E336. Bad Hires & Moving On Fast in Small Business (Part 1)
Release Date: 11/06/2025
E343. The Holiday Pivot: 3 Moves to End the Year Strong
April Garcia's PivotMe
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E342. Ask These 10 Questions Before 2026
April Garcia's PivotMe
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April Garcia's PivotMe
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April Garcia's PivotMe
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April Garcia's PivotMe
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April Garcia's PivotMe
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E337. 5 Reasons New Hires Fail in Small Business (Part 2)
April Garcia's PivotMe
You know what’s more expensive than a bad hire? A great hire you set up to fail. Welcome, Pivoter! In Part 2 of this series, April dives into the five most common reasons new hires fail in small businesses — and, more importantly, how to stop repeating those mistakes. Drawing from Who, Topgrading, and real small-business case studies, she unpacks what actually derails your new hires: lack of clarity, rushed processes, weak onboarding, and the avoidance of tough calls. This episode is your small-business hiring playbook — practical, tough-love, and designed to help you build a team that...
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E336. Bad Hires & Moving On Fast in Small Business (Part 1)
April Garcia's PivotMe
You 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...
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E335. REP: Stop Judging Younger You: Lessons from Energy & Shadow Work
April Garcia's PivotMe
You’re not mad at your past self because she failed — you’re mad because she didn’t know what you know now. But guess what? She’s the reason you know it. In this episode of PivotMe, April takes listeners on a transformative journey through her recent experience with energy and shadow work—a deep dive into the hidden layers of self-judgment, compassion, and growth. Through personal reflection and powerful mindset shifts, April reveals how she uncovered her own inner critic — “The Judge” — and how it was quietly sabotaging her progress. If you’ve ever replayed your old...
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E334. REP: Where Have I Given Away My Power?
April Garcia's PivotMe
You’re not powerless — you’re powerful. But every time you blame someone or something else for where you are, you hand that power away like spare change. Welcome, Pivoter! In this episode, April tackles a hard truth: sometimes, the biggest thing standing between us and our goals isn’t circumstance — it’s our excuses. We dive deep into the concept of Radical Responsibility — the practice of owning every part of your life and business that you can control. Because until you do, you’ll stay stuck in patterns of blame and frustration, waiting for external forces to change what only...
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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