EP 03 - Paul Rafelson - Expert Insights about Taxation and eCommerce Laws

As business owners, we should know how to protect our assets to the best of our interests. In this episode, Paul Rafelson, a tax attorney and executive director of Online Merchants Guild talk about the legal aspects in running and keeping E-commerce businesses afloat. Here are more key points in today’s episode: How the modern economy has outpaced the government and state laws Expert insights about taxation and E-commerce laws The revolutionary way Amazon created a portal to the global economy where sellers can compete against giant big-box retailers And how you can join the fight against ignorance in today’s online marketplace and keep the window of opportunity open for everybody to succeed. So subscribe to the Awesomers podcast and learn the nitty gritty of the legal aspects in running your own E-commerce business. Welcome to the Awesomers.com podcast. If you love to learn and if you're motivated to expand your mind and heck if you desire to break through those traditional paradigms and find your own version of success, you are in the right place. Awesomers around the world are on a journey to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. We believe in paying it forward and we fundamentally try to live up to the great Zig Ziglar quote where he said, "You can have everything in your life you want if you help enough other people get what they want." It doesn't matter where you came from. It only matters where you're going. My name is Steve Simonson and I hope that you will join me on this Awesomer journey. ADVERTISEMENT If you're launching a new product manufactured in China, you will need professional high-resolution Amazon ready photographs. Because Symo Global has a team of professionals in China, you will oftentimes receive your listing photographs before your product even leaves the country. This streamlined process will save you the time money and energy needed to concentrate on marketing and other creative content strategies before your item is in stock and ready for sale. Visit Symo Global to learn more. Because a picture should be worth one thousand keywords. You're listening to the Awesomers podcast. You are listening to Awesomers Podcast. Steve: This is Episode Three of the Awesomers Podcast, you can find show details and show notes by going to awesomers.com/3, again, that is awesomers.com/3 to find the appropriate show links, notes and details that we discussed throughout the program. Today, our special guest is Paul Rafelson, who is a tax attorney representing online merchants, and tax, and other business matters. Prior to advising online merchants, Paul spent over 12 years defending Fortune 100 companies in complex tax litigation matters, spending most of his career as in house counsel for the likes of Microsoft, Walmart and General Electric. Paul is also an adjunct professor at the Pace Law School where he teaches a state tax based constitutional law course, and he is the acting executive director of the new trade association for online merchants called the Online Merchants Guild. In my opinion, the Online Merchants Guild is a great new resource that will help each of us find legal advocacy and legal strategies as well as lobby through the association where we could combine our efforts. This can work really well and I am super excited about it. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this with a friend. It does not hurt to leave a review as well. We appreciate you guys sharing and getting the word out about the Awesomers Podcast. Thank you very much. Welcome back to Awesomers, Steve Simonson coming to you again. We have a very special guest, Paul Rafelson and he is a well-known expert in the field of, not particularly tax, or sales tax, but he has been a legal guy for many many years. Welcome to the show, Paul. Paul: Hey! Thank you so much. I am really glad to be here, thank you for having me.

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If you are an Amazon seller, ecommerce entrepreneur, ebay seller or you want to learn how to sell online this Podcast is for YOU! What is an Awesomer? An Awesomer is someone who through a series of long-term actions and behaviors has demonstrated that they are not satisfied with normal. They are achievers to a penultimate degree in their own industry specialty or area of interest. There are no monetary criteria to be an Awesomer, in fact, many mega-wealthy people are not Awesomers. Some of them are Normies. Others are even Basics! Awesomers want to thrive; not just survive. Awesomers are trying to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. They are trying to make an impact, in whatever way they can, on the world. Many Amazon Sellers are awesomers. They took the Amazon FBA opportunity and they siezed the moment by taking action. If you are an Amazon Seller or interested in selling in eCommerce you should take a moment now and listen to all the Awesomer origin stories. Entrepreneurs solve problems in the world. They don’t create them. Awesomers are never done learning or improving. To become an Awesomer one must realize the journey to improve is perpetual. In other words, you don't arrive to the land of the Awesomer as a destination. Being an Awesomer means you are on the path of achievement for the sake of improving your life and those around you. Awesomers are 75% more likely to listen to educational or improvement podcasts.** What is a Normie? A Normie is someone who is stable and well established in life and ultimately is satisfied with the status quo. They don't want to rock the boat. They don't want to take risks. Normies are satisfied to survive. Normies are fine, just ask them. Awesomers have no problems with Normies. In fact, most Awesomers are surrounded by Normies who are their close friends and even family. More often than not Normies do not understand the plight of the Awesomer so they will warn the Awesomer to “be careful” or “don’t do it” or provide other guidance they mean to be helpful, but it is really just negativity that the Awesomer must overcome. We all know and love Normies and we are not criticizing Normies. We're only delineating some of the differences that exist between Awesomers and Normies. Normies are 84% more likely to listen to news about the Kardashians than Awesomers.** What is a Basic? A basic is someone who doesn't care about anyone which is often including themselves. They self-sabotage, they create problems, and they are not people that anyone should hang out with. They suck the life out of everyone around them by manufacturing drama, problems, or other nonsense. These people have chosen a path for themselves often by years and years of behaviors and actions which lead them to the life they have today; which is ok with us. We’re not judging. We just choose not to have our journey detoured by crossing the path of a Basic. (We also refer to this as the no A-HOLE rule.) 63% of basics have a cell phone only to play games, consume news or "vent" on social media.** **The preceding statistics for each archetype above is 100% made up. We like to make jokes. But we'll always tell the truth and set the record straight. The Awesomers.com podcast, hosted by Steve Simonson, will showcase some of the amazing origin stories of Awesomers from around the world. There are so many truly inspiring stories from people from all walks of life, but most often the Awesomers that will be focused on will be those who are also entrepreneurs. We'll be launching in the last half of 2018 as we build the systems and a team to support this important effort. We hope you will join us for this exhilarating journey! Many of these awesomers are Amazon sellers who have built an Amazon FBA ecommerce business and have started to see positive financial and lifestyle results.