“Cash is King” at the County Business Center

The Maui County Business Resource Center is located at the Maui Mall, across from IHOP.

By Sonia Isotov

This month, Fred Rickert, a senior consultant with the Small Business Development Center in Kihei, will deliver “Cash is King: Cash Flow Planning for Survival”, a workshop at the Maui County Business Resource Center in Kahului at the Maui Mall.

Every month, local business experts share a wealth of knowledge and experience at free workshops held at the Maui County Business Resource Center. Topics vary by month but usually focus on starting, financing, and growing a small business.

Other workshops will feature local business consultants and small business assistance agency directors as they deliver information that can help an individual buy or sell a business, do business with the government, set up a business and more.

Workshops are free and held between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., unless otherwise noted below.

The Center, a division of the County of Maui Office of Economic Development, also has free business counseling with business executives in the US Small Business Administration’s Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE) counselor program. SCORE is a federal program and the Maui Chapter is lead by long-time SCORE counselor and local certified public accountant, Richard Kehoe.

The May workshops are as scheduled:

THE ABC’S OF A BUSINESS PLAN by Craig Swift – Wednesday, May 2 (1:00 to 2:00 pm)
Craig Swift, the director of the Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. (MEO) Business Development Center, will discuss the reasons for writing a business plan. He has more than 35 years of experience in owning, managing, and lending to small businesses. Participants will receive an outline of a business plan taught by MEO’s Core Four Business Plan Course.

HARRY & JEANETTE WEINBERG PONO CENTER – How Can it Help Your Small Business by Susie Thieman – Thursday, May 3
Need a training room for up to 35 people or a conference room for the day or an office to meet clients and set up shop or a commercial kitchen to prepare your food products? Join Susie Thieman, the interim executive director of Lokahi Pacific, as she discusses all the options available at the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Pono Center in Wailuku.

Maui County Business Resource Center. File photo.

STARTING A BUSINESS IN MAUI COUNTY by Karen Arakawa, Wednesday, May 9
Karen Arakawa of the County Office of Economic Development will cover general information and requirements for starting a business in Mau County. Handouts, websites and other helpful information are included.

CASH IS KING! CASH FLOW PLANNING FOR SURVIVAL by Fred Rickert – Wednesday, May 16
Starting a business or have a business? Then, it will be important to learn the basics of cash flow forecasting. Projecting cash flow and cash balances helps with financing and the survival of a business. Fred Rickert is currently a Senior Business Consultant with the Hawaii Small Business Development Center-Maui.

TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR CREDIT by David Daly, Wednesday, May 23, Noon – 1 pm
This workshop will answer questions about your credit and how it affects your ability to get financing to start or grow your business. Get help with planning how to repair credit the right way. Presented by David Daly, Loan Fund Manager with MEO Business Development Center.

BEING YOUR OWN EMPLOYER – PROVIDING BENEFITS TO YOUR COMPANY by Gretchen Voxland – Wednesday, May 30, 2012
In this workshop, we will discuss the various ways of providing benefits based on the type of company formed and how many employees hired. This workshop is being presented by Gretchen G. Voxland, CLU, ChFC, owner of Horizon Financial.

Special Evening Workshop
QUICKBOOKS FOR SMALL BUSINESS by Richard Kehoe, CPA. Hands-on computer training for beginners. $45 per session. Thursday, May 24 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Learn to set up your company’s QuickBooks in a small class setting with personalized tutoring. This class is for new users and will teach you how to record sales, receive payments, prepare invoices and balance your checkbook. Sponsored by SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and presented by Richard Kehoe, CPA and lead SCORE counselor.

For more information or to register for a class, call the Maui County Business Resource Center at (808) 873-824.