RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should consider carefully the risks described below, together with other information in this prospectus and in any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering. Our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow could be seriously harmed as a result of these risks. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently see as immaterial, may also harm our business. Please also read carefully the section below entitled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Related to Our Business

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected our business and may continue to adversely affect our business until the pandemic is resolved.

In December 2019, a strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, and has spread globally, resulting in government-imposed quarantines, travel restrictions and other public health safety measures in affected countries. The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting worldwide economic activity, and activity in the United States and the United Kingdom where our operations are based. Much of the independent contractor work we provide to our clients is performed at the site of our clients. As a result, we are subject to the plans and approaches of our clients have made to address the COVID-19 pandemic, such as whether they support remote working or if they have simply closed their facilities and furloughed employees. To the extent that our clients were to decide or are required to close their facilities, or not permit remote work when they close facilities, we would no longer generate revenue and profit from that client. In addition, in the event that our clients’ businesses suffer or close as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we may experience decline in our revenue or write-off of receivables from such clients. Moreover, developments such as social distancing and shelter-in-place directives have impacted our ability to deploy our staffing workforce effectively, thereby impacting contracts with customers in our commercial staffing and professional staffing business streams, where we had declines in revenues during Q2 2020 and Q3 2020 and may have declines during Q4 2020 compared to the respective periods in 2019. While some government-imposed precautionary measures have been relaxed in certain countries or states, more strict measures have been or may be put in place again due to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, as has occurred recently in the United Kingdom in response to the spread of a new strain of COVID-19. As a result of the newly imposed government restrictions in the United Kingdom, we had to close both of our offices in the United Kingdom and our employees have been forced to operate remotely from their homes. Therefore, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may continue to affect our operation and to disrupt the marketplace in which we operate and may negatively impact our sales in fiscal year 2021 and our overall liquidity.

While the ultimate economic impact brought by, and the duration of, the COVID-19 pandemic may be difficult to assess or predict, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others, the pandemic has resulted in significant disruptions in the general commercial activity and the global economy and caused financial market volatility and uncertainty in significant and unforeseen ways in the recent months. A continuation or worsening of the levels of market disruption and volatility seen in the recent past could have an adverse effect on our ability to access capital and on the market price of our common stock, and we may not be able to successfully raise needed capital. If we are unsuccessful in raising capital in the future, we may need to reduce activities, curtail or cease operations.

In addition, the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic or an outbreak of other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, resulting in an economic downturn that could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our common stock may be delisted from Nasdaq.

On June 3, 2020, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department notifying us that we are no longer in compliance with the minimum stockholders’ equity requirement for continued listing on Nasdaq. Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) requires listed companies to maintain stockholders’ equity of at least $2,500,000. Further, as of June 9, 2020, we did not meet the alternative compliance standards relating to the market value of listed securities or net income from continuing operations.

In accordance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules, we were afforded the opportunity to submit a plan to regain compliance with the minimum stockholders’ equity standard. Based on our submissions, the Listing Qualifications Department granted us an extension to regain compliance with Rule 5550(b)(1) until November 30, 2020.

On December 1, 2020, we received notice that because we had not met the terms of the extension, our common stock would be subject to delisting from Nasdaq, unless we timely requested a hearing before the Panel. We timely requested a hearing before the Panel, which automatically stayed any suspension or delisting action pending the issuance of a decision by the Panel following the hearing and the expiration of any additional extension period granted by the Panel. The hearing occurred on January 21, 2021. At the hearing, we provided the Panel with an update on our compliance plan and requested a further extension of time in which to regain compliance. On February 3, 2021, we received a letter from the Panel noting it has granted our request for an extension until February 28, 2021 to regain compliance with the minimum $2.5 million stockholders’ equity requirement, or the alternative compliance standards as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1).

Although we are taking actions intended to restore our compliance with the listing requirements, we can provide no assurance that any action taken by us will be successful. Should a delisting occur, an investor would likely find it significantly more difficult to dispose of, or to obtain accurate quotations as to the value of our common stock, and our ability to raise future capital through the sale of our common stock could be severely limited. In addition, delisting could harm our ability to raise capital through alternative financing sources on terms acceptable to us, or at all, and may result in the potential loss of confidence by investors, suppliers, customers and employees and fewer business development opportunities.

We have incurred significant losses since our inception and may continue to incur losses and thus may never achieve or maintain profitability.

We have incurred substantial losses since our inception, anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future and may not achieve or sustain profitability. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the staffing industry, we are unable to predict the extent of any future losses or when we will become profitable, if at all. Expected future operating losses will have an adverse effect on our cash resources, stockholders’ equity and working capital. These factors individually and collectively raise a substantial doubt about or ability to continue as a going concern.

Our failure to become and remain profitable could depress the value of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, maintain our development efforts, diversify our portfolio of staffing companies, or continue our operations. A decline in the value of our common stock could also cause you to lose all or part of your investment. For more detailed discussion of the risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, please see “—The recent COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected our business and may continue to adversely affect our business until the pandemic is resolved” above.

Our independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph in its report as of and for the year ended December 28, 2019 expressing substantial doubt in our ability to continue as a going concern based on our recurring and continuing losses from operations and our need for additional funding to continue operations and our susceptibility to economic downturns. Our consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this going concern uncertainty and have been prepared under the assumption that we will continue to operate as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. If we are unable to continue as a going concern, we may be forced to liquidate our assets which would have an adverse impact on our business and developmental activities. In such a scenario, the values we receive for our assets in liquidation or dissolution could be significantly lower than the values reflected in our financial statements. The reaction of investors to the inclusion of a going concern statement by our independent registered public accounting firm and our potential inability to continue as a going concern may materially adversely affect our stock price and our ability to raise new capital or to enter into strategic alliances.

Our debt level could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations and business prospects.

As of September 26, 2020, our total gross debt was approximately $57 million. Our level of debt could have significant consequences to our stockholders, including the following:

Our ability to make payments of principal and interest, or to refinance our indebtedness, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors. We had negative cash flows from operations for the nine months ended September 26, 2020, and we may not generate cash flow in the future sufficient to service our debt because of factors beyond our control, including but not limited to our ability to expand our operations. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations. A default on our debt obligations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and may cause you to lose all or part of your investment.

Further, the Jackson Note contains certain customary financial covenants, and we have had instances of non-compliance. Management has historically been able to obtain from Jackson waivers of any non-compliance and management expects to continue to be able to obtain necessary waivers in the event of future non-compliance; however, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain such waivers, and should Jackson refuse to provide a waiver in the future, the outstanding debt under the agreement could become due immediately. Our financing with MidCap Funding X Trust (“MidCap”) includes customary financial covenants and we have had instances of non-compliance. We have been able to obtain forbearance of any non-compliance from MidCap, and management expects to continue to be able to obtain necessary forbearance in the event of future non-compliance; however, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain such forbearance, and should MidCap refuse to provide a forbearance in the future, the outstanding debt under the agreement could become due immediately, which exceeds our current cash balance.

Our debt instruments and the Series E Certificate of Designation contain covenants that could limit our financing options and liquidity position, which would limit our ability to grow our business.

Covenants in our debt instruments and the Series E Certificate of Designations impose operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions prohibit or limit our ability to, among other things:

Our failure to comply with the restrictions in our debt instruments and/or our Series E Certificate of Designations could result in events of default, which, if not cured or waived, could result in us being required to repay these borrowings before their due date or require us to redeem outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock. The holders of our debt and Series E Preferred Stock may require fees and expenses to be paid or other changes to terms in connection with waivers or amendments. If we are forced to refinance these borrowings on less favorable terms, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected by increased costs and rates.

In addition, these restrictions may limit our ability to obtain additional financing, withstand downturns in our business or take advantage of business opportunities. In further addition, certain provisions of the Series E Certificate of Designations require us to use proceeds from any sales of our common stock to redeem shares of the Series E Preferred Stock, which could limit our ability to grow our business, acquire needed assets, or take other actions we might otherwise consider appropriate or desirable. See “—We are subject to restrictions concerning our use of the proceeds of this offering.”

The Jackson Note is secured by substantially all of our assets that are not secured by our revolving loan facility with Midcap and the terms of the Jackson Note may restrict our current and future operations. Additionally, Jackson may be able to exert significant influence over us as our senior secured and the beneficial owner of a substantial percentage of our outstanding shares of common stock.

The Jackson Note contains a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and may limit our ability to engage in acts that may be in our long-term best interests. The Jackson Note includes covenants limiting or restricting, among other things, our ability to:

In addition, the Jackson Note contains financial covenants including, among other things, a fixed charge coverage ratio, minimum liquidity requirements and total leverage ratio. A breach of any of these financial covenants could result in a default under the Jackson Note. If any such default occurs, Jackson may elect to declare all outstanding borrowings, together with accrued interest and other amounts payable thereunder, to be immediately due and payable. In addition, following an event of default under the Jackson Note, Jackson will have the right to proceed against the collateral granted to it to secure the debt, which includes our available cash. If the debt under the Jackson Note was to be accelerated, we cannot assure you that our assets would be sufficient to repay in full our debt.

In addition to being our senior secured lender, as of the date of this prospectus, Jackson owns in excess of 10% of our outstanding shares of common stock, not including shares issuable upon the exercise of certain warrants and the conversion of Series E Preferred Stock. Jackson beneficially owns 49.6% of our common stock including shares issuable upon exercise of warrants and conversion of the Series E Preferred Stock as of the date of this prospectus, without giving effect to the waiver we received. Accordingly, Jackson may be able to exert significant influence over us.

We may not be entitled to forgiveness of our recently received Paycheck Protection Program Loan, and our application for the Paycheck Protection Program Loan could in the future be determined to have been impermissible or could result in damage to our reputation.

On May 12, 2020, Monroe Staffing, our indirect subsidiary, received loan proceeds of $10,000,000 pursuant to the Payment Protection Program (“PPP”) under the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act” administered by the Small Business Association (the “SBA”). In addition, on May 20, 2020, Key Resources Inc. (“KRI”), Lighthouse Placement Services, LLC (“LH”) and Staffing 360 Georgia, LLC (“SG”), each of which is our wholly owned direct or indirect subsidiary, received loan proceeds in the aggregate amount of $9,395,051 pursuant to the PPP (the “PPP Loans”). We and our subsidiaries used the PPP Loans in accordance with the requirements of the PPP to cover certain qualified expenses, including payroll costs, rent and utility costs. The PPP Loans are evidenced by promissory notes, dated as of May 12, 2020 and May 20, 2020, as applicable, issued by Newton Federal Bank, which contain customary events of default, including, among others, those relating to breaches of obligations under the PPP Loans, including a failure to make payments, any bankruptcy or similar proceedings, and certain material effects on our ability to repay the PPP Loans. The PPP Loans mature two years following the dates of issuance, bear interest at a rate of 1.00% per annum, and are subject to the standard terms and conditions applicable to loans administered by the SBA under the CARES Act.

Beginning on the tenth month following the issuance dates, we are required to make 14 monthly payments of principal and interest. The PPP Loans may be prepaid at any time prior to maturity. Under the CARES Act, as amended in June 2020, loan forgiveness is generally available for the sum of documented payroll costs, covered rent payments, covered mortgage interest and covered utilities during the 24-week period beginning on the dates of the first disbursement of the PPP Loans. The amount of the PPP Loans eligible to be forgiven may be reduced in certain circumstances, including as a result of certain headcount or salary reductions. In September, we applied for forgiveness of the PPP Loans in the aggregate amount equal to $19,395,051. As of the date of this prospectus, the PPP Loans have not been approved for forgiveness. We will be required to repay any portion of the outstanding principal that is not forgiven, along with accrued interest, and we cannot provide any assurance that we will be eligible for loan forgiveness or that any amount of the PPP Loans will ultimately be forgiven by the SBA.

In order to apply for the PPP Loans, we were required to certify, among other things, that the current economic uncertainty made the PPP Loans request necessary to support our ongoing operations. We made this certification in good faith after analyzing, among other things, the maintenance of our workforce, our need for additional funding to continue operations, and our ability to access alternative forms of capital in the current market environment to offset the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this analysis, we believe that we satisfied all eligibility criteria for the PPP Loans, and that our receipt of the PPP Loans is consistent with the broad objectives of the CARES Act. The certification described above did not contain any objective criteria and is subject to interpretation.

On April 23, 2020, the SBA issued guidance stating that it is unlikely that a public company with substantial market value and access to capital markets will be able to make the required certification in good faith. The lack of clarity regarding loan eligibility under the PPP has resulted in significant media coverage and controversy with respect to public companies applying for and receiving loans. If, despite our good-faith belief that given our circumstances we satisfied all eligible requirements for the PPP Loans, we are later determined to have violated any applicable laws or regulations that may apply to us in connection with the PPP Loans or it is otherwise determined that we were ineligible to receive the PPP Loans, we may be required to repay the PPP Loans in their entirety and/or be subject to additional penalties, which could also result in adverse publicity and damage to our reputation. Should we be audited or reviewed by federal or state regulatory authorities as a result of filing an application for forgiveness of the PPP Loans or otherwise, such audit or review could result in the diversion of management’s time and attention and legal and reputational costs. If we were to be audited or reviewed and receive an adverse determination or finding in such audit or review, we could be required to return the full amount of the PPP Loans. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We have significant working capital needs and if we are unable to satisfy those needs from cash generated from our operations or borrowings under our debt instruments, we may not be able to continue our operations.

We require significant amounts of working capital to operate our business. We often have high receivables from our customers, and as a staffing company, we are prone to cash flow imbalances because we have to fund payroll payments to temporary workers before receiving payments from clients for our services. Cash flow imbalances also occur because we must pay temporary workers even when we have not been paid by our customers. If we experience a significant and sustained drop in operating profits, or if there are unanticipated reductions in cash inflows or increases in cash outlays, we may be subject to cash shortfalls. If such a shortfall were to occur for even a brief period of time, it may have a significant adverse effect on our business. In particular, we use working capital to pay expenses relating to our temporary workers and to satisfy our workers’ compensation liabilities. As a result, we must maintain sufficient cash availability to pay temporary workers and fund related tax liabilities prior to receiving payment from customers.

In addition, our operating results tend to be unpredictable from quarter to quarter. Demand for our services is typically lower during traditional national vacation periods in the United States and United Kingdom when customers and candidates are on vacation. No single quarter is predictive of results of future periods. Any extended period of time with low operating results or cash flow imbalances could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We derive working capital for our operations through cash generated by our operating activities and borrowings under our debt instruments. If our working capital needs increase in the future, we may be forced to seek additional sources of capital, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms. The amount we are entitled to borrow under our debt instruments is calculated monthly based on the aggregate value of certain eligible trade accounts receivable generated from our operations, which are affected by financial, business, economic and other factors, as well as by the daily timing of cash collections and cash outflows. The aggregate value of our eligible accounts receivable may not be adequate to allow for borrowings for other corporate purposes, such as capital expenditures or growth opportunities, which could reduce our ability to react to changes in the market or industry conditions.

Our growth of operations could strain our resources and cause our business to suffer.

We plan to continue growing our business organically through expansion, sales efforts, and strategic acquisitions, while maintaining tight controls on our expenses and overhead. Lean overhead functions combined with focused growth may place a strain on our management systems, infrastructure and resources, resulting in internal control failures, missed opportunities, and staff attrition which could impact our business and results of operations.

Our strategy of growing through acquisitions may impact our business in unexpected ways.

Our growth strategy involves acquisitions that help us expand our service offerings and diversify our geographic footprint. We continuously evaluate acquisition opportunities, but there are no assurances that we will be able to identify acquisition targets that complement our strategy and are available at valuation levels accretive to our business.

Even if we are successful in acquiring, our acquisitions may subject our business to risks that may impact our results of operation:

We face risks associated with litigation and claims.

We are a party to certain legal proceedings as further described in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation—Legal Proceedings.” In addition, from time to time, we may become involved in various claims, disputes and legal or regulatory proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business and relate to contractual and other obligations. Due to the uncertainties of litigation, we can give no assurance that we will prevail on any claims made against us in any such lawsuit. Also, we can give no assurance that any other lawsuits or claims brought in the future will not have an adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or operating results. Adverse outcomes in some or all of these claims may result in significant monetary damages that could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.

The uncertainty surrounding the implementation of Brexit may impact our UK operations.

The U.K. left the European Union January 31, 2020. Pursuant to the formal withdrawal arrangements agreed between the United Kingdom and the European Union, the United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union, effective December 31, 2020. On December 24, 2020, the United Kingdom and the European Union entered into a Trade and Cooperation Agreement. There may continue to be economic uncertainty surrounding the consequences of Brexit that could adversely impact customer confidence, resulting in customers reducing their spending budgets on our services. These and other adverse consequences such as reduced consumer spending, deterioration in economic conditions, loss of key international employees, volatility in exchange rates, and prohibitive laws and regulations could have a negative impact on our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our revenue may be adversely affected by fluctuations in currency exchange rates.

A significant portion of our expenditures are expected to be derived or spent in British pounds. However, we report our financial condition and results of operations in U.S. dollars. As a result, fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the British pound will impact the amount of our revenues and net income. For example, if the British pound appreciates relative to the U.S. dollar, the fluctuation will result in a positive impact on the revenues that we report. However, if the British pound depreciates relative to the U.S. dollar, which was the case during 2016 and in 2020, there will be a negative impact on the revenues we report due to such fluctuation. It is possible that the impact of currency fluctuations will result in a decrease in reported consolidated sales even though we may have experienced an increase in sales transacted in the British pound. Conversely, the impact of currency fluctuations may result in an increase in reported consolidated sales despite declining sales transacted in the British pound. The exchange rate from the U.S. dollar to the British pound has fluctuated substantially in the past and may continue to do so in the future. Though we may choose to hedge our exposure to foreign currency exchange rate changes in the future, there is no guarantee such hedging, if undertaken, will be successful.

We depend on attracting, integrating, managing, and retaining qualified personnel.

Our success is substantially dependent upon our ability to attract, integrate, manage and retain personnel who possess the skills and experience necessary to fulfill our customers’ needs. Our ability to hire and retain qualified personnel could be impaired by any diminution of our reputation, decrease in compensation levels relative to our competitors or modifications to our total compensation philosophy or competitor hiring programs. If we cannot attract, hire and retain qualified personnel, our business, financial condition and results of operations may suffer. Our future success also depends upon our ability to manage the performance of our personnel. Failure to successfully manage the performance of our personnel could affect our profitability by causing operating inefficiencies that could increase operating expenses and reduce operating income.

We depend on our ability to attract and retain qualified temporary workers.

In addition to the members of our own team, our success is substantially dependent on our ability to recruit and retain qualified temporary workers who possess the skills and experience necessary to meet the staffing requirements of our customers. We are required to continually evaluate our base of available qualified personnel to keep pace with changing customer needs. Competition for individuals with proven professional skills is intense, and demand for these individuals is expected to remain strong for the foreseeable future. There can be no assurance that qualified personnel will continue to be available.

Our revenue can vary because our customers can terminate their relationship with us at any time with limited or no penalty.

We focus on providing mid-level professional and light industrial personnel on a temporary assignment-by-assignment basis, which customers can generally terminate at any time or reduce their level of use when compared to prior periods. To avoid large placement agency fees, large companies may use in-house personnel staff, current employee referrals, or human resources consulting companies to find and hire new personnel. Because placement agencies typically charge a fee based on a percentage of the first year’s salary of a new worker, companies with many jobs to fill have a large financial incentive to avoid agencies.

Our business is also significantly affected by our customers’ hiring needs and their views of their future prospects. Our customers may, on very short notice, terminate, reduce or postpone their recruiting assignments with us and, therefore, affect demand for our services. As a result, a significant number of our customers can terminate their agreements with us at any time, making us particularly vulnerable to a significant decrease in revenue within a short period of time that could be difficult to quickly replace. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Most of our contracts do not obligate our customers to utilize a significant amount of our staffing services and may be cancelled on limited notice, so our revenue is not guaranteed.

Substantially all of our revenue is derived from multi-year contracts that are terminable for convenience. Under our multi-year agreements, we contract to provide customers with staffing services through work or service orders at the customers’ request. Under these agreements, our customers often have little or no obligation to request our staffing services. In addition, most of our contracts are cancellable on limited notice, even if we are not in default under the contract. We may hire employees permanently to meet anticipated demand for services under these agreements that may ultimately be delayed or cancelled. We could face a significant decline in revenues and our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected if:

If we are unable to retain existing customers or attract new customers, our results of operations could suffer.

Increasing the growth and profitability of our business is particularly dependent upon our ability to retain existing customers and capture additional customers. Our ability to do so is dependent upon our ability to provide high quality services and offer competitive prices. If we are unable to execute these tasks effectively, we may not be able to attract a significant number of new customers and our existing customer base could decrease, either or both of which could have an adverse impact on our revenues.

We operate in an intensely competitive and rapidly changing business environment, and there is a substantial risk that our services could become obsolete or uncompetitive.

The markets for our services are highly competitive. Our markets are characterized by pressures to provide high levels of service, incorporate new capabilities and technologies, accelerate job completion schedules and reduce prices. Furthermore, we face competition from a number of sources, including other executive search firms and professional search, staffing and consulting firms. Several of our competitors have greater financial and marketing resources than we do. New and existing competitors are aided by technology, and the market has low barriers to entry. Furthermore, Internet employment sites expand a company’s ability to find workers without the help of traditional agencies. Personnel agencies often work as intermediaries, helping employers accurately describe job openings and screen candidates. Increasing the use of sophisticated, automated job description and candidate screening tools could make many traditional functions of staffing companies obsolete. Specifically, the increased use of the internet may attract technology-oriented companies to the professional staffing industry. Free social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook are also becoming a common way for recruiters and employees to connect without the assistance of a staffing company.

Our future success will depend largely upon our ability to anticipate and keep pace with those developments and advances. Current or future competitors could develop alternative capabilities and technologies that are more effective, easier to use or more economical than our services. In addition, we believe that, with continuing development and increased availability of information technology, the industries in which we compete may attract new competitors. If our capabilities and technologies become obsolete or uncompetitive, our related sales and revenue would decrease. Due to competition, we may experience reduced margins on our services, loss of market share, and loss of customers. If we are not able to compete effectively with current or future competitors as a result of these and other factors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

We could be adversely affected by risks associated with acquisitions and joint ventures.

We are engaged in the acquisition of U.S. and U.K. based staffing companies, and our typical acquisition model is based on paying consideration in the form of cash, stock, earn-outs and/or promissory notes. To date, we have completed ten acquisitions. We intend to expand our business through acquisitions of complementary businesses, services or products, subject to our business plans and management’s ability to identify, acquire and develop suitable investments or acquisition targets in both new and existing service categories. In certain circumstances, acceptable investments or acquisition targets might not be available. Acquisitions involve a number of risks, including:

Our business plan for continued growth through acquisitions is subject to certain inherent risks, including accessing capital resources, potential cost overruns and possible rejection of our business model and/or sales methods. Therefore, we provide no assurance that we will be successful in carrying out our business plan. We continue to pursue additional debt and equity financing to fund our business plan. We have no assurance that future financing will be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

In addition, if we incur indebtedness to finance an acquisition, it may reduce our capacity to borrow additional amounts and require us to dedicate a greater percentage of our cash flow from operations to payments on our debt, thereby reducing the cash resources available to us to fund capital expenditures, pursue other acquisitions or investments in new business initiatives and meet general corporate and working capital needs. This increased indebtedness may also limit our flexibility in planning for, and reacting to, changes in or challenges relating to our business and industry. The use of our common stock or other securities (including those convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for our common stock) to finance any such acquisition may also result in dilution of our existing shareholders.

The potential risks associated with future acquisitions could disrupt our ongoing business, result in the loss of key customers or personnel, increase expenses and otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are dependent upon technology services, and if we experience damage, service interruptions or failures in our computer and telecommunications systems, our customer relationships and our ability to attract new customers may be adversely affected.

Our business could be interrupted by damage to or disruption of our computer and telecommunications equipment and software systems, and we may lose data. Our customers’ businesses may be adversely affected by any system or equipment failure we experience. As a result of any of the foregoing, our relationships with our customers may be impaired, we may lose customers, our ability to attract new customers may be adversely affected and we could be exposed to contractual liability. Precautions in place to protect us from, or minimize the effect of, such events may not be adequate. If an interruption by damage to or disruption of our computer and telecommunications equipment and software systems occurs, we could be liable and the market perception of our services could be harmed.

We could be harmed by improper disclosure or loss of sensitive or confidential company, employee, associate or customer data, including personal data.

In connection with the operation of our business, we store, process and transmit a large amount of data, including personnel and payment information, about our employees, customers, associates and candidates, a portion of which is confidential and/or personally sensitive. In doing so, we rely on our own technology and systems, and those of third-party vendors we use for a variety of processes. We and our third-party vendors have established policies and procedures to help protect the security and privacy of this information. Unauthorized disclosure or loss of sensitive or confidential data may occur through a variety of methods. These include, but are not limited to, systems failure, employee negligence, fraud or misappropriation, or unauthorized access to or through our information systems, whether by our employees or third parties, including a cyberattack by computer programmers, hackers, members of organized crime and/or state-sponsored organizations, who may develop and deploy viruses, worms or other malicious software programs.

Such disclosure, loss or breach could harm our reputation and subject us to government sanctions and liability under our contracts and laws that protect sensitive or personal data and confidential information, resulting in increased costs or loss of revenues. It is possible that security controls over sensitive or confidential data and other practices we and our third-party vendors follow may not prevent the improper access to, disclosure of, or loss of such information. Further, data privacy is subject to frequently changing rules and regulations, which sometimes conflict among the various jurisdictions in which we provide services. Any failure or perceived failure to successfully manage the collection, use, disclosure, or security of personal information or other privacy related matters, or any failure to comply with changing regulatory requirements in this area, could result in legal liability or impairment to our reputation in the marketplace.

We have been and may be exposed to employment-related claims and losses, including class action lawsuits, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We employ people internally and in the workplaces of other businesses. Many of these individuals have access to customer information systems and confidential information. The risks of these activities include possible claims relating to:

We may incur fines and other losses or negative publicity with respect to these problems. In addition, these claims may give rise to litigation, which could be time-consuming and expensive. New employment and labor laws and regulations may be proposed or adopted that may increase the potential exposure of employers to employment-related claims and litigation. There can be no assurance that the corporate policies we have in place to help reduce our exposure to these risks will be effective or that we will not experience losses as a result of these risks. There can also be no assurance that the insurance policies we have purchased to insure against certain risks will be adequate or that insurance coverage will remain available on reasonable terms or be sufficient in amount or scope of coverage.

Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) and our amended and restated bylaws (the “Bylaws”) may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of us that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors (the “Board”). Because our Board is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team. Among others, these provisions include that:

In addition, our debt agreement with Jackson limits our ability to consolidate, merge, or transfer all or substantially all of our assets or to effect a change in control of ownership of our company. A breach of such restrictions could result in a default under our debt agreement, under which Jackson may elect to declare all outstanding borrowings under the debt agreement, together with accrued interest and other amounts payable thereunder, to be immediately due and payable.

Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner.

Furthermore, our Certificate of Incorporation specifies that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, a state court located within the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for most legal actions involving actions brought against us by stockholders, which may include federal claims and derivative actions, except that if no state court located within the State of Delaware has jurisdiction over such claims (including subject matter jurisdiction), the sole and exclusive forum for such claim shall be the federal district court for the District of Delaware. We believe these provisions may benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law and federal securities laws by chancellors and judges, as applicable, particularly experienced in resolving corporate disputes, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. However, these provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in the Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. Specifically, the choice of forum provision in requiring that the state courts of the State of Delaware be the exclusive forum for certain suits would (i) not be enforceable with respect to any suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act and (ii) have uncertain enforceability with respect to claims under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The choice of forum provision in the Certificate of Incorporation does not have the effect of causing our stockholders to have waived our obligation to comply with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock and this Offering

We are subject to restrictions concerning our use of the proceeds of this offering.

Pursuant to the Series E Certificate of Designation, while our Series E Preferred Stock is outstanding, we are required to use the proceeds of any sales of equity securities, including the securities offered hereby, exclusively to redeem any outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock. Accordingly, without obtaining a waiver from the requisite holders of the Series E Preferred Stock, any proceeds from this offering or future equity offerings must be used to redeem the Series E Preferred Stock.

We received a waiver from Jackson, the sole holder of our outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock to use the proceeds from this offering to redeem approximately (i) 75% of the net proceeds from this offering to redeem a portion of the Jackson Note, which currently has outstanding principal amount and accrued interest of $32,710,485 and (ii) 25% of the net proceeds from this offering to redeem a portion of our Base Series E Preferred Stock. You will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to direct the use of the net proceeds. It is possible that the net proceeds will be used in a way that does not yield a favorable, or any, return for us. The failure to use such funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flow.

You will experience immediate and substantial dilution if you purchase securities in this offering.

As of September 26, 2020, our net tangible book value was approximately $(57,800,000), or $(6.192) per share. Since the assumed public offering price per share of our common stock being offered in this offering is substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share of our common stock, you will suffer substantial dilution with respect to the net tangible book value of the common stock you purchase in this offering. Based on the assumed public offering price per share of common stock being sold in this offering of $1.01 (the last reported sale price of our common stock on Nasdaq on February 4, 2021), and our net tangible book value per share as of September 26, 2020, if you purchase shares of common stock in this offering, you will suffer immediate and substantial dilution of $2.032 per share with respect to the net tangible book value of the common stock. See the section entitled “Dilution” for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you will incur if you purchase common stock in this offering.

There is no established public trading market for the pre-funded warrants being offered in this offering.

There is no established public trading market for the pre-funded warrants being offered in this offering, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply to list the pre-funded warrants on any national securities exchange or other nationally recognized trading system, including Nasdaq. Without an active market, the liquidity of the pre-funded warrants will be limited.

Except as otherwise provided in the pre-funded warrants, holders of pre-funded warrants purchased in this offering will have no rights as stockholders of common stock until such holders exercise their pre-funded warrants and acquire our common stock.

Except as otherwise provided in the pre-funded warrants, until holders of pre-funded warrants acquire our common stock upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants, holders of pre-funded warrants will have no rights with respect to our common stock underlying such pre-funded warrants. Upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants, the holders will be entitled to exercise the rights of a stockholder of our common stock only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.

Following this offering, we expect to seek stockholder approval to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock. An inability to secure requisite stockholder approval for such increase could materially and adversely impact our business and our ability to fund our operations.

We have authorized 40,000,000 shares of common stock. As of February 4, 2021, we had 17,391,248 outstanding shares of common stock. In addition, as of that date, we had outstanding warrants to purchase 1,576,879 shares of common stock and options to purchase 76,500 shares of common stock. In addition, 10,690,000 shares of common stock were issuable upon conversion of 10,690 shares of Base Series E Preferred Stock, and 1,407,000 shares of common stock were issuable upon conversion of 1,407 shares of Series E-1 Preferred Stock. Additionally, a dividend payable in shares of Series E-1 Preferred Stock will accrue at a rate of 5% per year of the liquidation value of the outstanding Base Series E Preferred Stock while the Base Series E Preferred Stock remains outstanding. Shares of Series E-1 Preferred Stock issuable in the future, based on 10,690 shares of Base Series E Preferred Stock outstanding as of February 4, 2021, will be convertible into 935,375 shares of common stock.

We received a waiver from Jackson, the sole holder of our outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock, to limit the conversion of the outstanding shares of Base Series E Preferred Stock and Series E-1 Preferred Stock into common stock or the exercise of any warrants to purchase our common stock to the extent that doing so would exceed the number of our authorized shares of common stock to be less than the number of shares being offered pursuant to this prospectus, until April 6, 2021. As of February 4, 2021, without giving effect to such agreement not to exercise or convert, 13,002,508 shares of common stock were issuable upon the conversion of the preferred stock and the exercise of warrants owned by Jackson. Under the terms of the waiver, we agreed to take all actions necessary to cause a meeting of stockholders to be held as soon as is reasonably possible and to present at such meeting a proposal to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock to at least a total of 100,000,000 shares, and to use our reasonable best efforts to solicit votes of our stockholders in favor of such proposal. In the event we may fail to secure the requisite stockholder approval for the increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock, it will result in an event of default under our Second Amended and Restated Note Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 26, 2020 (the “Amended Note Purchase Agreement”), the Series E Certificate of Designation, and the amended and restated warrant agreement, dated as of April 25, 2018, as amended, with Jackson and, consequently, our financial conditions and operations. In addition, following this offering, we will be limited by the number of additional shares available for future capital raising transactions or strategic transactions unless we obtain stockholder approval to amend our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock. This may cause a delay in our future capital raising or other strategic transactions and may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Future sales of our common stock may cause the prevailing market price of our shares to decrease.

The issuance of shares of common stock upon the exercise of warrants or options or conversion of preferred stock would dilute the percentage ownership interest of all stockholders, might dilute the book value per share of our common stock and would increase the number of our publicly traded shares, which could depress the market price of our common stock. The perceived risk of dilution as a result of the significant number of outstanding warrants, options and shares of convertible preferred stock may cause our common stockholders to be more inclined to sell their shares, which would contribute to a downward movement in the price of our common stock. Moreover, the perceived risk of dilution and the resulting downward pressure on our common stock price could encourage investors to engage in short sales of our common stock, which could further contribute to price declines in our common stock. The fact that our stockholders, warrant holders and option holders can sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, could make it more difficult for us to raise additional funds through the sale of equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate, or at all.

There may be future sales of our securities or other dilution of our equity, which may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. 

We are generally not restricted from issuing additional common stock, including any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, common stock, subject us using the proceeds from such sale to redeem shares of Series E Preferred Stock. The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of sales of common stock or securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, common stock after this offering or the perception that such sales could occur. 

Even if this offering is successful, we may need to raise additional capital in the future to finance our operations, which may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed may force us to delay, limit or terminate our product development efforts or other operations.

We have had recurring losses from operations, negative operating cash flow and have an accumulated deficit. We must raise additional funds in order to continue financing our operations. If additional capital is not available to us when needed or on acceptable terms, we may not be able to continue to operate our business pursuant to our business plan or we may have to discontinue our operations entirely. Any additional capital raised through the sale of equity or equity-backed securities may dilute our stockholders’ ownership percentages and could also result in a decrease in the market value of our equity securities. The terms of any securities issued by us in future capital transactions may be more favorable to new investors, and may include preferences, superior voting rights and the issuance of warrants or other derivative securities, which may have a further dilutive effect on the holders of any of our securities then outstanding.

If we are unable to secure additional funds when needed or on acceptable terms, we may be required to defer, reduce or eliminate significant planned expenditures, restructure, curtail or eliminate some or all of our operations, dispose of technology or assets, pursue an acquisition of our company by a third party at a price that may result in a loss on investment for our stockholders, file for bankruptcy or cease operations altogether. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, if we are unable to obtain additional funds on a timely basis, there will be substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern and increased risk of insolvency and up to a total loss of investment by our stockholders.

A low trading price could lead the Nasdaq Stock Market to take actions toward delisting our common stock, including immediately delisting of our common stock.

On September 24, 2020, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department indicating that, based upon the closing bid price of our common stock for the 30 consecutive business day period between August 12, 2020 through September 23, 2020, we did not meet the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share required for continued listing on Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2).

Although on November 12, 2020, we received a written notice from the Listing Qualifications Department informing us that we have regained compliance with Rule 5550(a)(2), if we are again determined to be below the minimum closing bid price requirement, the Listing Qualifications Department will then take the appropriate action, which depending on the circumstances, may include delisting proceedings. The closing price of our common stock for each trading day in January 2021 was below $1.00. There can be no assurance that the market price of our common stock will remain above the levels viewed as abnormally low for a substantial period of time. In any event, other factors unrelated to the number of shares of our common stock outstanding, such as negative financial or operational results, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock to fall below the levels viewed as low selling price for a substantial period of time and may be delisted from trading on the Nasdaq.

The price of our common stock has been, and may continue to be, volatile. This may affect the ability of our investors to sell their shares, and the value of an investment in our common shares may decline.

Historically, the market price of our common stock has fluctuated over a wide range. During the 12-month period ended February 4, 2021, our common stock traded as high as $3.34 per share and as low as $0.28 per share. The market prices of our common stock may continue to be volatile and could fluctuate widely in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including the following:

Furthermore, the stock market in general has experienced extreme price fluctuations in recent years that have significantly affected the quoted prices of the securities of many companies, including companies in the staffing industry. The changes often appear to occur without regard to specific operating performance. The price of our common stock could fluctuate based upon factors that have little or nothing to do with us and these fluctuations could materially reduce our stock price. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant financial market volatility and uncertainty in recent months. A continuation or worsening of the levels of market disruption and volatility seen in the recent past could have an adverse effect on our ability to access capital and on the market price of our common stock.

There has been a limited trading market for our common stock in the past, and we cannot ensure that an active trading market for our common stock can be sustained.

Historically, there has been relatively limited trading volume in the market for our common stock in the past, and the market for our common stock was illiquid. Although the trading volume of our common stock has increased in the recent months, a more active and sustained, liquid public trading market may not develop. Limited liquidity in the trading market for our common stock may adversely affect a stockholder’s ability to sell its shares of common stock at the time it wishes to sell them or at a price that it considers acceptable. If an active trading market for our common stock is not sustained, we may be limited in our ability to raise capital by selling shares of common stock and our ability to acquire other companies or assets by using shares of our common stock as consideration. In addition, if there is a thin trading market or “float” for our stock, the market price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly more than the stock market as a whole. Without a large float, our common stock would be less liquid than the stock of companies with broader public ownership and, as a result, the trading prices of our common stock may be more volatile and it would be harder for a stockholder to liquidate any investment in our common stock.

We do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock and, accordingly, stockholders must rely on stock appreciation for any return on their investment.

We paid a quarterly cash dividend of $0.01 per share to holders of our common stock on February 28, 2019 and May 30, 2019. We are limited in our ability to pay dividends by certain of our existing debt agreements and the certificate of designations of our Series E Preferred Stock. In particular, the Amended Note Purchase Agreement, with Jackson prohibits payment of dividends on our common stock in cash. In addition, our Series E Certificate of Designation only permits us to pay a quarterly cash dividend of one cent per share of issued and outstanding common stock; provided, that such cash dividend does not exceed $100,000 in the aggregate per fiscal quarter. We may not pay such dividends if any events of default exist under our debt agreements or the Series E Certificate of Designation.

Accordingly, we do not expect to pay or declare any further cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. We expect to retain our future earnings, if any, for use in the operation of our business, including the repayment of our outstanding indebtedness. Consequently, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the primary way to realize any gains on their investment.

Upon our dissolution, you may not recoup all or any portion of your investment.

In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the proceeds and/or assets of our company remaining after giving effect to such transaction, and the payment of all of our debts and liabilities will be distributed to the stockholders of common stock on a pro rata basis. There can be no assurance that we will have available assets to pay to the holders of common stock, or any amounts, upon such a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our company. In this event, you could lose some or all of your investment.

Generic Risk Factors

We may be unable to develop, implement and maintain appropriate internal controls over financial reporting. If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results and current and potential stockholders may lose confidence in our financial reporting.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the SEC rules require that our management report annually on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and our disclosure controls and procedures. Among other things, our management must conduct an assessment of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In the past, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting relating to the accounting for complex debt and equity instruments. While we believe that we have remediated this material weakness, we cannot assure you that additional material weaknesses will not be identified in the future.

Any failure to implement or maintain required new or improved controls, or any difficulties we encounter in their implementation, could result in additional material weaknesses, or could result in material misstatements in our consolidated financial statements. These misstatements could result in a restatement of our consolidated financial statements, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, reduce our ability to obtain financing or cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, leading to a decline in our stock price.

There are inherent limitations in all control systems, and misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

The ongoing internal control provisions of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 require us to identify material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, which is a process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, does not expect that our internal controls and disclosure controls will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefit of controls must be relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, in our Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple errors or mistakes. Further, controls can be circumvented by individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more persons, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving our stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, a control may be inadequate because of changes in conditions, such as growth of the Company or increased transaction volume, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

In addition, discovery and disclosure of a material weakness, could have a material adverse impact on our financial statements. Such an occurrence could discourage certain customers or suppliers from doing business with us, cause downgrades in our future debt ratings leading to higher borrowing costs and affect how our stock trades. This could, in turn, negatively affect our ability to access public debt or equity markets for capital.

Our operations may be affected by global economic fluctuations.

Customers’ demand for our services may fluctuate widely with changes in economic conditions in the markets in which we operate. Those conditions include slower employment growth or reductions in employment, which directly impact our service offerings. As a staffing company, our revenue depends on the number of jobs we fill, which in turn depends on economic growth. During economic slowdowns, many customer companies stop hiring altogether. For example, in prior economic downturns, many employers in our operating regions reduced their overall workforce to reflect the slowing demand for their products and services. We may face lower demand and increased pricing pressures during these periods, which this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business may be impacted by political events, war, terrorism, public health issues, natural disasters and other business interruptions.

War, terrorism, geopolitical uncertainties, public health issues (such as COVID-19) and other business interruptions have caused and could cause damage or disruption to commerce and the economy, and thus could have a material adverse effect on us and our customers. Our business operations are subject to interruption by, among others, natural disasters, whether as a result of climate change or otherwise, fire, power shortages, nuclear power plant accidents and other industrial accidents, terrorist attacks and other hostile acts, labor disputes, public health issues and other events beyond our control. Such events could decrease demand for our services.

Our compliance with complicated regulations concerning corporate governance and public disclosure has resulted in additional expenses.

We are faced with expensive, complicated and evolving disclosure, governance and compliance laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure. In addition, as a staffing company, we are regulated by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and often by state authorities. New or changing laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies, which could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing compliance work.

Our failure to comply with all laws, rules and regulations applicable to U.S. public companies could subject us or our management to regulatory scrutiny or sanction, which could harm our reputation and stock price. Our efforts to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards are likely to continue to result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.

The requirements of being a public company place significant demands on our resources.

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq, have imposed various requirements on public companies. New laws and regulations as well as changes to existing laws and regulations affecting public companies, including the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and changes in required accounting practices and rules adopted by the SEC and Nasdaq, would likely result in increased costs to us as we respond to their requirements.

Shareholder activism, the current political environment, and the current high level of government intervention and regulatory reform may lead to substantial new regulations and disclosure obligations, which may lead to additional compliance costs and impact the manner in which we operate our business in ways we cannot currently anticipate. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations have increased our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time consuming and costly. For example, these rules and regulations make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain and maintain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to incur substantial costs to maintain our current levels of such coverage.