Revenue was up. Headcount doubled fast. But inside the business? People were quitting, managers were snapping, and the culture started sliding into this quiet resentment. The founder said, “I don’t get it… I’m paying them. What else do they want?”

Huge red flag!

When people don’t feel respected, seen, or safe to speak up, they don’t just disengage. They start protecting themselves. And that’s when your best people stop “rowing the boat” and your company starts bleeding momentum.

Today’s conversation is about the fix: how to scale fast without creating career wounds, culture rot, and churn you can’t afford.

I’m Rick Girard, and welcome to the Hire Power Radio Show.

Fast growth is supposed to feel like winning—but when headcount doubles and culture quietly corrodes, founders pay for it in churn, resentment, and lost momentum. In this episode, Rick Girard sits down with Nick Ayala (Senior Managing Partner, Blue Harbor Capital) to break down how to scale aggressively without creating “career wounds” inside your company.

Nick has lived it: he scaled a business from essentially two people to roughly 70 employees in about a year, and later helped scale an insurance organization to ~7,000 agents and nearly $100M in sales within five years.

Why hypergrowth creates “people chaos” (and how to prevent culture drift)

How “hiring fast” increases culture misses—and why founders must act quickly on misalignment

A simple, repeatable system for human-centered leadership conversations

How to eliminate “the ceiling” so great people can see a future with you

How autonomy (not hovering) creates teams that “run through walls”

Guest Links:

LinkedIn: Nick Ayala

Company: Aligned Equity Group

Company: https://capital-unlocked.com/blueprint-144591

Company: Blue Harbor Capital

Host Links:

LinkedIn: Rick Girard

Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder

Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast

Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)

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In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Gerard discusses the vital aspects of building effective teams with guest Justin Gray, the managing partner of In Revenue Capital. They emphasize the importance of hiring diverse skill sets and the pitfalls of cloning oneself in a team structure. Justin shares his experiences both as an entrepreneur and a venture capitalist, highlighting the importance of proactive hiring and maintaining long-term relationships with potential candidates. They also delve into practical steps for identifying organizational gaps, refining the hiring process to focus on real-world abilities instead of superficial qualities, and the value of CEOs being actively involved in recruitment. The episode concludes with actionable insights for fostering a strong organizational team and maintaining a proactive recruitment strategy.

Guest Links:

LinkedIn:  Justin Gray

LinkedIn: In Revenue Capital

Company: In Revenue Capital

Host Links:

LinkedIn:  Rick Girard

Company: Intertru, Inc.

Job Description Builder

Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast

Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)

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In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Gerard speaks

Guest Links:

LinkedIn: Brian Ferguson

Company: Fergmar

Instagram: Fergmar

Facebook: Fergmar

Host Links:

LinkedIn: Rick Girard

Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder

Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast

Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)

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In this episode of the Hire Power Radio Show, host Rick Girard talks with James Swanson, business disruptor, lifelong punk rocker, and author of 'Super Stoked.'

James shares his journey of building a multi-million dollar Las Vegas printing empire by ignoring industry labels and focusing on authentic relationships. From overcoming initial challenges to innovative hiring practices and effective team management strategies,

James highlights the importance of prioritizing people over resumes and maintaining quality customer service. Learn about the valuable lessons and principles that led to his success and how they can be applied to any business.

Guest Links:

LinkedIn:  James Swanson

Host Links:

LinkedIn:  Rick Girard

Company: Intertru, Inc.

Job DescriptionBuilder

Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast

Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)

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AI has turned the hiring funnel into a keyword carnival: unqualified applicants can “win” resume filters in seconds, while the high performers you actually want don’t bother applying. Rick Girard opens with a true story about a CRO who hired a bartender into a sales role—without a resume—because the job post spoke directly to her, and her outreach proved she was real (and driven). Four months later, she’s outperforming the team.

AI has broken resume screening—keyword-optimized resumes are easy to generate and hard to trust.

Your best candidates aren’t applying because most job posts read like contracts, not opportunities.

More candidates ≠ better candidates—volume creates noise, not quality.

Auto-apply is the enemy—it lowers the bar and floods your inbox.

Links:

LinkedIn:  Rick Girard

Company: Intertru, Inc.

Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast

Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)

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Two months before the holidays, Nadia—Integrator at a 120-person EOS-run logistics company—finally terminated a manager who was crushing morale and missing targets. The manager’s response (“I’ve spoken to an attorney about retaliation.”) exposed what leadership missed: a recent workers’ comp claim, intermittent leave, and overtime complaints—plus almost no documentation. The outcome was predictable: months of distraction, legal spend, and leadership bandwidth evaporating when execution mattered most.

Why terminations are uniquely risky: emotion, money, identity, and the “narrative vacuum” created when evidence is thin

The ≈90-day “recent activity” risk zone and the types of protected activity that can make timing look retaliatory

The “no-surprise termination” principle—and the coaching cadence that makes it real

The 90-day lookback audit checklist you should run before any termination decision

Day-of termination do’s and don’ts that reduce escalation risk

Rick’s Nuggets (practical takeaways)

Get your policies in order

Document everything

Treat people similarly and with respect

LinkedIn: 

Company: Andrea Paris Law

Host Links:

LinkedIn: Rick Girard

Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder

Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast

Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)

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In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Girard dives into the complexities and challenges of logistics operations with Bill Drummer, CEO of GPA Logistics.

Discover how Sarah's initial success with Walmart turned into a compliance nightmare and how leveraging technology, especially AI, and strong leadership can transform chaos into accuracy. Bill shares the importance of having the right people, simplifying workflows, and fostering a culture of growth and appreciation. Learn about practical strategies and technological solutions that have helped GPA Logistics excel and retain talent while navigating the intricate demands of major retailers.

Guest Links:

LinkedIn: Bill Drummer

LinkedIn: GPA Logistics Group

Company: GPA Logistics Group

Company: GPA Global

Host Links:

LinkedIn:  Rick Girard

Company: Intertru, Inc.

Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast

Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)

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You’ve been here before—hiring a “rockstar” salesperson who dazzles in the interview but fails to deliver. Flat revenue, missed targets, and excuse after excuse. Sound familiar?

This week on the Hire Power Radio Show, Rick Girard digs into the root of this all-too-common issue with sales leadership expert Gary Braun. Together, they break down why small businesses consistently hire the wrong type of salesperson—and what to do about it.

Gary brings deep expertise from his time growing a company from $1M to $400M in revenue, and now helping 400+ companies build high-performing sales teams through Pivotal Advisors.

Key Takeaways

Actionable Advice for Your Business

Define the role with precision. Don’t settle for vague traits—outline the exact skills needed for your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile).

Design a repeatable interview process. Go beyond gut feelings and surface-level charm.

Leverage data-driven tools. Use assessments and scenario-based activities to test real-world selling skills.

Focus on alignment. Ask: is this candidate the right fit for the sales environment I’ve built?

Guest Links:

LinkedIn: Gary Braun

Company: Pivotal 

YouTube: Pivotal Advisors

Facebook: Pivotal Advisors

 Host Links:

LinkedIn:  Rick Girard

Company: Intertru, Inc.

Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast

Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)

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Join Rick Girard on Higher Power Radio as he discusses crucial strategies for empowering hiring techniques with Charles Eide, founder and CEO of EideCom, to land the most desirable talent. In this episode, Charles shares his journey of scaling his business and the pivotal hiring decisions that propelled his company towards massive success. Discover how to identify what your business really needs, delegate effectively, and invest in people to foster sustainable growth. Learn from Charles' experience in leadership, innovation, and building a strong company culture. A must-watch for entrepreneurs looking to elevate their hiring practices and achieve breakthrough growth.

00:00 Introduction to Higher Power Radio

00:14 The Founder’s Dilemma: Scaling Beyond Sales

01:09 Guest Introduction: Charles Eide

02:03 Charles Eide’s Journey: From Sales to Leadership

04:00 The Turning Point: Hiring a Chief Revenue Officer

07:13 The Impact of Hiring the Right Leader

11:49 The Role of Mentorship and Peer Groups

17:46 Building a Mission-Driven Company Culture

21:15 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts

22:22 Closing Remarks and Contact Information

Charles on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleseide/

Host Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/

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Join Rick Girard on Higher Power Radio as he discusses with Charles Eide, the founder and CEO of EideCom, the crucial strategies for empowering hiring techniques to land the most desirable talent. In this episode, Charles shares his journey of scaling his business and the pivotal hiring decisions that propelled his company towards massive success. Discover how to identify what your business really needs, delegate effectively, and invest in people to foster sustainable growth. Learn from Charles' experience in leadership, innovation, and building a strong company culture. A must-watch for entrepreneurs looking to elevate their hiring practices and achieve breakthrough growth.

00:00 Introduction to Higher Power Radio

Charles on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleseide/

Host Links: 

LinkedIn:  Rick Girard

Company: Intertru, Inc.

Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast

Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)

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