Swearing By It
Two women, unfiltered insights into business and life, that we swear by, plus the occasional F-bomb.
Hosted by Audrina Blackburn and Sydney de Arenas Sherman, female founders and passionate business mentors, Swearing By It brings you into the unfiltered conversation of what it really takes to build a business while balancing the demands of family life.
Expect raw, insightful conversations from two accomplished entrepreneurs who know exactly what you’re going through—and can confidently say, “No one has it all figured out.” From tough lessons and big wins to the WTF moments in between, we share real experiences, professional guidance, and the kind of advice we swear by—because it doesn’t just sound good, it actually works.
Whether you're launching, scaling, or just trying to find sanity in the madness, this podcast is your go-to for real talk, practical strategies, and the motivation to keep going.
If you’re looking for a space where you can feel seen, supported, and pushed to achieve more—welcome. We’re in this together. Subscribe to stay up to date, we release new episodes every week.
Swearing By It
Hiring and Firing: Doing What’s Best for Your Business
Do you find it easier to hire people or fire people?
In today’s episode, Sydney and Audrina discuss the tricky topics of finding new employees and letting go of wrong-fit ones. Lots of pivots, changes, and rearranges have been happening at The Hive, so this topic is truly topical. Hiring might seem like the easier side, but it’s really not. You’re going to make mistakes, and that’s okay. It’s all part of the process: fail, learn, and then pivot.
Audrina and Sydney share their hiring processes and the key things you need to consider. Of course, you need to think about the scope of the role and what you want the person to achieve... but it’s also about being aligned with values and soft skills too. And it’s important to hire for diversity, not just in terms of gender or skin color, but in the way their brain works. What’s the point in having someone just like you who matches your skillset? Audrina’s tip is to look for people who fill the gaps.
Learning to trust your gut will save you so much heartache in the long run. If you sense someone isn’t the right fit, just let them go. You’re not just doing yourself a disservice by hiring them (wasting time, money, and resources), you’re actually holding them back from being 100% happy. At the end of the day, when you’ve got the right people, everything feels easier. Sydney downsized from 12 people to 5… and those were the happiest days they ever had in the company.
In This Conversation:
- Audrina talks about weighing up experience versus drive. If someone has the right attitude and they’re hungry to grow with your company, does it matter if they haven’t got the perfect resume? (Sydney agrees, but she didn’t before.)
- Sydney touches on why you shouldn’t hire people in your immediate network. (Just because you adore someone, it doesn’t mean they’re going to excel in the role you want them to fill...)
- Audrina and Sydney chat about how to know if you’ve got the right people or if it’s time to clean house and start again. Sydney’s advice is to document how everything’s going. If things feel clunky and you’re having to get too involved, that could be a tell-tale sign something’s not right. But if you do have the right people? Treat them like gold.
- On the flip side, Sydney and Audrina talk about what to do when someone calls upon you as a reference when they’re considering hiring someone. Real talk: Honesty is always the best policy.
For more unfiltered conversations about entrepreneurship, family life, and managing the daily demands of “doing it all”, click the Follow button so you don’t miss an episode!
If anything we talked about resonated with you, we’d love to hear about it! Always feel free to reach out with questions, comments, or future topics you want to hear.
Connect with us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swearingbyit/
LinkedIn:
Audrina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrinablackburn/
Sydney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydneymsherman/