MBB to Host Event for Hāna Business Community

Image courtesy MBB.

Maui Business Brainstormers will build on the recent success of its Upcountry expansion with its first-ever Business in the Think Tank event in Hāna in East Maui on Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Ala Kukui Hāna.

Local business owners and managers are invited to explore fresh ideas to overcome problems they face with everyday operations.

Business in the Think Tank events provide business owners and managers with the opportunity to discuss their challenges with other business leaders who may be able to provide creative and relevant solutions.

A participant in past sessions, Joe Pluta, remarked that “attendees also have the opportunity to meet new business leaders, develop new friends, receive ideas they did not consider before, and benefit from the communication and feedback.”

During a typical Business in the Think Tank meeting, local business members volunteer to share their business challenges. Each challenge is presented, followed by clarifying questions to fully understand the needs of the presenter. After those questions are answered, the group will then start the brainstorming process. Free-flowing answers are offered, while the host writes them on the white board. When the allotted time is up, the presenter gets their photo taken with the idea board to capture the specific items for later action.

MBB organizers believe that “meeting in East Maui will bring the energy and success of the Business in the Think Tank model to all parts of Maui, helping Hāna businesses participate in the same way Central, West and Upcountry have been able to.”

Ala Kukui Hana to host MBB BiTT meeting. Image courtesy of Ala Kukui Hāna.

“We are so excited with the opportunity to take our BiTT meeting to Hāna that we decided to spend the evening before at Travaasa Hāna in order to make sure that the meeting happens the next day,” said MBB organizer Lori Fisher.

The meeting is free and requires registration; seating is limited. Those interested in attending can register online at the organization’s online Meetup site.

MBB assisted the small business community for over three years in Central Maui (Kahului) and West Maui (Lahaina), with monthly Business in the Think Tank meetings and by offering additional educational opportunities, such as special seminars and workshops.

The goal in bringing the Think Tank both to the Upcountry Maui and the East Maui business community is to provide a supportive and encouraging forum for small business owners, professionals, and home-based businesses in these communities who want to connect with other business contacts to network and share problem-solving ideas.

The inaugural Upcountry Maui meeting of the MBB Business in the Think Tank was held in January at Lumeria Maui in Makawao.

All of the BiTT meetings organized by MBB proceed with the official support of the Maui County Business Resource Center and the Maui Small Business Development Center. This event is also cosponsored by the Hāna Business Council.

Supporters also include Ali Kukui Hāna, the Hāna Cultural Center; Travaasa Hāna; Tri-isle Resource Conservation & Development; MEO Business Development Center; and Maui Economic Development Board.

MBB organizers to overnight at Travaasa Hāna. Image courtesy of Travaasa Hāna.

MBB BiTT meeting in Upcountry Maui at Lumeria Maui. MBB photo.

MBB BiTT meeting in Upcountry Maui at Lumeria Maui. MBB photo.

MBB BiTT Meeting in Central Maui at the Maui County Business Resource Center. MBB photo.

MBB BiTT Meeting in West Maui at Old Republic Title. MBB photo.