In this episode of Everything HR's Culinary Conversations, I sit down with Steven Pursley, the chef and owner of Menya Rui, one of St. Louis' most celebrated ramen shops and a proud member of Yelp’s Top 100 Restaurants! Steven shares his journey from studying authentic ramen in Japan to experimenting with pop-ups, and eventually building a thriving brick-and-mortar restaurant post-COVID. One Key Lesson: Steven's success highlights the importance of starting small and perfecting your craft. From testing recipes with friends to hosting pop-ups, he built a strong foundation before opening his brick-and-mortar location. It’s a great reminder that taking incremental steps toward your big goals can set you up for long-term success. 🎧 Tune in to learn about his path, the art of ramen, and what it takes to run two distinct restaurant concepts! Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pDRE5ab6vgNiIqiGKjSgE?si=db6akMZiRDKGlQqKHjLTBg What’s one step you can take today to perfect your craft? Share below! 👇

Starting out in HR can feel overwhelming, but there are plenty of resources to help you build a strong foundation. Here are some great places to begin: 1. SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management): SHRM offers articles, certifications, and webinars for both beginners and seasoned professionals. It's a go-to resource for HR fundamentals. 2. Coursera & LinkedIn Learning: Affordable courses on topics like recruitment, employee relations, and HR compliance. Perfect for learning at your own pace. 3. Books: Start with classics like “HR from the Outside In” or “Work Rules!” by Laszlo Bock to understand modern HR practices and strategies. 4. Podcasts: Listen to HR-focused podcasts like Everything HR (shameless plug) or HR Happy Hour to hear real-world insights and stories from HR professionals. 5. Online Communities: Join communities like Human Operations (another shameless plug!) or LinkedIn HR groups to network, ask questions, and share experiences with others in the field. The key is to stay curious and keep learning—HR is a dynamic field that constantly evolves. What resource has helped you most in your HR journey? Let us know!

This week, I had two great moments that showed me the Everything HR podcast is making an impact. One was a request from a PR firm pitching their client to be on the podcast, and the other was a referral from someone who had already been a guest. It’s hard to know if you’re heading in the right direction, but small victories like these are powerful reminders that the effort is paying off. These moments might seem minor, but they’re evidence of growth and momentum. Celebrate your small wins—they’re the building blocks of success! If you have questions about today's job market as an employee or candidate check out my discussion with Rebecca in this episode of Becca's Breakdown: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SgNMnMwylmxtmdR3G2Nkz?si=JT0fHHXqT0OA0et4d7u-1Q If you are interested in the path of Drew McLeod, a serial entrepreneur and owner of Savour, a Top 100 restaurant on Yelp of 2023 check out this episode of Culinary Conversations: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RHIRPGKPIAkgaQevEhyu0?si=YnaW6LM_SweEgfv2uMYCuw

Your business operations are the engine that keeps everything moving. From streamlining processes to hitting performance goals, it’s all about efficiency and alignment. The smoother your operations, the faster your business can scale. Are your operations running at full throttle? Actionable Tip: Regularly review your workflows and identify one bottleneck to improve each month (or quarter)—small tweaks lead to big gains over time.

HR is like the office Wi-Fi. Nobody notices it when it’s working, but the moment it’s down, everyone panics. From recruiting the best talent to solving problems you didn’t know existed, HR keeps the company running smoothly. So next time you see your HR team, maybe don’t wait for a problem to say hi!