RE: California Spotlight #123
Built for service-based business owners in California
Convert Website Visitors into Sales Calls (No Calendar Link Required)
If your calendar links are being ignored, here’s a 15-minute fix that’s outperforming Calendly for early-stage service founders.
The Strategy: “Offer Window” Landing Strip
Instead of sending people to your general website or generic “Book a Call” page, build a single Google Doc titled:
“How We Deliver [Specific Result] Without [Common Obstacle]”
Then add:
3 short case examples or bullet wins
A Loom video (2 min max) showing your offer with your face
A call-to-action: “Reply to this doc or email me at [your email] and I’ll personally walk you through a quick 5-min fit check.”
This approach converts because:
It feels personal and urgent, not corporate and automated.
Prospects don’t need to “book time”—they just reply.
Result: One fractional CFO in Oakland used this and landed 2 new retainers ($2,400 MRR) in 48 hours. No ads. No funnels.
🚨 Business Spotlight – June 29
Podcast + Newsletter
Want your business in front of 116K+ founders, operators, and buyers this week?
We’ve unlocked a Sunday-only offer to feature 3 businesses in our June 29 drop—across our top-ranked podcast and California’s two most-read business newsletters.
Here’s what you get for just $99:
🎙️ A podcast shoutout to a business-savvy audience
📩 A 100-word spotlight with your link + CTA
📣 Distribution to 65K–70K daily openers
We’ve featured brands like Google, Squarespace, and Monday.com.
This week, your business could be next.
Stop Overpaying for Cloud Storage
Most California founders default to Google Workspace or Dropbox—but if your biz uses more than 100GB, you’re probably overpaying.
Here’s a better way:
Move old files to Backblaze B2 or Wasabi (both cost ~$5/TB/month vs. $10-20+ on Dropbox).
Use MultCloud or Rclone to migrate files automatically, even while you work.
Tip: Label older project folders as “Archive YYYY” to batch-move them.
This method cut costs for a design agency in Long Beach by $660/year—with no noticeable workflow change.
You don’t have to delete. You just need to store smart.
72-Hour Labor Complaint Clock (New Ruling)
Effective June 26, 2025, the California Labor Commission has shortened the employer response window for certain wage violation claims.
What changed:
Businesses must now respond to first labor complaint contact within 72 hours, down from 10 days.
Applies to all businesses with under 25 employees.
Failure to respond in time will result in automatic investigation initiation.
If you have any open 1099 or W2 disputes—get your documents in order now:
Time logs
Payment confirmations
Written contract or offer letter
You don’t need a labor lawyer yet—but if you get a notice, the clock starts ticking fast.
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California “Software as Labor” Reclassification Opportunity
If you sell packaged software + services, a new California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) guidance lets you reclassify part of your bundled revenue as labor, reducing your total taxable income.
Who it applies to:
Tech consultants with DIY platforms
Agencies offering dashboards, tracking tools, calculators, etc.
How it works:
You assign ~30–40% of bundled invoice value to “software services” (labor-based), not “software license” (product-based).
Labor-based revenue isn’t subject to the same gross receipts tax rate under certain thresholds.
This is buried in the June 2025 FTB update, and most CPAs haven’t flagged it yet.
Ask your CPA:
“Should we consider splitting our bundled revenue under the new software-as-labor classification? I heard it could impact GRT.”
Early adopters are getting 4–6% in effective savings.
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If today’s edition helped you save time, money, or stress—pass it on to one California founder.
We’re building the most useful newsletter for real businesses in the state, one reader at a time.