Navigating the HR Landscape for Entrepreneurs w/ Erin Cammarata

Summary

The Candy Valentino Show: Navigating the HR Landscape for Entrepreneurs with Erin Cammarata

Release Date: May 14, 2025

In this insightful episode of The Candy Valentino Show, host Candy Valentino engages in a compelling conversation with Erin Cammarata, a seasoned HR expert and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience. Erin shares her journey, expertise, and invaluable advice on managing the human resources aspect of growing a business. This summary captures the key discussions, insights, and lessons from their dialogue.

---

1. Introduction to Erin Cammarata and Buzz HR

Candy Valentino introduces Erin Cammarata, highlighting her extensive background in business and HR. Erin is the founder of Buzz HR, a company dedicated to providing HR services tailored for entrepreneurs and business owners. With over 20 years in the industry and experience managing teams across the United States, Erin has launched Buzz HR to help businesses sustain and effectively manage their most valuable asset—their people.

“We want to start a business because we want to build something, we want to grow something, we want to bring it to market. But then oftentimes we get drugged down by all the day to day.”
—Candy Valentino [01:11]

---

2. When Should Entrepreneurs Focus on HR?

The conversation kicks off with Candy posing a crucial question: When should an entrepreneur start focusing on HR?

Erin Cammarata emphasizes that HR isn't just for large companies. She argues that even if a business has just one employee, establishing an HR structure is essential.

“If you have one employee, you should really have an HR structure. [...] It's really from the beginning, you need HR.”
—Erin Cammarata [03:12]

Erin advocates for a proactive approach to HR rather than a reactive one. She stresses the importance of setting up proper documentation, systems, and processes from the get-go to cultivate a positive company culture and avoid future complications.

---

3. The Consequences of Neglecting Structured HR

Candy and Erin delve into the pitfalls of operating without a structured HR framework. Without proper HR practices, businesses can face:

• Financial Losses: Legal issues can lead to costly lawsuits and settlements.
• Time Drain: Managing HR problems without a system consumes valuable time.
• Exposure Risks: Lack of documentation can leave businesses vulnerable to legal claims.

Erin shares alarming real-life stories to illustrate these risks:

“[A client] got sued for a sexual harassment suit. They had 40 employees for a multimillion-dollar company and didn't have the proper documentation, so they had to settle for much less than they were sued for.”
—Erin Cammarata [05:05]

She also recounts a scenario where an employee mistakenly believed the company influenced her unemployment benefits, leading to unnecessary legal action.

“She tried to sue us because she thought that her unemployment was a direct effect of us. [...] That's a myth we talk about all the time as an employer.”
—Erin Cammarata [06:57]

---

4. Common HR Myths and Entrepreneurial Challenges

The discussion shifts to prevalent HR myths that can derail entrepreneurial efforts. Erin points out that many entrepreneurs are so passionate about their business ideas that they overlook essential HR protocols.

“Entrepreneurs get into business because they have a passion for something they want to start. [...] They're not thinking, 'Oh, I better protect myself and have a policy.'”
—Erin Cammarata [07:17]

Candy adds that handling HR issues often feels like putting out fires, detracting from the core business operations.

“Who wants to like, you know, work all week handling all the fires that we do in a business.”
—Candy Valentino [08:07]

---

5. The Complexities of Multi-State Hiring

Expanding a business across multiple states introduces a labyrinth of varying laws and regulations. Erin details the challenges of managing HR for employees in different jurisdictions.

“I had employees in 38 states and there's different laws and regulations for each state that I had to be an expert in.”
—Erin Cammarata [08:45]

She highlights the increasing complexity with new laws emerging regularly, making it nearly impossible for business owners to stay compliant without expert assistance.

“In January alone, there were approximately 25 federal and local laws that came out affecting different states.”
—Erin Cammarata [09:17]

Erin advises hiring HR experts to navigate these complexities effectively.

---

6. Building an Effective HR Team

Candy shares her positive experience hiring a seasoned HR professional, emphasizing the importance of having knowledgeable individuals handle HR functions.

“I hired someone who had retired and had run HR for a massive company. She's now working for me as a small knew. If I didn't hire her, that was a gift.”
—Candy Valentino [11:06]

However, she acknowledges that not all entrepreneurs are fortunate enough to find such gems and may struggle to identify and train the right HR personnel.

---

7. Services Offered by Buzz HR

Erin outlines the comprehensive services provided by Buzz HR, designed to alleviate the HR burdens for entrepreneurs:

• Recruiting and Onboarding: Crafting detailed job descriptions, recruiting the right talent, and ensuring smooth onboarding processes.
• Compliance and Documentation: Writing employee handbooks, establishing protocols, and maintaining compliance with state and federal laws.
• Employee Relations and Retention: Addressing employee concerns, handling performance issues, and implementing retention strategies.

“We take care of everything — policy writing, recruiting, onboarding, and even emergency support for employee issues.”
—Erin Cammarata [13:16]

Erin emphasizes that Buzz HR not only manages the reactive aspects but also focuses on proactive measures to foster a positive work environment and reduce turnover.

---

8. Impact of Structured HR on Business and Employees

Structured HR practices have a dual benefit: they safeguard the business and enhance the employee experience. Erin explains how effective HR can lead to better training, clearer communication, and a stronger company culture.

“An employee feels heard, listened to, and they have a direction where to go. It's not just the reactive piece.”
—Erin Cammarata [15:19]

Candy adds that treating employees well not only solves managerial problems but also builds a loyal and motivated team.

---

9. Erin's Entrepreneurial Journey and Lessons Learned

Erin reflects on her own entrepreneurial path, candidly discussing mistakes and the lessons they've imparted. One significant misstep was misclassifying employees as independent contractors, which led to compliance issues.

“I had employees classified incorrectly. I was hiring contractors because I didn't know better, but they were really employees.”
—Erin Cammarata [19:28]

She underscores the importance of continuous learning and surrounding oneself with knowledgeable professionals.

“I surround myself with people that are smarter than me and that elevate me to that level.”
—Erin Cammarata [21:01]

---

10. Balancing Data-Driven Decisions with Instinct

Candy inquires about balancing data-driven decision-making with gut instincts in business. Erin advocates for a harmonious approach where intuition is validated through data.

“I have to go a lot with my gut and my instincts. But I also have to qualify that with data.”
—Erin Cammarata [24:40]

This balance ensures informed decisions that align with both analytical insights and personal judgment.

---

11. Rebuilding from Scratch: Key Steps

In a thought-provoking segment, Erin addresses what she would do if she had to rebuild her business from scratch, retaining only her knowledge and experience. Her response highlights foundational principles:

• Self-Belief and Continuous Investment: Trusting oneself and continuously investing in personal and professional growth.
• Building a Strong Network: Surrounding oneself with supportive and skilled individuals.
• Leveraging Knowledge: Utilizing accumulated knowledge and lessons to guide rebuilding efforts.

“I would go back to the basics and I would start there again because it's never faulted me or failed me.”
—Erin Cammarata [27:06]

---

12. Conclusion and Takeaways

The episode concludes with Candy expressing gratitude to Erin for her insights and emphasizing the critical role of HR in business success. She encourages listeners to subscribe, share their takeaways, and explore further resources such as her latest book.

---

Key Quotes:

• “If you have one employee, you should really have an HR structure.”
  —Erin Cammarata [03:12]

• “We take care of everything — policy writing, recruiting, onboarding, and even emergency support for employee issues.”
  —Erin Cammarata [13:16]

• “I surround myself with people that are smarter than me and that elevate me to that level.”
  —Erin Cammarata [21:01]

• “I would go back to the basics and I would start there again because it's never faulted me or failed me.”
  —Erin Cammarata [27:06]

---

Conclusion

Erin Cammarata’s expertise underscores the indispensable role of structured HR in fostering business growth and stability. Her proactive approach and comprehensive services through Buzz HR offer entrepreneurs the support needed to focus on their core passions while ensuring their teams are well-managed and compliant. This episode serves as a vital resource for business owners seeking to navigate the complex HR landscape effectively.

Transcript

[Erin Camerata]

This episode brought to you by Progressive Insurance.

[Candy Valentino]

Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Shifting a little money here, a little there, hoping it all works out well. With the name your price tool from.

[Erin Camerata]

Progressive, you can get a better budgeter and potentially lower your insurance bill too. You tell Progressive what you want to pay for car insurance and they'll help find you options within your budget.

[Candy Valentino]

Try it [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company.

[Erin Camerata]

And affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law.

[Candy Valentino]

Not available in all states.

[Erin Camerata]

Welcome to the Candy Valentino show, the podcast for founders, investors and entrepreneurs where we have honest conversations about what it takes to grow your business, build more wealth and create financial freedom.

[Candy Valentino]

Hey guys. Welcome back to another episode of the Candy Valentino Show. Thanks for tuning in today and we've got a great interview. If you've been following the show, we have been changing things up. We're changing our drop dates, we're changing our segments, our episodes. So there's going to be a lot of change but we are rolling it out. Really excited. So today's interview is with none other than Erin Camerata. Erin Camerata is a 20 year veteran in business. She's created multiple companies. She has over 50 employees across the United States and she just launched a brand new company that although she has endless experience in, she only did it for her own self and her company prior. And she just launched this sister company called the Buzz HR where she's bringing services to entrepreneurs and business owners of how to actually sustain the people of your business. Isn't it the most difficult part of business? Right. We want to start a business because we want to build something, we want to grow something, we want to bring it to market. But then oftentimes we get drugged down by all the day to day. And so often we don't have the right documentation, we don't have the right systems and processes and we're on this constant hiring hamster wheel. Well, what she is doing is revolutionary. So I want to introduce to you Erin Camerata. Erin, welcome to the show.

[Erin Camerata]

Thank you for having me, Candy. I'm very happy to be here. Grateful for this opportunity. Thank you.

[Candy Valentino]

Oh my gosh. I wanted to make sure to do this because as you know, we have a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners and just people in general executives that listen to the show. And so I wanted to have this conversation and I want to get into of course your story and a little bit more. But first, I like to give people value straight out of the gate. So are you down for that?

[Erin Camerata]

I'M going to try. Yeah, let's, let's do it. Let's go for it. Absolutely.

[Candy Valentino]

If someone's listening right now, they're currently an entrepreneur, business owner and wearing a bunch of hats.

[Erin Camerata]

Yes.

[Candy Valentino]

How does someone know when they need to start looking at hr? Like, is that something that they need? Is it revenue? Is it team size? What would you say?

[Erin Camerata]

Well, I say if you have one employee, you should really have an HR structure. At least you know it's that simple. I know it's one's maybe a little dramatic, but at least from. It's when you need an hr, when you have at least one employee because it really holds a structure for your company, for your business and how you're going to grow your culture and all that. So it's really from, right from the beginning, you need hr. I like to, I would like to put a proactive approach to HR instead of a reactive approach. So a lot of our clients come to us in a reactive state. Oh, my goodness. I got this letter from the lawyer. I mean, what do I do? And I would love to have HR being a proactive approach. And that would start with your first employee.

[Candy Valentino]

I love that. And I can relate to that. Back in the day I had all these employees. And then you get a lawsuit letter or an unemployment compensation letter you don't know what to do with.

[Erin Camerata]

And I'm like, tell you how many times I say, wish you called me three months ago. I wish we could open a proactive approach. So we're really trying to put a proactive approach to hr.

[Candy Valentino]

So I love that. So someone that has a smaller team, they at least need a process to be proactive around it. I absolutely agree. If someone has, maybe they can't handle it themselves. They have five, six employees. It's starting to become a little overwhelming. They're not sure that they have all of the right processes or handbooks or all of the things in place. What are some of the challenges that can result? Like, what are some of the problems that can surface because of not having structured HR in your business?

[Erin Camerata]

It could cost you money, literally will cost your money. It will steal your time. It will set a layout for just a turmoil of effects. If you don't have a structured hr, you don't have a handbook to go by, you don't have documentation protocols in place. It really is. It's going to cost you time, money, and open you up for exposure that you want to avoid if possible.

[Candy Valentino]

What are some of the worst things that you've seen? Because now You've been in business what, 20 years on your own?

[Erin Camerata]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Candy Valentino]

What are some of the like, craziest stories that you've seen happen?

[Erin Camerata]

Craziest stories. I have so many stories. Which one should I tell? You know, we have, and this is so common. It's not just one. This is a true story, but it's very common story. We have employer. You know, you have a company that has, it's a multimillion dollar company, has 30, 40 employees and they have one individual that's wearing 10 different ha. You know, they're doing the administrative hat, the HR hat, you know, all these different hats and there's not a specialty. So this one story is we get a call after a pro, a reactive call. Hey, I got this letter from a lawyer that I'm being sued for a sexual harassment suit. What do I do? This was a happy, joyful employee the whole time they were working there until they left. And they, and they, and they filed the suit. So horror stories are you're successful, established organization and company and what you're doing is not protecting yourself. This is, this was a true story. They had 40 employees for, for a multimillion dollar company. And they didn't document, they didn't go through all of those processes to protect themselves in the long run. And therefore they, they got, they got sued. They had to settle for a, they had to settle for a lot, a lot of less money than they were sued for. But they had only had to settle because they didn't have the proper documentation. I can tell you some of my personal stories in those 20 years of business that we' too. So that's just one small story. We had a, we had an employee who sued us because they, she lost her unemployment, tried to sue us because she lost her unemployment suit. And she thought that we as the employer had the final decision if she got an unemployment or not. That's literally a myth we talk about all the time as an employer. We don't have, we don't make those decisions. Those are made at the state levels. So our documentation, you know, all we do is send in documentation when we're asked for that to protect us. And. But we got sued in the long because they tried to sue us because she thought that her unemployment was a direct effect of us.

[Candy Valentino]

So, you know, and it's interesting a lot of these things, at least from my experience, you know, being in business as long as I have, it seems like all of these things happen and nobody tells entrepreneurs. It's like, you know, go market your Business and you can do it. And there's all these like, rah rah things, but these are real things that can take your business down.

[Erin Camerata]

Yeah. And we call them myths. You know, we're calling, we call them landmines or myths in our office too. But, you know, entrepreneurs get into business because they have a passion for something they want to start, they want to roll with that passion. You know, they don't. You're not thinking of, oh, hey, on the weekends I have to make sure I have all of my ducks in the room for protocol. And who wants to spend their weekends doing that?

[Candy Valentino]

Yeah.

[Erin Camerata]

You know, so it's not uncommon. You know, you get into business because you love what you're doing or you have a specialty that you want to enhance and you know, and do all that. You're not thinking, oh, geez, I better protect myself and have a policy, man. I mean, it's, it's, I mean, it's not fun, you know, it's, it's, it's comical because it's, I'm really trying to change the script. We really are at the, at the bus. We're really just trying to change that script so we can redefine it, re energize it and really allow entrepreneurs to thrive in their business and what they're passionate about. And that's my goal.

[Candy Valentino]

Who wants to like, you know, work all week handling all the fires that we do in a business.

[Erin Camerata]

Excuse me.

[Candy Valentino]

Put together a probationary plan for your.

[Erin Camerata]

Oh my gosh.

[Candy Valentino]

For your employee that keeps coming in late or whatever.

[Erin Camerata]

Or for me when I, when I realized I needed help from one of my businesses, whereas I had two different states I was employees out of. I'm like, okay, I have to file this regular, this tax, and I have to do this. It was very difficult for me to step aside from building the business to make sure I was being compliant in the business. And that's when I, that's when I called and I hired outsource experts from the HR piece of it.

[Candy Valentino]

Yeah. And you mentioned something multi state, which, that trips up people so often.

[Erin Camerata]

Oh my gosh.

[Candy Valentino]

Growing. Right. Because you think, oh, that's the great thing. Let's throw up a LinkedIn post or zip recruiter and let's expand it into all of these different states and then you end up hiring someone from California. Right. And then it's like their laws are different in Florida.

[Erin Camerata]

Right. Yeah. Forget about it.

[Candy Valentino]

Let's unpack that for a hot second. Those, employ those business owners that are looking to maybe do that and to. In order to widen their reach of new employees, which I understand the thought process behind that. What are some of the risks and what are some of the extra paperwork you have to do when you hire multi state.

[Erin Camerata]

And that's what happened to us. Or that's what happened when Covid, you know, when co. Before pre Covid, we were a brick and mortar in the state of New Hampshire and we had 10,000ft of brick and mortar. And that was great. Post Covid hit, we were able. It was, it was really a blessing for us because we were able to fish out of a larger pond and collect and get employees out of a larger pond, which is a, which was very nice. However, the downside to that is I have. I had employees in 38 states and there's different laws and regulations for each state that I had to be an expert in. How am I possibly going to do that? Especially if I was going to do that on the weekends. I had an HR team. I have an HR team that did that for me internally. Phenomenal people that were helping me with that. So I didn't have to worry about it. But that is the risk. You know, in January alone, there were 25. January this year there were approximately 25 federal and local laws that came out that are affecting different states. You know, so for 10 new ones in California, there's 11 in Illinois. You know, so there, there is literally, it's almost impossible unless you have an expert or somebody on your side that's going to fill you in on all that information to be on top of it. You mentioned ZipRecruiter, you know, posting a job on ZipRecruiter and do that. There's one of the laws in Illinois that you can no longer post a generic job description. Hey, come work for us. Competitive pay, competitive salary. If you have over 15 employees in Illinois now, you have to be detailed. Yeah, just. And it's not that you're supposed to know all these rules, but if you don't have an expert or somebody on your side for it's. You're going to want to be able to sleep well at night. And that's what, that's one of the reasons why we recommend, you know, having. Having an expert of hr. You're not supposed to know everything, but you need to make sure you're protected.

[Candy Valentino]

Yeah, well, I'm a huge fan of it only because of being through it so much, making so many mistakes in the beginning like so many people do, and then hiring my own team. And then you're Trying to hire your own, your own expert, but you don't know what you know. So I don't even know how to hire that person. So I actually lucked out back in the day. I don't know if I ever told you this story, but I hired someone. She was post retirement, so she was already, I think like 60 years old. She, she had retired and just was bored and wanted to come back into hr. And she ran HR for I think it was Caterpillar, like massive company. And now she's working for me as a small knew. But if I didn't hire her, I always say that was a gift. Beth, if you're listening, you were a gift. It was a gift that she kind of walked in. But for those people, that was a luck of the draw. I can't take credit for that. Those people that don't have. That don't even know how to hire or train that HR person to then work in their organization. So what are some of the things that you do for business owners? Like what does that mean to somebody who is foreign to the idea of hr?

[Erin Camerata]

Yeah. So basically for what we do for business owners, we'll help them sleep at night, we'll take off that risk, we'll do recruiting for anything from recruiting to compliance, writing their handbook, onboarding process, all that is so vitally important to their practice. You know, you've mentioned that I was, when you were talking, telling your story about Beth and all that people think that, hey, I have a payroll company, they take care of my payroll. Well, the payroll companies are not responsible for what you don't know. So just because you have, you have a payroll company. Yeah, they're helping you with that task, but they're not the expert in that in your industry or that field or your state necessarily. So what we do at the Buzz is we can, we take care of everything, that we can help you take care of everything. As little or as much as you like. But we'll take care of the policy writing, the recruiting, the. You know, when you need a 911 call to hey, I need help, what do I do with this? I have an employee who's complaining about how they were treated or how they felt that that's something that we would help with all of that. So it just really lets the entrepreneur do what they're doing, want to do best, and where they want to spend their time. It's the business.

[Candy Valentino]

Right. Like you're handling the people piece, which is the most complicated of all businesses. If you're able to help Craft even job description, help with recruiting onboard the. Onboard the employee. Make sure that they sign all the proper documentation. Then if there is an issue like there is call offs or poor performance, you're handling that too?

[Erin Camerata]

Yeah, absolutely. And we can handle all of that. But it also retention too because an employee feels heard, listened to and they have a direction where, where to go. It's not just a react. The reactive piece. It's. It's, you know, that employment support, you know that turnover. If you're seeing a lot of. We had a call, we have one of our CL clients. They called help me with recruiting and retention. I can't keep my employees. Why? When we did the HR assessment for them, which we do for all our clients when they first come in, when we do the HR assessment we identify that there was, there was no structure. They were just like hey, great, welcome aboard. Were you part of our family type of thing? Which, which is, you know, we can talk about that and for hours. But they were, they came in as they were recruiting them as part of their family, but there was no structure for that employee, for those employees. And they were doing that turnover was just incredible. We came in and we helped write a handbook because the owners on interviewing, the interviewing process. What great questions to ask. Hiring somebody is not just looking at a resume and checking, checking their references. It's really making sure they're a good fit for their culture, all that stuff. So we were able to go in with the Buzz's piece for the HR piece and then with our, with our business consulting piece as well. So we're able to really treat our clients from both ends, from the HR end and from the consulting and from the business knowledge. And it's so fun because I think it's fun. I mean it is h are. I mean it's making it as fun as possible. But it's so fun because you're able to make a difference in these companies. You know, you're really able to let the entrepreneur, the business owner thrive and what they want to thrive in. And while we'll take care of the, the not so fun, you know, stuff but it's really, it's really a necessity. So it's, it's. I'm excited. I. It's fun.

[Candy Valentino]

And I would say that not only are you making a difference in the entrepreneur's life, but you're also making a difference in the employees lives. Of course now they actually have better training. And I think sometimes we think of that like there's a second pie of that. Not only Are we solving our own problems? But we're actually helping our team that we do say, hey, welcome on your family. Like, well, let's treat them like family. Let's give them resources and tools and people that they can count on when there's a problem. And that kind of is like, almost like a business partner, if you will, in your business. And it helps them a lot as well.

[Erin Camerata]

Yeah. An employee handbook. It's like, oh, I have my own employee handbook. So your employee handbook, is it a 15 page PDF that you wrote 20 years ago that you have an employee handbook, or is it an actual document that you're able to create your structure and your, your culture around that your employees can use as a tool? Is it a live document? It's, you know, is it something that you, they can access? Do they have an onboarding process where once the employee comes in your door, they feel comfortable, they feel, they feel heard, they, you know, or as an onboarding process, come where they sit in a seat and they don't get a computer for five days and that really should know who to go to or who, you know, that whole process creates that culture and we're able to help companies do that for them. It's, it's wonderful. It's, it's fun.

[Candy Valentino]

I love that. Do you know what's sitting in my garage right now? A Range Rover. It is the only vehicle that I have had over and over again throughout my lifetime. And that's because the Range Rover Sport blends power, poise and performance. And it's free from unnecessary details. It has this raw power and agility that can take on roads anywhere. And when you drive one, you won't want to drive anything else. Just like you, it was designed to make impact. The Range Rover Sport combines dynamic sporting personality, elegance and agility to deliver a truly instinctive drive. It has defined true modern luxury and it's a force inside and out. The Range Rover Sport was built with you and I in mind. Build your Range rover [e-mail] Ultra.

[Erin Camerata]

Many foods we know and love can actively and permanently damage the enamel on our teeth. But by brushing twice daily with new Pronamel Clinical Enamel Strength Toothpaste and maintaining a healthy diet, you can still enjoy the foods you love while keeping your enamel healthy for life for three times. Stronger enamel protection versus your mouth's natural defenses. Make oral health part of your daily routine and try new Pronamel Clinical Enamel Strength Toothpaste.

[Candy Valentino]

I want to pivot into just a little bit about your own entrepreneurial journey as well, because so many of us entrepreneurs learn from our own mistakes, we learn from other people. It normalizes the journey. So what are some of just, it doesn't have to be HR related, but what are some of the mistakes that you feel along your journey if you're okay to share them?

[Erin Camerata]

Oh sure, absolutely.

[Candy Valentino]

That you made throughout your business journey, Your first company, this one. What are some of the mistakes that you made along the way?

[Erin Camerata]

Some of the mistakes that I've made along the way. Geez, I appreciate you asking that because I, I don't know if I look at my mistakes that literally I've never had a mistake that I can classify as a mistake after it was already done. You know, it was such a learning experience with you.

[Candy Valentino]

I agree with you.

[Erin Camerata]

Literally, it's, they're actually gifts. Like I am so great right now because of what happened in the past. We've had, you know, mistakes for HR wise. I can talk about before I had an HR person, we employees classified incorrectly. So I was like, hey, yeah, come on board. You're, you're a full time employee who is going to be my right hand person. You're going to do A, B and C. And I didn't, and I didn't classify, they weren't classified correctly. As far As a contractor versus a W2 employee, for example, I was hiring contractors because I didn't know better, but they were really employees. So I had to flip that script and I had to create that. I had to create that, that change in there.

[Candy Valentino]

A lot of people make this mistake. What's the difference between an independent contractor and a W2 classification?

[Erin Camerata]

A W2 is an employee. An independent contractor is just that it's someone who, who they're not usually your sole person, you know. So your sole job is not just you. They work for other people. A W2 employee has work, comes into your office, they use your tools. 1099 contractor should have their own computer, should have their own tools. They work for other people. A W2 employee, you pay all their taxes. 1099 contractor, they pay their own taxes. So what? Misclassification, where it gets dangerous. So a 1099 employee, you're just giving them a check. Here you go. Thanks so much. This is great. And they file their own taxes. It's frowned upon and it's dangerous because you're avoiding intention. Not intentionally sometimes. I wasn't trying to avoid the taxes. I just didn't know. Hey, come along, come along. When I first started my other companies, so it was an eye opener for me because I had to do that whole reclassification of okay, where are you? How do you fit in? So that was, that was part of it. The 1099 W2 was a mistake mistake that I made in the beginning because I, I just didn't know. And my payroll company, it was a box. Yes or no is, you know, what are you doing? You just sending a check? Are you doing a payroll? And there's different taxes, different laws. Some states have federal taxes and state taxes, they have county taxes as well. So it's. I didn't know enough when I first began, but I, I knew enough to hire somebody who's really great, who was really great to help me with all that.

[Candy Valentino]

That's right. I always say you don't have to know everything, but you have to find people who know. Right.

[Erin Camerata]

Like candy. Honestly, that's part and part of. Part of my mistakes that I made is that or why how I designed this, my businesses going forward is that I surround myself with people that are smarter than me and that elevate me to that level. I together when we worked, we really couldn't create something wonderful. So.

[Candy Valentino]

Yeah. Amazing. Yeah, of course. And speaking of that because I know that you've had many mentors worked with people. We've worked together for three years or so on your business. What are some of the best things that you've learned along your journey that you didn't know on your own? And all of a sudden it was like oh my go. And it just changed maybe trajectory of your business or the way that you look at business or decide, you know what would some of the things that you would come to mind.

[Erin Camerata]

You've taught me so much. I'm working with you directly and work and I and I love to read books. I'm a self help. My husband will say I'm a self help book reader. You know, education, I don't have a formal education. I don't have a business MBA or I self taught from where how I got here. So I really. The people I surrounded myself with, investments I've made in my business, in my, my. My mentors, my coaches and myself have been instrumental. The things that I've learned, oh my gosh, I've learned, I've learned so much. I've learned to look at my P L correctly. I look, I learned to look at what am I doing that is not feeding my sort. My sole focus of my company. What can I outsource? What can I do? I just look at things completely different. What am I doing that I don't have the expertise in that. I want to just, this is the whole way I looked at my, my companies going forward. When I go to bed at night, my brain continues to continue and what can I do more? What can I do more of? And I really have to compartmentalize my areas of where my expertise is. So I, I got a tool bag. I look at it as literally a tool bag. I have, you can have a shovel and hammer, whatever you have for your tool bag. But for me, I have an accountant. I have, you know, what, what are my tool bags? What's going to make me successful. And I learned that, I learned that from my mentors and you know, along the way there's so much I've learned. There's so much that you've taught me. You know, I'm very grateful for all that I, all that I've learned.

[Candy Valentino]

Yeah, well, I think all of us, nobody has gotten here. It's funny that term self made is always thrown around and there is a degree of truth to it because it has to start with you and you have to put the work in. But literally all of us that have been here and that have made it have all done it because we're constant students and always learning. And you even just shared something there that I think everyone can listen to and learn from. It's like being open to other people's opinions, not thinking that the smartest person in the room like always knowing. Like I remember going to events and I was thinking like, wow, I'm like way further ahead of all these people. But I still believe that there were moments that I can still learn something. Like if I open my mind and I pay attention, I'm still going to learn something. And sure enough, I did. You know, like every single time you sometimes may not get what you want, but you end up getting what you.

[Erin Camerata]

Need, you know, and sometimes you don't know until it's, until you're going through it. Like I didn't know, like this a disaster or this mistake or I didn't know it was an opportunity for growth. I didn't know. You know, for an employee, for example, you don't know you're going, you're going through that. It's a lesson that you're going to, you're going to take with you and you're going to grow. So it's been great.

[Candy Valentino]

I love that. Is there, do you, how do you balance? Because you know, and since we've worked together, you know about, we're all about data driven decisions. We talk about reviewing the data, understanding your data. How do you balance the data driven decision making with instinct? Do you believe that there's a little instinct that comes along in business or do you believe that it's all data? What are your thoughts on.

[Erin Camerata]

I think I appreciate that question. I, I, data plays a significant role, I don't know in my core instinct. I, I, I, it's kind of I have to go both, I have to put play in both courts, you know, data and instinct. I mean as an entrepreneur, as a professional and doing this for, you know, doing in business for 20 years, I have to go a lot with my gut and my instincts. But I also have to qualify that with data. So I'll go, I have a feeling I have an idea but then I have to back that up with okay, let me see if this is a good idea or this data is great and it's, it's really, really they and.

[Candy Valentino]

I believe, I can't agree more. I agree as well. It's, I love that you said have an instinct but back it up with data.

[Erin Camerata]

Yeah, yeah.

[Candy Valentino]

Sometimes the data could be wrong too. Right. Data is only right, you know and we could do it in the other sense. Right. Review the data. But what's your instinct on it?

[Erin Camerata]

Yeah, Trust and verify. Right. You got to, you got to trust that data. You know I'm going to verify that data. Absolutely.

[Candy Valentino]

I love it. So for someone listening right now, that's thinking about the earlier part of our conversation and they're like, you know what, I've got some risk here. I feel like I've got a lot of these employees. I don't have a lot of the things that Aaron mentioned. I don't have the systems in place and I really think I need a little support. What are some of the first things that they can do to maybe get in touch with you? Is there anything that you can kind of point us in, in the right direction?

[Erin Camerata]

Yeah, absolutely. You can visit my website on the buzzhr.com we have a bunch of downloadables there that you can measure your own risks where you are. Should I, should I outsource? Should I not outsource? They can get in touch with us in touch with me there. We have all these download available for them. Happy to share that with them. The risks, you know, measure their own risks. See what if they need, they need help or if that's the case, we'll.

[Candy Valentino]

Link all of that in the show notes. And then I always end, not always but I would say 90 of the time we end with one of the signature questions. Aaron does not know what this question is so she couldn't pre plan that way. It's raw, real and in the moment. But if you were to wake up tomorrow and everything that you've built, built the business we didn't even talk about your first successful company, the company that you have, this company that you've built, you don't have a dollar in your bank account, you don't have any of the employees that you have and nobody knows who you are. The only thing you get to keep is the information and knowledge that you've built along these last 20 years. Okay, what are some of the first things you would do tomorrow to start building it all back?

[Erin Camerata]

I would, I love this question because I have no idea you're going to ask it what, what I would do to in their back. I, I would go go from the, from where I started, you know, believing in myself. I would invest, I would keep investing in myself and believe in myself and that's I, I believe that surround yourself with people that are better than you that are going to lift you up. I would to keep all my knowledge. I mean I might I have a self motto for myself that I've always lived by. This is years ago. I work hard, live well, appreciate each breath, design each moment and share the joy that is my credo from, from myself. And then I believe that, that by living by that motto I everything else will come back to me. If I woke up and I had have anything, I would start again is I would, I would start from the ground up and I would believe in myself and I would surround myself with people that got me, helped me get to me where I am as well. So just, I mean just utilize all of those outside extensions that we can really tap into so organically. I help others and I help businesses and I love what, I love doing all of that and I'm with the HR company. With this new venture we're in, I'm able to put all that together and really solidify what I, what I wanted to design the beginning. So getting to your answer your question, I just go back to the basics and I would start there again because it's never, it's never faulted me or failed me.

[Candy Valentino]

So I love that. I think that's a great note to end on. Erin Camerata, thank you so much for joining us. It's such an honor to have you and to know you and to work with you. So thank you for being here.

[Erin Camerata]

Thank you Candy.

[Candy Valentino]

Aaron Camerata the Buzz HR and that's it for today's episode of the Candy Valentino Show. Thanks for tuning in and spending this time with me today. And if you love this episode, subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, Podcasts, wherever you listen or on YouTube if you watch us. Thanks again for this time. We'll see you next time. Hey guys, thanks for tuning in to this episode and if there was something that you loved or you had a specific takeaway, share it and tag me at Candy Valentino. And if you haven't already, grab a copy of my latest book, the 9% Edge Life Changing Secrets to create more revenue for your business and more freedom for yourself. You can pick it up anywhere books are sold, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your local independent store. And once you do, head over to 9% edge.com and claim $1500 in pre order bonuses, including a chance to join me on this very show. Thanks so much for tuning in and spending this time with me today guys. We'll see you next time.