E336. Bad Hires & Moving On Fast in Small Business (Part 1)
Release Date: 11/06/2025
E348. Why Fixing Your Weaknesses Is Overrated (and What to Do Instead)
April Garcia's PivotMe
Most high performers aren’t stuck because they lack discipline. They’re stuck because they’re trying to fix things that were never meant to be their strengths. That’s not growth — that’s burnout with a productivity planner. In this episode of PivotMe, April dismantles one of the most persistent myths in personal development: that success requires being “well-rounded.” Drawing from strengths psychology, Gallup research, and real-world high performers, April explains why obsessing over weaknesses produces minimal return — and why leverage, not balance, is the real driver of...
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E347. What’s Your Unfair Advantage? (And Why Ignoring It Is Costing You)
April Garcia's PivotMe
You can list your weaknesses on demand. But when someone asks, “What’s your unfair advantage?” — you freeze. That hesitation? That’s the real problem. Welcome, Pivoter. In this episode of PivotMe, April challenges one of the most common and costly habits high performers have: obsessing over gaps instead of leveraging strengths. Most people can tell you exactly where they fall short — where the market is crowded, where they’re behind, why it’s harder for them than everyone else. But ask them to name their unfair advantage, and everything stops. This episode reframes what an...
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E346. 12 Weeks: Why Your Goals Are Taking So Long (And How to Fix That)
April Garcia's PivotMe
A year sounds ambitious… but it’s also the adult version of saying, “I’ll start on Monday.” And Monday never comes. Welcome back, Pivoter. Last week, April introduced your 4 Rocks — the four non-negotiable outcomes that actually matter this year. In this episode, she takes it one step further by challenging a deeply ingrained habit that quietly kills momentum: thinking in twelve-month timelines. Drawing inspiration from The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran, April reframes how high performers should approach execution — not by lowering goals, but by shortening the runway. This...
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E345. Your 4 Rocks for 2026: The Only Goals That Actually Matter
April Garcia's PivotMe
Hope is not a strategy. And “like” belongs on Facebook, not in your goal plan. Welcome, Pivoter. The calendar has flipped and the year is officially underway. While most people are already drifting away from resolutions they made in a rush, this episode is about doing something different. In this episode of PivotMe, April walks you through how to define your 4 Rocks for 2026 — the four non-negotiable outcomes that will determine whether next December feels like a victory lap or another year that “flew by.” These are not wish-list goals. Not “someday” ideas. They are the pillars...
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E344. REP: Word of Intention for New Year
April Garcia's PivotMe
If your year feels scattered, it’s not because you lack discipline — it’s because you’re missing direction. One word can change that. In this episode of PivotMe, April dives into the transformative power of choosing a Word of Intention for a specific season of life and aligning it with your 4 Rocks. Instead of chasing yearly resolutions that fade by February, April makes the case for planning life in 12-week blocks — a system that creates clarity, focus, and momentum. Through personal stories and real-world examples, she shows how a single word can act as a filter for decisions,...
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E343. The Holiday Pivot: 3 Moves to End the Year Strong
April Garcia's PivotMe
Everyone else is “winding down.” You’re deciding whether next year is accidental… or intentional. In this timely end-of-year episode of PivotMe, April breaks down three powerful holiday pivots that separate small-business owners who strategically recharge from those who collapse into January already behind. This isn’t about hustling through the holidays. It’s about protecting margin, deepening connection, and quietly positioning your next big year while everyone else naps. If you want to close the year like a leader and step into the next one with clarity instead of chaos,...
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E342. Ask These 10 Questions Before 2026
April Garcia's PivotMe
If you’re staring at the end of the year thinking, How is it December already? and Why does it feel unfinished?—this episode is for you. Before you sprint into next year, we’re hitting pause. Because clarity doesn’t happen by accident. It’s designed. In this reflective yet action-driven episode of PivotMe, April walks you through 10 powerful questions designed to help you close the year with intention and step into the next one with clarity and momentum. These aren’t fluffy prompts. They’re clarity grenades. Too many people drag old patterns into a new year and wonder why...
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E341. What Movie Are You Directing This Year?
April Garcia's PivotMe
If next year were a movie, what kind of film would it be? Action? Adventure? Redemption? A rom-com with questionable decisions and a killer soundtrack? Whatever it is — here’s the truth: no magical hand is writing it for you. You get to take the damn pen. You’re the writer, the director, and the lead. In this follow-up to The Hero’s Journey, April hands you the director’s chair for your own life. Too many leaders and entrepreneurs drift into another year by default — replaying the same story, following the same plot, repeating the same dialogue. But what if 2025 wasn’t a sequel?...
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E340. Your Hero's Journey: Which Of The Stages Are You In?
April Garcia's PivotMe
Every great movie has that moment — the hero face-down in the dirt, bleeding, doubting, wondering if they’ve got anything left. That’s not the end of the story. That’s the middle. So if you’re there right now — business messy, life loud, wondering if you’ve blown it — you’re not failing. You’re in your Hero’s Journey. In this powerful episode of PivotMe, April unpacks The Hero’s Journey — that timeless storytelling arc that shows up in every great movie, book, and… your own life. From Luke Skywalker to Moana to Rocky, this universal path of struggle, transformation,...
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E339. Thanksgiving Gratitude, Growth, and the People Who Helped You
April Garcia's PivotMe
Many of us are in seasons of change — different tables, new dynamics, empty chairs, or brand-new beginnings. But no matter what this year looks like, gratitude still belongs here. In this deeply personal Thanksgiving episode, April invites you to slow down, reflect, and find gratitude — even when life looks different. She opens up about vulnerability, growth, asking for help, and the power of gratitude — both for the people who carried you and for the resilient, evolving version of you. Through heartfelt storytelling, humor, and honesty, this episode reminds us that Thanksgiving isn’t...
info_outlineYou know what’s worse than making a bad hire? Making a bad hire… and then wasting weeks of your life obsessing over it instead of moving on. That’s like tripping on a rock and then deciding to camp there forever.
Welcome, Pivoter! Today, April tackles one of the most expensive, frustrating, and inevitable parts of running a business — bad hires.
If you’ve been in business long enough, you’ve made one. We all have. The financial loss hurts, but what’s even more costly is how long we stay stuck — replaying the mistake instead of moving on to our next right decision.
In this episode, April shares her own hiring horror story, client examples, and practical strategies for how to do the emotional autopsy, learn the lesson fast, and move forward faster.
Because the truth is: the real failure isn’t hiring the wrong person — it’s letting that one bad hire rob you of time, energy, and your next opportunity.
Key Takeaways
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Bad hires are inevitable — but obsession is optional.
The true cost isn’t the mistake; it’s the dwelling on the mistake. -
Learn fast, move on faster.
Do your post-mortem, own your role, and pivot. Don’t stay emotionally stuck. -
Hiring = dating.
If you keep dragging the baggage from your last bad hire into your next interview, you’ll poison your chances of finding the right fit. -
A-Players want clarity.
Most hiring fails come from unclear expectations and poor accountability, not bad intentions. -
Conduct a “Bad Hire Autopsy.”
Ask three questions:-
What did they do wrong?
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What did I do wrong?
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What will we do differently next time?
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Emotional Autopsy matters.
Feel it. Yell. Run. Vent. Then move on. The longer you obsess, the more power you give away.
Quotes
“You are walking around like some jilted lover. How long are you going to let a bad decision affect your next right decision?”
“A bad hire costs you 15x their salary — not just in money, but in time, energy, and momentum.”
“Bad hires happen. It sucks. But the real mistake isn’t hiring the wrong person — it’s staying stuck there.”
Actionable Items
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Do the Bad Hire Autopsy:
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What went wrong?
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What was your part?
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What will change next time?
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Release the Baggage:
Take a day to feel frustrated, then let it go. Don’t bring “Samson” or “Sarah” into your next hiring conversation. -
Clarify A-Player Standards:
Write a scorecard before hiring again — what does success look like in 90 days? -
Set Milestones & Accountability:
Don’t just yell “Run!” and forget to point which direction. A-players thrive on clear expectations. -
Don’t Retreat Into “I’ll Just Do It Myself.”
That’s burnout disguised as control. Learn, pivot, and hire again.
Hiring mistakes happen to every entrepreneur. The best leaders don’t pretend otherwise — they just move on faster.
“You don’t have to be perfect to build a great team — you just have to stop camping at the scene of the last bad hire.”
If you want April’s 7-Step Bad Hire Avoidance Checklist, grab it now at theaprilgarcia.com/podcast.
And stay tuned for next week’s Part 2: The Top 5 Reasons New Hires Fail in Small Businesses.
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