Per Her Perspective

About Per Her Perspective

Learn about excellent business practices and ways you can run and improve your business by listening to business leaders talk about wins and challenges, the stuff many business owners experience. Years of studying business, reading business books, and participating in peer groups can sharpen business skills and help us avoid some of the many pitfalls business owners encounter. Learn from others about some of the positive business practices and how implementing tools and processes helped build and scale their businesses. What are some of the business challenges you experience? You may hear about a good solution as you listen to others share their experiences in growing and sharpening their business skills.

Publisher

Marla Noel

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Sept 2025

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

27 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Patricia De Fonte The Importance of Estate Planning

   Per Her Perspective with Patricia De Fonte Marla Noel sits down with Patricia De Fonte, founder of DeFonte Law PC, to talk about building an estate planning firm around freedom, family, and a deliberately designed lifestyle. Patricia explains how she returned to law after years away, why she chose estate planning over entertainment law and litigation, and how coaching, hiring, and community shaped her business. This conversation connects business operations to real life: time, caregiving, capacity, and the practical consequences of not having your affairs in order. Key topics How Patricia built a boutique estate planning practice around a part-time schedule, a remote team, and a family-centered life. Why she left entertainment law and litigation, and how estate planning offered intellectually stimulating, emotionally satisfying, and financially sustainable work. What she learned from returning to school for an LLM in estate planning, probate, and trust administration. How coaching and peer groups influenced her business—including a coaching program after which she increased revenue by 30 percent. Her firm’s “urgent and important” rule, Friday team meetings, and methods for protecting focus. How the team uses Kaizen—small, incremental improvements—to refine client experience, technology, and internal processes. Why hiring earlier could have helped, how her operations director became essential, and why team chemistry matters. The value of professional networks like ProVisors when members focus on learning about one another’s work, not just exchanging referrals. Why estate planning can protect women and families, especially when caregiving, incapacity, or inheritance issues arise. Why freedom—of time, values, and how she works—is Patricia’s primary motivation. Timestamps 00:00 - Patricia De Fonte’s background and boutique estate planning firm 02:17 - Returning to law after raising a family and leaving entertainment law 03:55 - Going back for an LLM and learning about estate planning 05:06 - The entrepreneur incubator and a social media wake-up call 06:37 - Family influences: a builder father and a structured mother 08:50 - Realizing she could not commit to a traditional office job 09:57 - Starting her practice from home and growing into office space 11:09 - Mentors, peer support, and paying it forward 13:39 - Why networking works best when you learn, not just refer 15:30 - Family support and sibling closeness 16:22 - Coaching, business growth, and the “urgent and important” rule 17:36 - Friday team meetings and protecting focus 20:03 - Hiring early and building strong operations 21:09 - Why she wished she had hired an associate sooner 22:41 - Team chemistry and choosing happiness over growth at all costs 23:15 - Why process and client experience are not the same thing 24:29 - Kaizen and continuous improvement 26:26 - Trust, discernment, and lessons from business mistakes 28:11 - How Patricia’s team might describe her as a boss 29:30 - The recurring administrative tasks that frustrate business owners 32:29 - Giftology, branding, and the significance of apple pie 34:07 - The origin of the apple pie tree-of-life story 37:24 - WPO, Allison Tabor, and the value of chapter culture 40:00 - Peer review, clarifying questions, and lived experience 42:49 - Five-to-ten-year plans and building a turnkey firm 46:36 - Freedom as Patricia’s core motivation 49:31 - Why estate planning protects women and families 53:52 - Life insurance and the needs of clients in their 30s, 40s, and 50s 54:41 - Final thoughts on probate and why estate planning matters at every income level

2. 

   8 Sept 2026

   KPIs - How the can help your business

   KPIs are supposed to improve performance— Marla Noel breaks down how to build KPIs that actually motivate people, align with strategy, and help you grow without turning measurement into a morale problem. For business owners and department leaders, this episode cuts through the KPI noise and gets practical fast. Marla shares why the first number is often just an estimate, why employee buy-in matters more than perfection, and how one client went from aiming for 45 outreach touches to landing on a realistic 28 after the team defined what “outreach” actually meant. You’ll discover: How to introduce KPIs without triggering fear or resistance Why leading indicators often matter more than lagging results How to choose the right KPI count so everything important does not become nothing important What it means for KPIs to align from the company level down to managers and employees How to build a follow-up system so KPIs do not become “the flavor of the month” Marla also shares practical examples for sales, client outreach, blog posts, contracts, gross margin, and net profit, plus the difference between stretch goals and numbers that are simply unrealistic. If you’ve ever struggled to get your team to care about metrics, or worried that your KPIs are measuring the wrong things, this conversation gives you a clear path forward. She also points you to two helpful resources: Measure What Matters by John Doerr and Drama Free Management, by Marla Noel and Pete Fowler, which includes a KPI template you can use with your staff. The big takeaway is simple: KPIs should drive focus, accountability, and growth—not confusion, fear, or box-checking. Perfect for founders, managers, and leaders who want measurement systems that people will actually use and trust. Timestamps 00:28 – Why KPIs matter for business owners and managers 01:05 – How KPIs can scare employees if handled poorly 01:35 – Using a trusted business coach to introduce KPIs 02:05 – Starting with estimates when the right number is unknown 03:05 – Examples of financial and activity-based KPIs 03:39 – Defining what counts as outreach before setting the target 04:39 – Why 45 was too high and 28 became the stretch goal 05:39 – Leading KPIs vs. lagging KPIs 06:39 – Why leading indicators are more actionable 07:32 – Lagging metrics like sales, billable hours, and signed contracts 08:02 – Why three to five KPIs is usually enough 08:32 – Aligning KPIs with business strategy 09:32 – Why follow-up keeps KPIs from becoming a fad 10:14 – Monthly reporting, spreadsheets, and KPI software 11:14 – Reviewing KPIs with executives and employees 11:44 – Books Marla recommends for KPI planning 12:39 – Marla’s recap: keep KPIs useful, focused, and motivating

3. 

   26 Aug 2026

   Kyra Hokanson Gray- International Business in Medical Devices

   Kyra Hokanson Gray, president and owner of Hokanson Vascular, shares insights into the company's history, her personal journey, and the challenges of business management. From the early days of the company's founding to the impact of her father's death. Kyra's story is one of resilience, leadership, and dedication to work-life balance. The conversation covers a range of topics including challenges in personnel management, dealing with workplace issues, managing business sensitivities, coping with personal loss and business continuity, building relationships with customers, the value of peer advisory groups, Women Presidents' Orgaization, the impact of grief on decision making, passion for music and involvement in Meany Center, hobbies and personal interests, and future plans and exciting opportunities. Takeaways Resilience in the face of unexpected challenges Cross training and how it helped the business survive. The importance of work-life balance and personnel management in business. The value of trusting your employees to do the job they were hired to do. Trust but Verfy. Effective personnel management is a significant challenge in business operations. Coping with personal loss and maintaining business continuity requires resilience and determination. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Hokanson Vascular 03:31 Early Life and Company History 10:23 Transition and Leadership 17:13 Challenges and Business Management 23:51 Work-Life Balance and Personal Reflection 29:33 Global Impact and Personnel Management 31:44 Challenges in Personnel Management 32:09 Dealing with Workplace Issues 33:06 Managing Business Sensitivities 35:20 Coping with Personal Loss and Business Continuity 34:06 Building Relationships with Customers 42:09 The Value of Peer Advisory Groups 37:46 The Impact of Grief on Decision Making 48:55 Passion for Music and Involvement in Meany Center 53:07 Hobbies and Personal Interests 56:34 Future Plans and Exciting Opportunities

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Contact Per Her Perspective

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.