On this episode of Business Insanity Talk Radio, we first talk about how to hire the right people. The ability to hire the right people is probably one of the most important jobs that a small business owner has and it is also one of the most difficult. We’ll discuss why a lot of small businesses stink at hiring and how to do it well instead. After, we ask: are you letting your pride poisoning your prosperity? Dr. WiIlie Jolley will show you how to be happier being themselves. Next, we will talk about the best places in the United States for women to start businesses. Then, we are celebrating Small Business Week with a series of segments sponsored by Microsoft Office 365. We are talking to small business owners that are using tech to leverage their business. Finally, we talk to the man that started creating apps for the cloud over 20 years ago alongside Steve Jobs.

Listen and enjoy:

Segment 1: Susan Drumm is a leadership coach and advisor for C-level executives and their teams, as well as growth stage entrepreneurs. Susan has spent over two decades teaching high profile organizations and companies like Viacom, Cisco, L’Oreal and KPMG how to harness the power of leadership to launch their teams towards multi-million dollar growth. Susan has degrees from Harvard Law School, Carnegie Mellon University and a Master’s in Drama from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. As an entrepreneur, chances are you’ve struggled with delegation. Download this free guide now, and start delegating faster, easier and better today!

2:30 – Your business growth depends on your ability to hire, inspire, and lead a team.

3:30 – The “like” hire isn’t necessarily the “right” hire.

4:45 – The categories you should test for and questions you should ask in the interviewing process.

6:45 – How to take control of reference checking.

9:30 – What does it mean to Fire with Grace?

Segment 2: Dr. Willie Jolley is the author of several international best-selling books including It Only Takes A Minute To Change Your Life, A Setback Is A Setup For A Comeback, Turn Setbacks Into Greenbacks. He has gone on to be named “One of the 5 Outstanding Speakers in the World” by the 175,000 members of Toastmasters International. He has also been inducted into the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame as well as achieving the distinction of Certified Speaker Professional by the National Speakers Association.

16:00 – Stop commiserating and do something to fix the problem.

19:50 – Bad moments don’t have to become bad days.

21:45 – How to let go of the bad moments and take action.

23:30 – A setback is a set up for a comeback. Dr. Jolley shares his comeback story.

Segment 3: Jill Gonzalez is consumer finance expert and spokesperson for WalletHub. Her appearances include NBC Nightly News, Fox Business Network, Wall Street Journal Live and ABC News New York.

31:10 – What are the best metro areas for women-owned businesses?

32:00 – Why did the metro areas in Tennessee rank so high?

32:45 – The 10 metrics used to determine the best and worst metro areas for women-owned businesses.

34:30 – How can metro areas improve their rankings?

35:30 – Why are incubators so beneficial?

Segment 4: Nichole Rairigh is the Founder and CEO for The Apparel Agency, a product development and production management firm in Chicago, providing pre-production services to apparel brands worldwide.

40:45 – How did the Apparel Agency get started?

41:30 – Who is your ideal customer?

43:00 – How is The Apparel Agency using small business technology?

45:10 – Do you use Skype for international business?

46:00 – The ease of using Office 365 on mobile devices.

Segment 5: Siamak Farah is an industry expert and visionary whose technology company focuses on small business computing in the cloud. He is the founder and CEO of InfoStreet, a leading provider of Cloud-based solutions and services for the small business. Prior to founding InfoStreet in 1994, Siamak worked at NeXT Computer, side-by-side with industry visionaries including Steve Jobs.

50:00 – What was your vision of the Cloud 20 years ago?

51:05 – Why is the Cloud so successful?

Sponsored by Nextiva and Microsoft Office 365.