Like cheating on taxes, playing fast and loose with Fair Labor Standards Act employee classifications can land you in a world of hot water. Do you know the distinction/difference between “exempt” and “non-exempt” employees as it relates to their duties and the paying of overtime? Q: I want to lessen my payroll by finding ways to lower […]
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Nancy and I were sitting on a chic white leather couch at Pranna, one of NYC’s newer Indo-Asian-fusion restaurants. Having a glass of wine. Exotic music thumping in the background. The after-party of a speed-networking event. Nancy has owned her consulting business for about five years, having left the stifling corridors of corporate America. She […]
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You want to hire an independent contractor. Or a freelancer. Mostly because you don’t want to get involved in the red tape and extra costs involved in hiring an employee. So you put together an independent contractor agreement, and the freelancer signs it. Are you in the clear? No. In this segment of MSNBC’s Your […]
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Your employees can become your next competitors if you don’t handle the relationship carefully . . . and by “carefully,” I mean having non-solicitation agreements and other understandings (in writing!) with your employees. But some folks are “old-school,” or don’t want to spend the money. As a result, their employees are considered working “at-will” and […]
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I was asked recently in my Forbes.com Ask An Expert column whether you could copyright something you didn’t write. The short answer is “no,” unless you’ve carved out a “work for hire” exception. This is particularly relevant for entrepreneurs who outsource to freelancers for their projects. When you hire a freelancer to do work for […]
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I’m not saying that people don’t deserve a living wage, but when you add that to the cost of employee taxes, benefits, insurance and all of the risks that companies take on by hiring staff, it’s no surprise that in this economy, small business owners are thinking twice about it. Here’s a short list of […]
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You’ve reached a point where you’re ready to tear your hair out. You’re pulled in 17 different directions and, try as you might, you haven’t found a way to manufacture the 28-hour day. Much as it’s daunting, you’re staring down an inescapable fact: In order to grow your business, you . . . need . […]
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Like this is news? But it seems that some employees just don’t get it (no pun intended). A recent 2nd Circuit case, Patane v. Clark and Fordham University, held that even viewing porn in one’s office (a somewhat private place) is a no-no. In Patane, Professor Clark watched hard-core S/M tapes on the VCR in his […]
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If you haven’t figured it out by now, you’ll learn that there’s no way a busy small business owner can accomplish everything you need to in a given day. So you have two choices: leave things unfinished, or expand your capacity by developing a team. But creating a team–one that works effectively–is both art and […]
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“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” said my colleague, Joe Harris, Esq. of White Harris PLLC. “That’s what small businesses need to understand about interns.” Joe reaches for the check (“Ironic,” I think, “… seems I am getting a free lunch!”) as we chat about the trends and challenges we’re seeing for small […]
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Taking on a business partner is not a decision to be made lightly. It’s much like getting married. With the tools provided to you in The Entrepreneur’s Prenup you will always have the partnership guidance you need, regardless of where you are in your partnership process.