Business Center Takes Food Products To Market

Maui County Business Resource Center is located at the Maui Mall in Kahului across from IHOP.. File photo.

By Sonia Isotov

This month the Maui County Business Resource Center is hosting several workshops geared toward helping small and micro businesses succeed on Maui.

The Maui Food Technology Center (MFTC) is making a first appearance in the center’s workshop lineup with a seminar by the Luana Mahi, a  MFTC board member and natural and organic products broker. Mahi will discuss the pitfalls of taking a product to market.

Roya Deyhim, a Maui-based attorney and former president of the Rotary Club of Kihei-Wailea, returns this month with a look at the basics of establishing a non-profit organization on Maui.

The center also has an entire lineup of other short business workshops being held during the month of May. Every month, local business experts share a wealth of knowledge and experience at the free workshops and topics vary by month but usually focus on starting, financing, and growing a small business.

The Maui County Business Resource 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 certified public accountant, Richard Kehoe.

Maui Business Brainstormers meet for business networking at the MCBRC. Courtesy photo.

The following workshops will be held in May and begin at 12 p.m. unless otherwise noted:

“The ABC’s of a Business Plan” by Craig Swift – Wednesday, May 1, 1p.m. to 2 p.m.
Craig Swift, the director of the 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 the business plan taught by MEO’s Core Four Business Plan Course.

“Intensive Marketing Workshop” by Timothy Wenk – Friday, May 3, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.  and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Local marketing expert Timothy Wenk leads this 4-hour workshop which he has organized into three parts: 1) developing the right overall marketing mindset; 2) collective brainstorming to narrow down a business’s core, the unique selling proposition, the best target market, and business message; and 3) individual “hot seats” where each attendee will explain to the group his or her newly created marketing “path”.

Richard Kehoe, CPA, lead SCORE counselor on Maui, and leader of the Quickbooks workshop. Courtey photo.

Maui Business Brainstormers Monthly Meeting – Tuesday, May 21, 11:45 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The public is invited to meet other business owners/managers, share and learn with thought-provoking questions, answers and coaching. Bring your business challenges to the meeting. Features: introductions, “get to know your neighbor”, barnstormers sharing, expert coaching, quick fire. No charge. To attend, RSVP at www.meetup.com/MauiBusinessBrainstormers.

“QuickBooks for Small Business” by Richard  Kehoe, CPA – Thursday, May 30, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. $45 per session.
Learn to set up your company’s QuickBooks in a small class setting with personalized tutoring. This class is for new users and will focus how to record sales, receive payments, prepare invoices and balance your checkbook. Get customized answers and schedule a follow-up appointment at no cost to discuss your solutions. Instructor Richard Kehoe, CPA is a lead SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) counselor. Follow-up appointments are offered at no cost.

“What You Need to Know About Being a Nonprofit” by Roya J. Deyhim – Wednesday, May 22, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Learn the basics of establishing a nonprofit and the roles and duties of the board of directors. Instructor Roya Deyheim has been an attorney for 17 years. She has her own law firm focusing on estate planning, trust administration, and business planning. Her involvement in the community with charitable organizations coupled with her legal experience has given her a unique perspective to assist nonprofits.

“Overcoming Pitfalls When Taking Your Product to Market” by Luana Mahi – Friday, May 31, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
In this workshop, Luana Mahi of the Maui Food Technology Center will focus on the many aspects involved in successfully taking your finished product to market. Some of their current students will be participating in this workshop by sharing their challenges, experiences and solutions.

For more information and to reserve a seat, please call (808) 873-8247.