Everyone wants to point to CEO’s and what they make….. So do you think it is different in a pizza store where the owner runs the shop, is there 80 hours a week…. and is making a living for his family? Do you think there will be unintended consequences of raising minimum wage? In a business like that, you can figure that food and labor accounts for about 70% of the cost of doing business…. so maybe the owner if he is busting his ass, controlling costs well… might take home $60k for his efforts after expenses…. SO if labor goes up by 1/3 or a store that is running about 200k in labor, so it increases payroll by 100k…. I am presuming the customer is going to have to pay that difference?
Surely people don’t think the owner should take a pay cut right?

On a store doing $600k in sales… that means that prices would have to increase 16.7% in order just to keep up with the labor increase….. so that means a $13 pizza is now $15.17. AND so that means we are going to lose some customers…which will make sales fall, which will result in someone or some folks getting let go….

And so for administrative folks working desk jobs, receptionist jobs and administrative jobs…. now they could make $15 x 2080 hours=$31,200 flipping burgers…. So now that is the lowest paid position in every job in the country? So you think that seems fair that people go to 4 years of college and everyone in the country is making the same? Well and I guess if that becomes the new bottom wage…. that is the new “poverty” level and everyone on Government assistance should get a raise right?

It is never ending. The reason why the free market determines the rate of pay because it balances the number of employees looking to hire with the number of qualified individuals looking for jobs. So for example, if Walmart is looking to hire 15 people and they promote $9 an hour, and they don’t get enough qualified candidates, they will have to increase the wage they are offering in order to get the number of qualified applicants equal to the number of positions…THAT is the market rate of pay. Let the markets be free without interference..work hard if you want to make more… there is a correlation between work ethic and wages. I promise.

I said it…and that’s that. Smile, make a difference, go support live music. I am outta here.

KEKO

Failure to File Penalty….    5% per month up to a maximum of 25%.

Failure to Pay Penalty…..   .5% per month up to a maximum of 25%

That means without regard to interest…. after 50 months of non-filing, you have added 50% to what you owe.

File your tax return…don’t pay it if you don’t have the cash to pay it, work out an installment agreement.  But ignoring it will do nothing but make your problem bigger…at least 25% bigger just by being 5 months late…

Filing your taxes is really about life….run AT the problem, not away from it.  It is far better to file your tax return and have it filed among million of tax returns than to wait until the IRS is demanding it and have to turn it in to someone that will give it scrutiny.

That’s all I got for now.

I said it…and that’s that. Smile, make a difference, go support live music. I am outta here. KEKO

I am a worker.  I always have been.  I had my first job when I was 15 years old, maybe 14 years old.  It has been so long that I can’t remember if it was at the Colonade or at Consuelos Mexican Restaurant.  I have never not had a job.  It is a lengthy list prior to working in a CPA firm including: Econobake, Radiant Tire, Allied Tire, Tire Kingdom, The Verandah, RG’s City Center, Lowry Park Zoo, and I honestly cannot remember where else. Even when I first interned/worked for a firm, I worked hard and diligently.  When I worked my way up and became a manager, I moved to another firm as a manager.  I still moonlighted doing accounting work for another CPA firm, I did work on the side, whatever it took to get to a place where I could jump out on my own.

I have worked like a dog for as long as I could remember, sometimes getting up at 1 or 2am to go work.  Do whatever it takes is the way I looked at it…..push your chips in, sacrifice when you need to, do it yourself if you don’t have the money to pay someone to do it and create some sweat equity.  My first office I ever owned…I helped frame the walls, set the roof trusses, and shingled the roof.  I tiled the floors, laid down wood floors, painted everything, put down the trim and irrigation system, it has always been do whatever it takes.

So here is the question…..DOES WORKING HARD PAY OFF?  Answer….it depends.

Working hard does not automatically lead to success….. but being lazy is almost a guarantee that you won’t find success.  So what really is success?

Success:

1.  The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one’s goals.

So success is not just money….it really has to do with one’s goals.

I said it…and that’s that. Smile, make a difference, go support live music. I am outta here.

KEKO

KEKO Says….  Follow your dreams. If you have a goal, and you want to achieve it, then work hard and do everything you can to get there, and one day it will come true. ~ Lindsey Vonn

I am an optimist.  In fact, I may be the ultimate optimist because I believe everything is within your ability to accomplish….. IF you properly chase the dream.  What does that mean?  That means you have to develop a complete plan of action to accomplish what you want to make happen.

First, your plan must be realistic in terms of it being within the possibility of possible outcomes.  One cannot have any possibility be a world class hockey player if they do not have the natural talent to play hockey.  So you have to keep it real.

Secondly, you have to be willing to undertake reasonable steps to get where you need to get.  Whether that is by taking lessons, or becoming intellectually skilled at whatever is necessary to take those steps.  It may involve years of college, or years of vocal lessons, or art lessons, for example, if that is what is necessary.

Lastly is the hard part….the hard work that can help one go from being average to being great.  Relentless work ethic in my opinion, goes hand in hand with accomplishments.

Three last pieces of advice….

– Chase the dream, never the money.  If you design your career or future around your pursuit of the almighty buck, you may get there but you may find misery along with the money.

–  If your plan isn’t working, you don’t need to ride the ship to the bottom of the sea.  Take a step back, try and look at the progress realistically, and revise the plan.  Waiting too long to abandon or revise the plan can be deathly.

–  There is no guarantee you will find success if you get up off the couch and bust it… but I will guarantee you won’t find it if you remain seated on the couch.

That’s all I got for now.

I said it…and that’s that. Smile, make a difference, go support live music. I am outta here. KEKO

KEKO Says….I am different. I must be. There seems to be far too many of you that see things differently than I do. I was born in a generation of personal responsibility. I don’t look to the government to fix or solve my problems. I don’t look to them to provide for my future or retirement. I just don’t. And I won’t.  I don’t look to the government to pay my bills, determine my rate of pay or provide two weeks of paid vacation. I don’t and I won’t. Ever.

I have told my children their whole lives to do the same and have led by example: the way I get up and bust my ass each and every day to create a future for myself and to provide for my family. I have reinforced it to them a thousand times over to not focus on what others have, but to spend their energy and effort and make it their own responsibility for what they are going to have. Who cares what the “rich” have? Most of those folks have worked very hard to have what they have and deserve every bit of it.  I expect my children to be productive contributing members of society and to be self sufficient. I believe in this one statement with all my heart and person…If it’s to be, its up to me.

Maybe I am just old and set in my ways and beliefs. But I am good with that, because I know I am right. I just am.

One added thought. You never know what people have gone through and what sacrifices they made to get to where they are. So don’t assume anything, ask them if you want to know.

That’s all I got for now.

I said it…and that’s that. Smile, make a difference, go support live music. I am outta here. KEKO

We are all tired of the blame game.  It’s the economy, it’s the job market, it’s the politicians, it’s the President….. It’s not any of the above….

Responsibility is defined:

: the state of being the person who caused something to happen

: a duty or task that you are required or expected to do

: something that you should do because it is morally right, legally required, etc.

How about this…… Try taking some responsibility for your situation, your career, your finances, and your relationships.  If you don’t like the way things are going, put it on your shoulders to make some changes in your life.   It is never too late to make a career change, it is never too late to move in a different direction.  You just have to change the way you are looking at things to be able to move forward in a new direction.

You can address this really simply each and every day…. go in the bathroom….look in the mirror….and repeat after me… “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.”  And it is.

That’s all I got for now.

I said it…and that’s that. Smile, make a difference, go support live music. I am outta here. KEKO

Hey there……. just introducing myself…..

Who I am….   I am just me.

I am an entrepreneur at my core…. I believe that with effort and sacrifice, one can change the world that we live in…and the world that person can also change the world that they live in.

I am a business owner of multiple businesses…and believe in addition to creating a successful enterprise, that will create jobs and help fuel the economic engine that drives this country, you can use it as a platform to do great things… #payitforward

I am a musician……I believe music has the ability to change the way we feel about where we are in life, and about how we feel on a day to day basis.  I believe there is lots of inspiration that can be drawn from songs to help motivate us to change things… the song Change Your Mind from Sister Hazel has been a life changer for lots of folks.  What’s your song?

I am a father to amazing children…and I believe in doing all you can to set an example to encourage them to follow their dreams.  I believe that dreams are the building blocks to success… and that with dreams and action, one can accomplish much.

That’s all I got for now.

I said it…and that’s that. Smile, make a difference, go support live music. I am outta here. KEKO