People On Purpose®

Hosted by Kira La Forgia

Business Management

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Episodes

124

Latest episode

May 2026

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About the show

People On Purpose, the podcast that reminds you that your business doesn’t run on policies and processes alone... it runs on people. If you’ve been with us since the On The Up & Up! days, you probably remember the tactical HR tips, the “how-to hire” episodes, and my rants about I-9s and contractors vs. employees. And don’t worry, you’ll still hear the occasional HR compliance tip. But after years of working with hundreds of small businesses, I realized something big: It’s not the systems or the SOPs that make your business work. It’s the humans behind them. So this new chapter of the podcast is about the messy middle of building a team. Think: more purpose than payroll and more community than compliance. We’re talking about what it really takes to create a workplace where people actually want to show up, not because they have to, but because they believe in what you’re building… or at the very least, because it feels great to work there. Each week, we’ll explore the people-side of small business - from leadership and management, to community and culture - with best best practices, strategies, and the occasional leadership horror story - because we’ve all got ‘em.

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60 recent

September 16, 20261 hr 1 min

S3E3: Contractors, Culture, and Connection with Braden Drake

This week we’re joined by Braden Drake : wedding industry lawyer and longtime friend. We cover a lot in this episode, but it all keeps circling back to one idea: information used to be the thing a business could sell. Now that AI can get you information in a snap, connection is what’s really for sale. We're breaking down: Classifying your team by what you actually need, not what’s easiest to avoid What to do when someone steals your work (hint: it’s not a lawsuit) The real reason people quit small teams. Braden’s “green flag” system for actually following through on priorities. We ask a lot of important questions in this episode, but an important one remains unanswered: Should Braden and I start a podcast? Want more People On Purpose®? Subscribe to the newsletter to keep the conversation going every week.

September 9, 202641 min

S3E2: The Founder Bottleneck Nobody Wants to Talk About

Every founder bottleneck comes down to one of two things: First, capacity . You don’t have time to do everything (and it certainly doesn’t help that what you think is a “quick 15-minute task” usually takes much longer to complete.) Then there’s clarity . Your team doesn’t have the information or permission to make decisions without you, so you become the thing in the way of getting things done. We can’t snap our fingers and give you more hours in the day (believe me, we’ve tried), but we can help with the clarity problem, and that’s exactly what we’re doing in this episode. We’re breaking down: Why founder bottlenecks are usually about control, not capability How to approach clarity bottlenecks differently than capacity ones What your team’s questions actually say about you as a leader What happens when you avoid feedback to hide from difficult conversations Talking about being the bottleneck in your business can feel awkward and boring. But being the bottleneck in your business can be the difference between moving forward or staying stuck. Want more People On Purpose®? Subscribe to the newsletter to keep the conversation going every week.

September 2, 202643 min

S3E1 - What Does Your Business Look Like Without You In It?

Can your business run without you? This question is a bit of a two-parter. First there's the day-to-day. Your team, your SOPs, your business's ability to keep things moving whether you're there or not. Then there's the bigger picture. Quality control, vision for the future, the judgment calls nobody else can make for you. That's what this week's episode is all about. We're breaking down: Why revenue isn't the tell-all metric. The year Kira ran her business almost entirely without her, and what it cost long after the P&L still looked fine. The four things that stay yours, no matter what you delegate. What quality looks like going out the door, the relationship context living in your head, the "no list" you enforce without saying it out loud, and the escalation logic your team is guessing at. What getting laid off from her own COO job taught Kira about culture. Thirteen and a half years in, and how a right-hand person can quietly absorb the whole business without anyone deciding that on purpose. Season 3 runs on questions like this one. Subscribe to the newsletter to keep the conversation going every week.

May 27, 20261 hr 7 min

S2E10: The Secret to $500 Million in Client Revenue? Actually Caring. With Stacia of Switch It Up Designs

This week we're sitting down with Stacia, founder and CEO of Switch It Up Designs, a seven-figure digital marketing agency, and co-founder of authority.io — a DIY ad platform that lets small business owners run expert-level ads in four clicks. Her team manages over $8 million in annual ad spend and has helped generate over $500 million in client revenue. She's also one of our clients — so we can personally vouch for the culture she's built. Listen in to hear: How she went from a modern dance degree and a failed $99-a-year business to a seven-figure agency Why paid media is the only marketing channel that can actually guarantee your growth What authority.io is and why it's changing the game for small business owners Why the founders with the best retention are the ones who just genuinely give a shit The AI conversation nobody is having honestly enough

April 15, 202635 min

S2E9: Your Team Already Knows Who Should Be Fired

Nobody wants to be in this position. But if you clicked on this one, you probably need it — and we're glad you're here. Nothing we say can make firing someone feel good, but this episode breaks down everything you need to know to ensure you're letting someone go with integrity, in a way that protects your business and lets you come out the other side with your culture intact. Because firing someone thoughtfully can actually strengthen your team's trust in you. Doing it poorly can destroy it. Listen in to hear: Why firing someone is not a failure of leadership — but avoiding it when it's necessary usually is The mistakes leaders make that turn a clean exit into a compliance nightmare Why most termination lawsuits aren't about the firing — they're about the story that doesn't add up What your team is actually watching for when someone gets let go The things you should never say in a termination meeting — and what to say instead Why by the time you're ready to have the conversation, your team probably already saw it coming Get the Clean Exit Bundle: https://paradigmconsulting.thrivecart.com/clean-exit-bundle/

April 1, 202635 min

S2E8: Why the Best Teams Feel a Little Bit Like a Cult

Not an actual cult. But kind of. The teams that show up fully, carry the business when things get hard, and genuinely care about the mission all have something in common — and it has nothing to do with skill set. In this episode, we're getting personal about a really hard year, a team member who let us down, and what it taught us about what actually makes a team work. Spoiler: it's not the offer letter. Listen in to hear: What cult-like community actually means in a small business context — and what it definitely doesn't Why hiring someone you already know and trust can teach you everything about culture The real reason our best revenue year happened during our hardest personal year Why engagement has nothing to do with perks and everything to do with connection Why you can mess up the onboarding paperwork and still build an incredible team — and exactly when that excuse runs out

March 25, 202633 min

S2E7: The Real Reason Your Hires Aren't Working Out

If you've ever let someone go in their first 90 days and thought "another bad hire" — this episode is going to challenge that story. The real reason your hires aren't working out probably has less to do with them and a lot more to do with what's happening before they ever find their footing. Listen in to hear: The surprising parallel between your customer experience and your employee onboarding Why the first 90 days are 100% your responsibility as a leader — and why that's actually good news What most small business owners get wrong about onboarding talented people Why the better the hire, the more onboarding they actually need How to stop living in the echo chamber of "employees these days" and start taking ownership

March 18, 202650 min

S2E6: Evolution of Culture

If something feels off in your business and you can't quite put your finger on it — culture could be the culprit. Company culture doesn't collapse overnight. It drifts over time and by the time most founders realize there's been a shift, it can be difficult to get things back on track. In this episode we break down the four phases every small business culture goes through, how to identify which one you're in right now, and what to do about it before it gets expensive. Listen in to hear: Why culture is the root cause of most of the problems showing up in your business right now The four phases of company culture and what each one requires from you as a leader Why founders don't notice their culture is changing until something breaks What it actually means to let your culture evolve intentionally instead of accidentally Why addressing your culture is basically therapy for your business

February 18, 202636 min

S2E5: Having Difficult Conversations 2.0

If you're the one always delivering bad news, rejecting PTO requests, and handling every performance issue — even for people who don't directly report to you — there's a problem. Your managers are avoiding the hard conversations by passing the uncomfortable stuff up to you, which means you're stuck doing everyone's job instead of actually leading your business. This episode is about why difficult conversations keep landing on your desk, and how to shift that responsibility back to where it belongs: with your managers. Listen in to hear: Why copying someone else's leadership style makes you less effective in the moment. The three questions every manager should be able to answer without hesitation. Why PTO approvals are a capacity planning tool, not an admin task. What bottom-up accountability actually looks like in practtice. The real cost of managers who dodge difficult conversations.

February 11, 202625 min

S2E4: Stop Treating HR Like a Necessary Evil

Most founders think HR = legal protection. A compliance checkbox. Something you have to “deal with” when a problem pops up — and something you try not to think about the rest of the time. But if you’re constantly putting out fires with your team, drowning in management conversations, or second-guessing every business decision because you don’t know how it will land, HR might not be the solution — it’s more likely the root of the problem. In this episode we flip the script about HR and help you dig into what it should actually be : the engine that drives growth, profitability, and a team that doesn’t want to leave. Listen in to hear why: The “call me when you need me” approach to HR is keeping you stuck in reactive mode, always plugging holes instead of building systems that grow with you. Your brilliant ideas might be unprofitable — and how strategic HR can help you find out for sure. Proactive support helps you adapt to organizational changes quickly and efficiently. Compliance is the gateway, not the destination — the real work is in leadership development and communication. You need a partner who filters every decision through the lens of “How will this actually work with our team?”