Trusted by SMBs Nationwide

Our Track Record

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LEADERS TRAINED IN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
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ASSESSMENTS UTILIZED
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PLANNING SESSIONS
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WORKSHOPS / KEYNOTES

SMB’s Top 3 Pain Points to Growth

We surveyed SMBs and they identified their
top 3 obstacles to growth in 2025

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Low accountability/
productivity

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Stuck in the day-to-day
working “in” the business

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People-related issues

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Low accountability/
productivity

Stuck in the day-to-day
working “in” the business

People-related issues

SMBs Top 3 Obstacles That Limit Sales Growth

We surveyed SMBs and they identified their
top 3 obstacles to growth in 2026

80% of Employee Turnover Comes from a Bad hire

As leaders, we often think turnover is driven by compensation or culture. But according to Harvard Business Review, a majority of turnover is caused by a bad hire. By the time you realize it, you’ve already absorbed the cost: lost productivity, recruiting fees, and the three to six months it takes the next person to get up to speed, which stalls growth.

(Source: Harvard Business Review)

Fix Your Hiring Process

Manufacturers annual turnover rate is 39.9% according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. But they’re not alone-contractors, field service teams and healthcare face similar turnover rates, especially in critical positions. When you’re running a business under 500 people, replacing even a handful of key roles every year slows growth, drains your margins, breaks your team’s momentum, and pulls your best managers away from the work that actually grows the business.

(Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Get Your Turnover to Single Digits

The generation entering the workforce right now is 44% smaller than the one leaving it. That means fewer candidates, harder searches, and longer gaps every time someone walks out the door. There are already 6.5 million open jobs in the US today, and that number grows every year as more experienced workers retire than new ones enter. For SMBs, manufacturers, and contractors etc. who depend on skilled people to operate, this isn’t a distant problem. The shortage is already here. The businesses building strong hiring and retention systems today will have the teams they need to grow. The ones waiting will be competing for people who have plenty of other options.

(Source: DemandSage)

Build Your Talent Plan Step by Step?

Key pain points include:

  • 39.9% – Average US Manufacturing Employee Turnover

    • 1% of Turnover costs ~ $35,000 per year
    • 80% of Turnover is due to a bad hire.

  • 7.7 Million – Number of open jobs in the US today

    • 38.5 Million – Population of Generation Alpha (0-15 years old)
    • 70.0 Million – Size of generation leaving the work force/2X Gen Alpha
    • Open jobs in US will continue to climb.

  • #1 Issue Limiting Growth = People-related challenges (turnover, shortages, open positions, skill gaps)

  • #1 – The winners in every industry/vertical will have mastered the people-side of the business

  • Talent Plan – Why do we have a strategic plan but not a talent plan?

SaaS Became Another Job. OaaS Does the Job.

MyTalentPlanner isn’t another SaaS platform – It’s Outcome as Service (OaaS) Powered by AI and behavioral science, it automates strategy and talent workflows like hiring, leadership development, 1:1 meetings, goals and action plans, behavioral science insights and accountability while keeping you in control of every decision. The software doesn’t HELP you get work done, it gets work done for you.

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Why Talent Planning & Management Matters

Just like any other plan, it solves the problem. Talent planning helps SMBs:

  • Win at talent/People

  • Increase retention

  • Build high performance leaders and teams through meetings and development plans

  • Make the right hire the first time

  • Build leaders through succession plan

  • Enhance communication and build a culture that makes it a great place to work

  • Increase accountability and productivity

  • And not get stuck in the day-to day

Stop The Vanilla trained supervisors/leaders on how to complete 1:1 meetings and development plans for all employees which dropped turnover from 40% to 8% saving over $300,000 per year.

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Reduced Recruitment Costs
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Lower Training Costs
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Increased productivity
4
Higher morale & engagement of employees

Our Services

We train SMB leaders on how to Win at talent to build the right team to execute the right strategy on their own, if you so choose. Or one of our trained advisors can lead you through any strategy, talent or execution process.

7-Step Strategy & Talent Planning Process

Align the right people with the right plan to achieve sustainable business growth.

Talent Planner Training with Behavioral Science

Train leaders to hire smarter, build stronger teams, and plan for succession.

Leadership Team Development Session

Empower leadership teams to communicate, collaborate, and perform at their best.

1:1 Development Meeting Training

Build stronger teams through DISC-powered 1:1s that improve retention and engagement.

Talent Planning/People Strategy

Align talent strategy with your business vision for sustainable growth with 3-Year Talent Plan.

Right Hire First Time Training

Use behavioral science to hire high performers, reduce mis-hires, and automate hiring.

Execute Sprint with Goals and ActOn Plans

Achieve company goals through focused sprints, ActOn plans, and accountable execution.

Execution Cadence

Build a disciplined execution cadence with accountability, plan reviews, and consistent results.

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How We’ve Made an Impact

Discover how SMB leaders are transforming their businesses with our Growth Accelerator System.

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Greatest Outcome of Process?

Our team is more unified today, then we have ever been.

Dave Allen
President

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What did you like best?

My favorite part of the process was being vulnerable with my team.

Mike DiSalvo
President

Smart Talent Planning with AI Driven
MyTaIentPIanner Growth Accelerator System

Right Strategy, Right People, Right Technology, Right Now for SMBs

  • A complete SMB operating system — strategy, talent, behavioral science, execution all in one technology

  • Empowers SMBs to own, update and execute their strategy and talent plan

  • Faster execution and real-time tracking for better results

  • Data-driven insights replace guesswork with smart decision-making

  • More time to focus on growth for SMBs by automating routine tasks, reducing daily hassles, and making scaling easier

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Frequently Asked
Questions

At Stop The Vanilla, we want to teach you how to fish vs. fish for you.  In other words, we train/coach small to medium-sized business (SMB) leaders to Win at Talent by using behavioral science and technology to make the right hire the first time, retain top p productivity. We train/guide you on how to develop and execute your strategy and talent plans to fuel growth and dominate your industry.   

Right Strategy, Right People, Right Technology, Right Now for SMBs 

In most businesses, there’s a plan for everything—401k, marketing, finances, even vacations. But when it comes to solving the issues that most often derail SMB growth—low accountability, stuck in the day-to-day, and people-related challenges—there’s often no plan for those.  

Talent Planning is more than another leadership exercise—it’s a comprehensive strategy for aligning your people with your business goals. You’ll define your vision, the team you need to achieve your vision and identify the steps to get from where the team/organization is today to where it needs to be to achieve that vision.  Talent Planning includes your strategy, talent and execution plans all tied together.  

Use simple, research-backed behavioral science tools—DISC and Motivators—to accurately execute your Talent Plan. You will excel at using science to hire the right people, retain your rock stars, develop future leaders and win at talent and achieve your strategic and financial vision.   

Those Who Talent Plan – Profit! 

We have a saying that “a great process leads to a great process.”  What that means is we first define your objectives and the process to achieve those objectives.  Once we have confidence the process will achieve your objectives, we discuss who is going to lead each step of the process and then Stop The Vanilla will immediately provide you a scope of work to deliver the process.

Stop The Vanilla has trained thousands of leaders that are building great places to work by investing in and caring for their people.  These leaders are excelling at building high-performance leaders and teams that are achieving records sales and profitability.

100% – We would love to get to know you and understand what your objectives are. 

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