On the Up and Up

This week Kira talks about how to plan, prepare for, and facilitate a meaningful and valuable end of year team meeting. Since this meeting should be a little different than your standard all-team, we knew this topic required its own spotlight!If you take away nothing else from this episode, remember this: your employees don’t need a regurgitation of metrics around your successes and failures from the past year; they need to feel valued because of the job that they do, and seen and heard by both their boss and their colleagues. And that's what this episode is all about!Tune in to hear Kira cover:What makes the end-of-year team meeting so important, and why you should prepare for it a little differently than you other meetings;The 3 sections to include in your meeting agenda, and how to create meaning in each;What data to collect from your employees and from your business to prepare for the meeting;How and why to bring each employee to a level playing field before you start the meeting, no matter their role or how long they’ve been a part of your team;How to frame business results, both good and not-so-good, as a launching pad for meaningful discussions in a productive environment that doesn’t bring about shame and anxiety;How to respond to feedback from employees in a way that's aligned with your values and how you want to move forward in the new year; Lots more!Tune in now!LINKS MENTIONED:Year End Wrap Up Bundle: https://settoscale.com/products/year-end-bundle Grab our year end wrap up bundle and make sure your team is ready to take on the new year with you!Includes: Year End Checklist Year End Wrap Up Meeting Agenda

In this episode, Kira dives into planning for the worst in sales. She explores the empowering mindset needed during uncertainties, the transformative value of seeing your team as an investment, and the importance of maintaining transparency, legality, perspective, and having HR processes in place.Join Set To Scale: https://www.the-paradigm.com/setoscaleKey Points:Mindset:Embrace the exciting roller coaster of entrepreneurship.Discover personal growth opportunities aligned with your business goals.Team Investment:Recognize your team as a dynamic investment in growth.Make transformative decisions as a positive aspect of smart business management.Financial Options:Explore loans as a powerful tool to overcome challenges.Consider potential benefits and opportunities associated with financial assistance.Culture and HR Readiness:Empower your team through transparent communication.Have HR processes in place to ensure a smooth and positive transition.Perspective:See business transitions as opportunities for positive change.Overcome fears of legal repercussions with a hopeful outlook.Business Realities:Acknowledge the potential for positive growth amid challenges.In times of slow sales, encourage entrepreneurs to approach uncertainties optimistically, prioritize team well-being, embrace growth opportunities, and ensure HR readiness for a seamless transition.

Dr. Taylor Day joins us on the podcast this week to shed some light on neurodiversity in the workplace (and beyond!)Dr. Taylor Day is a licensed psychologist with expertise in the early diagnosis and intervention of autism. She has a PhD in clinical psychology and her own private practice is centered on The Whole Family Approach, a process Dr. Tay has founded and perfected over the years. Dr. Tay specializes in working with autistic children and their families and uses a combination of evidence-informed principles, along with her personal expertise with an autistic brother, to provide neurodivergent affirming care. Kira and Dr. Tay discuss the reality that HR policies are based on neurotypicality and how we - as employers and business owners - can step into proactive measures instead of reactive ones to accommodate our team members and create a company culture that prevents burnout. Dr. Tay shares how she’s built a team around her values and the culture she  Check out this week’s episode to hear Kira and Dr. Tay talk about:How to not lose the special parts of your business as you bring on more team membersHow proactive vs. reactive measures prevent burnout, and what the looks like for Dr. Tay’s businessModeling behavior you want to see in your employeesThe difference between person-first language vs. identity-first language Dr. Tay’s approach to hiring Appropriate terminology to use around neurodivergenceHow to approach individuals about what kind of accommodations they need without causing offenseOpening a dialogue with people without making assumptions or hurting someone’s feelingsWhat to do if someone isn’t disclosing what you suspect to be neurodivergent Tune in now!LINKS MENTIONED:Dr. Taylor Day’s Instagram: @the.dr.tay Dr. Taylor Day’s Website:  Drtaylorday.comEmail: taylor@drtaylorday.com

Many folks toss around the term "PTO" pretty casually, but trust me, it's a lot more intricate than it might seem. In this week's episode, we're diving deep into the world of PTO to help you make savvy choices when shaping your team's policy.The purpose of this episode isn’t to walk you through the process of creating a PTO policy (although that is a service we offer 😉), but it’s to share insights to help you turn those swirling thoughts in your head into a solid plan on paper. Keep in mind, while your PTO policy does affect your bottom line, it's more about the nuts and bolts of your business operations and gaining a deeper understanding of how your team manages their time.So tune into this week’s episode to learn:The HR perspective on "PTO" and what it entailsThe importance of implementing a PTO tracking system, even for full-time salaried employees, to optimize your team's performanceA clear breakdown of what PTO covers and what it doesn'tThe distinctions between PTO and vacation timeThe pros and cons of a comprehensive PTO policy versus categorizing time off into distinct buckets, like vacation, bereavement, and sick days.We're also addressing your burning PTO-related questions:Whether offering paid sick leave is a legal requirementEffective strategies for managing PTO requests and schedulingThe considerations behind "roll-over" versus "use it or lose it" policies, both from a legal and company culture perspectiveThe possibility of setting limits on accrued PTO for employeesHandling PTO when an employee leaves the companyPreventing PTO abuse and excessive absenteeismExploring potential tax implications tied to providing PTOSharing best practices for communicating your PTO policy to your team.Ultimately, when it comes to PTO, it's just like crafting any other policy for our business. It demands careful consideration, purposeful planning, diligent execution, and an acknowledgment that it will continuously evolve to establish a robust foundation. As leaders, we bear the responsibility of embracing this structure, ensuring that our team members can function effectively within it, and unleash their full potential when they're "on the clock."Links Mentioned:Employee Cost Calculator: https://settoscale.com/products/employee-cost-calculator?_pos=1&_sid=01d39c2d7&_ss=r Last week’s episode on inclusive holidays: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-build-an-inclusive-company-holiday-policy/id1661939979?i=1000633353423 Blog post on inclusive holidays: https://the-paradigm.com/2024_inclusive_holidays/ 

Today’s episode may be straight forward, but it’s not without nuance! On this week’s episode of On The Up & Up, we’re ushering in the holiday season with an episode dedicated to building your holiday policy.But the goal of this episode is not to list out a bunch of holidays you should include in your policy. It’s to show you how different perspectives - and how choosing which holidays your company observes - can impact your company culture.We’re diving into: 🦃What it means to build a holiday policy within your company🦃How to balance time off for the holidays your company observes with what is required to keep the company going so you can live the life of your choosing;🦃The deal with “Floating Holidays” and best practices for including them in your policy in lieu of “inclusive holidays”; 🦃Whether or not it’s illegal to ask employees to work on Thanksgiving (spoiler: it’s not);🦃The difference between your holiday policy and your PTO policy;🦃 Our advice for building a holiday policy for the first time within your business.We want to preface this episode by acknowledging that the Federally recognized holidays within the U.S. are very ethnocentric around white, Christian culture. Paradigm is working hard as a company to practice diversity and inclusivity, and are always learning. As always, we welcome your feedback!Links Mentioned:Blog post with a wide range of inclusive holidays you can include in your company policy;Set To Scale - join our monthly HR membership and start building your company’s holiday policy as soon as today!

In last week’s episode, we talked about the 4th and final step of the interview process: evaluating candidates. We briefly touched on two ways to do this using candidate assessments and test projects, but this week we’re continuing that conversation and digging even deeper into these two methods to make sure you know what they are, and when, why, and how to use them to get the data you need to make the best hiring decision for your business. We cover: The difference between assessments and test projects;Which third party assessments we recommend;When it’s appropriate to use a test project and when it’s not;How to design a test project so it’s aligned with the role and your business;If, and when, to pay a candidate for their time taking a test project;How to assign weight to different areas of a test project.This is the nitty gritty that we looove getting into, because getting this step right is what will make all the difference in your hiring outcome! Tune in now!Links mentioned:Set To Scale: HR when you need it! Our HR membership gives you direct access to HR experts for a fraction of the cost of hiring an HR team; hyper-focused, bite-sized HR video trainings for any and every real world people-management scenario you can imagine; an extensive library of templates for every contract, performance review, offer and/or termination letter, employee handbook, documentation checklist, interview guide, job description, or policy, you could ever need, PLUS a supportive community of fellow entrepreneurs and business leaders you can ask questions to, bounce ideas off of, learn from, and more. Paradigm Consulting Interview Bundle - use code UAU1023 for 50% off! This will help you get a great head start for planning an internally scalable recruiting process, reducing the time between posting the job to having an employee that’s making you money!Bundle includes: Hiring Process Email TemplatesInterview No No'sInterview Questions Part I - Habits and MindsetInterview Questions Part II - Leadership and ManagementInterview Script (3 Part Process)

If you tuned into last week’s episode, you know we’re diving into the 4 basic steps of interviewing. These 4 steps are not only tried and true for bringing in amazing candidates that will lead you to your next hire, but they’ve also been tested through the lens of compliance. So if you’re going to take any advice on interviewing (i.e. what you can and can’t ask during an interview, how to assess candidates, how to frame the conversation, etc..) THIS is it.Last week’s episode was about the first 2 steps of this 4 part interviewing process (after you drafted the JD, posted a kickass job post, and are rock solid on knowing your compliance responsibilities with regards to your hiring.)ICYMI, those two steps were:1) Screening candidates2) Digging deeper and assessing the culture fitOn this week’s episode, we’re talking about the quantitative side of interviewing…aka what happens as people progress beyond the early screening and first interview stage:3) Validate4) EvaluateWe’ll be talking about how to turn the QUALITATIVE materials you’ve collected during your interviews into a QUANTITATIVE set of data you can use to assess candidates against each other. THIS is what makes your hiring process replicable, so you can scale more effortlessly and effectively each time you hire.I’ll also be sharing specific tips for the Validate and the Evaluate steps that will help you reduce the COST of hiring (time and money) so you can get to an ROI sooner. So if you have a data-driven mind and you've ever asked yourself (or me!) the question:“How do I quantify whether or not someone is a good candidate?”This is the episode for you! LINKS MENTIONED:Paradigm Consulting Interview Bundle - use code UAU1023 for 50% off! This will help you get a great head start for planning an internally scalable recruiting process, reducing the time between posting the job to having an employee that’s making you money!Bundle includes: Hiring Process Email TemplatesInterview No No'sInterview Questions Part I - Habits and MindsetInterview Questions Part II - Leadership and ManagementInterview Script (3 Part Process)Set to Scale: this is where we can help you establish a hiring rubric to not only ensure your next hire is the best fit for your business, but that your future hiring is efficient, effective, and fair!

We’re continuing our month-long deep dive into hiring and interviewing by breaking down the basics of interviewing into a 4-part process.  This week, we’re digging into the first two steps:Screening candidatesDigging deeper / assessing culture fitKira underscores how crucial it is to prioritize candidate comfort throughout the entire interview process, which not only helps communicate your company culture from the get-go but also lays the foundation for a successful hire. She shares valuable tips on creating a positive interview experience for everyone involved, and shows how these small gestures can make a big impact on your business's image.She also explains the benefits of maintaining a clear focus on what you're looking for in a candidate while remaining open to various "who" possibilities, which not only reduces bias but also optimizes your return on investment in the hiring process. (Spoiler: the term ‘culture fit’ is often used as a smokescreen for bias - and we’re not about that around here!)Whether you're an entrepreneur interviewing candidates for your own business, or representing one as a hiring manager, this episode is a must-listen!Listen now! And tune in next week when Kira covers steps 3 and 4 of the hiring process: ValidateEvaluate LINKS MENTIONED:Paradigm Consulting Interview Bundle - use code UAU1023 for 50% off!Bundle includes: Hiring Process Email TemplatesInterview No No'sInterview Questions Part I - Habits and MindsetInterview Questions Part II - Leadership and ManagementInterview Script (3 Part Process)

This week we’re kicking off a month-long deep dive into interviews, starting with a mashup of online business supervillains: HR and Legal! That’s right, Kira is joined by IP Lawyer badass, Chandler of Lethal Legal (with a biz name like that how can you NOT be a badass?!) to chat *some* things Intellectual Property, but mostly all about how being super intentional throughout the hiring process is a long game well worth the effort.Chandler J. Esq is an experienced intellectual property attorney and educator. Serving clients worldwide, she helps entrepreneurs and creators implement a strong legal foundation for their business so they can scale, stress-free. Through providing attorney-drafted contracts and brand ownership, she protects your brand so you can stay in CEO mode, confident and worry-free.Kira and Chandler cover:The most important things you, as a business owner, can do to protect your IPHow to find a trustworthy attorney (what to look for and how to look for it)What Chandler did to find the PERFECT full-time employee for her businessThe importance of sticking to your proverbial guns about your hiring non-negotiablesImportant characteristics to look for in your very first hire, no matter what skills you requireChandler is living proof that hiring a FTE is NOT as scary as it sounds, and the payoff IS as good as it sounds. Tune in now!Learn more about Chandler and Lethal Legal: https://yourlethallegal.com/Lethal Legal's Contract Template Shop: https://shoplethallegal.com/Follow Chandler on IG: @lawyerchandlerj

In today's episode, we're rolling up our sleeves and diving headfirst into the wild world of small business finances. Our guest, Keila from Little Fish Accounting, brings some seriously valuable insight and a unique perspective to small business finances, emphasizing empathy, care, and consideration. As founder and owner of Little Fish Accounting, Keila has created a safe space for business owners to face their fears head on, helping countless clients save money on taxes, avoid financial pitfalls, and achieve their financial goals. With over two decades of experience in taxes and accounting, Keila’s portfolio of clients includes coaches, consultants, makers and service providers across all industries. Join us as we explore the crucial role of good bookkeeping, the relationship between finance and HR, and how data-driven decisions can transform your business's financial future.We talk about:💰Keila’s #1 piece of advice for staying out of highly problematic, risky situations for small business owners (hint: it rhymes with wood cook-beeping)💰Bookkeeping practices that make a significant impact on Keila’s small business clients' finances.💰 The role of AI in bookkeeping 💰 The importance of properly categorizing payroll from a compliance AND a financial planning standpoint (spoiler: bonuses, vacation days, commissions, reimbursements, etc all need to be categorized differently)💰 Whether or not Beyonce tickets and massages are deductible business expenses (and other questionable expenses)Keila also shares her unique perspective on offering employee benefits to her team as a small business owner - and the mindset shifts she made in order to do so.If you’re a small business, and your business makes money - you don’t want to miss this episode! Find Little Fish Accounting online:https://www.littlefishaccounting.com https://www.instagram.com/littlefishaccounting https://www.linkedin.com/in/keilahilltrawick/