ttention California business owners: Massive compliance changes are officially active. If your employee handbook hasn't been completely updated, your business could be facing significant legal and financial risk.

In this monthly interactive session of Modern Ideas for Business, moderator Dave sit downs with labor and employment law attorney Eileen Kennedy (Partner at Buchalter) and veteran HR professional Jamie Orendak (Owner of MyOHR). Together, they pull back the curtain on the critical California Labor Code amendments, including the expanded Qualifying Acts of Violence leave and stricter paid sick leave rolling rules.

Most importantly, they break down the groundbreaking PAGA (Private Attorneys General Act) reforms. Learn how taking proactive, "reasonable steps" right now can drastically reduce your default penalty exposure from 100% down to just 15% before a claim is ever filed. They also address the legality of time-rounding, uncompensated bag checks, and structural changes required for corporate arbitration agreements.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:

• Access the presentation slides & webinar recording: modernideasforbusiness.com
• Sign up for our upcoming interactive forums: modernideasforbusiness.com

Key Topics Covered in This Session:

• Understanding the new qualifying acts of violence leave expansion and sick leave policy adjustments.
• Why the California Supreme Court is reviewing employee time-rounding and what it means for your timekeeping systems.
• The mechanics of PAGA lawsuits and how minor payroll stub errors multiply into millions in civil penalties.
• A strategic timeline to file a cure plan with the labor commissioner within 33 days of a PAGA notice.
• How to structure valid corporate arbitration agreements so they survive unconscionability challenges in court.
• Brand new 2025 mandates regarding job posting driver's license restrictions and workspace poster fonts.

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Chapter Timestamps

Plaintext

0:00 - Introduction to Modern Ideas for Business
1:32 - Meet the Experts: Eileen Kennedy & Jamie Orendak
2:34 - 2025 California Leave Law Updates: Qualifying Acts of Violence Leave
4:01 - Actionable Handbook Adjustments & Sick Leave Rollover Rules
5:50 - Agriculture Worker Paid Leave Conditions
6:30 - New Limitations on Employer-Designated Vacation Mandatory Use
8:02 - Is Time-Rounding Still Legal? Pending California Supreme Court Cases
9:50 - Security Checks & Travel Time Liability (The CSI Electrical Case)
11:22 - The Mechanics of PAGA: Why Small Businesses Face Huge Exposures
13:41 - 2025 PAGA Reform: The 33-Day Cure Process for Small Businesses
14:55 - Establishing "Standing": Aggrieved Employees Must Suffer the Violation
16:11 - Major Default Penalty Reductions Explained
17:42 - How Proactive Payroll Audits Cut Your PAGA Exposure to 15%
19:14 - Best Practices for Mandatory Employee Arbitration Agreements
21:03 - Case Law Review: What Makes an Arbitration Agreement Unenforceable
23:14 - Q&A Session: Electronic HR Posters & Virtual Workplace Compliance
25:21 - New 2025 Workspace Postings and Font Size Mandates
26:12 - Intersectionality in Termination Actions & New Driver's License Job Posting Rules
27:54 - Conclusion & March 13th Event Announcement with Richard Bliss

In Episode 9 of Modern Ideas for Business, host Paul Duren sits down with Eric Goldman, CEO of AI Growth Advisors, to unpack the real reason behind AI disappointment. The truth? AI doesn't fix broken workflows—it exposes them.

Eric shares real-world case studies of companies achieving radical operational transformation—including a real estate firm that gave its high-earning professionals two hours back per day, and a construction services company that leveraged automated workflows to reduce employee burnout and turnover by 40%. Whether you are a small to mid-sized business owner looking to grow without exponentially increasing headcount, or a fractional leader looking to build scalable systems for your clients, this episode provides the exact roadmap to move AI from the experimentation stage to a true strategic business asset.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The 3 main reasons most business owners are disappointed with current AI results.
• Why successful organizations treat AI as an operational transformation rather than a software purchase.
• How to define and build true "capacity" so you can double revenue without causing team panic.
• A look into how fractional CFOs, COOs, and CMOs can use repeatable AI models to take on more clients.
• The single, concrete action step a business owner can take this month to get measurable results.

About Our Guest: Eric Goldman is the CEO of AI Growth Advisors. He helps organizations create capacity, improve consistency, and scale operations by aligning technology directly with existing business challenges.

Connect & Learn More:

• Register for our live webinar on July 9th ("AI as a Business Asset: How to Build Capacity, Speed, and Consistency"): modernideasforbusiness.com
• Access our full library of business growth videos and resources: modernideasforbusiness.com
• Subscribe, rate, and review the Modern Ideas for Business podcast on your favorite streaming platform!

In this session, Paul Duren sits down with Leah Yoneda (Growth Strategist & Founder of Golden Ginkgo Group) to debunk the classic, exhausted model of networking. Leah explains why most professionals are taught the wrong way to network and how introverts can actually use their natural strengths to build more powerful, high-ROI relationships.

Key Topics Covered:

• The Networking Myth: Why you can't learn this skill in a one-hour lunch-and-learn.
• The 5-10% Rule: Why a tiny fraction of your network produces the vast majority of your career benefits.
• Permission to be Selective: Why it’s okay to leave early, talk to fewer people, and skip the "bad food."
• Conversation Hacks: The power of "Tell me more about..." and how to open a conversation without a pitch.
• The 3-Step Framework: Motivation, Methodology, and Metrics.

Upcoming Events: Join us at the ABC Event on May 12th at Gordon Biersch to put these skills into practice in a low-pressure "lab" environment with fellow professionals!

Chapters: 0:00 "Everything you've been taught about networking is wrong." 2:45 Why networking is a lifelong skill, not a 1-hour workshop. 5:30 The Inner Circle: The 5-10% that actually matters. 7:15 Transactional vs. Relational: Avoid the "business card collector" trap. 9:40 Permission to break the rules: Designing a strategy that fits you. 11:50 Reframing the room: Practical tips for introverts. 14:30 The #1 Conversation Hack: "Tell me more..." 15:30 Leah’s Framework: Motivation, Methodology, & Metrics. 18:20 Getting in the room: The ABC Event on May 12th.

About Leah Yoneda: Leah is a Growth Strategist, Trustee at the CalCPA Education Foundation, and founder of the Golden Ginkgo Group. She helps technical professionals build sales cultures and networking strategies that feel authentic.

Connect with us: [Link to Modern Ideas for Business] [Link to Golden Ginkgo Group] [Link to CalCPA Event Registration]

Learn how to shift from a "pitch" mindset to a "helper" mindset, allowing you to build a high-value network of referral partners and ideal customers without the pressure.

What you’ll learn in this session:

• The Prospecting Goal: Why setting a "2-card goal" lets you go home early and guilt-free.

• Soft Qualification: How to use curiosity to determine if someone is a fit for your business.

• The Follow-Up Bias: Why you must act within 24 hours to maintain urgency and clarity.

• The "Upfront Contract": A 5-element framework for setting up successful follow-up meetings.

• Success Stories over Services: How to generate natural curiosity by talking about the "pain" you resolve.

Chapters: 0:00 Why professionals dread networking events 2:10 The Transactional vs. Sandler Mindset 4:52 How to pick the right events for your ROI 7:27 Best practices for immediate follow-up 9:38 Why you should never "sell" at a networking event 11:07 The Upfront Contract: Setting the next steps 16:51 Building a "Pain-Based" success story 22:38 Practicing at the ABC Event (May 12th)

Connect with us: [Insert Link to Silicon Valley Sales Group] modernideasforbusiness.com calcpa.org/SJABCSpring26

Takeaways

• Mindset is key
• Networking is about adding value

Chapters

• 00:00 Approach and Dialogue in Networking