Do you enjoy shopping the sales?  If you celebrate snagging bargains, then you won’t want to miss this first-ever one-day-only Warehouse Sale!  It’s going to be a bargain hunter’s heaven, so save the date: February 27, from 12 – 5 p.m.  Shop for premium tops, dresses, hoodies, skirts, denim,  shoes, and accessories for women at up to 90% off!  You will find deals so good, that you won’t be able to pass them up!  This year’s sale will be held at the SoChi Gallery, located at 534 Second Street in downtown Macon.
 

 
Atlantic Sun Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships
Hosted at Mercer University (University Center), Macon, GA
Wednesday, March 3 – Saturday, March 6
 
For the first time in the school’s history, Mercer University will host the 2010 and 2011 Atlantic Sun (A-Sun) Conference Tournament for Men’s and Women’s Basketball championships. The 2010 tournament will be held at Mercer’s University Center on March 3 – 6. In 2008, A-Sun combined the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to be held at one venue, and it has remained combined since then. The A-Sun championship returns to Georgia for only the fifth time, and the first time since Georgia State hosted the women’s tournament in 1999, and men’s tournament in 2003. When the announcement was made last year that Mercer would host the 2010 and 2011 A-Sun Basketball Championships, A-Sun Commissioner Ted Gumbart said, “We are very excited to bring our premier event to Macon, and we look forward to Mercer University serving as host for the General Shale Brick A-Sun Basketball Championships for the next two years.” He added, “Mercer has an outstanding facility, provides a central location for A-Sun fans, and the Mercer community will do an outstanding job as hosts. On behalf of the membership, we extend our thanks to Mercer University President William D. Underwood for his sincere interest in bringing the event to the University Center and we look forward to continuing a tradition of excellence and growth by having our championships here in 2010 and 2011.” The Atlantic Sun was founded in 1978 and moved to Macon, GA in 1992. Mercer has been part of the league since its inception.
 
Mercer’s $40 million University Center first opened for basketball in 2004 and seats 3,200. Basketball attendance at the Mercer’s University Center has seen a significant increase over the past two years, largely through the support of the Middle Georgia community and active community involvement of head coaches Bob Hoffman and Janell Jones.
 
Bob Hoffman is in his second season as head coach of the Mercer University men’s basketball program. In his first season, Hoffman made an immediate mark. He guided the 2008 – 2009 Bears to a 17 – 15 overall record and 11 – 9 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. It was the Bears' most wins since the 2002 – 03 season, and their first winning mark in conference play since 2004 – 05. The new era in Mercer men’s basketball began on March 27, 2008 when Hoffman was introduced as the new head coach. When Hoffman accepted the head coach position, he was quoted as saying, “I am very excited about the potential at Mercer. I was overwhelmed by the prospects we saw when we visited the campus.   I could tell that the Mercer administration is committed to developing a highly successful men's basketball program.” 
 
Janell Jones is in her third season as head coach of the Mercer University women’s basketball program. In her first two seasons at Mercer, Jones displayed her ability to transform a program, a quality that has proven consistent throughout her eight-year head coaching career.  Last season, the Bears enjoyed the biggest RPI turnaround in the country according to CollegeRPI.com, jumping from No. 315 at the conclusion of the 2007 – 2008 season, to No. 162 in the final week of the 2008 – 2009 campaign. Last year, Jones guided the Bears to the program’s first conference tournament victory since 2006 and highest win total since the 1991 – 1992 season.  This year, Jones looks to continue the trend of improvement and lead Mercer to its first ever Atlantic Sun Championship.

 
Game Times
 
Wednesday – Thursday
Women’s Quarterfinal   12 p.m.
Men’s Quarterfinal         2:30 p.m.
Women’s Quarterfinal   6:30 p.m.
Men’s Quarterfinal         9 p.m.
 
Friday
Women’s Semifinal         12 p.m.
Women’s Semifinal         2:30 p.m.
Men’s Semifinal              6:30 p.m.
Men’s Semifinal              9 p.m.
 
Saturday
Women’s Final    12 p.m.
Men’s Final         6 p.m. (ESPN2 will carry the game)

All the games, except the men’s final can be seen on the conference’s web-streaming channel, www.ASun.TV.
 
Ticket Information
 
Tournament Tickets
$75 (Adults)
$50 (Seniors ages 62 years and older)
$50 (Students ages 12 – 22 years and older with valid college student ID)
$20 (Youth ages 6 – 11 years)
Free (Children ages 5 years and younger)
 
Session Tickets
$15 (Adults)
$10 (Seniors ages 62 years and older)
$10 (Students ages 12 – 22 years and older with valid college student ID)
$5 (Youth ages 6 – 11 years)
Free (Children ages 5 years and younger)
 
To Order Tickets
Tickets are on sale the day of the games beginning at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door, by phone, or online. Doors to the University Center Arena will open one hour prior to first game of each session.
To order by phone: (478) 301-5470
To order online: www.mercerbears.com
 
Teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference
Belmont (Joined in 2001)
Lipscomb (Joined in 2003)
East Tennessee State (Joined in 2005)
Campbell (Joined in 1994)
Kennesaw State (Joined in 2005; men’s first time eligible)
Mercer (Joined in 1978)
South Carolina Upstate (Joined in 2007; not eligible for the tournament as part of NCAA reclassification rules)
North Florida (Joined in 2005; men’s first time eligible)
Jacksonville (Joined in 1998)
Stetson (Joined in 1985)
Florida Gulf Coast (Joined in 2007; not eligible for the tournament as part of NCAA reclassification rules)
 
A-Sun Men’s Basketball Players from Georgia
(Middle Georgia players in bold)
 
Campbell
12    Junard Hartley  Atlanta, GA (Whitefield Academy) 
23    Chris Reynolds  Augusta, GA (Glenn Hills) 
 
East Tennessee State
10 De'Shaud Johnson Riverdale, GA (King College)
44 J.C. Ward Marietta, GA (Marietta HS)
 
Jacksonville
2 Russell Powell Newnan, GA (Newnan HS)
3 Ben Smith Dublin, GA (Dublin HS)
14 Josh Sparks Savannah, GA (Sav. Christ. Acad.)
15 Chris Edwards   Albany, GA (Westover HS)
41 Lehmon Colbert Roberta, GA (Crawford Co. HS)
 
Kennesaw State
3  Kelvin McConnell  Smyrna, GA (Whitefield Academy)
5  Spencer Dixon  Marietta, GA (Kennesaw Mountain HS)
12  Jay Mitchell  LaGrange, GA (LaGrange HS)
14  Matt Heramb  Douglasville, GA (Chapel Hill HS)
15  LaDaris Green  Savannah, GA (Beach HS)
23  Junior Ajayi  Atlanta, Ga (Riverdale HS)
32  James McRae  Brunswick, GA (Brunswick HS)
40  Romain Henry  Atlanta, GA (Stephenson HS)
41  Jonathan Whipple  Gordon, GA (Wilkinson County HS)
 
Lipscomb
1 Brandon Barnes Douglasville, GA (Chapel Hill HS)
 
Mercer
0    James Florence     Marietta, GA (Wheeler HS)
22    BeJay Corley  Marietta, GA (Wheeler HS)
23    Chris Smith  Dublin, GA (Dublin HS)
25    Brian Mills  Douglasville, GA (Chapel Hill HS)
33    Daniel Emerson  St. Mary's, GA (Camden County HS)
50    David O'Shaughnessey  Macon, GA (Stratford Academy)
 
North Florida
3  Parker Smith  Columbus, GA (Chestatee HS Tennessee State)
25  Germaine Sparkes  Hinesville, GA (Liberty County HS)
 
A-Sun Women’s Basketball Players from Georgia
(Middle Georgia players in bold)
 
Belmont
3 Kristin Nash Stone Mountain, GA (Dunwoody HS)
15 Kristin Bunch Fayetteville, GA (Fayette County)
 
East Tennessee State
44 Siarre Evans Griffin, GA (Spalding HS)
 
Jacksonville
4 Courtney Jackson Atlanta, GA (North Atlanta)
5 Drameka Griggs Jonesboro, GA (Jonesboro)
20 Crystal Grable Sparta, GA (Hancock Central)
23 Danielle Gray Stone Mountain, GA (Stephenson)
24 Lynsey Paschal Fairburn, GA (Sandy Creek)
32 Abril Peeples Americus, GA (Americus Sumnter)
 
Kennesaw State
3  Rachel Loe  Kennesaw, GA (North Cobb Christian HS)
11  Greteya Kelley  Lawrenceville, GA (Collins HS)
15  Kayla Weaver  Ringgold, GA (Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe HS)
20  Gia Lockett  Snellville, GA (South Gwinnett HS)
 
Mercer
5    Sharmesia Smith Jonesboro, GA (Jonesboro HS)
12    Neicey Lewis Riverdale, GA (Heritage HS)
14    Alex Phillips Duluth, GA (Duluth HS)
21    Kendra Grant  Macon, GA (Rutland HS)
33    Amber Chatmon  Albany, GA (Albany HS)
 
North Florida
10  Brittany Kirkland  Monroe, GA (Monroe Area HS)

by Jennifer Bucholtz
follow blog at http://navigatingthejourney.wordpress.com/
 
Remember when having an email address on juno.com was a big deal?  Memories of getting in trouble at my first job for  surfing the internet don’t seem so distant… back then, it was such a new concept that “logging on” was a rush.  What would be found in that vast world on the web? 
 
The web was created by Tim Berners-Lee around 20 years ago for the physics community.  In the last several years, it has evolved into a “social web” that connects individuals and communities, allowing them to engage in conversation any time of the day, and from any location in the world.  What we find on the web today is infinitely more developed than what we found then.  Today, we have more “cloud computing” tools at the click of a mouse than we can keep up with.  These tools are used by individuals and businesses both socially and functionally.
 
Here are three social networking tools sure to get you just as addicted to social media as I am.  You might be saying, ’Oh no, that’s not going to happen to me!’  Uh huh, right… it’s only a matter of time.  I’ll keep it simple in this article, but just wait until I introduce you to some of the “widgets,” applications, and online software that can be used through these networking sites… that’s when you’ll really get hooked! 
 
1. “Facebooking” – Facebook (www.facebook.com) allows you to create the “digital you.”  Users can share information about themselves (such as where they went to school, birthdays, and contact information), post pictures (and tag their friends’ photos), post and share links to videos, play games, and post comments on their and their friends’ walls.  Facebook can be used for personal purposes with a profile, and for business purposes with a fan page.  Profiles are automatically set to private, unless the user changes his or her page to public; to view a private profile, users are required to have a Facebook account and be added as a friend of the profile’s owner.  In contrast, fan pages are public, unless set to private; anyone can view the page, but to comment on the page, a user must have a Facebook account and become a fan of the page. 
 
Facebook was launched in 2004 by college student Mark Zuckerberg, with the premise of allowing college students to keep up with their friends.  Today, Facebook is one of the most popular websites in the U.S., and is used not only by college students, but by users as young as 16 and well beyond age 60.  Users no longer are required to have a college email address, as was the case when Facebook was first released.  Recent statistics suggest that the average age of Facebook users is greater than age 35.  More than 200 million users are active on Facebook. 
 
2.“Tweeting” - Twitter (www.twitter.com) can be thought of as a communication channel – just like text messaging, but your message goes to all of your followers at once.  The premise is to answer the question, “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less.  Twitter is used both personally and professionally.  Twitter accounts can be set as “public” or “private.”  If your account is public, anyone can read your posts, known as “tweets” in the Twitter community, and anyone with a Twitter account can follow your tweets.  However, if your account is private, in order for users to see your tweets, you will have to approve their request to follow you.  This concept is similar to adding someone as a friend on Facebook. 
 
Twitter was launched in 2006, and has more than 14 million accounts today.
 
3. Blogging – Weblogs, or ”blogs,” allow users to post remarks (that often include links, pictures, and/or video), and readers to post their responses.  Blogs are more than just a diary; many offer commentary and ideas for a larger audience (however, a blog can also be set as private, requiring readers to be invited to view the blog).  Blogs allow users to communicate and influence their readers, as well as learn from their constituents.  Aside from businesses and professionals using blogs to educate, blogs frequently are used by families as a means of communicating with distant relatives.  One benefit of using a blog is that all posts can be archived, and each post can accompany relevant pictures and video.  Unlike Facebook and Twitter, blogs are not used for running short commentaries.  Rather, blogs are used to communicate at length on a particular topic, and include supplementary information related to that topic, as well as to develop an archive of information presented in a reverse chronological order that can be searched by category and date.
 
More than 133 million blogs are tracked on the web by Technorati.  Some of the most popular blogging platforms include WordPress (http://www.wordpress.com/), Blogger (http://www.blogger.com/), BlogSpot (www.blogspot.com), and TypePad (http://www.typepad.com/).

Q & A  with Tom Wilson, owner of Wilson & Associates Real Estate Appraisal Services and Linda Lombardi, manager of Phillips Furniture.
 
How long have you had your company?
Tom: Wilson & Associates Real Estate Appraisal Services was started by my father, Darryl Wilson, in 1973 as a one person operation.  I came aboard in 1988 and we have grown into the largest appraisal firm in Middle Georgia with branch offices in Macon and Perry.  My dad is still a very active and important part of our business.
 
Has this always been your career path?

When one hears about cancer and dying, an image of an adult male or female comes to mind. Yet, cancer not only affects adults, it also affects young children. The National Cancer Institute reports that cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children between infancy and age 15 and approximately 10,730 new cases of pediatric cancer are expected to be diagnosed in children 0–14 years of age in 2008. As we spoke with local businesses around Middle Georgia for this special issue of Around Town Magazine, we were reminded that childhood cancer hits close to home for many families in Middle Georgia.
 

The tastefully simple dishes, warm friendly staff, and comfortable atmosphere at China Inn have made this eatery one of the oldest and most successful Asian restaurants in Macon. Owner Peter Wu came to Macon in June of 1987 to help his uncle manage a restaurant. Wu immediately fell in love with Macon, and decided to open his own restaurant. The dream of combining Chinese and Japanese food became a reality for Wu when he opened China Inn to the community in 1991.  Since then, the laid-back-yet-chic restaurant has been serving delicious food ever since.
 

 
Position your Company for Success: 5-part Series.
Part 1: Self-Assessment
 
By Adam Mauldin
Intern with MyTown Monthly magazine
 
When thinking about owning and operating your own business, it is popular to think of the successful shop serving goods that everyone wants. People crowding the aisles clamoring for more of your products, and difficulty keeping enough inventory on the shelves. The register filled with cash and customers throwing money at you. It’s a pleasure to balance your books and you are more successful than you ever thought possible. Business is good and you are good at it!
 
Ah, what a great daydream! Now, how to turn those dreams into reality? This first installment of the five part series, “Position Your Company for Success,” focuses on self-assessment.  Ask yourself these questions and know the answers before you design the letter head for your new company or sign a lease for your business location.
 
·         Why do you want to own a business?
·         What are your personal traits?
·         Can you handle stress?
·         Do you mind working alone?
 
In order to decide whether or not going into business for yourself is a good idea, know your personality, goals, competencies, and values. If your business ideas are at odds with your competencies, goals, and values, you might discover great difficulty in positioning your company for success.  You may decide that you are determined, extroverted, and energetic.  Or, you might find that you cave under pressure, are introverted, and tire easily.  Whatever the responses, you must be truthful with yourself and know who you are.  After answering the questions above, you can continue your self-assessment by reading the chapter, “Assessing Your Entrepreneurial Profile: Do You Have What It Takes?” in the book, The Ultimate Small Business Guide. A Resource for Startups and Growing Businesses.  
 
Are you in it for the money? If starting your own business is to get rich quick, small business ownership may not be the path for you.  Monetary gains do not grant satisfaction, but rather can only make a person dissatisfied, according to Frederick Herzberg who proposed the Dual Structure Theory of Motivation in the late 1950's and early 1960's.  In other words, if you hate your job and suddenly get a raise and are now paid well for this job, you will not like the job, but you will tolerate it. 
 
Common personality traits of successful entrepreneurs, according to The Ultimate Small Business Guide, are:
 
·         Extroverted and confident
·         Able to communicate effectively
·         Sociable and able to lead
·         Able to handle failure
·         Creative and Imaginative
·         Hardworking, committed, and determined
·         Individualist
 
Although, these traits are not necessarily indicative of success, they are common among successful business owners. If your personality differs a bit, don’t worry. What is important is that you know who you are; every strength and weakness, and can learn how to compensate for these weaknesses. 
Through the course of the self assessment, find your competencies – the things you’re good at. This may include experience that you have had related to the field or industry you want to enter, education, and life experiences. You do not have to have technical expertise in the area that you wish to do business in because the technical aspects of creating a good or service, and the business aspects of providing the good or service are not one in the same.  However, it never hurts to know the processes associated with the creation of your good or service.
 
Diving into the world of small business is frightening and can be humbling. But, it’s important that you don’t lose the dream!  The dream is the reason you’re reading this series and why you have begun to research ways in which you can reach success in business ownership. However, it is important that you complete your research and proceed with caution before you commit large amounts of capital to your idea. If you do not thoroughly analyze yourself and your idea in the planning stages or your business, then your dream of owning your own business can quickly become a nightmare. And, if you decide after completing a self-assessment that owning a small business is not for you, then you haven’t lost any money. If anything, you have learned a bit about yourself and will be better off for it.
 
Personality Quizzes:
Entrepreneurial Personality Test - 60 questions, 15 - 20 minutes
Is Entrepreneurship for Me? - short quiz for surface analysis
Deciding Which Assessments are Right for You - learn about the different asssessments available, and decide which one is right for you.
 
Helpful Websites:
Small Business Administration: www.SBA.gov
Service Corps of Retired Executives: www.SCORE.org
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: www.USChamber.com
 
Works Cited:
Hingston, Peter. Starting Your Business (Small Business Guides). New York: DK ADULT, 2001. Print.
 
Publishing, Perseus. The Ultimate Small Business Guide. A Resource for Startups and Growing Businesses (Ultimate Business Library). New York: Basic Books, 2004. Print.
 

Five-part Series for Entrepreneurs and New Business Owners
 
By Adam Mauldin, Intern with MyTown Monthly magazine
 
Approximately 60% of businesses started will survive their first two years. Shocked? And, these were the statistics measured in 1998 – 2002. Take our country’s economic status over the past couple of years, which some report as being the largest economic decline since the Great Depression, and I suspect the two-year business survival statistic, if measured from 2007 – 2009, is closer to 40%.
 
I can’t help but think of my father’s hometown in Oklahoma that is drying up, with crumbling facades and sepia-toned photographs telling the stories of what used to be. I start to wonder – why is it that so many small businesses fail? Is there a common reason? Surely, business survival rates are the result of more than whether an entrepreneur’s business idea is good or not! In fact, I think whether a business survives or not is due to a lot more than an idea! I argue that survival is the result of proper self-assessment, research, industry knowledge, management, and marketing/networking. An entrepreneur can have an idea – that’s the easy part! Sustainability is the hard part!
 
With that said, we have devised a five-part series, with each article to be published on a bi-monthly basis, focusing on business topics we believe are important for small business owners to keep in mind. Each article in this series will be supplemented with references to more in-depth material for those seeking additional information. While this series is geared to an audience interested in starting a business, the information provided is applicable to current and seasoned business owners. The subjects covered in the series will include the following:
 
1.  Self-assessment: Do you have the personality and hardiness necessary to own and operate a business?
 
2.  Ideas and Market Research: Have you determined the feasibility of your idea, and do you know your market?
 
3.  Mission to Market: Do you have a well thought-out plan that includes your mission and values? Do you have the end in mind?
 
4.  Management: Have you set a budget? How are you going to manage your costs?
 
5.  Marketing and Networking: How is your market going to find out about your business? What is your plan for building lasting relationships and business partners?
 
As we approach a new year, with renewed opportunities, it’s our goal at MyTown Monthly magazine that this series will serve as a stepping stone to get your idea off the ground, and positioned for success!
 
“Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be fish.” – Ovid