I can't stand incomplete or partially accurate information.😁
Gary Cox72 says: The benefits are: You can issue invoices without being on the hook for that 22% tax. Once you're in the sales tax system, the moment you send an invoice—regardless of whether you've actually been paid yet—you owe that tax to the government.
That logic applies to a corporation, but it doesn't really work for a sole proprietorship. And it isn't an immediate hit either; it’s usually a 30 to 60-day window depending on when the invoice was issued.
Another downside is that once you register for sales tax, you'll likely have to hike your prices by 22%. Even if they eventually get that tax back as a credit, you still see a much larger chunk of cash leaving your bank account the moment you make a payment.
Actually, you don't necessarily have to raise prices by 22% since part of your revenue is recovered through tax credits. Sales tax is refundable for those registered in the system, and from what I gather, my colleague seems to be thinking about doing business directly with individual consumers.
Since you’re based in the city, your best bet is to just head down to the Department of Commerce on Broadway, right past Frankopan. There’s a courtyard with public parking on the left side. Just pull in and go inside to have a chat. Honestly, the staff there are really friendly and they'll walk you through the whole process. A few blocks further down on Broadway, you've also got the National Association of Manufacturers; if you head up to the next floor, you can ask them for their free business guides for small contractors. Once you've read through those, I think you'll have most of your questions answered.
PS I’m a little concerned that carpentry is a specialized trade that requires a master's certification. Maybe take a look at the list of available small business licenses first—you might find something else you can register under to fly under the radar. 🙂 If that doesn't work out, I guess you'll eventually have to just set up an LLC.
bluemaker said:I suppose I agree with you that a lease shouldn't technically require a down payment or a co-signer, given that the leasing company actually owns the vehicle. But, from what I can see, finance leases seem to work that way anyway. 😢
Then why aren't people just using operating leases? Pretty sure most major dealerships offer them.
Look, let's not overcomplicate things. You basically have two straightforward ways to handle this without making a mess of it.
1) Just save a copy of your detailed description with a public notary. 2) Or, alternatively, register it with the Copyright Clearance Center in Washington, D.C., located on Broadway.
I’d also suggest logging absolutely every single interaction you have with potential buyers in your ledger—every phone call, every meeting. You really ought to keep a paper trail of all correspondence; I mean, you should be maintaining meticulous business records. Include specific dates, times, and the names of everyone you speak with.
Of course, people can still try to rip you off regardless, but at least then you’ll actually have a fighting chance to hold them accountable in court.
I’m getting up there in age, and a few years back, I dealt with some pretty nasty neck issues and vertigo—bad enough that I ended up in the ER. In the end, it was actually some advice from the neurology department at the Mayo Clinic that finally sorted me out. They gave me a surprisingly simple suggestion: ditch the pillow entirely. Instead, take a large towel, roll it up into a cylinder, and tuck it right under your neck while you sleep, making sure you stay strictly on your back. It was a bit of a struggle to get used to sleeping on my back at first, but I’ve been doing this for about five or six years now and haven't had any issues with dizziness since. I’m not saying this is a magic fix for everyone, but for me, it 🙂 You can probably find specialized pillows designed for this, but I’ve just stuck with the rolled-up towel and I’m perfectly happy with the results. PS, a side effect of sleeping on my back is that I snore like a chainsaw.😁
In situations like this, I’ve found that using a vein cream really helps speed up the recovery process. Of course, you also need to try and rest your leg as much as humanly possible.
Betty Bennett10 said:What I’m really getting at is this: is anyone here actually willing to show some solidarity with workers whose rights are being trampled? Even just by boycotting the employer responsible? To be honest, looking at the discussions on this forum regarding the MTA strike or the doctors' strikes—I have my doubts.
If they don't have the guts to join a Labor Union, then they can't really blame anyone else. The government only guarantees them a minimum wage (<$500 net), so if they want anything more than that, they have to fight for it through their union. No, I don't feel any particular sense of solidarity with the workers; I suppose I'm on the other side of the street (meaning, I'm a capitalist 😁)
Betty Bennett10 said:I honestly wonder if any of the people on this forum who are constantly arguing in favor of Sunday retail hours would actually be willing to boycott a specific shopping mall if it turned out the management there was violating labor laws.
And what about striking? I mean, what is the point of having a Labor Union if not for that? As individuals, people are pretty much powerless, but a organized Labor Union could realistically bring a giant like General Motors to its knees in just three days. Yet, for some reason, workers find it way too much of a hassle to actually join a union or pay that tiny 1% membership fee. Everyone seems to want someone else to swoop in and fix their problems while they sit around doing absolutely nothing.
Check, check, I’ve got it! You probably think an intern veterinarian at a private practice should be making, what, at least $2,500 a month? Am I getting warm?
Not $2,000, but god knows it isn't $2,000 worth of pennies either 😢
And since you're venturing into economics without having learned a single thing about it, maybe take a trip over to the diaspora subforum and just read, read, read and learn, learn, learn... okay? Maybe one day you'll actually understand how to interpret what someone writes to you.
I learned how to read and write 43 years ago 😁 Plus, I've run a few businesses in the private sector, so I figure I have a right to speak up here. I get that you seem to think employees should work for peanuts and just be happy about it. Well, newsflash: they usually aren't.😁
Let me help you out a bit... in my first post, I specifically mentioned a "private" veterinary clinic.
Almost everything is private nowadays, except for the ones run by the university
Private means it's open with the goal of turning a profit. What kind of production value does an intern vet bring to the table? It's someone who has to earn enough to pay the boss first before they see a dime themselves. So, you can conclude that there is money involved, which doesn't mean it's endless. As an intern, however, they can turn a profit by mastering their craft so that in the near future they can be truly productive and be compensated accordingly.
Just so you know, vet interns are out in the field from day one, they are EXTREMELY profitable for their employers, they pull shifts almost every weekend and holiday, and they get worked to the bone.
Instead of "veterinary clinic," feel free to swap in whatever you want: an accounting firm, a retail store, a medical or dental office, a law firm. There, now I've given you a free lesson. And you're being difficult... Mmm, yeah.
Thanks for the education 👋
PS 1) I am not a veterinarian 2) No one in my family is a veterinarian 3) I know a few vets, both young and old, so what I'm talking about comes from pretty reliable sources 4) You can't learn anything intelligent on the diaspora forum 😛 5) You're being ridiculous 🙂
As far as I know, you don't just brew beer using nothing but hops. 😕
No, that’s not right. :-) Beer is actually brewed from barley, water, yeast, and hops. I guess you could say hops are more like the seasoning—they add the bitterness and help balance the flavor profile. They also have a bit of a calming effect, I think.
And if you swap out the barley for wheat, you end up with a wheat beer.
swiftscout8 said:You can find some stuff at the pharmacy—what was it called... basically, it’s valerian root tea (hopefully I didn't get that wrong). It’s even used in beer. It’s known to knock you out. Give it a shot; maybe it’ll help.
Just to correct that quote, though. It’s hops in beer that have the calming effect, not valerian. Maybe some kind of hops "tea" would do the trick? 😁
I want to highlight one particularly important sentence here:
Nicole Morales3 said:The pay isn't exactly life-changing, but it's a solid chance to learn the ropes.
Do you really expect someone from out of state to just reach out to you? I mean, you probably already know the local vets in your own area and can just contact them directly.😉 Hmmm... then again, maybe they already know who you are.😁 Maybe so...
Emily Ortiz25 said:To open a specialized trade, you're supposed to have a master's certification or about 15 years of experience under your belt. Do you have that? Of course not, so you'd have to hire someone who does.
That rule only applies to those specific licensed trades; if you're just setting up a general sole proprietorship, you don't need any of that.
I mean, they've actually made it incredibly straightforward 🙂 maybe talk to a small business attorney? 🙂 Basically, to get things moving, you head over to the city department of economic development (in New York, that would be over on Broadway). They give you a checklist of everything you need to gather, hand you the payment slips, and within a few days, you're pretty much set. You can probably pull all the paperwork together in a single day, it takes two or three days for them to process it, and after losing another day dealing with the IRS, Social Security Administration, and local agencies, you can finally start working. 🙂 The whole procedure has been streamlined to the extreme.
Unfortunately, everyone tends to wash their hands of these situations. An employer can always hide behind the excuse that there isn't any lighter work available. I guess the real question is whether this woman officially—in writing—requested a reassignment to less strenuous duties and provided them with a copy of her doctor's recommendation. If she did, the employer basically has two choices: either find her a role that fits her physical limitations or issue a layoff due to business necessity, which would include a severance package. If she’s been in the workforce for 50 years, she might be able to transition to unemployment benefits until she hits retirement age. It’s not exactly an ideal scenario, but maybe it's better than risking a permanent decline in her health. What about the union? In larger corporations, the union usually has a pretty formidable legal department that can handle this kind of thing. It’s a complete circus if she's working for a small outfit of only ten people.
brisknomad6 said:Yeah, Joshua Chavez... but the one heading up the medical board was just a general practitioner!
True, but we aren't talking about the doctor actually treating the patient here; we're talking about the doctor employed by Medicare. Naturally, they’re going to protect the agency's interests. That said, an unhappy patient can always file an administrative appeal. If they manage to get that moving within 24 hours, their disability benefits stay active right up until a decision is handed down by the first-level review board—which, again, is just another branch of Medicare at a higher level. After all that, you could eventually take it to federal court if you really wanted to.
A general practitioner can only authorize sick leave up to a certain limit defined by Medicare protocols for specific medical conditions. If a patient needs to stay out longer than those guidelines allow, the doctor has to submit a request to a medical review board funded by Medicare. If that board denies the extension, the physician actually doesn't have the authority to extend the leave on their own; if they try to bypass the rules, they risk losing their contract with Medicare, which would essentially force them to shut down their practice. I suppose similar regulations and clinical protocols exist in just about every other country too. If a patient isn't happy with how the sick leave was handled, they have the right to appeal to the Medicare review board. If they still aren't satisfied after that, they can take the matter to an administrative court. You can find more details here:
... they usually pop up when someone who isn't used to heavy lifting pushes themselves too hard, though there could be a physiological component involved—like a deficiency in potassium (or maybe sodium? Or both? I can't quite recall the exact science behind it). For me, personally, it only seems to happen during the summer months when sweating causes my sodium and potassium levels to dip. My go-to prevention is just eating a banana every day and adding a bit more salt to my tomatoes. If I actually get hit by one, the only way I know how to fix it is to force myself to get up regardless of the pain, pace around my apartment for a bit, and then commit to a full stretching routine for at least 20 minutes. So far, I haven't dealt with any lingering leg pain afterward. I guess I just got lucky.