

If you are in financial services and spending too much time managing operational noise instead of doing the work that actually moves the needle, this is probably relevant.

Founder & CEO of Growth Hub | Embedded operational capability for financial services firms

Why most teams feel busy but not effective:

If everyone is busy, but nothing feels stable,
you don’t have a capacity problem.

You have an ownership problem.

When no one clearly owns:
- CRM hygiene
- deal tracking
- research inputs
- internal admin

Work floats.
Quality drifts.
People redo the same tasks.
And senior operators end up back in the weeds.

This isn’t a performance issue.
It’s an operating model issue.

The difference between help and leverage:

Help feels good in the moment.
Leverage holds up over time.

Help is:
- someone jumping in
- context living in their head
- progress tied to availability

Leverage is:
- defined workflows
- repeatable outputs
- work that runs without supervision

If your progress depends on who’s online, you’re getting help.
Not leverage.

Why most “research support” creates more noise, not clarity:

Most teams don’t have a research problem.
They have a decision bottleneck.

What usually happens:
- research is ad hoc
- context lives in inboxes
- facts are mixed with opinions
- people redraw the same work every time

The issue isn’t depth.
It’s structure.

Good research support is:
- factual
- repeatable
- clearly scoped
- delivered in the same format, every time

Clarity beats cleverness.
Especially under time pressure.

Most teams come to us saying they want better data.

What they usually need is:
- clearer ownership
- fewer judgment calls
- repeatable workflows
- someone whose job it is to keep things moving

Tools do not create that.
Capabilities do.

This is usually where teams start with us.

When we talk about Deal Operations, this is what we mean.

Not strategy.
Not outreach.
Not analysis.

Just clean execution.

1. CRM hygiene that actually stays clean
2. pipelines updated as a habit, not a scramble
3. targeting lists that are usable, not theoretical
4. trackers that reflect reality

Run properly, this removes hours of low value work from deal teams every week.

Most teams feel the impact within the first 30 days.

Why saying no is part of good operations:

Good operators say no more than they say yes.

Not because they’re difficult.
Because they protect quality.

If everything is in scope:
- nothing is owned properly
- standards slip
- trust erodes

Clear boundaries aren’t restrictive.
They’re how you scale without chaos.

A simple test for deal teams:

If you stopped updating your CRM for two weeks:
- would anyone notice?
- would anything break?
- would decisions change?

If the answer is no, the system is not embedded.
It is optional.

Optional systems always lose to urgent work.

The hidden cost of “we’ll fix it later”
Most operational issues don’t come from big mistakes.

They come from small deferrals.

“We’ll clean that up later.”
“We’ll document it once this deal is done.”
“We’ll tighten the process when things slow down.”

They never do.

Deferred ops work doesn’t disappear.
It compounds.

And by the time it becomes visible, it’s no longer a quick fix.

Why scaling execution feels harder than scaling revenue:

Revenue scales in jumps.
Execution scales in layers.

Most firms focus on the first and ignore the second.

New deals come in.
New clients, regions, strategies.
But the underlying workflows stay the same.

Eventually the same processes are doing twice the work, under more pressure, with more edge cases.

That’s when execution starts to creak.

Because what got you this far is now becoming a bottleneck.

Here’s a useful question for any growing firm:

“What work do we keep rediscovering how to do?”

If the answer includes:
- how we prep for deals
- how we track progress
- how we gather information
- how we hand things over

That’s not complexity.
That’s missing structure.

Good operations don’t remove work.
They remove rediscovery.

Most deal teams do not have a CRM problem.

They have an ownership problem.

No one owns:
- hygiene
- consistency
- follow-through
- keeping it current

So the CRM slowly decays.
Pipeline confidence drops.
People stop trusting the data.

And eventually everyone works around it instead.

That is not a tool issue.
It is an operational gap.

Why most ops fixes don’t stick:

A lot of operational “fixes” fail for one simple reason.

They’re treated as projects.

A clean-up.
A one-off redesign.
A burst of attention.

Then everyone goes back to normal work.

Operations don’t fail from neglect.
They fail from ambiguity.

A quick line we draw early with clients.

We do not “help out” with deals.

We install a Deal Operations capability that:
- owns defined workflows
- runs on SOPs
- is QA checked
- has a clear 30 / 60 / 90 day maturity path

That structure is what makes the work reliable.

Flexibility feels helpful.
Structure is what actually scales.

The misunderstanding that kills most ops conversations...

The biggest misunderstanding we see is this:

“We need help with workflows.”

What they usually mean is:
“We want someone flexible who can just pick things up.”

Which sounds reasonable.
But it’s also where quality dies.

Good operations are not flexible.
They are designed.

Clear ownership.
Clear scope.
Clear outputs.
Clear 30/60/90 expectations.

If you can’t explain what should exist after 90 days,
you don’t have a workflow.

You have good intentions.

The quiet test of a healthy ops function

Here’s a simple test:
If someone is away for two weeks,
what breaks?

If the answer is:
“we’d struggle”
“they hold a lot of context”
“we’d need to wait for them”

That’s not a people issue.
That’s a design issue.

Strong operations survive holidays,
promotions,
and exits.

That’s the bar.

Most leadership teams think scale breaks because things get “more complex.”
That’s rarely true.

Scale breaks because decisions get further away from execution.

The moment design, ownership, and reality stop sitting together, drag appears.
Meetings increase.
Exceptions multiply.
People start compensating instead of fixing.

That’s not complexity.
That’s distance.

Good operating models minimise distance.
Bad ones hire around it.

Growth Hub

In my role overseeing People Operations across South Africa, the UK, and India, I ensured effective coordination and support among teams. I directed the recruitment and hiring of offshore talent for UK and US clients, covering roles like software developers, business development professionals, and marketing specialists.

I executed recruitment duties such as placing advertisements, sourcing candidates, conducting interviews, and managing onboarding processes. I also supervised recruiters and established key performance indicators (KPIs) to enhance efficiency.

As the account manager for key clients, I built relationships through regular check-ins and managed the onboarding and offboarding of employees. I handled performance management, conducted salary benchmarking, and addressed employee relations issues, representing the organization at the CCMA.

Additionally, I developed HR policies to ensure compliance, administered payroll for the South African team, and prepared monthly invoices for the UK finance team. To promote continuous learning, I facilitated training workshops and implemented employee engagement and wellness initiatives, including an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

I contributed to marketing content on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram, highlighting company achievements and events. By utilizing data from surveys, I informed recruitment strategies and improved processes, while implementing tools such as PaySpace and Monday.com to streamline HR functions and enhance efficiency.

People Operations Manager

Embarking on a journey with a UK startup expanding into South Africa, my role as Recruitment and HR Manager was multifaceted and transformative. Establishing the HR department from scratch demanded meticulous attention to compliance with labor laws and regulations, where I crafted policies and procedures to ensure legal adherence while fostering a conducive work environment.

In the realm of HR coordination and administration, I orchestrated seamless operations by diligently managing administrative tasks and updating crucial systems like ActivTrak and CharlieHR. Handling employee relations, I served as a mediator, adeptly resolving conflicts and conducting disciplinary hearings to maintain harmony within the workplace.

Recruitment and selection were strategic endeavors where I meticulously managed the entire process, aligning top talent with the company's ethos and objectives. Talent management became a proactive pursuit, as I advised on industry trends and spearheaded upskilling initiatives to address emerging skill gaps.

In the sphere of performance management, I conducted comprehensive reviews and implemented tailored improvement programs to maximize individual potential. Furthermore, I played a pivotal role in nurturing a culture of employee well-being by coordinating wellness programs that promoted holistic health and productivity.

In essence, my journey as the Recruitment and HR Manager was characterized by a commitment to excellence, fostering compliance, talent development, and employee well-being to propel the company toward sustainable growth and success.

Recruitment & HR Manager

CKM Fire Management

Providing HR Generalist consulting work from recruitment, onboarding, skills development, policies and procedures, EE, BCEA, BEE, performance management and disciplinary matters.

Human Resources Consultant

Intercare Group

Supporting the development and implementation of HR initiatives and systems.

Handling HR and Payroll enquiries and providing advice on policies and procedures to Managers & Employees.

Provide support & training on ESS (Employee Self Service System)

Driving the recruitment process by updating job descriptions, posting adverts, sourcing & screening candidates and handling skills assessment processes.

Issue hiring contracts & providing information on salary offer & benefits.

Implement effective on-boarding plans & obtain on-boarding documentation.

Handle data capturing on Payroll System.

Handle all leave recons.

Coordinate training & development with internal & external service providers.

Administrative support e.g. performance management, employee relations,

Employee record maintenance, updating internal databases/systems.

Liaise with employee benefit providers.

Maintain processes relating to legal framework (e.g. WCA, EE)

Prepare & update regular reports and presentations. 

HR & Payroll Administrator

LAWtrust

*  HR Provisioning, HR Development, HR Maintenance and HR Administration. 

*  Ensure all HR practices comply with applicable Government Legislation and requirements.

*  Assist in Monthly Payroll Claims for all employees:
- Process all claims via PaySpace;
- Perform various checks throughout the claims process before remuneration is paid out. 

* Front-end SharePoint Administrator:
- Ensure all front-end issues are resolved timeously;
- Setup and maintain all sites for various internal departments. 

BBBEE Consulting
* Consult the company regarding BEE codes of good practice and relevant changes.
* Drive the entire BEE process (from planning, reporting monthly via GAP reports, the BEE Audit).

*Participate in recruitment efforts:
- advertising of approved vacant positions internally and externally;
- reviewing applications;
- Participating in the interview process;
- Provisioning of applicant paperwork. 

*  Participate in the on-boarding, integration and probation process of new recruits:
- paperwork;
- induction / orientation programme (coordinate induction/ training sessions by SME’s);
- schedule probation sessions. 

Performance Management
*  Manage the bi-annual KPI updates and update performance evaluation templates via PaySpace.
* Assist in the analysis of Performance Evaluation data to identify skills and habits development needs. 

Skills Development
*  Participate in document administration for internal and external training; studies and Conferences. 

*  Occupational Health & Safety (OHS):
- Drive company compliance in accordance with the Occupational Health & Safety Act 85 of 1993 and the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act
requirements.
- Appointed and certified SHE Representative.

*  Compile statistical data and submission of monthly and annual reports/statistics including BEE; EE and WSP reports.

Human Resources Assistant

People Dimension

Duties include:

*  Telesales and cold calling to obtain and secure new clientele.
*  Visiting clientele to establish and maintain good client relationships.
*  Establishing and maintaining of suitable applicant and client database.
*  Accurately recording job specifications from clientele.
*  Drafting and placement of suitable advertisements to secure suitable applicants.
*  Sourcing and securing of suitable applicants whom meet clientele's job specifications.
*  Screening applicants in accordance with clientele job specifications.
*  Arranging and conducting interviews with potential suitable candidates.
*  Conducting reference, qualification and credit checks on all potential applicants.
*  Drawing and advising clientele and all potential applicants to the contents of and application as the case may be of the Labour Relations Act No. 66 of 1995, as amended.
*  Drafting of curriculum vitae's.
*  Fee structure negotiations.
*  Remuneration negotiations between clientele and applicants.
*  Teaching clientele and all potential applicants, necessary interviewing, remuneration techniques and etiquette to conduct and execute a successful interview.
*  Shortlisting and arranging interviews with clientele for and by suitable applicants.
*  Offering on behalf of clientele employment to successful applicants.
*  Preparing and furnishing clientele with invoices.
*  Securing payment from outstanding debtors.
*  Regular follow up interviews with all placed applicants during the 90 day guarantee period.

Recruitment Consultant

Hello, I'm Donné! 🌟

As a seasoned HR Professional, I am on a mission to elevate employee well-being and cultivate work environments where individuals discover purpose and meaning in their roles. Widely recognized as a Super Connector, I wholeheartedly embrace a People-First philosophy.

My expertise spans a spectrum of HR domains, including HR Management, Succession Planning, Organisational Design, HRIS, ATS, 360 Recruitment, Performance Management, Talent Management, Training, Coaching, Mentoring, Employment Relations, Labour Law, BEE, Employment Equity, Compliance Management, Wellness & Engagement, South African Payroll, and Change Management, among others.

Having successfully pioneered HR departments in start-ups and navigated corporate landscapes with staff ranging from 100 to 1000, I bring a wealth of experience. My professional journey has encompassed diverse industries such as Outsourcing and Offshoring, Information Security, IT, Advertising & Marketing, Facilities Services, Staffing & HR, Healthcare, Insurance, and Fire Management.

I am not just a strategic thinker, but a problem solver and solution-driven individual with a knack for effective communication. As a people-centric, empathetic leader, I approach my work with optimism and passion. My focus lies in fostering employee engagement, championing work-family integration, promoting career growth, and, above all, building trusting relationships. I take pride in my work and am dedicated to making a positive impact in every aspect of what I do. 

Let's connect and explore the possibilities!

taplio

The Battle

Dan Vanrenen

Donné Norman

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreDan Vanrenen's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Dan Vanrenen

Donné Norman

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Dan Vanrenen's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreDan Vanrenen's LinkedIn Performance