Coming Soon…
From 1990 to 2009, Conquer Credit Management, a company Mrs. Setters-Bessard built from the ground up, has successfully served over thousands of clients.
With extensive experience in the financial industry, she opened her first company at the age of 18. Mrs. Setters-Bessard has seen it all, successfully resolving the toughest issues known in the industry. Through the years, Mrs. Setters-Bessard clients have benefited further from “The Credit Expert”™, which was created to help her referral partners communicate more efficiently with their borrowers and clients. This system has allowed business professionals to see their client’s status before and after credit management in order to realize their personal “Credit Image”. Setters-Bessard has helped thousands of mortgage brokers, real estate agents, certified public accountants, business and entertainment managers, celebrities, professional athletes, securities investors, and lawyers to achieve financial success.
The CCMI client base has been built through referral partners and trusted advisors. Not a penny spent in advertising! For over a period of 19 years, Mrs. Setters-Bessard has developed relationships with over 7,000 financial professionals and institutions. In 2003, Mrs. Setters-Bessard was named one of the female entrepreneurs of the year for small businesses in the “Who’s Who in Business” national organization and in 2007 for the Empowered Woman’s National Organization. She has been invited to serve as a keynote speaker at major business seminars including: California Association Mortgage Brokers, California Association of CPA’s, World Savings Bank, City National Bank, Wells Fargo, PNG Corporate, The Empowered Women’s Network, Mastermind Corporate, World Financial Group, Merrill Lynch, National Association of Women in Business, Chamber of Commerce of Calabasas, TECH Association (Now Vistage), Bank of America, and many more. Conquer Credit Management referral partners close more than $375 million in loan volume per year and the numbers continue to rise.
Five New Labor Law Proposals to Watch
There are many worker-friendly laws that are finding their way through Congress and that could have a significant impact on small business and in some cases reaching businesses with as few as 15 employees
Laws that expand employee rights can seem like a good idea but in the end are generally a real problem for small business. In some cases because they put undue stress on a small businesses ability to handle the administrative requirements and in other cases the cost. At times these laws can be difficult to understand and hard to navigate. The staff at Total HR are watching the following pieces of legislation and will continue to update you as they develop…
1. Paycheck Fairness Act: This measure would increase the burden on employers to demonstrate that wage gaps between men and women doing the same work are not based on gender but have a business justification, such as education, training or experience. The act, designed to strengthen the Equal Pay Act, also prohibits employers from ordering employees not to share salary information with co-workers. The Department of Labor is charged with educating small businesses about the law and assisting with compliance. The act would go into effect six months after its passage.
2. Employment Non-Discrimination Act: Would provide basic protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill is modeled on existing civil rights laws. Prohibits public and private employers, employment agencies and unions from using an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity as the basis for employment decisions such as hiring, firing, promotion or compensation. Currently, 13 states including Illinois have policies that protect against both sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.
3. Family Leave Insurance Act: Would amend the Family and Medical Leave Act to provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave benefits to workers who need to care for an ill family member or new child, treat their own illness or deal with the deployment of a member of the military. The act would extend Family and Medical Leave Act leave to employees who need to care for an ill domestic partner or the child of a domestic partner.
4. Healthy Families Act: Would provide up to seven days of paid sick leave for full-time employees working more than 30 hours per week. Part-time employees working more than 20 hours per week get a prorated share of paid leave. Time off can be used to meet an employee’s medical needs or to care for a family member.
5. Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act: Would amend the Family and Medical Leave Act to allow employees up to four hours during any 30-day period, and up to 24 hours during any 12-month period, to attend a child or grandchild’s school or extracurricular activities. Time off also can be used to meet routine family medical care needs or the care needs of elderly family members.
Plan for Success in 2010 by James Harwood, Total HR
Many of us may be glad to see 2009 come to an end and are hoping for better business success in 2010. A tough economic climate has resulted in decreased revenues and profit levels for small business owners and forced increased layoffs and belt tightening on operation expenses. Needless to say we are all hoping that the coming year brings brighter days. However we shouldn’t just hope that 2010 brings more fruitful business results, we need to develop an intentional plan to make it happen. The reality is that small business owners don’t plan to fail…they fail to plan!
It’s easy for small business owners to get so wrapped up in day to day operations and crisis management that before we know it the months have passed and we look back at the year’s results in frustration that we didn’t accomplish what we’d hoped. Many small business owners don’t think they need one…or that they are too small. However a recent study by the Association of Management Consulting Firms found that executives, consultants, and business school professors all agree that strategic business planning is now the single most important management issue and will remain so for many years. Strategy has become a part of the main agenda of successful companies today. Setting strategic goals for the year is a great way to measure whether your business has been successful and motivate your employees. A good strategic business plan will catapult you, your people and your business into the future.
Do you have goals for revenue growth, profit objectives, customer satisfaction, quality and productivity? More importantly have these goals been communicated to employees and translated into tactical objectives that you can measure and hold yourself and your people accountable for? As your strategic human resources partner, Total HR can work with you to help establish goals for 2010 and facilitate planning sessions to help engage your employees in the process. Make 2010 a great year by planning to be successful!
