Welcome to Dakota Blue Academy

At Dakota Blue Academy, we believe that HR should be simple, accessible, and empowering for small business owners. We provide practical, easy-to-understand resources designed to help you manage your people and your business with confidence. Whether you're tackling hiring, managing, rewarding, or exiting staff, or struggling to keep up with changing employment laws, our guides and templates will help you navigate it all, without the need for an in-house HR expert.

Our Story & Expertise

Founded by Jackie Brooker, Dakota Blue Academy is a natural extension of Dakota Blue Consulting, where we've spent over a decade helping small and medium-sized businesses in the UK handle their HR needs. With over 10 years of HR consulting experience, Jackie has a deep understanding of the challenges small businesses face when it comes to managing their teams.

Seeing the gap in HR resources for smaller businesses, we created Dakota Blue Academy to provide affordable, accessible solutions. Our goal is to empower you to take control of your HR, build a strong workplace culture, and confidently handle all your people management needs.

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What Sets Us Apart

Practical, Actionable Resources

Our guides and templates are designed with small business owners in mind—no jargon, just clear, straightforward advice you can implement immediately.

Designed for Small Businesses

Whether you're a team of 5 or 50, we understand that your HR needs are unique. That’s why everything we create is tailored to businesses without in-house HR departments.

Confidence-Building Support

We believe in empowering you, not overwhelming you. Our resources will give you the confidence to handle day-to-day HR tasks and know when it's time to seek additional help for more complex situations.

Real-People Support

Unlike many HR support services that feel like dealing with chatbots, at Dakota Blue Academy, you’ll receive realistic, human support. We have a wide range of resources available, but if you ever need something that’s not yet on the website, subscribers can request a generic version. Premium members also have the added benefit of direct access to personalised guidance from our team.

Our Values & Mission

At Dakota Blue Consulting, we get that HR can feel overwhelming, so we break it down into simple steps that make sense for your business. We pride ourselves on integrity, offering honest and transparent advice that always has your best interests at heart.

Our goal is to make HR easy to understand, freeing you up to focus on what matters most: growing your business and supporting your team. We’re here to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to confidently manage your people.

What Our Clients Say

"Jackie has been providing HR and business support to our company since 2021. Her professionalism and strategic thinking has had such a positive impact and has helped us achieve our goals in restucturing our business. I highly recommend her to any business owner looking for guidance and support."

Rachel S.

"... So working with Jackie and the staff at Dakota Blue has been incredible. They are always there to support when you're unsure. We've used them for HR policies. We've used them for helping us get better diversity and inclusion and understanding of our workforce. And I can't commend them highly enough to say that they will absolutely support you in that business, but also that it has been felt by everyone in the business..."

Samantha S.

"Jackie and her team have looked after all my HR requirements for the past 10 years. Professional and knowledgeable in all areas as well as being at the end of the phone for all those niggling HR queries. Highly recommend"

Notalls 1975

"Extremely knowledgeable, with a calm, kind and friendly approach, HR advice services were spot on! I Recommend Jackie and personally rate her very Highly!"

Russ P.

"Jackie and her team has been very attentive in delivering the right resources for our organisation's needs. Their approach to consulting is very human, empathetic, involving and measured.
It all comes down to the excellent professional attitude that Dakota Blue display while helping us."

Karen M.

                                                            

Join the Dakota Blue Academy Today!

Ready to take your HR to the next level? Explore our guides, templates, and resources to start empowering your business today. Whether you're just getting started or need help with a specific challenge, we’ve got the tools to support you every step of the way.

Start your journey with us now.

Become a member