Almost every small business owner waits too long. The cost of a bad fit compounds quietly — in your attention, in the work you take back, and in what your other people conclude when nothing changes.
Try one honest correction first
Before ending anything, make sure the expectation was ever made explicit. Name the specific gap, agree what changes, and set a date to review. A surprising number of struggling hires were simply never told plainly, and they fix it in a fortnight.
If it is not working
- Decide, then act within days. Deliberating for weeks helps nobody.
- Say it in the first minute of the conversation. Preamble is crueler than directness.
- Be specific about why, once, and do not debate it into a negotiation.
- Be generous with notice or pay where you can afford to be.
- Handle access, handover, and final payment cleanly and promptly.
Employment rules vary widely by jurisdiction, especially for employees rather than contractors — notice periods, documentation, and final pay timing are worth checking locally before the conversation rather than after.
Afterwards, write down what you would do differently: the role definition, the trial, the onboarding, the feedback you avoided. First hires that do not work out are tuition, and the lesson is almost always in the setup rather than the person.
Try it
If someone is currently not working out, write the specific gap in one sentence and book the honest conversation this week. If you cannot write the sentence, the problem may be an undefined role rather than the person in it.