Maui Business Brainstormers Celebrating 5 Years

The Maui Business Brainstormers are celebrating its five year anniversary by hosting a special dinner on Saturday, Jan. 21 at the King Kamehameha Golf Club.

The dinner is to thank its members for their participation in forming a supportive, active business forum on Maui.

The 2016 National Entrepreneurs Day Dinner Event. Photo Courtesy.

The event is free to its members who are entrepreneurs and small business owners from across Maui.

Since 2012, MBB has been creating a landscape of opportunity for Maui individual, micro and small businesses.

MBB is a non-profit volunteer organization, building its reputation by providing business educational events and opportunities at no cost and with no sales pitches. Speakers donate their time and knowledge freely and attendees have recognized the educational value and integrity of MBB events.

MBB began with 6 members and one local meeting location in Central Maui back in 2012. Since then, the group has expended to over 1,000 members and has regular “Business in the Think Tank” meetings in Central Maui (Kahului), West Maui (Napili), Upcountry (Kula), and South Maui (Kīhei), as well as sponsored events in Hāna, Wailea, Wailuku, Molokaʻi and Honolulu.

In five years, the group has held 71 regularly-scheduled “Business in the Think Tank” meetings where member of the business community come together to share specific business issues and brainstorm together on potential solutions and actions.

Additionally, MBB sponsored or hosted a total of 50 special sessions or events on Maui since 2012, plus two more on O’ahu including Masters of Retail Success, Global Entrepreneurship Week (which included National Entrepreneurs Day and International Women Entrepreneurship Day), National Veterans Small Business Week, Mind This Hammer Workshops, guest presentations, “after-hour” sessions on selected topics, and member-only celebrations.

Topics at the events have ranged from business planning to startup strategy, to crowdfunding techniques, to usability for entrepreneurs, to going viral with media, to networking for women in business, to public speaking skills. MBB was an official supporter or co-host of 22 third-party special events on Maui over this period.

Beginning in 2014, members of MBB initiated and managed the first-ever Small Business Week series for Maui County as part of the national event, repeated successfully in 2015 and 2016 with 46 sessions over 3 years.

For 2017, MBB is planning for Maui-based events during National Entrepreneurship Week from Feb. 18 to 25, and is partnering with the Consumer Protection Agency for participation in National Consumer Protection Week in March 2017. The 5th Annual Masters of Retail Success is scheduled for April 2017.

MBB is also in the early stages of working toward a business-oriented independent TV station for Maui viewers. Additionally, MBB will continue running its regularly scheduled “Business in the Think Tank” program at locations across Maui.

Membership for MBB is free, sign up here. The site also lists the next regularly scheduled “Business in the Think Tank” meetings at each Maui location.