Studio Brief - Ed. 3
Our briefing on business, society, and creation.
Welcome,
I hope your year has started off well! If you’re like me, then getting organized is hard and staying organized is near impossible. I’m always impressed when I catch a glimpse of someone’s perfectly color coordinated calendar at a coffee shop … “they definitely have their sh*t together” is what goes through my mind. Whether that’s true or not, I do believe that managing our time is paramount to being our most productive, calm, and balanced selves.
So, in the spirit of keeping things organized this year we have released a public calendar. From upcoming tax deadlines, to entity filings dates, to important events, this calendar will give you some peace of mind. Since it will be updated throughout the year, feel free to subscribe to it or visit our Studio whenever you’d like to review it (linked below as well).
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Each brief is a collection of insightful articles, reflections, and news. Our goal at RM Legal Studio is simple: peace of mind for your pursuit. And since success leaves clues, the ones I’ve found I'll pass along here.
Quick Hits
FTC Proposes Rule to Ban Non-competes Clauses | FTC.gov (4 min read) The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a new rule that would ban employers from imposing noncompetes on their workers, a widespread practice that some argue suppresses wages, hampers innovation, and blocks entrepreneurs from starting new businesses. The government invites the public to submit comments on the proposed rule. The comment period is open through Mar 10, 2023.
3AC Crypto Execs Served Subpoena Via Twitter | Blockworks.co (4 min read) Co-founders of Three Arrows Capital, the embattled and bankrupt crypto hedge fund, have been slapped with two fresh subpoenas - one in the US, one in Singapore - via Twitter. Expanding legal “service” to Twitter is a controversial move, but the US Bankruptcy court in the Southern District of New York argued it was necessary because the whereabouts of both Zhu and Davies had been an open question since Three Arrows blew up…but they had still been active on Twitter.
Don’t Just Set Goals. Build Systems | Medium (9 min read) It’s that time of year…new year, new goals, new you. But psychologists have found that fantasizing is the number one way your brain can unintentionally deter you from realizing your goals. Ex-professional athlete, preacher, and engineer Kurtis Pykes opines that goals are useless without systems. Why? (1) Systems focus on developing skills, not the end goal; (2) Systems treat the cause of a problem, and the symptoms (outcomes) change as a byproduct; (3) Systems embrace the present instead of focus on the future. An example: Objective: write a book this year. System: Write “two shitty pages a day.” (as Tim Ferris would say).
Lessons from Selling Comedy Tickets On the Streets of New York | Medium (10 min read) Everything John DeVore learned about capitalism came from selling comedy tickets to strangers in NYC. The native Texan moved to NYC to become a playwright, but found himself working the streets to make ends meet. The main lesson he learned was, “Never, under any circumstance, sell the product because the product is crap. Sell yourself. Humans trust other humans. People make promises, not things.”
Going Freelance? What You Need to Know About Money | Vice (10min read) The main points are: (1) Have money saved before starting freelancing, (2) write down everything you spend and earn while working, not the week before taxes are due, (3) have multiple streams of income, (4) get professional help with taxes or do them throughout the year, and (5) don’t sell yourself short, charge competitive rates.
New Laws in 2023
Federal
Here’s a look at some new laws that will impact American’s life in 2023:
Increase Minimum Wage - Twenty-seven states will see minimum wage increases in 2023 with the majority of the states implementing them starting Jan. 1.
Tax Credit for Electric Vehicles - Upon meeting the requirements, new vehicles are eligible for a tax credit of up to $7,500 and used vehicles are eligible for a tax credit of $3,750.
Recreational Marijuana - As of Jan. 1, 21 states and the District of Columbia offer adult residents legalized recreational and medicinal marijuana.
CA
Here’s a look at some new laws that will impact Californian’s life in 2023:
Fast food workers (AB-257) - The bill will set up a 10-member council that will include worker and employee representatives and two state officials, and that would review pay and safety standards across the restaurant industry.
Fur ban (AB-44) - CA’s law, the first of its kind in the US, bars residents from selling or making clothing, shoes or handbags with fur. It does not apply to products for religious or tribal purposes and excludes the sale of leather, dog and cat fur, cowhides, deer, sheep and goat skin and anything preserved through taxidermy.
Jaywalking (AB-2147) - Pedestrians can cross the street outside an intersection or crosswalk without being ticketed as long as it’s “safe to do so.”
Minimum wage (SB-3) - The statewide CA minimum wage will rise to $15.50/hour for all employer sizes. However, there are cities with a higher minimum wage than the state. These include Berkeley, Emeryville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood.
Privacy rights - It’s been two years since CA passed the revolutionary California Privacy Rights Act, which strengthen privacy laws that prohibit businesses from collecting an sharing consumer’s data without consent. Among the amendments taking effect, companies will no longer be able to collect information about their workers.
Street food vendors (SB-927) - This amendment to the CA Retail Food Code gives street vendors an easier path to obtaining local health permits.
Wage Transparency (SB-1162) - All companies with at least 15 employees must include salary ranges in all job postings and provide them to existing employees upon request. The goal is to boost pay transparency and counter workplace discrimination (NY, NV, and WA have similar laws).
Client News
Peak Season, the second film by Henry Loevner and Steven Kanter, has been officially selected to premiere at South By Southwest (“SXSW”) Film Festival in Austin, Texas this March. The film follows Amy, an emotionally adrift young woman who forges an unexpected friendship with a wilderness guide when she and her fiancé take a summer trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Curb Cut Analytics, an initiative by Pilar Castro-Kiltz of More Canvas Consulting, recently launched to help raise awareness for digital accessibility. The name recalls what was observed when curbs were cut in order to allow those in wheelchairs to cross streets independently; these new sloped curbs were far easier to use by people walking, biking, and pushing strollers. Curb Cut provides customized quotes on guided accessibility audits, accessibility remediation, and digital accessibility training courses.
Bookcase
Shoe Dog is a memoir by Nike co-founder Phil Knight. The memoir chronicles the history of Nike from its founding as Blue Ribbon Sports and its early challenges to its evolution into one of the world's most recognized and profitable companies. It also highlights certain parts of Phil Knight's life. Bill Gates named Shoe Dog one of his five favorite books of 2016 and called it “an amazing tale, a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like. It’s a messy, perilous, and chaotic journey, riddled with mistakes, endless struggles, and sacrifice. Phil Knight opens up in ways few CEOs are willing to do.”
About the Studio
Our mission is to provide peace of mind and creative strategies for clients’ pursuits.
