Nicole

Every March, Women’s History Month brings the equal pay conversation back. As the HR lady, when I hear “equal pay,” my brain jumps to classifications, role clarity, and compensation. For business owners, these aren’t buzzwords. They’re the foundation of staying compliant. Let me tell you a story about what happens when that foundation cracks. • • • A small marketing company hired Maya as a graphic designer and classified her as an independent contractor. Simple enough. But Maya’s reality...

4 Things Small Business Owners Need to Know from January 2026 Last year, I wrote about my "crazy" decision to take a 21-day social media fast. The reactions ranged from supportive to skeptical: "As a business owner, you can't just disappear!" Well, this January, I did something even crazier. I extended it to the full month. Let me be clear about what "unplugging" actually looked like. I wasn't lounging on a beach somewhere ignoring my phone. January was honestly one of my busiest months in...

Last week looked a little different than most: I moved from helping a heating and air company update their employee handbook to walking a client leader through a difficult conversation about performance. The week before, I was creating a review process for a cleaning company and analyzing compensation data for a school district. It might sound scattered, but here's what I've discovered after partnering with over 15 clients across remarkably different industries in 2025: great HR isn't...