• Free Courses
  
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• A VIP-exclusive Resources page
• A VIP-exclusive Email Address
• to the count of 10, to get your ugly, yella, no-good keister off my property.

This month, I established an email account exclusively for VIP members. Unlike the blog's general contact email, this address forwards to my phone, which refreshes messages every hour.

You now have direct, nearly-immediate access to me whenever you require it.

Add me to your contacts: [email protected]. If you have any work problems, general questions, content requests, or just want to reach out and vent--I'm here.

I'll be expanding the site's content to include more articles about organization, planning, and motivation. What does this mean for you? Free access to a growing library of printable resources designed to help you keep your personal and professional lives together. You can access it right now and get your hands on my new Financial Freedom Toolkit--the debt-elimination spreadsheet system with the lamest name ever.

From now on, all VIP members have free access to the site's courses. Currently, only the Know Your Rights courses are online, but more are in development.

FEDERAL: WHD Finalizes Regular Rate Regulations

Generally, the FLSA requires overtime to be paid at a rate that is at least one and one-half times the “regular rate of pay.” The regulatory provisions have not been meaningfully updated in more than 50 years.

In the final rule — which will take effect on January 15, 2020 — WHD seeks to address several of the issues that have confounded employers, as well as provide clarity on the proper treatment of several new and evolving methods of compensation.

FEDERAL: EEOC Reverses Position on Mandatory Arbitration

The EEOC has rescinded its 1997 “Policy Statement on Mandatory Binding Arbitration of Employment Discrimination Disputes as a Condition of Employment,” in which the Commission took the position that agreements mandating binding arbitration of discrimination claims as a condition of employment “are contrary to the fundamental principles evinced” in the employment discrimination laws that the agency enforces.

If you utilize mandatory arbitration agreements in your business, this will be relevant information for you.

RHODE ISLAND: Koch Attempts to Deregulate Braiding

The arguments for and against deregulating braiding are complex, and both sides make valid points. However you feel about it, if you're a Rhode Islander, look into this and ensure your opinion gets counted.

DENVER & CHICAGO: Minimum Wage Increases in 2020

If you're in either of these cities, read up and create a plan to ensure compliance by the deadline.

A Handy Dandy List of 2020 Wage Increases

Nobody loves organized charts more than I do. Give this awesome table a quick view to make sure you're informed about any upcoming wage changes.

It's holiday season, which means a whole lot of people are doing a whole lot of stupid things. I received so many "WTAF" Google News alerts, it's a miracle my phone hasn't divorced me.

Australia: Hair Salon Owners Suffer Staff Shortages

Does any of this sound familiar?

Hair Stylists Australia coordinator, Shane Roulstone, said he did not believe there was a genuine skill shortage in hairdressing, rather it was a wage shortage that was causing problems.

HSA reported that 47 per cent of their membership were underpaid in the past two years, which may explain why fewer than a third of hairdressing apprentices completed their training.

"A lot of [salons] try to do the right thing, but they are competing against a whole group of salons that are intentionally avoiding paying the legal requirement under the award," Mr Roulstone said.

Texas Hairdresser Shot Over Argument About Child's Haircut

If that wasn't weird enough for you, the suspect left in a gray limousine.
For once, Texas takes the spotlight from Florida Man.

California Supercuts Robbed at Gunpoint

At 8:19 p.m., a man wearing a yellow neon construction jacket with orange stripes forced employees to open the salon's safe at gunpoint.

Maine Woman Passes Out in Tanning Bed

Police were called to Lisa’s Hair Design, a beauty salon, after staff couldn’t awaken a woman using the salon tanning bed. Several attempts by staff to do so were unsuccessful. She was found to be severely impaired by drugs.

The interesting thing here is that the employees had to remove the door knob to gain entrance to the treatment room, since they locked from within and they apparently didn't have a means to open the door any other way. If you operate a facility with locking doors, it would be wise to ensure you have keys to those doors. Had this client overdosed or had another serious medical emergency, every second would be critical to their survival.

Client Scams Salon Out of $600

Here's another reminder that we all need solid policies...and to collect payment in full prior to high-dollar visits.

Lyndhurst police Sgt. Vincent Auteri told New Jersey 101.5 that Christina Riccardelli went into Hilights Salon on Dec. 4 for a style and color and tried to use a gift card to pay the $632 bill. When the card was rejected while processing, Riccardelli told the stylist she would get a debit card from her car to make payment, according to Auteri.

Instead, Auteri said, Riccardelli drove off without paying her bill.

Record Back Wages Collected for Working Families in 2019

For the second year in a row, WHD recovered a record amount of back wages for workers — topping their 2018 record by recovering over $322 million in back wages for more than 313,000 workers. That’s over $882,000 per day recovered for working families across the country, and $1,025 per affected worker.

7 Compliance Assistance Sites Small Business Owners Should Bookmark

I have created a VIP-exclusive page with a list of resources I utilize to keep on top of labor law developments, along with a step-by-step guide to configuring and managing a newsfeed exclusively for compliance alerts. Check that out, but then read this.

NYC Sues Salon (Alleged Brothel)

The city is suing to shut down an alleged brothel in an East Village walk-up that touts “Asian masseuses” who “know how your body works.”

Yiiiiikes.

...and another one.

According to the affidavit, in December 2018, SLED agents and Moncks Corner Police searched the trash from the spa and found evidence that included samples of what was believed to be bodily fluids.

ALL THE GROSS.

Also, let's reflect on this for a quick second. They found the evidence in December 2018 and it took A FULL YEAR to "temporarily suspend" her massage license and close her facility? WHAT?!

Salon Employees Witness Cops Planting Gun on Shooting Victim

The window of the beauty salon has reflective glass, so the women could see out while police couldn’t see in. And one of them started capturing video on her cellphone. One officer took a gun from within the SUV and with a gloved hand walked it to the upper level of the adjacent parking lot — where Tillman’s body lay. The officer was walking a gun towards the crime scene.

Apparently the police thought the bank was closed and didn’t know a salon was inside, because when the three women tried to leave the salon, police aggressively questioned them about what they saw. They even asked for their cell phones, which the women refused to surrender.

Over the last few months, I’ve been paralyzed. Writing, which always came easily to me, became damn near impossible. I couldn’t come up with article ideas, and when I finally did, I struggled to put the content together. I knew what I wanted to say, but the whole time, this voice in my head kept saying things like, “Nobody cares about this.” “All of this is so obvious, it’s not even worth writing about.” “What the hell happened to you? Remember when you could be somewhat insightful? Those were good times, but now you’re a boring idiot.”

I’m my own worst critic, but I’m also a problem-solver.

I tried to determine when writing became so difficult and quickly realized my performance anxiety started right when the VIP program launched. Before, people consumed the content on this site for free, and because they weren’t paying, I felt empowered to write about whatever the hell I wanted, however I pleased.

As soon as patrons entered the equation, I became intellectually impotent, crushed under the weight of imaginary expectations.

Not one single person told me to change my approach to creating content. Nobody complained, criticized, or even put forth the suggestion that I should do anything differently. I did this to myself, and in the process, turned working into a miserable, tortuous experience.

Last month, I hit a wall—hard—and couldn’t move past it. Something had to give. My options were a.) I find a way to find joy in doing this thing, or b.) it’s over.

This blog became successful for a reason. People don’t come here to read generic, textbook-style mediocrity. (That’s what the trade magazines are for, am I right?) Nobody is here for bland articles written by a faceless, fact-spewing machine.

My readers are here for no-bullshit insight from a real person who isn’t afraid to challenge their assumptions or spit in the face of the status quo. So, that's how I approached my work this month. I drank a beer, left my fucks at the door, and followed my instincts--promising myself that I wouldn't kill the draft in editing later.

As a result, I produced this month's articles faster and had a lot more fun writing them. I felt energized and excited about the content. I was so enthused that I wrote a third article draft in under an hour. I found the joy again, and I'm not about to give it up.

So, I won't be prioritizing “providing valuable information" over passion-driven content anymore. Worrying about what I think my patrons need instead of what I feel compelled to share has resulted in stilted, forced articles that were frustrating to write. This month's articles mark the start of a return to the good ol' days.

I’ll be writing what I want, how I want--whether you like it or not.

Just remember--as VIP members, you have a high degree of influence over the content here and I'm happy to deliver. If you want me to explore a topic, email me. I'm here for you.