Women's Journal

Menu

Custom-Fit Finally Gives Founders the Hiring Reality They Need

Women's Journal Staff on May 28, 2026

Custom-Fit lands like a conversation you did not know you needed, the kind that starts in the middle of a problem and refuses to let you walk away without facing it. It does not pretend hiring is a nice extra task. It makes it clear that hiring is the single hot wire in a small business, the thing that can short out an entire year of work or let your momentum build.

Reading it felt honest, a little harsh, and deeply useful. I got the sense that the author had sat through too many messy hires and decided to stop sugarcoating what actually happens when a business hires badly. That made the pages feel urgent. Sometimes I was uncomfortable. Sometimes I nodded along and thought yes, that is exactly how we waste time. The book did not offer soothing platitudes. It offered a steady, real voice that pushed me to rethink the way I describe roles, the way I look at people, the way I build a team.

The book is rooted in a theme that is simple but often ignored. Fit matters more than credentials. It is not enough for someone to look good on paper. The real question is whether they fit the work, the pace, the trust, and the specific chaos of this business today. That idea extends beyond any single industry because all teams are built from people who either add to the energy or pull it down. Custom-Fit turns hiring from a checklist into a choice about who the business wants to be.

There is also a strong theme of courage. Hiring slow and firing fast is not comfortable. Kate is clear that the easier path is usually the wrong one. She does not dance around firing. She does not pretend it is always a nice process. She says it is part of being responsible. That honesty makes the book feel alive. It is not polished HR messaging. It is someone speaking from experience, from the sharp end of small teams where a bad hire is not an abstract cost, it is a ruined week and a strained team.

The way the book is put together helps that rawness stay useful. It is structured around real decisions rather than vague theory. You can go to the page you need when the next hire is coming and find something that actually applies. The voice is direct without being rude. It is the kind of writing that makes you want to take notes. She gives examples in a way that feels practical and human, not like case studies invented for a course.

What also stands out is the author’s willingness to say that people and culture are not soft topics. She treats them as operational issues. That shift matters because in many business books those topics are wrapped in gentle language or shoved to the end. Here they are front and center, because in a small company they have to be.

The lasting impression is not that Custom-Fit is the final word on hiring. It is that it is a necessary course correction for anyone who has been flying by the seat of their pants. It is a reminder that choosing people is choosing the direction of the company. For founders who are tired of generic advice and want something that feels grounded in the real world, this book is worth the time. It is smart but not clever. It is practical but not boring. It is the kind of book you keep close when the next hire is about to happen.

Get your copy of Custom-Fit: A Straight-Talking Guide to Hiring Top Talent for Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners on Amazon.

Three Years, One Stage: Trust, Music, and a Gala to Remember

Women's Journal Staff on May 28, 2026

There is a special kind of honor that comes not from a single invitation, but from being asked to return. Year after year, stage after stage, the message is clear: an artist’s work matters, their voice is needed, and their art has earned a place. For Xue Ding, that message was delivered loud and clear when she stepped onto the Staller Center stage for this year’s gala, her third consecutive year performing in this celebrated event.

When the Staller Center first invited Xue Ding, she was deeply honored. When they invited her a second time, she saw a pattern of mutual respect. But this third invitation felt like a statement. To be hired by the Staller Center for three years running is, in Xue Ding’s view, their clearest trust and approval of the quality of her music. In a world where classical musicians often compete for fleeting attention, long-term relationships with venues like the Staller Center are rare and precious. Each return is not just a booking; it is a vote of confidence from an institution that knows music intimately.

This year’s gala was made even more memorable by the presence of Stony Brook University’s new president, Andrea Goldsmith. Before the music began, President Goldsmith took the stage to deliver a speech that set the perfect tone for the evening. She spoke with warmth and vision, acknowledging the arts as a vital pillar of the community. Listening to her, Xue Ding felt a renewed sense of purpose. A leader who believes in music is a leader who believes in connection, emotion, and excellence. President Goldsmith’s words reminded everyone in the hall why they gather for events like this, not just to celebrate, but to reaffirm the place of beauty in shared life.

Photo Courtesy: Xue Ding

Then Xue played works by Boccherini, Mozart, and other enjoyable pieces from the classical repertoire. Boccherini’s music has a graceful, courtly elegance that never fails to draw listeners into a world of refined emotion. From there, she moved into Mozart, pieces that demand both precision and soul. Mozart, for Xue Ding, is always a conversation between discipline and freedom. Beyond Boccherini and Mozart, she also performed other classical pieces that she has cherished and refined over years of practice. Each note carried not just technical skill, but gratitude, for the Center’s trust, for the audience’s presence, and for the chance to do what she loves most.

Three consecutive years. That means three different programs, three different audiences, and yet one consistent thread: the belief that Xue Ding brings something worthy to the stage. The Staller Center could choose any musician, but they have chosen her repeatedly. That is not luck. It is trust. And trust, once earned, becomes the foundation of everything an artist builds.

At the end of the gala, she looked out at the gala attendees whom she had serenaded with her music, at the staff who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. She felt a quiet pride. Not the loud kind, but the deep kind that comes from knowing one’s work has been seen and valued. Three years. She hopes for many more. But even if this were the last, she would carry this truth with her: the Staller Center trusted Xue Ding’s music, and that trust has made her a better artist.

Xue Ding extends her heartfelt thanks to everyone who filled that gala with presence, appreciation for the art, and belief.

Until next year.