Principle Strategies

What Principle Strategies does

Principle Strategies is a privately held, founder-owned human resources outsourcing firm headquartered at 207 Granby St, Ste. 202 in Norfolk, Virginia, in operation since 2002. The company delivers outsourced HR functions to U.S. companies with employee counts ranging from 2 to 2,000, positioning itself as a virtual HR department for organizations that lack or cannot cost-justify a full in-house HR team. Its customer base spans three documented segments: small to mid-sized businesses (the primary segment), startups and growing companies, and multi-state employers; named clients include LTD Hospitality Group, Southern Hospitality Cleaning, and United Way of South Hampton Roads.

The service portfolio consists of eleven integrated modules rather than discrete standalone products: HR Solutions (comprehensive outsourcing), HR Strategy Review, HR Management, Benefit Administration, Recruiting and Onboarding, Employee Training and Development, Performance Management, Payroll Management, Employee Relations, Compliance Management, and Succession Planning. Delivery is virtual, supported from a single Norfolk office, and the firm maintains a sales-led, consultative go-to-market motion via website-driven quote requests and a dedicated Chief Sales Officer (Wes Mason). Core technology is undisclosed—no proprietary platform, API, or AI/ML capability is referenced—and pricing is fully custom, quote-based, with an annual billing cadence scaled to client employee count and scope.

Operationally, the firm is run by a four-person senior team (CEO Mike Godwin, President Brian Winterstein, CSO Wes Mason, Senior HR Manager Shawna Dauterive) carrying 75+ years of combined HR experience, with total headcount stated at 1–10. Revenue, funding, ownership structure beyond the founders, and any institutional backing are not disclosed. The company markets primarily through content (blog posts on HR topics for Norfolk, startups, and multi-state employers) plus organic LinkedIn and Facebook presence, and has held a 'Best Places to Work' recognition for 2024. Geographic reach spans Hampton Roads, Virginia more broadly, and multi-state clients including accounts in Hawaii.

Name

Principle Strategies

Legal name

Principle Strategies

Website

https://principlestrategies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Principle Strategies is a Norfolk, Virginia-based HR outsourcing firm, founded in 2002, that delivers eleven integrated HR service modules to U.S. companies with 2–2,000 employees as a virtual HR department, primarily serving Hampton Roads SMBs plus select multi-state clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Resources Outsourcing

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting (BPAHAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

HR Strategy & Operating Model Design (BPACAJAA), Performance Management & Productivity Consulting (BPAHAGAL)

Keywords

• Human resources outsourcing
• HR consulting services
• Benefits administration
• Payroll management services
• Compliance management

Headquarters

HQ city

Norfolk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. HR Outsourcing & Professional Services: Principle Strategies generates revenue by providing outsourced human resources management services on a subscription/managed services basis. Services include HR solutions, benefits administration, recruiting and onboarding, payroll management, compliance management, and employee relations support. The company serves as a virtual HR department for clients, charging for ongoing outsourcing engagements tailored to company size and scope of services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Principle Strategies provides outsourced human resources management services to companies with 2 to 2,000 employees, functioning as a virtual HR department. The offering covers HR strategy, benefits administration, recruiting and onboarding, payroll management, compliance management, employee relations, performance management, training, and succession planning. Services are delivered by certified HR professionals through a consultative, scalable engagement model tailored to each client's size and scope.

Product overview

Principle Strategies is a human resources outsourcing company offering a unified suite of HR services designed for organizations with 2-2000 employees. The portfolio consists of eleven integrated service modules: HR Solutions (comprehensive outsourcing), HR Strategy Review, HR Management, Benefit Administration, Recruiting and Onboarding, Employee Training and Development, Performance Management, Payroll Management, Employee Relations, Compliance Management, and Succession Planning. These services are delivered as a flexible, scalable support structure that can be customized to client needs rather than sold as separate standalone products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HR Solutions Comprehensive outsourcing solution tailored for companies with 2 to 2,000 employees, providing a personal, adaptable virtual HR department that scales with client needs.
• HR Management Oversight of HR initiatives and resource allocation to enhance team productivity, ensure regulatory compliance, and foster a positive work environment for client organizations.
• HR Strategy Review Strategy and compliance review service that ensures adherence to current regulations, and customizes or develops HR documents aligned with company policies and industry standards.
• Benefit Administration Comprehensive benefits analysis and administration tailored to each client's business needs.
• Recruiting and Onboarding Recruiting and hiring process support designed to extend a client's internal HR resources and improve talent acquisition outcomes.
• Payroll Management Streamlined payroll processing that ensures timely, accurate employee compensation while adhering to applicable tax regulations.
• Compliance Management Monitoring and ensuring adherence to labor laws and workplace regulations to mitigate legal and regulatory risk for client organizations.
• Employee Relations Workplace culture support that addresses employee concerns and promotes open communication to foster a positive work environment.
• Performance Management Frameworks for evaluating employee performance and facilitating constructive feedback to support career development.
• Employee Training and Development Training programs designed to enhance employee skills and foster a culture of continuous learning within client organizations.
• Succession Planning Strategy development for identifying and grooming potential internal leaders for future roles within the organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced open positions for client companies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Rippling: Rippling is a unified HR, IT and finance platform for SMB and mid-market, automating payroll, benefits, compliance and onboarding — addressing the same functional set as Principle Strategies with deep software integration across HR modules.
• Gusto: Gusto provides cloud-based payroll, benefits and HR tools designed for small businesses — comparable to the payroll, benefits administration and onboarding modules of Principle Strategies, with stronger technology and self-service UX but less hands-on advisory.

Direct peers

• Bambee: Bambee provides dedicated HR managers and outsourced HR support to small businesses — most directly comparable business model to Principle Strategies, focused on assigning HR professionals to SMBs that lack in-house HR expertise.
• Justworks: Justworks is a tech-enabled PEO offering payroll, benefits, compliance and HR support to SMBs — overlapping directly with Principle Strategies' core HR outsourcing portfolio, but delivered primarily through a self-service platform rather than high-touch consulting.
• Sequoia One: Sequoia One is a PEO serving small to mid-sized businesses with payroll, benefits, HR compliance and employee support — overlapping with Principle Strategies' outsourced HR services, including multi-state employer coverage.

Broad incumbents

• TriNet: TriNet provides HR outsourcing, payroll, benefits and compliance services to small and mid-sized businesses — directly comparable to Principle Strategies' full-service HR outsourcing model, with significantly larger scale and technology infrastructure.
• Insperity: Insperity is a publicly traded PEO/HR outsourcing provider delivering full-suite HR, benefits, payroll and compliance solutions to SMBs — the same core offering as Principle Strategies but at national scale with proprietary technology and co-employment model.
• Paychex: Paychex provides payroll, HR, benefits and PEO services primarily to small and mid-sized businesses — directly comparable payroll and HR outsourcing overlap with Principle Strategies, with a much larger product suite and broader geographic footprint.
• ADP TotalSource: ADP TotalSource is the PEO arm of ADP offering comprehensive HR outsourcing including benefits, payroll, compliance and employee relations to SMBs — the broadest competing full-service HR outsourcing offering against Principle Strategies in the same SMB segment.

Regional players

• FrankCrum: FrankCrum is a Florida-based PEO delivering HR outsourcing, payroll, benefits and workers' comp to small and mid-sized businesses — similar business model to Principle Strategies but concentrated in a different regional geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PrincipleStrategies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/principlestrategies
• Xx.com/PrincipleStrats

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Principle Strategies