#start own business

[zorangezest]

3/3

i've been getting a couple asks if redraws were allowed and yes! i love seeing how my art is interpreted in different styles, go for it!

previous laserbeak

phew! that's a lot of drawing...i'm going into hibernation now...

ive been working on this project for close to a month and i have to ask: what was your favourite moment?

[reasonsforhope]

Federal regulators on Tuesday [April 23, 2024] enacted a nationwide ban on new noncompete agreements, which keep millions of Americans — from minimum-wage earners to CEOs — from switching jobs within their industries.

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday afternoon voted 3-to-2 to approve the new rule, which will ban noncompetes for all workers when the regulations take effect in 120 days [So, the ban starts in early September, 2024!]. For senior executives, existing noncompetes can remain in force. For all other employees, existing noncompetes are not enforceable.

[That's right: if you're currently under a noncompete agreement, it's completely invalid as of September 2024! You're free!!]

The antitrust and consumer protection agency heard from thousands of people who said they had been harmed by noncompetes, illustrating how the agreements are "robbing people of their economic liberty," FTC Chair Lina Khan said. 

The FTC commissioners voted along party lines, with its two Republicans arguing the agency lacked the jurisdiction to enact the rule and that such moves should be made in Congress...

Why it matters

The new rule could impact tens of millions of workers, said Heidi Shierholz, a labor economist and president of the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. 

"For nonunion workers, the only leverage they have is their ability to quit their job," Shierholz told CBS MoneyWatch. "Noncompetes don't just stop you from taking a job — they stop you from starting your own business."

Since proposing the new rule, the FTC has received more than 26,000 public comments on the regulations. The final rule adopted "would generally prevent most employers from using noncompete clauses," the FTC said in a statement.

The agency's action comes more than two years after President Biden directed the agency to "curtail the unfair use" of noncompetes, under which employees effectively sign away future work opportunities in their industry as a condition of keeping their current job. The president's executive order urged the FTC to target such labor restrictions and others that improperly constrain employees from seeking work.

"The freedom to change jobs is core to economic liberty and to a competitive, thriving economy," Khan said in a statement making the case for axing noncompetes. "Noncompetes block workers from freely switching jobs, depriving them of higher wages and better working conditions, and depriving businesses of a talent pool that they need to build and expand."

Real-life consequences

In laying out its rationale for banishing noncompetes from the labor landscape, the FTC offered real-life examples of how the agreements can hurt workers.

In one case, a single father earned about $11 an hour as a security guard for a Florida firm, but resigned a few weeks after taking the job when his child care fell through. Months later, he took a job as a security guard at a bank, making nearly $15 an hour. But the bank terminated his employment after receiving a letter from the man's prior employer stating he had signed a two-year noncompete.

In another example, a factory manager at a textile company saw his paycheck dry up after the 2008 financial crisis. A rival textile company offered him a better job and a big raise, but his noncompete blocked him from taking it, according to the FTC. A subsequent legal battle took three years, wiping out his savings. 

-via CBS Moneywatch, April 24, 2024

--

Note:

A lot of people think that noncompete agreements are only a white-collar issue, but they absolutely affect blue-collar workers too, as you can see from the security guard anecdote.

In fact, one in six food and service workers are bound by noncompete agreements. That's right - one in six food workers can't leave Burger King to work for Wendy's [hypothetical example], in the name of "trade secrets." (x, x, x)

Noncompete agreements also restrict workers in industries from tech and video games to neighborhood yoga studios. "The White House estimates that tens of millions of workers are subject to noncompete agreements, even in states like California where they're banned." (x, x, x)

The FTC estimates that the ban will lead to "the creation of 8,500 new businesses annually, an average annual pay increase of $524 for workers, lower health care costs, and as many as 29,000 more patents each year for the next decade." (x)

Clearer explanation of noncompete agreements below the cut.

Noncompete agreements can restrict workers from leaving for a better job or starting their own business.

Noncompetes often effectively coerce workers into staying in jobs they want to leave, and even force them to leave a profession or relocate.

Noncompetes can prevent workers from accepting higher-paying jobs, and even curtail the pay of workers not subject to them directly.

Of the more than 26,000 comments received by the FTC, more than 25,000 supported banning noncompetes. 

[scribefindegil]

Thinking again about how many disabled people end up getting shunted into art/craft work because like. You can technically do it. Sometimes. Yeah you make a pittance at best and are almost certainly going to make your physical health worse by pushing yourself to get things done, but what else are you gonna do? You're too sick for anyone to hire you. You're "not sick enough" to qualify for benefits. Just devote every scrap of time and energy you have to a chronically underpaid, low-prestige, incredibly labor-intensive industry. A few people manage to make it work with luck and help and the right skills. Many people don't. Everyone gets pressured to monetize their hobbies, but it's especially insidious if you're disabled because any tiny thing you manage to accomplish to bring yourself joy gets twisted into proof that you should somehow be able to work.

[umblrspectrum]

i love this brand of image so much

[suntails]

i want the vanrouges to go on a trip TOGETHER

[thegoodmorningman]

It's only one rule, man. It's not that hard.

[likesdoodling]

More stuff from stage play photos I have saved! This scene was definitely one of my favourites, XD

[geomimetry]

suggestive monster stuff under the cut

i havent posted art in almost a year and this is what i decide to break the ice with hi

go big or go home amirite

[casualavocados]

The only fucking person who will look at you is me.

Chiang Tien as AI DI KISEKI: DEAR TO ME (2023)

[w1tchs0up]

"HERE'S HOW FUGIO CAN STILL WIN"

[shiftythrifting]

Hi there! Love the stickers! Where do you get them made? Do you make themselves or get them from someone else like Sticker Mule? Thank you! Also, how do you build a sticker empire? Asking for a ~f r i e n d~

Oh gosh, lemme share some resources for y'all -- especially if you're just starting out.

Fourthwall - ShopShifty and our Sticker Club stickers are made thru FW, and always come out crisp. FW is great if you want to start a sticker shop but don't want to risk buying bulk inventory yet because it's all print on demand. They even give you sample credit to order some and see how you like them.

Printrunner - All of the @shiftythrifting official stickers I slip into merch are made in big bulk with Printrunner, their prices for low number runs aren't great though. Their stickers are the best ones I have though, they're waterproof, sun-resistant, and easier to peel than any sticker on this planet.

Sticky Brand - I found these through one of our featured artists for Sticker Club and I like them a lot, they have sales and specials ALL THE TIME and have good prices for smaller runs. I am going to try them again soon because they have lots of varieties.

The secret to Shifty's sticker powers? Our incredible artist @clockworkotter who I work fluidly with and love dearly. We make a great team.

[moodyvoid]

During the winter, the league makes Dabi “shovel the snow” out of the drive way.

aka: he uses his fire to melt it all away.

(It takes maybe 30 seconds at most, but he still complains about having to do it)

[buglaur]

some of the sims i'm gonna play the new pack with!

[tblsomedoodles]

FW! Mikey crochets!

he does a lot of other things too and crochet isn't his main thing (i think Raph eventually takes that as his main hobby later on) but he does do it!

[scliffe]

Kuroshitsuji AU where the Phantomhive massacre never happened; Ciel did grow up to be a priest in the Phantomhive territory just as his twin brother wanted, and he kept having to exorcise demons from the body of a man named Sebastian.

Sebastian is a very attractive man—and a very successful toy store owner too; just like Ciel’s childhood dream, isn’t that such a coincidence? He’s very kind to Ciel—probably out of gratefulness for helping him—and Ciel quickly finds himself falling in love and sharing a special connection with the man, it’s just a shame that Sebastian seems to keep getting possessed by demons way too often than people normally do, doesn’t he? It’s like he just gets repossessed by demons as an excuse to keep seeing the little priest.

[tobbesdiscordkitten]

Bill Bailey, known as Axl Rose, pictured with his girlfriend, Gina Siler, in 1982.

Fun fact: Back Off Bitch, the 8th song from the Use Your Illusion 1 album, was partially written about Gina, who moved to Los Angeles with Axl, but eventually kicked him out in 1983, due to his anger issues.

Gina is now a counselor, specializing in personality disorders, mood disorders, and depression. Her small business is located in Tuscan, Arizona. She also has 15 years of training under her belt.

Gina pictured with her dog.