Foreign competition, market competition and legislation, such as item pricing laws, are examples of the many factors affecting small businesses in the State of Michigan. Chris Holman, small business advocate with the Michigan Economic Development Corp., says small businesses often can turn negative factors into positives.

Holman is a featured presenter at the upcoming Industry Professionals Conference. He said although the Michigan economy is bad, it’s not an excuse for allowing a business to fail. “It just means you have to work harder,” stresses Holman. At the upcoming conference, he’ll share ideas for succeeding in this tough economic climate.

Slated for January 23, 2007, the conference is designed to help small business owners revitalize their businesses in spite of the negative factors.

“Small businesses are the backbone of American society…as they grow they hire more people and in turn bring up the economy,” Holman stated. He encourages small business owners, or anyone working with small businesses, to attend this conference. He added, “People should attend because we will give them ways to make the negative factors work to their benefit.”

The Industry Professionals Conference will be held on January 23, 2007 in Novi. To register or to get more information about the Conference please visit the MACPA web site.