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S ubmitted by Ginny Grimsley of N ews and Experts Almost on a daily basis, news reports detail the marketplace factors that can affect businesses large and small. No matter what the potentially game-changing info coming out of Washington, D.C., or China, though, there are winning strategies that not only endure but should be part of every workplace’s culture, says financial expert and small-business advocate Chris Hurn. “With some merit, analysts are always reviewing contingencies that may change investments by businesses; most recently, the ‘fiscal cliff.’ But there are many ways to invest in your own business regardless of the economic climate,” says Hurn, author of “The Entrepreneur’s Secret to Creating Wealth: How the Smartest Business Owners Build Their Fortunes” www.TheEntrepreneursSecretBook.com . Hurn reviews the resolutions business owners and entrepreneurs should consider to make 2013 the most positively transformative year: Consider buying: After a business ha...

Sterling Heights — A seminar encouraging potential inventors to patent their ideas is planned in celebration of the new patent office in Detroit. The seminar,  "Get Out of the Garage: Patent Your Idea!" will be presented 3 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 2 at the Velocity Collaboration Center, 6633 Eighteen Mile Road in Sterling Heights. The Macomb-OU INCubator, the City of Sterling Heights Economic Development and Macomb County Planning and Economic Development are hosting the event which is free and open to the public. Attendees of this seminar will learn: whether their ideas are worthy of patents; at what point they should take steps to protect them and about services are available to help them through the patenting process. Register by contacting Joan Carleton at 586-884-9324 or e-mailing to macinc@oakland.edu. For more information, visit the incubator website at oakland.edu/macombouinc.

Our 11 th year as a Microsoft Convergence Bronze Sponsor wrapped up successfully. With a turnout of over 11,500 at this year’s event, we were able to meet with many existing customers and had the pleasure of shaking hands with a lot of new faces. Azox product enhancements went over well with many expressing interest in our new offerings. If you didn't attend Convergence or missed stopping by our booth, this year we announced the launch of the latest version of our ecommerce engine, which is eSource 3.4. We also announced integration of our credit card processing solution with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics AX along with integration of our online bill pay product with Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics AX. Further, Azox e-commerce solution is now available in bundled packages with SPLA pricing. For more information, contact our sales team today. This year’s Convergence drew in more than 11,500 attendees. This year’s opening ke...

The Oakland County Employment Diversity Council is hosting Women in Leadership Summit 2013 – The Influence of Women, Our Voices. The summit is 8:30 a.m. to noon, Thursday, March 28 at Oakland Schools Conference Center, 2111 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Township. The event will keynote speaker Ellen Hill Zeringue, VP of Marketing at the Detroit Tigers. Hear her inspiring story of succeeding in a traditionally male-dominated workplace. The event includes a facilitated power networking session and diverse panel of professional women from a variety of industries. Tickets are $45 each. For more information, visit www.ocedc.net .

Roger Murphy, president, founder and CEO of Murphy Business & Financial Corporation of Clearwater, FL provides advice for baby boomers on pr eparing to sell their business prior to putting it on the market . B y Roger Murphy   Approximately 700,000 to 800,000 small to mid size businesses change hands each year . There are many steps business owners need to consider before hanging up their boots. As a seller it is important to consider the following when planning an exit strategy . When is the best time to sell   Timing is everything When you ' re on top, the company is doing well and the industry is flourishing, and next year looks even better   Decide when to sell, timing is important but sometimes it is not in the sellers control   Cyclical factors are important For example, in retail most revenue is earned in 4th quarter. Thus, it is recommended that you aim to sell your business in the 1st quarter of the followin...

Great Lakes Angels, Inc., a nonprofit corporation is hosting March “Madness” Deal night, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 27 at Great Lakes Angels, 568 Woodway Ct., Suite 1, Bloomfield Hills. The three presenting companies are Stkr.it, Carbon Motors and Hoscomm Systems. Stkr.it / is a company that turns digital memories into scrapbook pages and greeting cards. Carbon Motors / is developing the CT7 Autonomous Surveillance Vehicle for the global law enforcement market with electric drive propulsion, facial recognition, automatic license plate recognition, gunshot detection, thermal imaging, WMD dirty bomb detection and 360 degree audio and video capability. Hoscomm Systems / is a physician focused secure mobile communication network business. The mission is to organize and mentor angels and provide a forum to grow in knowledge and wealth and foster more angel investing. For more information, visit glangels.com/ or email dweaver@glangels.org.

Submitted by Ginny Grimsley of News and Experts Litigation is America’s fastest growing business because plaintiffs have everything to gain and nothing but a few hours’ time to lose, says Hillel Presser, attorney and author of “Financial Self-Defense (Revised Edition),” www.assetprotectionattorneys.com . “Even if a case seems utterly ridiculous, like the man who struck and killed a teenager with his luxury car and then sued the boy’s family for damage to his bumper, defendants are encouraged to settle. It’s sometimes the only way to avoid potentially astronomical legal fees,” he says. While it helps to have the assistance of a lawyer who specializes in asset protection, there are many things you can do yourself. “You shouldn’t have any non-exempt assets in your name,” Presser says. “The goal is to ‘own’ nothing but control everything.” Presser suggests these resolutions for safeguarding your wealth in the event of a lawsuit: • Inventory your wealth. Figure out how much ...

Convergence is right around the corner, so it’s safe to say that all plans have been finalized and are ready to go, or are at least as ready as they can be! Now we can all relax and start to think about packing and planning what to do each day during the event. For Azox, Convergence 2013 marks our 11 th year as a Bronze sponsor. On top of that, this year we have some exciting announcements to make that will hopefully entice all of you! Be sure to stop by our booth, #636 , to learn more about what’s new at Azox: Azox Credit Card Extension (CCE) now integrates with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics AX in addition to Microsoft Dynamics GP. This solution provides ACH and credit card processing, transaction management, and tracking. CCE is PA-DSS certified and is compatible with multiple gateways. Online Bill Pay from Azox has new support for Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics AX in addition to Microsoft Dynamics GP. Online Bill Pay provides ...

The Inventors Council of Mid-Michigan , gather s on the second Thursday of each month. The next meeting is 7 p.m. Thursday March 14 at Walli's Restaurant & Banquet Center, ( I-69 and Center Road) 1341 S. Center Road, Burton. Admission is $5 for nonmembers, members get in free. This month's speaker is Elizabeth Garlow, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Michigan Corps of Detroit. michigancorps.org/  Call 810-621-3468 or email Jim Harris with questions to harris03@charter.net or visit inventorscouncil.org/. The Inventors Council of Mid-Michigan is a resource for creative people who need ideas on how to take an idea and run with it. As Orville Crain, CEO of Klever Innovations LLC said, "You're not an inventor until you do something with that idea."

The Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting one of the largest community expos in Oakland County with more than 100 exhibitors and 1,000 attendees expected. The 6th annual Waterford Area Business & Home Expo is 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21 at Waterford Mott High School, 1151 Scott Lake Road, Waterford Township. The expo features local businesses products and services and local organizations all under one roof. The event features concessions and raffles. Admission is $1. Free admission tickets are available on the website at www.waterfordchamber.org or at the chamber office. Call 248-666-8600 for booth space.

The Auburn Hills Chamber is hosting Grapes & Gathering from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21 at Fieldstone Winery in downtown Rochester. The event, open to members and non-members, features wine tasting, raffle prizes, refreshments and networking. The cost is $25 for members through March 8 and $35 for non-members. The Royal Park Hotel is offering event attendees 15 percent off dinner at the hotel's restaurant, Brookshire, following the event when they mention the Auburn Hills Chamber. Reservations must be made in advance. For more information, or to register, contact the chamber at 248-853-7862 or info@auburnhillschamber.com or visit www.auburnhillschamber.com .

Join Azox for one of our informative monthly webinars this March! Each month we host three different webinars, one focused on each of our products, which include e-commerce, secure credit card processing and online bill pay. This month our webinar schedule is as follows: Advantages of Online Bill Payment for Microsoft Dynamics GP Thursday, March 7, 2013 11:00 – 11:30 a.m. EST Azox Online Bill Pay provides your customers with a portal that they are able to log in to and view, print or pay invoices online. This add-on solution allows your business to get paid faster and integrates seamlessly with your Microsoft Dynamics GP back office software. SecureCredit Card Processing in Microsoft Dynamics GP Tuesday, March 12, 2013 2:00 – 2:30 p.m. EST Credit Card Extension from Azox makes it possible for a web store to accept ACH and credit card transactions securely online. Through use of tokenization, sensitive data is stored off site, which lessens your business’ liability. Azox Credit Card Ext...

Submitted by Ginny Grimsley of News and Experts “Napster was a rule-breaking company that paved the way for iTunes and the complete disruption of the music industry. When someone who has no business being in your business comes along and puts you out of business, we call that a ‘Napster Moment.’ And Napster Moments are happening more and more often,” says G. Michael Maddock , coauthor of “Free the Idea Monkey,” ( www.freetheideamonkey.com ), with Raphael Louis Vitón. In a recent radio interview, hit maker and former Sony CEO Tommy Mottola (think: Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Beyoncé) said that seasoned record execs saw Napster as a “mosquito unworthy of swatting,” and in hindsight realized that if they had just purchased the company, they would have “beaten iTunes to the punch.” The lesson? To succeed, company leaders must not only be able to innovate, they must recognize opportunity and ensure they’re poised to seize it. Maddock offers these tips for getting there: 1....