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When April Salsbury launched Salsbury & Co. in 2015, she wasn’t just building another business consulting firm. She was solving a problem she had seen firsthand in boardrooms, classrooms, and coffee shops: small business owners were overwhelmed.

“They all had a dream or a great idea,” says Salsbury. “But the technical and operational knowledge it takes to turn that dream into a thriving business? That’s where most of them hit a wall.”

A decade later, Salsbury & Co. has become a trusted operational partner for hundreds of small businesses, providing everything from HR management and accounting to medical billing and executive-level consulting. But at the heart of its success lies a key principle: integration, but aligning them around the unique needs of each business owner.

Through her consulting work, Salsbury has identified a clear pattern: small business owners struggle not because they lack passion or hustle, but because growth introduces complexities they never anticipated.

“Hiring your first employee opens a whole world of requirements, right from contracts, compliance, liability, to their insurance,” she explains. “Then, there’s payroll, choosing the right software, figuring out which tools integrate with each other, and navigating a dozen reporting deadlines you didn’t know existed.”

Many entrepreneurs, she says, also fall into financial pitfalls. Salisbury states, “Most of the clients we meet aren’t recording their financials accurately, or they don’t know how to read their reports. They’ll see a net profit on a statement and think that’s what’s in their bank account. And without understanding cash flow, they can’t make informed decisions.”

That’s where integrated consulting becomes vital. Rather than simply offering advice, Salsbury & Co. builds operational infrastructure for small businesses from the inside out.

“We essentially become their in-house COO,” she says. “We handle the HR, accounting, and daily operations so the owner can focus on delivering their service or growing their mission.”

Each client journey starts with a free 30-minute discovery call: no contracts, no commitments. “Sometimes, we just answer their questions, give them a step-by-step to get started, and they come back when they’re ready,” says Salsbury. “Others realize quickly: ‘I don’t want to handle this part of the business, and I’d rather pay someone who knows what they’re doing.’ That’s when we step in.”

Once engaged, the firm customizes its onboarding to meet each client’s current systems, or lack thereof. It assesses what’s already in place, fills the gaps, and builds centralized, efficient frameworks that are easy to maintain. “We design structures to prevent future breakdowns,” she says.

One of the most underestimated challenges of early growth is company culture. “When business owners hire someone, it’s often just to solve a pain point,” Salsbury notes. “They’re not thinking about the culture they want 10 years from now when they have 30 employees. We help them define their values, create the structure, and build long-term alignment.”

She adds that legal compliance is another minefield most new employers don’t see coming. “In many states, the rules change dramatically once you hit five or 10 employees. Suddenly, you’re responsible for offering health insurance, family leaves, and anti-harassment policies, and most people don’t even know they crossed that threshold,” she states.

That’s where Salsbury & Co. becomes a buffer between the business owner and potential liabilities, from misclassifying independent contractors to failing to report on time.

One of Salsbury’s favorite examples of integrated consulting in action involves a client who came to her with a business idea in a highly specialized field. “It was a totally new arena with no playbook to refer to,” she recalls. “We helped them find a location, navigate permitting with the health department, hire staff, build out the physical space, and get all the operations in place.”

Within the first year, the business not only turned a profit but recouped the entire startup investment. “Now they’re launching a second business,” she says. “That’s the dream. That’s the kind of success that happens when you build the right foundation early.”

Salsbury insists the goal is never to take over but to free them up. She says, “Most founders didn’t start a business to learn tax codes or HR laws. They started out because they love what they do. We give them back the time and clarity to focus on their purpose.”

She’s also passionate about accessibility: services are priced to be affordable, and the company works with early-stage startups, growing businesses, and established operations alike.

“In the end, success for us is when a client says, ‘I feel confident now. I understand my business. And I can finally focus on why I started this in the first place,” Salsbury says, “That’s the win.”

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