About Nicole
CONSULTANT. ADVISOR. AUTHOR.
Nicole Barbano is an operator, consultant, advisor and author with more than two decades of experience helping executives, entrepreneurs and organizations navigate growth, transition and complex business decisions.
In 2006, she founded Hunter Ambrose International and built it into one of the country’s largest healthcare-focused retained executive-search firms and one of the longest-standing woman-owned retained-search firms in the United States.
Over the course of twenty years, Nicole:
Led more than 1,000 executive and professional placements
Built and managed a seven-figure professional-services business
Led leadership and team strategy
Led B2B growth and client acquisition across complex markets reaching seven figures over multiple years
Advised executives on hiring, organizational structure, performance and business strategy
Developed positioning, marketing and growth strategies for founders, high-earning solopreneurs and professional-services businesses
Recruited across healthcare, federally qualified health centers, healthcare innovation, finance, legal services, family offices and ultra-high-net-worth environments
CONSULTANT
Nicole works with companies, founders and independent business owners when an opportunity needs structure, a project needs experienced leadership or an important initiative has become too consequential to remain unowned.
Her consulting work may involve business and market strategy, B2B growth, brand positioning, client acquisition, organizational development, project management or fractional leadership. She combines strategic judgment with direct execution—helping determine what needs to happen and remaining involved as the work moves forward.
ADVISOR
Nicole advises executives, entrepreneurs and high-earning solopreneurs facing consequential business and career decisions. Her work is grounded in an understanding of the client, the market, the economy and the opportunity that exists between them.
Engagements may involve leadership counsel, executive coaching, business growth, professional positioning, organizational decisions or a strategic career transition. Clients value Nicole’s candor, market perspective, discretion and ability to bring clarity to complicated situations.
AUTHOR
Nicole is the author of The HIRE: Leadership, Hiring, and the Future of Work, an examination of how people have created professional opportunity across centuries—and how modern hiring became so complicated.
She has also written and published multiple long-form newsletters examining leadership, business, hiring, technology, entrepreneurship and the changing nature of work.
Today, Nicole works directly with a select number of individuals and organizations through consulting, advisory, executive coaching, project management and fractional leadership engagements. She is based in Kansas City and works with clients across the United States.
“Business, AI, and opportunity are moving at a pace that can make the world feel different every day. Five-year forecasts and strategic plans are being compressed into quarters. This is where the humanity of the work matters most—and where great work happens. Define what success looks like three, six or nine months from now, then reverse-engineer the path around the available resources and budget. The result is a strategy built on extreme ownership, disciplined execution and the willingness to adapt.”
— Nicole Barbano
Nicole works with executives, entrepreneurs and organizations to define the strategy, build the plan and implement the work—often serving as advisor, project leader and operating partner throughout the engagement.
A TRACK RECORD OF BUILDING WHAT COMES NEXT
1,000+ placements recruited or overseen across 43 states and 3 continents
Built B2B client relationships and revenue strategies producing seven-figure annual results
Developed recruitment methods that achieved 98% retention at 5+ years
Created the Video Job Profile, giving rural hospitals a new way to market opportunities nationally
Early adopter of Spark Hire one-way video interviewing, AI-assisted interview assessment and AI-enabled workflow improvement
Built the Hunter Ambrose Podcast to more than 25,000 average global listens and views
Developed sales training that helped solopreneurs grow from launch to $500K in revenue within six months
Deep recruitment and advisory experience across healthcare, innovation, UHNWI and family office environments
Advisor to startups and solopreneurs, with a focus on revenue strategy, sales execution, product-market alignment, brand positioning, and building the operating structure needed to move from idea to sustainable growth
HOW ENGAGEMENTS WORK
Every engagement is built around the client’s objectives, timeframe, internal resources and budget. Some begin with a single decision or defined project. Others evolve into ongoing advisory, coaching or fractional leadership relationships.
Whether the challenge is executive transition, business growth, recruitment, project leadership or operational execution, the work begins with a conversation.
Engagements Include
Nicole’s engagements are structured around the problem to be solved rather than a predetermined package. She may serve as a consultant, advisor, executive coach, project leader or fractional executive depending on what the work requires.
Representative engagements include:
Executive Search
Leadership and critical-hire searches conducted on either a retained or contract basis, including search strategy, candidate identification, assessment and presentation.
Fractional Leadership
Interim or part-time leadership for organizations that need experienced oversight, recruiting leadership or project ownership without adding a permanent executive.
Strategic & Operational Projects
Senior-level support for initiatives involving process improvement, business development, organizational structure, service delivery or execution across functions.
Advisory & Coaching
One-to-one advisory and coaching for executives navigating leadership challenges, growth, transition, hiring decisions and complex organizational issues.
Founder & Entrepreneur Advisory & Coaching
Practical advisory and coaching for founders and entrepreneurs focused on priorities, operating models, revenue opportunities, positioning and building a more disciplined business.