People Ops doesn’t have to be in-house. It doesn’t have to be full time. It doesn’t even have to “feel” like HR. But it does have to be done right.

We knew the compliance risks when we picked the non-Safe Harbor 401k option. We thought we were keeping an eye on it.

Termination isn't just a button in your HRIS. It's a tightly regulated event. It's the kind of process where everyone is watching. That’s why HR and managers feel so much pressure to keep it confidential. But too much confidentiality means the people responsible for execution don’t have enough time to get it right. 

Putting words to those operating principles won’t just help someone ramp faster. It gives your whole team a shared language to spot and fix misalignments.

Ops drag isn’t obvious at first, but it compounds quickly. Fortunately, small systems create big leverage. And a few smart fixes now can save you from spending your days scrambling as you grow.

Don't put up with a broken back office just because you don't want to deal with HR. A fast-growing startup needs someone with the operational range AND depth to think on their feet.

If your team is always reacting, you’re not scaling—you’re surviving. The embassy had her visa application for 10 months, but they only...