Start up Business

Hey, Yusef-Andre Wiley coming at you.

So I want to talk a little bit about your startup. What have you done to put yourself in a position to launch your business? What have you done? What have you done yesterday that you didn't do today, huh? Let's talk a little bit. How y'all feeling? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We're going to talk a little bit about that. So if you're in the state of California, it's going to be a little different. You know, I'm here in the state of California where The state of California really caters to the employee and not the employer, so that could be a problem sometimes for up-and-coming entrepreneurs, someone that's a startup that's trying to launch their business. If you don't know a lot of the labor laws here in the state of California, you can find yourself stressed out, and I don't want you to get stressed out. So we're going to talk a little bit about, um, some of the ways that you can avoid that. And you know, it's not an easy task at all, but you have to stay relentless as an entrepreneur. You have to continue your path, your course, so that you can get where you want to be.

Can't get where you want to be You're sitting around waiting for something to happen.

You have to make it happen. It's up to you to make it happen.

So when we talk about California labor laws, a lot of the things that's associated with that, look it up, you know. We're not going to go into detail here, but just know that it's a lot harder if you're running a business and you have employees, etc. It's very critically important that you have somebody to help you with that process. Don't do it by yourself. Don't attempt to launch a business, small or large, without the proper people on your team that could do the necessary research in California labor law so that you can find yourself in a better situation down the road. Um, Now, another suggestion that, you know, has been talked about quite a bit, people do this quite a bit, and that is start a company, the LLC or the S corporation in another state, you know, like Wyoming or Nevada, you know, I believe Texas, few other states that's, you know, a little bit more lenient or, you know, favorable to an employer. So for me, I'm getting it and I see it because I'm an owner, a business owner myself here in California, in addition to being a founder and CEO of a nonprofit organization. So in that situation, I've experienced quite a bit of the hell, if you would, of doing business in California.

California is no joke, folks. And those of you that are here in California, y'all can, y'all can bear witness to this, whether it's related to wages and salary and, you know, discrimination or any little bitty thing that you could potentially have a claim against you people are using it here in California. California is cold-blooded when it comes down to that, right? And you don't stand a chance if you don't have all your ducks in a row. So it's important to get with folks that's going to help you get those ducks in a row. Don't just go into business in California without understanding the labor laws here in California because it can get you in trouble, a lot of trouble. Now for myself, being a CEO of a nonprofit, You know, some of the things that you see, you know, just laying someone off or terminating the employee can be, even if you follow all of the proper, you know, the write-ups, you know, the documentation, they still can launch a lawsuit against you here in California. It's no protection for the employer. And the reason why is because, you know, the way California looks at it, is like this, is that every employer is greedy and is trying to get over, right? That's the mindset of, of California. And every employee is dumb and doesn't know anything, so we have to protect him or her, right, from abuse. And that's the overarching— that's the the, the reality of doing business in California.

That's the state of mind of the law around labor law in the state of California. So for that reason, so many entrepreneurs, so many LLCs have opted to start their business in another state because they don't want to deal with that, right? So, um, that's— I mean, it works to a certain extent.

I decided to continue to do business in California.

I've decided to hire people, you know, consultant firm, HR consultant firm, you know, legal teams and things like that to help me to be in a better position to not get sued, to not get in trouble, to, you know, not get stressed out because I'm just simply trying to provide a service in my community. Right? Homeless service, reentry service, right? And providing those services comes with a price. It comes with a price, even though all of the good intention that one might have to provide homeless housing service, reentry service, right? Workforce, helping individuals that's had system-impacted barriers, get employment.

And when you do that, you're doing it with all the right intentions, so you don't expect the problems to come, but they will come. So I'm telling you, fellow leader, be mindful of these things so that you're not finding yourself in a bad situation. And I've also had mentors tell me that were once founders and CEOs of nonprofits That's why they got out of the business. So I have a lot of people that have decided, you know what, nonprofit is not for me. I'm going to go to for-profit. And, you know, human capital. I tried to deal with, you know, having human capital as a part of my flow, workflow and getting business done and etc. But that just doesn't work. So I'm going into business for myself. So I'm only dealing with myself, right? So a lot of people have decided to do that. A lot of entrepreneurs have decided to do that. You also see where a lot of CEOs, a lot of executive directors end up leaving that space to become consultants. That, that's a big deal. I'm a consultant, right? So these are the things that happen within this space. A lot of people come to me all the time. Yusef-Andre Wiley, I want to start my own business. I want to, I want to get into the business that you're in where you're providing housing. You know, that seemed to be lucrative business. That's what they say, because they see the dollars and not necessarily the service, not the headache and the heartache that comes with doing this. So I get that quite a bit, where someone just want me to help them become a provider, a housing provider, or providing recent re-entry resources for formerly incarcerated folks. Okay, okay, we can, you know, look at what you got going on, but there's a whole lot of other things that you're not going to like. So I'm just letting you know, folks, be mindful of the business model that you're, uh, attempting to launch, and make sure you got all the right people around you. Make sure you got the right mentors and business, uh, consultants and attorneys that you can talk to. HR specialist, etc., because you're talking about going into business. When you go into business, that comes with quite a bit— insurances, workers' comp insurance, you know, all these things that is necessary in order to legally run a business, whether it's California or elsewhere. So think about it. Don't jump and say, I got all this good energy and I want to do so much for my community and for my people, or whatever your motivation, you have to make sure that you take the proper steps. Take the proper steps, talk to the right people, have the necessary mentors, get the coaching, whatever it is that you need to do to put you in the right state of mind so that you don't burn out. Because I see it all the time, people easily burn out. I've been doing this for 10 years now. I, I was released in from prison in 2012, May 2012. It's been 10 years, folks, and I'm still going. I'm still thriving as a business, as a nonprofit as well. I'm still doing that thing, and I plan to continue. Hopefully at some point I will have someone else come in and take over my nonprofit work. However, the business That's what I do, and I'm here to help you if you need me. I'm here. My name is Yusef-Andre Wiley, and you can find me online on Instagram. You can find me on Twitter and Facebook. You can also go to my website at www.andreewiley.com. That's A-N-D-R-E-W-I-L-E-Y dot com. Check me out. So again, you know, subscribe to my YouTube channel. You know, I'm just now starting to develop my YouTube channel, and I need you with me. I need your help. I need your support. And I want you to understand that I'm here to support you. That's what I'm here for. I'm not here just talking to you. This is not my, my best approach, right, in the help of people—

YouTube.

I recommend that you reach out to me. You know, send me an email. Let's set up a meeting and talk more about what it is you're trying to do.

The 9 to 5 may not be working for you anymore. You know, 9 to 5, I don't discourage a person working a 9 to 5. Let's understand that a 9 to 5 may be good for you. You might need that. And, you know, I would say maintain that while you build your business. And don't separate from that 9 to 5 until you are certain that you have a plan that's going to extend at least a year in case there's turbulence. And there will be turbulence. You're trying to launch your business and the revenues are not flowing in quite, uh, quickly enough, and you have bills to pay, and you have a family to take care of. So Don't do it that way. Keep your 9 to 5, build your business on the side, and then allow it to grow and get the necessary advice and mentorships and, and consulting that's going to allow you to land in a safe place. Okay, so that's what I'm talking about this morning. That's what I'm talking about in this year of 2022. We almost over, going into a new year. Planning that 2023. Let's keep going, just keep going, and don't be discouraged. Don't allow that to happen to you. Peace. Yusef-Andre Wiley.