It is always an exciting feeling to see your dream business come to life. After months or even years of planning and preparation, you may be ready to launch your new enterprise. But hold on! Your preparatory work is not yet finished. Many requirements must be met before your business can begin operating. Potential business owners must have an idea of how much cash flow they will receive, and they must provide insurance to employees who have been injured or terminated, among other requirements.

Creating a Business Plan

Before you can move forward with your potential business, you will need to create a business plan to outline your ideas on how you and your business will be successful. To write an effective business plan, you will need to outline the following:

Employers are required to follow both local and federal employment laws, which means both should be considered when determining how to handle matters like employee benefits, pay, salary, or overtime. Specifically, there is a new federal law that employers should be aware of, particularly if they have lower salary employees. Learn more about this new law and how it could affect your business, and discover how an experienced employment law attorney can help get (or keep) your small business on track.

Low Salary Employees Now Paid Overtime

Known as the Fair Labor Standards Act, the new law is supposed to address the “eroding” 40-hour workweek and the millions of employees who are not compensated for their extra time. More specifically, the new law states that salaried employees who earn $47,500 or less are to be compensated for any overtime hours that they work. In addition, the threshold is expected to raise, yet again, by January 1, 2020 (to $51,000), and increase every three years thereafter.

Every state has their own laws regarding rest periods and meal breaks for its workers; Illinois is no exception. Unfortunately, small and new business owners may not be aware of these requirements. Learn more about mandatory rest breaks for employees, including what potential actions you could face for noncompliance, with help from the following information.

Rest Break Requirements

Many states have mandated rest breaks for their employees, but Illinois is not one of them. Keep in mind that rest breaks are different from meal periods; rest periods generally last only 10 to 15 minutes (depending on state law and employer preference). Meal periods are longer, and they are required under Illinois state law.

Watching your company go from a little-known business to booming can be exciting. It can also be a little anxiety-inducing. You need someone to help you fill orders, stock product, or make deliveries. Or maybe you need someone to set up a website or manage your social media page. Unfortunately, you may not be able to hire an employee just yet. Perhaps you cannot afford to pay someone for regular, part-time hours, or maybe you are not set up yet for income tax withholding. Whatever the situation, an independent contractor could be the answer. How can you tell? The following information may help.

What is an Independent Contractor?

In its simplest definition, an independent contractor is someone that works for themselves, not your company. You are not responsible for paying their taxes, you do not have to provide health insurance or carry workers’ compensation to cover them, and you are not liable for their actions while they are working (note that there may be exceptions here). You simply pay them for the work they have done and, if necessary and desired, continue to do so. Then, come tax time, you file the appropriate form to show that you paid a contractor for work.

Businesses often incorporate a “chain of command” to ensure everything remains in working order, but there is a thin line between this and the whistleblower protections under state law. How do you avoid crossing the line? What more do you need to know about whistleblower protections to ensure you do not violate the law? The following explains.

District 60, a Cautionary Tale

In July of 2017, District 60 sent a letter to its maintenance and custodial staff, advising them to follow the chain of command or face disciplinary action; this was not the issue with the letter. Instead, the concern was over some of the examples provided by the district. Some of the acts, such as purchasing luxury furniture (possible embezzlement of funds) are illegal, and Illinois state law protects employees who report or refuse to participate in illegal acts.