New CDC Guidelines The CDC has released new mask guidelines easing former recommendations. The CDC is no longer using vaccination status as the benchmark for mask guidelines and are now using low, medium, and high levels for counties to measure COVID risk and mask recommendations. For low level counties no…
Independent Contractors A recent Illinois Court of Appeals decision in an Illinois Wage Claim Act case puts a magnifying glass on the sticky wicket employers can find themselves when they are unable to pay an outside contractor, at least under certain circumstances. The decision in O’Malley v. Udo, 2022 IL…
New Laws for Small Businesses in 2022 From salary and benefits, to the hiring process, to non-compete agreements, an array of new state legislation that affects small businesses in one way or another has taken effect as of the first of the new year, 2022. The legislation focused non-compete agreements…
George Bellas advises on E-Commerce There is no doubt that e-commerce sales have grown tremendously over the last 20-plus years. That is in part because online purchases are taxed differently than in person sales, and small businesses have noticed the advantages of this system. The setup is quite simple: a…
Illinois Cannabis Business Market Licenses for a legal cannabis business have been a hot topic lately, and now the the Illinois Supreme Court has made its first ruling related to the byzantine process of obtaining a license for a legalized cannabis business in the state, and it seems likely to…
COVID Rules for Residential Evictions RESIDENTIAL EVICTION UPDATE – August 27, 2021 – SCOTUS weighs in. Finally, some clarity to the situation by the source least expected – the U.S. Supreme Court (“SCOTUS”). It has been a tortured road for Landlords during the COVID-19 Pandemic as the story is told…
Considerations for Starting a Small Business Recently, we ran a post What to consider when Starting a Small Business, Part One about some of the early steps in starting a small business—deciding you’re ready, figuring out what type of business you want to start, surveying your competitors, and figuring out the…
Are you thinking about starting a small business? It can be an exciting and challenging endeavor, although it’s more likely to succeed if you plan ahead, take it step by step, and surround yourself with trusted, experienced advisers. Of course, such an important endeavor – not to mention a life…
Drop the Mask in your business? After a year of employee and customer mask requirements being a no-brainer for small businesses, the CDC’s recent change in guidance that those who have become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 need not wear masks in many public settings has required business owners to put…
SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund Eligible restaurants and other dining establishments are entitled to apply to the U.S. Small Business Administration for a $28.6 billion grant program under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, as established in section 5003 of the legislation. The SBA recently released a Program Guide that…