AZCOMP Technologies - IT - March 2021

Let’s get this out of the way: Retro has always been cool. The only thing that changes is what era is considered “retro.” Marshall has cleverly avoided that debate by being a constant presence onstage from the early days of rock ‘n’ roll to the modern era. Their new Marshall Acton II Bluetooth speaker calls to mind those shows of old, but under the hood this amp is nothing but modern. Modeled after classic vintage Marshall amps, the Acton II is small enough for a bedroom, but can still bring the party to the whole house. This comes at a cost, of course: Unlike many Bluetooth speakers, the Acton II uses a wall plug. Still, it will be a one-stop shop for the listening needs of many. Easy to sync with your phone through Bluetooth 5.0 compatibility, this amp can also go old-school via the 3.5mm port (like a larger guitar amp), meaning you can hook up your turntable just as easily. BACK IN BLACK WITH THE MARSHALL ACTON II Tiny Speaker Reminiscent of Rock History

A HOMING BEACON FOR BACTERIA?

An unfortunate fact of modern life is the widespread familiarity with E. coli, bacteria that cause medium-to-severe foodborne illness in almost anyone who ingests it. In the past five years, multiple outbreaks have rocked the country and scandalized well-known brands like Chipotle. E. coli can go undetected and spread throughout food distribution networks with ease, which means it’s hard to find the source — or grasp the extent — of any outbreak until lots of people are already sick. How Aanika Biosciences Is Helping Track E. Coli Outbreaks

The “what era is vintage?” debate is a fun one, and with the Acton II, Marshall has provided their own perfect answer.

We’re getting lucky in 2021 because John Warrillow — author of “Built to Sell” and “The Automatic Customer” — just published his newest business book in January. Titled “The Art of Selling Your Business,” Warrillow (who also hosts “Built to Sell Radio”), completes his advocacy for monetizing companies in a specific way. Why monetize? As a smart woman once put it, “If an entrepreneur can’t take an extended leave from their business without things falling apart, they don’t have a business — they’ve just created a job for themselves.” And as Warrillow himself would say, being able to sell your business means that you’ve actually built a self-sustaining company, and that should be one of your goals as an entrepreneur. Warrillow Ends Trilogy with “The Art of Selling Your Business” AZCOMP LEADERSHIP LIBRARY

Biotech startup Aanika Biosciences aims to change all of that.

Focusing on the 2018 outbreaks that impacted hundreds and crippled a child, Aanika’s three co-founders realized that these E. coli flare-ups were worse than past ones. In one example, the bacteria hitchhiked on romaine lettuce from one area where it was either packaged alone or chopped up and bagged with other leafy greens before being sold under many different brand names. How do you trace a single piece of salad? That was Aanika’s dilemma. Their solution is an elegant one. Aanika takes a benevolent microbe (like the ones in your yogurt) that’s easy to modify for individualization. They render it inert, change the genome a bit, and add it to the water used to rinse down salads. Each farm would get a “signature” version of that microbe, so when they spray their harvested crops it tags the leafy greens as theirs, without affecting the greens in any way. Down the line, if someone gets sick from eating a salad, the government can quickly analyze the greens and find the ones that have E. coli on them. Then they look for the microbe tagging that particular green, scan its genetic sequence, and immediately know which farm that particular version of the microbe belongs to. We’re looking forward to what Aanika Biosciences comes up with next. After all, E. coli doesn’t just exist in salad, but in other foods as well. Watch this startup with interest!

But some people don’t just want to monetize. Some people want to actually sell , and it is those people who will benefit most from the book. Whether you built the company with that intent, or at least that option, or you’re being forced to sell out at the end of the quarter, you need to read “The Art of Selling Your Business.” Even if you never plan to sell, it won’t hurt to be prepared for that possibility. You won’t want to miss out on this one — and if you dig it, check out Warrilow’s two other books as well.

855-556-4677 AZCOMP Technologies www.azcomp.com/it • 3

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