The KeyHire Small Business Podcast

KeyHire Solutions
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Welcome to the Award Winning KeyHire Solutions Small Business Podcast, where we cover small business issues, including leadership development, hiring strategies, management structure, business growth, workplace culture, entrepreneurship, and more. We’re here to help you stop grinding and start growing. Join us for weekly chats about small business management with Corey Harlock, our organization design, candidate experience, talent acquisition, and employer branding expert, and CEO of KeyHire Solutions. As an entrepreneur, Corey understands the challenges that business owners face when scaling their businesses. Follow Corey on LinkedIn @CoreyHarlockJoin our Mailing List @ keyHire.Solutions (http://keyHire.Solutions)

  1. You Can't Afford NOT to Hire (with Natalia Zacharin)

    1D AGO

    You Can't Afford NOT to Hire (with Natalia Zacharin)

    Text us your comments or topic ideas for future shows. If you have ever wondered whether you can actually afford to hire someone right now, this episode of The KeyHire Small Business Podcast was made for you. Corey Harlock sits down with Natalia Zacharin, a fractional CFO who helps small business owners gain financial clarity through strategic bookkeeping and CFO-level thinking, to break down the math behind when payroll and revenue actually align to support a new hire.  The conversation starts with a concept that many business owners have never formally calculated: the payroll to revenue ratio. Natalia explains how to calculate it correctly by including not just wages but taxes, workers’ compensation, and benefits, then dividing that total by gross revenue. The result is a percentage that can tell you a great deal about whether your business can sustain growth. She walks through healthy benchmarks by industry, including roughly 20 to 25 percent for restaurants, 30 to 35 percent for professional services, and around 30 percent for manufacturing, and explains why staying within those ranges protects profitability, cash reserves, and the owner’s ability to take distributions.  One of the most valuable parts of the episode is the distinction Natalia draws between hiring because you are busy and hiring because the business can sustain it. Being slammed with work does not automatically mean the finances support adding headcount, especially if that busyness is seasonal or tied to a one-time order. She encourages business owners to look at trends in profit, cash flow, and lead generation before committing to payroll, and to build up three to six months of operating expenses as a cushion before taking on a significant hire.  Corey adds his own experience to the mix, particularly around hiring for experience versus potential. He makes the case that when you hire for potential, you are accepting a long return on investment that can take 12 to 24 months to materialize. When you hire for experience, especially into a key leadership role, the ROI can be nearly immediate if the fit is right. Natalia echoes this from her own journey, sharing that her decision to hire a senior CPA with decades of CFO experience was a turning point that effectively doubled her business.  The episode also gets into the practical side of structuring compensation for sales hires, including how to keep a new salesperson whole during the ramp period by starting with a higher base and gradually shifting to a greater commission component as they build momentum. Corey walks through a specific quarterly structure that protects the candidate while giving the business time to see results, and both he and Natalia discuss why hiring an order taker when you need a hunter is a costly mismatch that shows up fast.  Toward the end, Natalia shares her top steps for preparing to hire, including evaluating profitability, building cash reserves, understanding revenue per full-time equivalent, establishing a consistent hiring process, and setting clear 30-, 60-, and 90-day check-ins after someone starts.  If you are a small business owner trying to figure out the right time to hire, what you can afford to spend, or how to structure a compensation package that attracts strong talent, this episode gives you the financial framework to make a smarter decision. Connect with the Experts Learn more about Natalia: https://zacharinconsulting.com/ Get the Ultimate Accounting Checklist: https://zacharinconsulting.com/keyhire/ Connect with Corey Harlock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Learn more about KeyHire Solutions: https://www.keyhire.solutions Built for small and medium-sized business owners, the KeyHire Podcast has earned a loyal audience of leaders who act on what they hear. We limit our sponsors intentionally with one voice, one message, and full impact, so your brand never gets lost in the noise. If you want direct access to the owners making the hiring decisions, this is your seat at the table. Learn More at Keyhire.Solutions Hiring the wrong person is one of the most expensive mistakes a business owner can make, and the KeyHire Hiring Playbook was designed to make sure it never happens to you. Packed with proven strategies trusted by SMB owners across the country, this free guide gives you a repeatable process for getting every hire right. Grab your free copy at keyhire.solutions and take the guesswork out of growing your team.

    51 min
  2. The True Cost of a Bad Hire (with Ryan Hogan)

    MAY 11

    The True Cost of a Bad Hire (with Ryan Hogan)

    Text us your comments or topic ideas for future shows. Connect with Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Take the KeyHire Capacity Calculator: www.keyhire.solutions/capacity If hiring feels like something you squeeze in between everything else on your plate, this episode is for you. On this episode of The KeyHire Small Business Podcast, Corey Harlock sits down with Ryan Hogan, co-founder and CEO of Talent Harbor, to talk about why recruiting needs to stop being an afterthought and start being a core competency inside your business.  Ryan has seen both sides of the hiring equation. He previously helped scale Hunt a Killer from a live event concept into a subscription box business shipping 160,000 units a month before selling it. Now he helps growth-stage companies fix the broken hiring systems that hold them back. And the pattern he sees everywhere is the same: business owners delegate hiring to whoever runs the department, at the exact moment that person is already stretched thin, and expect them to become expert recruiters overnight.  Corey and Ryan spend most of this conversation unpacking why that approach fails, and what it actually costs when it does. The real number behind a bad hire is rarely the salary. It is the degraded culture, the missed revenue, the good employees who quietly walk out the door, and the time it takes to restart a process that should have been done right the first time. As Ryan points out, even Jack Welch admitted he only got hiring right fifty percent of the time. That should tell every small business owner something about what it takes to do this well.  One of the most valuable parts of this episode is the discussion on culture fit and how to actually assess it before someone walks through the door. Ryan breaks down how Talent Harbor rates candidates against a client’s core values, asking questions designed to surface real examples of behavior without telegraphing what the right answer looks like. Corey adds his own method: he never discusses the role or company in early screening calls, so candidates have nothing to perform toward and can only tell the truth. Both approaches come back to the same idea, which is that reading a resume and asking a few questions is not recruiting.  The conversation also gets into leading indicators for sales hires, how to get candidates outside their comfort zone during the interview process, why multiple touchpoints matter more than a single impressive interview, and how to use granular detail as a built-in lie detector during behavioral questions.  Ryan closes with advice that applies long before the first job posting goes out. Culture is not what you write on your walls or what you preach on Fridays. It is what your organization actually tolerates. If you do not understand your own culture clearly enough to describe it honestly to a candidate, you are not ready to hire.  If you are a small business owner who wants to stop cycling through Built for small and medium-sized business owners, the KeyHire Podcast has earned a loyal audience of leaders who act on what they hear. We limit our sponsors intentionally with one voice, one message, and full impact, so your brand never gets lost in the noise. If you want direct access to the owners making the hiring decisions, this is your seat at the table. Learn More at Keyhire.Solutions Hiring the wrong person is one of the most expensive mistakes a business owner can make, and the KeyHire Hiring Playbook was designed to make sure it never happens to you. Packed with proven strategies trusted by SMB owners across the country, this free guide gives you a repeatable process for getting every hire right. Grab your free copy at keyhire.solutions and take the guesswork out of growing your team.

    55 min
  3. The $60,000 Hiring Mistake

    MAY 4

    The $60,000 Hiring Mistake

    Text us your comments or topic ideas for future shows. Connect with Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Take the KeyHire Capacity Calculator: www.keyhire.solutions/capacity In this episode of The KeyHire Small Business Podcast, Corey Harlock breaks down one of the biggest risks small business owners face in a chaotic economy: making the wrong hire because the market looks full of available talent. With layoffs continuing across multiple industries, AI reshaping white-collar work, and some sectors booming while others struggle, it can be easy for business owners to assume that great candidates are suddenly easier to find. But as Corey explains, available talent is not the same thing as qualified talent. Just because someone impressive is on the market does not mean they have the right skills, experience, industry knowledge, or capacity to succeed inside your business. Corey walks through three common hiring mistakes small business owners make when the economy gets noisy. The first is getting swept up by a referral or an impressive resume and rushing someone through an informal hiring process. Maybe a friend, neighbor, or colleague recommends a recently laid-off leader or salesperson, and the business owner sees a rare opportunity to bring in “big company” talent. The problem is that without a consistent hiring process, red flags get missed, expectations stay unclear, and six months later, the business owner may realize they are paying top dollar for someone who does not understand the business. The second mistake is bargain hunting. Corey explains why hiring someone at a discount simply because they are out of work can create what he calls a “rental player.” They may take the role because they need a paycheck, but once another opportunity appears at their previous compensation level, they are likely to leave. That turnover creates lost time, lost momentum, and a much higher cost than the salary savings ever justified. The third mistake is hiring for transferable skills without building the training structure needed to make that hire successful. Corey makes an important distinction between hiring for experience and hiring for potential. Experience costs more, but it can create faster return on investment. Potential may be less expensive upfront, but it requires clear 30-, 60-, and 90-day goals, structured training, follow-up, coaching, and patience. Throughout the episode, Corey gives small business owners practical ways to avoid these traps. He emphasizes the need for a consistent hiring process, fair and thoughtful compensation, clear KPIs, structured onboarding, and regular check-ins. He also reminds owners that their best employees are already getting calls from other companies, so retention depends on consistently giving them reasons to stay. This episode is especially valuable for small business owners who are hiring in today’s uncertain economy, considering candidates from outside their industry, or trying to decide whether to hire for experience or potential. Corey also points listeners to a recorded webinar that expands on these ideas, including how to build a hiring avatar, create a scorecard, and design a stronger interview process. If you want to make better hiring decisions, protect your investment, and avoid expensive hiring mistakes, this episode is a must-listen.   Connect with the Experts Connect with Corey Harlock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Learn more about KeyHire Solutions: https://www.keyhire.solutions

    32 min
  4. The Human Blind Spot Putting Your Business at Risk (with Robert Siciliano)

    APR 27

    The Human Blind Spot Putting Your Business at Risk (with Robert Siciliano)

    Text us your comments or topic ideas for future shows. Connect with Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Take the KeyHire Capacity Calculator: www.keyhire.solutions/capacity In this episode of The KeyHire Small Business Podcast, Corey Harlock talks with security expert Robert Siciliano about a side of business security that many owners overlook. While most people think about security as a matter of software, systems, and IT controls, Robert argues that the real issue often starts with people and the way human beings naturally respond to trust, urgency, and perceived familiarity.   The conversation begins with Corey sharing a personal example of clicking a link that looked familiar and then dealing with a flood of spam calls afterward. From there, the discussion expands into a bigger question. Why do smart, capable people still fall for scams, phishing attempts, and deceptive messages? Robert explains that human beings are wired to trust by default, and that this instinct can create a dangerous blind spot when bad actors use email, texts, phone calls, and now AI-driven tools to manipulate emotion and force quick decisions.   Robert introduces the idea of the “human blind spot,” which he describes as the gap between our natural instinct to trust and our ability to slow down and think critically in risky situations. He explains that most people do not want to believe they will be targeted, and many avoid thinking seriously about security at all. That denial, combined with increasingly convincing scams, creates real vulnerability inside both personal life and the workplace. He also makes the point that fraud and crime are now treated like businesses by the people carrying them out, while most consumers and employees are still not prepared to recognize the risks in front of them.   A major focus of the episode is why traditional security training often falls short. Robert says many companies rely too heavily on phishing simulations and compliance-based training, but those methods do not fully address how people actually think and behave. Instead, he argues for moving beyond security awareness and toward what he calls security appreciation. In his view, people need to understand security in a personal way before behavior truly changes. He says that when employees see how these risks affect their own identity, money, family, and everyday life, they are more likely to make better decisions at work as well.   The episode also covers the growing role of AI in modern scams. Robert explains that voice cloning, deepfakes, and high-precision impersonation are making deception more believable than ever. These tools strip away many of the obvious warning signs people used to rely on. To help counter that, he shares a simple framework called the AAA protocol: Analyze, Authenticate, and Act. The idea is to stop, assess the urgency, verify the source through a trusted channel, and only then decide what to do next.   This is a practical conversation for business owners who want to protect their companies by addressing the human side of security. Corey and Robert make the case that better security starts with better thinking, better habits, and a culture where trust is paired with verification.   Connect with the Experts Learn More about Robert: https://protectnowllc.com/ Connect with Corey Harlock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Learn more about KeyHire Solutions: https://www.keyhire.solutions

    45 min
  5. 3 Tax Moves You're Missing (with Mike Milligan)

    APR 20

    3 Tax Moves You're Missing (with Mike Milligan)

    Text us your comments or topic ideas for future shows. Connect with Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Take the KeyHire Capacity Calculator: www.keyhire.solutions/capacity If tax season feels like writing a painful check and hoping for the best, this episode is for you. On this episode of The KeyHire Small Business Podcast, Corey Harlock sits down with financial planner Mike Milligan to talk through legal, practical tax strategies that may help small business owners keep more of their money and think more intentionally about long-term wealth.   This is not a conversation about gimmicks or anything off the books. Early in the episode, Corey makes it clear: he wants to pay as little tax as possible, but he does not want to go to jail. That sets the tone for a discussion focused on legitimate strategies that many entrepreneurs may have heard about in passing but never fully understood or thought applied to them. Mike, who has spent 27 years in the financial industry, explains why so many business owners miss opportunities that are already built into the tax code.   One of the biggest ideas in this episode is that many business owners are relying on professionals who are great at reporting what already happened but are not always positioned to help them plan ahead. Mike describes many CPAs as historians, and Corey connects that idea to something many owners know firsthand: a business can grow, become more complex, and still be using the same financial setup it had in the early days. That gap can cost real money.   Mike breaks down several examples that make this episode especially valuable for entrepreneurs. He explains the Augusta Rule and how business owners may be able to rent their home to their business for meetings or events, with proper documentation and fair market support. He also discusses the family management company concept, including paying children for legitimate work and potentially using that income to help fund a custodial Roth IRA. Then he walks through the impact of business structure, including how an LLC with an S-corp election may create meaningful tax savings once income reaches a certain level.   What makes this conversation work is that it stays practical. Corey keeps bringing the discussion back to the small business owner who is already wearing too many hats and does not have time to become a tax expert. Mike’s point is not that owners need to learn the entire tax code. It is that the right planning, the right structure, and the right team can create significant savings over time. As the episode shows, one strategy may not change everything on its own, but several smart moves layered together can add up in a big way.   If you are a business owner, consultant, or entrepreneur who wants to stop leaving money on the table, this episode is worth your time. Listen in for a clear, engaging conversation on tax planning, business structure, and ways to move money more intentionally for your business, your family, and your future.  Connect with the Experts Learn More about Mike: https://1oakfinancial.com/ Get The 1 of a Kind Financial Plan: https://a.co/d/0io2Z8Mk Connect with Corey Harlock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Learn more about KeyHire Solutions: https://www.keyhire.solutions

    51 min
  6. When Culture & Brand Don't Match (with Nader Safinya)

    APR 13

    When Culture & Brand Don't Match (with Nader Safinya)

    Text us your comments or topic ideas for future shows. Connect with Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Take the KeyHire Capacity Calculator: www.keyhire.solutions/capacity In this episode of The KeyHire Small Business Podcast, Corey Harlock sits down with Nader Safinya of Black Ribbit to talk about a problem most business owners feel but struggle to fix: misalignment. When your mission, your culture, and your day-to-day operations are not in sync, it creates friction everywhere. Corey opens with a story about a company that claimed to value employees, customers, and stakeholders equally, but only focused on profit in practice. It is a scenario many business owners will recognize right away.   Nader brings a different perspective to the conversation with his concept of culture branding. His core belief is simple. Culture is your brand. Instead of treating employee experience and customer experience as separate strategies, he explains how businesses can design them together so both groups experience the same values and tell the same story. When that alignment is missing, companies end up with a disconnect that shows up in hiring, communication, and overall performance.   The discussion gets especially relevant when they move into hiring. Corey shares how most businesses lose great candidates by overselling roles or avoiding the hard truths. His approach is to be clear about the good, the bad, and the ugly so candidates can make an informed decision. Nader reinforces this by pointing out that most job descriptions focus on what the company wants, not what the candidate’s life will actually look like. That shift in thinking can completely change how you attract and retain talent.   They also break down what is really causing breakdowns inside organizations. It is not just poor decisions or lack of effort. It is the absence of clear, shared principles that guide behavior. Without that, teams operate inconsistently and leaders spend more time reacting than leading.   Nader closes with one of the most practical frameworks shared on the podcast. He explains how to define three core principles that guide how your team shows up, how they interact, and how they take action. In his case, those principles are reliability, compassion, and deliberate action. When used consistently, they become a simple filter for decisions and make misalignment obvious the moment it happens.   If you are trying to build a stronger culture, improve hiring, or get your team aligned, this episode gives you a clear way to start thinking about it differently. Connect with the Experts Learn More about Nader: https://blackribbit.com/ Connect with Corey Harlock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Learn more about KeyHire Solutions: https://www.keyhire.solutions

    43 min
  7. The KeyHire Q1 2026 Small Business Economic Outlook (with Bill Conerly)

    APR 6

    The KeyHire Q1 2026 Small Business Economic Outlook (with Bill Conerly)

    Text us your comments or topic ideas for future shows. Connect with Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/   Take the KeyHire Capacity Calculator: www.keyhire.solutions/capacity In this episode of The KeyHire Small Business Podcast, Corey Harlock sits down with returning guest Bill Conerly to break down the economic uncertainty many business owners are feeling right now. From geopolitical tension to mixed economic signals, this conversation focuses on what is actually happening beneath the headlines and what it means for small businesses trying to plan ahead.    Drawing on Bill’s latest work with Forbes, the episode outlines several realistic economic scenarios tied to the ongoing conflict involving Iran. If the situation resolves quickly, Bill explains that the economy likely returns to its previous path of moderate growth with persistent inflation and steady interest rates. If the disruption lingers, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, the implications become more serious, with reduced global energy supply, higher oil prices, and increasing pressure on both consumers and businesses worldwide.   The conversation then shifts from macroeconomics to practical application. Corey and Bill explore how these pressures show up at the business level, especially for small and mid-sized companies. They highlight how some industries, such as construction and capital goods manufacturing, tend to feel downturns more quickly, while others remain more stable. They also discuss how exposure to energy costs varies by business, and why some companies can pass those costs through to customers while others cannot.   A key theme throughout the episode is preparation without overreaction. Bill emphasizes the importance of contingency planning, encouraging business owners to model what a downturn could look like for their revenue and financial obligations. By doing this work in advance, leaders can respond quickly and with clarity if conditions change. He also shares a consistent insight from his conversations with bankers: businesses that act early during a downturn are far more likely to navigate it successfully than those that delay decisions.   The episode also touches on current labor market dynamics, noting that while hiring may feel slow, layoffs remain historically low. This creates a more nuanced picture than the headlines suggest and reinforces the need for business owners to look beyond surface-level data when making decisions.   At its core, this episode is about staying steady in uncertain times. The message is clear: do not panic, understand your exposure, and have a plan. For business owners looking to make informed decisions in a shifting economy, this conversation provides both perspective and practical guidance on what to watch and how to respond. Connect with the Experts  Learn More about Bill: https://conerlyconsulting.com Connect with Corey Harlock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/  Learn more about KeyHire Solutions: https://www.keyhire.solutions

    45 min
  8. The KeyHire Q1 Roundtable (with Janneh Wright, Dr. Bob Johnson, Shannon Minifie and Annette Mullin)

    MAR 30

    The KeyHire Q1 Roundtable (with Janneh Wright, Dr. Bob Johnson, Shannon Minifie and Annette Mullin)

    Text us your comments or topic ideas for future shows. Connect with Us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/   Take the KeyHire Capacity Calculator: www.keyhire.solutions/capacity In the second KeyHire roundtable, Corey Harlock brings together a panel of experts to take on one of the biggest challenges leaders face every day: communication. We asked the KeyHire community what topic they wanted covered next, and the answer came back overwhelmingly clear.   Joining Corey are Annette Mullin, Dr. Bob Johnson, Janneh Wright, and Shannon Minifie for a conversation that quickly moves past generic leadership advice and into the tension leaders actually feel inside growing teams. This is the kind of episode that will sound familiar to anyone who has ever felt stuck in repeated conversations, frustrated by misalignment, or caught between the need to move fast and the need to get people truly on board.  Better communication is not just about saying things more clearly. It is about curiosity, buy-in, listening, timing, and knowing how to slow down before a conversation starts going sideways. Corey frames one of the key tensions well when he says he is starting to believe listening is actually the byproduct of being curious. That thread runs through the whole episode in a way that feels useful, not abstract.  You will hear why telling people what to do without helping them connect to the why can break momentum, why leaders can accidentally create over-dependence by jumping in with answers too quickly, and why eye rolls and repeated conversations may be a signal that the team is already trying to solve the wrong thing too fast.  The panel also brings in memorable ideas that make this episode stand out. Annette talks through tactical empathy and no-oriented questions. Bob introduces the idea of a “200% world,” where both sides can feel completely right and still need a better shared problem definition. Shannon and Janneh push into the challenge of staying curious longer, resisting the rush to advice, and helping teams keep ownership instead of handing it all back to the leader.  For small business owners, this episode will likely feel less like a lecture and more like hearing smart people put language around problems you are probably already dealing with. If communication has become a bottleneck in your business, this roundtable is a strong one to queue up.  Connect with the Experts Learn More about Shannon Minifie: https://boxofcrayons.com/ Learn More about Dr. Bob Johnson: https://www.shorelinepartnersinc.com/ Learn More About Janneh Wright: https://primusco.com/ Learn More about Annette Mullin: https://www.blackswanltd.com/ Connect with Corey Harlock on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyharlock/ Learn more about KeyHire Solutions: https://www.keyhire.solutions

    42 min
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About

Welcome to the Award Winning KeyHire Solutions Small Business Podcast, where we cover small business issues, including leadership development, hiring strategies, management structure, business growth, workplace culture, entrepreneurship, and more. We’re here to help you stop grinding and start growing. Join us for weekly chats about small business management with Corey Harlock, our organization design, candidate experience, talent acquisition, and employer branding expert, and CEO of KeyHire Solutions. As an entrepreneur, Corey understands the challenges that business owners face when scaling their businesses. Follow Corey on LinkedIn @CoreyHarlockJoin our Mailing List @ keyHire.Solutions (http://keyHire.Solutions)

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