In this episode of Welcome to Eloma, Kira La Forgia, Founder and People Operations Consultant of Paradigm, talks about the challenges of hiring, developing, and retaining top talent for small business owners. Kira emphasizes the importance of creating systems, processes, and productized deliverables to decentralize the owner from daily operations. It is important for small business owners to find information and advice that is relevant to their specific needs, as much of the existing content is not tailored to their situation.

The episode covers topics such as hiring contractors vs. employees, building a culture, and developing psychological safety within the team. Kira discusses the importance of defining and maintaining a strong company culture. She emphasizes the need for clear expectations and consistent communication to create a sense of safety and stability within the team. Kira also highlights the significance of core behaviors in shaping team culture and suggests creating a culture guide to drive desired behaviors.

Kira explores the concept of the return on investment (ROI) of hiring and how it can be measured in terms of time and money. Kira shares insights on how to improve margins and optimize team productivity through strategic HR practices. Lastly, she encourages small business owners to understand the difference between employees and contractors to avoid misclassification penalties.

Quotes

• “I think that it's really important that we use ourselves as a filter, but also to make sure that we're okay with making some mistakes along the way. You want to make sure your team understands that that's the nature of small business. It gives a lot of freedom to what we're doing.” 8:04
• “The delivery of what those candidates are going to bring to you, are going to have a much higher instance of requirement for success. Meaning that if you're hiring your very first person, now they're 50% of your business. Don't skip over the strategic HR because you're too small. Understand the weight that person is about to bring to your business.” 12:10
• “When you find a really valuable piece of talent or person with talent that you bring onto your team it's not your job to control them, but it is your job to create a space in which they can thrive.” 21:07

Links and follow-ups:

Connect with Kira La Forgia:

Websites: https://www.the-paradigm.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiralaforgia/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theparadigmm/

Email: kira@the-paradigm.com

Connect with Kiley

Learn more at WelcomeToEloma.com

Work with us at RAYNEIX.com

Newsletter Signup: RIXNewsletter.com

Linkedin: Kiley Peters & RAYNE IX

Instagram: @kileypeters & @rayneix

Email: info@rayneix.com

In this episode of Welcome to Eloma, Michelle Arpin Begina, Financial Change Maker of MichelleAB, talks about the challenges entrepreneurs face in understanding and managing their finances. Michelle shares the catalyst for writing her book, which was a desire to help people talk openly about money and realize their financial potential. Kiley and Michelle explore the concept of financial traumas and how they can impact our relationship with money. Michelle shares personal stories and examples to illustrate the importance of acknowledging and honoring our experiences with money. They also discuss the idea of self-sabotage and the significance of our first money conversations.

In this episode, Michelle and Kiley discuss the complex relationship between money and trauma. They explore how childhood experiences and beliefs shape our attitudes towards money and offer advice on uncovering and understanding these influences. They also delve into the concept of financial self-sabotage and the conflict between freedom and belonging. The conversation emphasizes the importance of self-knowledge and defining success on one's own terms.

Lastly, Michelle shares insights on how successful individuals treat money like a business meeting and the power of collaboration and community in entrepreneurship.

Quotes

• “The three components of self-determination are competence, connection, and freedom. Self-sabotage is often the conflict between freedom and the need to feel connected. Think about this with our money.” 24:52
• “Unless we are living a completely solo life, we are making decisions, financial decisions, that impact not only us, but other stakeholders, other family members, friends.” 25:13
• "Ask yourself, what did I experience in terms of money? What are some of the particulars? Was money talked about and how was it talked about growing up? Particularly for women, research shows that women who grew up in households where money was not talked about, or they were not encouraged as girls to know about money or talk about money, are handicapped.” 22:46

Links and follow-ups:

Connect with Michelle Arpin Begina:

Websites: www.michelleab.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellearpinbeginacfp/

Email: michelle@michelleab.com

Connect with Kiley

Learn more at WelcomeToEloma.com

Work with us at RAYNEIX.com

Newsletter Signup: RIXNewsletter.com

Linkedin: Kiley Peters & RAYNE IX

Instagram: @kileypeters & @rayneix

Email: info@rayneix.com

In this episode of Welcome to Eloma, Kiley Peters, founder of RAYNE IX, talks about reflecting on the lessons she learned from her various jobs throughout her career and how they prepared her for entrepreneurship. She shares 20 jobs she had over nearly 20 years, including babysitting, working at a movie theater, being a preschool swim instructor, serving tables, working in retail, being an apartment manager, and more. Each job taught her valuable skills such as crisis management, staying focused, attention to detail, emotional intelligence, customer service, leadership, and more. She emphasizes the importance of playing, dreaming bigger, and being authentic in entrepreneurship.

Quotes

• “My biggest lesson was to do things that light you up. Anybody who follows me should hopefully by this point understand, I'm a big proponer of getting clear on the things that you want and then building your business to support the life that you want to live.” 13:49
• “Don't be afraid to do things differently, especially if it's better. As adults, we fail to play as we get older. We play a whole lot less. And we should play more because there's a lot of creativity that is unleashed when we play. It's great for ourselves as individuals and our businesses. It's essential, and it's healthy.” 28:04
• “Get curious about the things that come most naturally to you. Because those are probably your superpowers and the things that other people would really pay you to do.” 34:55

Links and follow-ups:

Connect with Kiley

Learn more at WelcomeToEloma.com

Work with us at RAYNEIX.com

Newsletter Signup: RIXNewsletter.com

Linkedin: Kiley Peters & RAYNE IX

Instagram: @kileypeters & @rayneix

Email: info@rayneix.com