Beginning January 1, 2014, the new standard IRS mileage rates are: $0.56/mile for business miles driven; $0.235/mile for medical or moving purposes; and $0.14/mile for service to charitable organizations. Employers that use the standard IRS rates for employee reimbursement purposes should review and adjust their expense reimbursement policies to be consistent with these new guidelines…. Read More
Posts Categorized In: General Business
California Named #1 “Judicial Hellhole” in America
That’s a headline full of holiday cheer, isn’t it? For the second year in a row, California has been ranked the #1 “Judicial Hellhole” in America by the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA). This is the 2nd year in a row that California has claimed the title. And for what do we owe this dubious… Read More
California’s New LLC Law — Big Changes Coming on January 1, 2014
On January 1, 2014, the current LLC law in California (known as “the Beverly-Killea Limited Liability Company Act”) will be repealed and superseded by a new LLC law (known as the “Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act,” or “RULLCA”). Although the new RULLCA law does not require existing LLCs to file any new documents with… Read More
Labor Commissioner Issues $481,813 Citation Against Alameda Restaurant
This should get the attention of every entrepreneur and small business owner in California — Last week, the California Labor Commissioner Julie Su issued citations totaling $481,813 against the owners of Toomie’s Thai Cuisine in Alameda. The citations consisted mostly of civil fines, penalties, and wages owed to 13 employees for minimum wage, overtime, and… Read More
The Affordable Care Act is Good for Small Business
In the October 14, 2013 edition of The New Yorker, author James Surowiecki argues that the Affordable Care Act, which is often referred to as “Obamacare,” will have “enormous” benefits for entrepreneurs and small businesses. You can find the article here. One benefit, according to Mr. Surowiecki, is that employees will no longer face “job… Read More
SF Supervisors Pass “Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance”
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors today passed a “Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance.” This new ordinance, which would apply to San Francisco businesses with 20 or more employees, grants employees with 6 or more months’ of employment who work at least 8 hours a week the right to request flexible work schedules or other workplace changes… Read More
Governor Brown Signs AB 10 Raising California Minimum Wage
Yesterday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 10 (AB 10) which raises the state’s minimum wage to $9.00/hour on July 1, 2014 and then to $10.00/hour on January 1, 2016. Unless some other state raises its minimum wage in the interim, the Governor’s signing of AB 10 gives California the highest state minimum wage… Read More
ROBS — How to Convert a 401(k) Into Startup Funding
Entrepreneurs often ask me questions about startup funding — how and where they go about finding all the money they need to launch their ventures. These questions always lead to a conversation about friends-and-family, angel investors, seed funding firms (or “incubators”), venture capital firms, commercial banks, the SBA, and other government grants and funds. During… Read More
57 Startup Lessons
Today I came across this excellent blog post by Slava Akhmechet, founder of RethinkDB, that lists 57 startup lessons he’s learned over the years. If you’re an entrepreneur, or if you’re considering starting your own business, you should read his post. Here’s a few lessons learned, just to whet your appetite: #8 — The standard you… Read More
Court Upholds $173,250 in Penalties Against Employer for Missing and Incomplete I-9 Forms
On August 6, 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld $173,250 in penalties against an employer for failing to maintain correctly completed I-9 forms for newly hired employees. The employer, a drywall company, was notified by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) officials that it was conducting an audit of the employer’s I-9 compliance…. Read More