Maui to Participate in Global Entrepreneurship Week

With events organized by Maui Business Brainstormers, Maui will join in the nation’s celebration of 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Week and 2016 National Entrepreneurs’ Day.

The Maui business community is invited to seven days of events, Monday through Sunday, Nov. 14–20, with both local speakers and guests from across the country, in the fields of high-tech, finance and business.

Maui Research Technology Center is hosting daily presentations and workshops, with a special evening dinner event on Tuesday, Nov 15, 2016, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the King Kamehameha Golf Club.

Local business owner Kauionalani Waller said she is “excited about the opportunity to be part of the larger, world-wide energy during this week in support of small entrepreneurs like myself. I can’t wait to learn new skills and share in the knowledge that the speakers will be bringing to this top-notch event.”

The special dinner event on Tuesday, Nov. 15, “Bravissimo Brave Entrepreneurs,” features a guest keynote by Joseph Pluta, president of the West Maui Improvement Foundation Inc. and West Maui Hospital and Medical Center. The panel will include Pamela Norris of Ice Buddy, Penny Dant of Maui Mini Aloha, Elizabeth Tomoso of Momma Love Baby and Abner Nakihei Jr of Hang Loose Surf Club.

During the evening over dinner and a no-host bar at King Kamehameha Golf Club, panelists and attendees will talk story about the inner entrepreneurship in each of us and the road to success as a start-up and innovator in our local economy.

Attendance at this event is limited to members of Maui Business Brainstormers; membership is free by signing up online.

Beginning on Monday, Nov. 14, through Sunday, Nov. 20, at Maui Research Technology Center in Kīhei, each day will feature relevant topics by accomplished speakers. The topics range from startup strategy, to crowdfunding techniques, to usability for entrepreneurs, to going viral with media, to networking for women in business, to public speaking skills.

This week-long event on Maui is an initiative of Maui Business Brainstormers (MBB) to increase the support and resources available to the local Maui business community, specifically small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Local businesses have also stepped in to sponsor this new event, underlining the value-add for the business community. GEW Maui sponsors include Grand Wailea Hotel; Kamehameha Golf Club; Microsoft; Office 365; HTDC; MRTC; Richard Kehoe, CPA, MBA; HI SBDC Maui Center; SCORE Maui; GEW USA.

For more information and to RSVP for each session, go online.

Program Overview

Beginning on Monday, Nov. 14, at Maui Research Technology Center in Kīhei, the following speakers and topics are scheduled:

Evaluating Your Idea on Monday, Nov 14, 2016, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Maui Research Technology Center

David B. Fisher  has more than 20 years of experience in Hawai‘i helping over 3,000 entrepreneurs resulting in over $100 million in economic impact on Maui and in the State of Hawai‘i.  He  served as director for the Hawai‘i Small Business Development Center and was honored in 2006 as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s “Financial Services Champion for the State of Hawai‘i”.

Fisher is the principal consultant with Maui Venture Consulting LLC.

Think smartly & focus on strategy when you want to grow your startup. In this workshop, attendee will learn the process of evaluating if a business concept is good.  Get the basic model for analyzing the feasibility of a business with special focus on market research and economic analysis.  Use this method to approach investors and other stakeholders.  Learn about resources available to start and grow businesses.

Crowdfunding and Alternative Finance on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, 2:30–4:30 p.m. at the Maui Research Technology Center


Dr. Letitia Wright teaches crowdfunding for the Small Business Administration in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and teaches for California State University in San Bernardino’s MBA program. She has been on the list of the top 100 Crowdfunding experts in the nation for the last 3 years. She has helped business owners raise over $750,000 collectively and enjoys teaching people how to successfully raise money using Crowdfunding.

Financing platforms continue to disrupt the traditional financial structures, expanding and changing very quickly to offer attractive alternative forms of financing for small to big businesses. Crowdfunding has been used to fund a wide range of for-profit entrepreneurial ventures. Speed and strong cybersecurity are key components when choosing a crowdfunding approach, or when looking at other new online alternatives for financing. This seminar will teach you how to optimize for these characteristics. In this seminar, attendees will also learn about the 6 different kinds of crowdfunding and how each one works, and the steps to a successful campaign to raise funds.

Usability for Entrepreneurs on Thursday, Nov 17, 2016, 2 –3:30 p.m. at the Maui Research Technology Center

Lori Fisher is an experienced executive, manager, author, lecturer, presenter and mentor in the technical communication and user experience fields. She brings expertise in analyzing organizational behavior, building organizational capability and growing organizational credibility. Her areas of specialization are clear and effective communication, creating and delivering powerful business presentations, and aligning communication with business strategy.

Her professional background includes 30 years in the software business as an executive at IBM, managing usability, design and technical communications. She also taught writing and business communications at UC Santa Cruz for over 20 years.

Ease-of-use is a key success factor in today’s marketplace—for your product as well as services. Designing for ease-of-use is important, but only by validating through simple usability testing techniques can you ensure you have achieved your goals. Usability testing is not just something for big business – even the smallest entrepreneur can benefit from applying some simple techniques.  Learn how you can improve your product or service through awareness of key ease-of-use concepts.

Going Viral with Media on Friday, Nov 18, 2016, 10–11:30 a.m. at the Maui Research Technology Center



An expert in entertainment/TV/film, corporate/celebrity branding, and media/bizmarketing, Dr. Wright is a celebrity, international speaker, talk show host, author, director and movie producer. She is the host of the Wright Place TM TV Show, now in its 14th season with over 362 shows previously broadcast on television to over 6.5 million homes each week in Southern California on Direct TV Channel 64. She is now seen also nationally on DISH ON DEMAND network in 60 million homes.

Many of us dream of going viral when we use social media to tell the world about our business. How and why does “viral” happen? Can you plan to go viral? Some people think it is an accident. But you can learn some simple techniques to increase the chances that your communication will get the exposure and publicity you dream of.  Creating high-quality viral-ready content is a challenging task,  especially when we are just starting out. In this seminar, attendees will learn about effective ways to use radio, tv, magazines and blogs, with both online and offline ways to go viral.

Women Entrepreneurship Day on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, 3–6 p.m. at the Maui Research Technology Center

Learn how to network at this Networking Day for women. The event will include informative Web videos and shows, as well as a potluck and opportunities to mingle with business owners from across Maui and the state of Hawai‘i.

Fearless Entrepreneur: You were Born to be a Public Speaker on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, 3–6 p.m. at the Maui Research Technology Center

David Kapaku, aka “Kahu,” is a coconut basket weaver, ordained minister, Hawaiian activist, musician, teacher, planter, Hawaiian consultant, storyteller and poet. Other interests include writing children’s books and stories. Kahu is a Distinguished Toastmaster mastering the art of communication coupled with public speaking and leadership skills.

In this interactive and humorous session, David Kapaku will teach you to overcome your fear of public speaking, with 21 tips to improve your public speaking skills. You will learn how to create a knockout presentation, and techniques to “make your voice count”.

About The Global and National Celebrations

National Entrepreneur’s Day falls on the last day of Global Entrepreneurship Week during National Entrepreneurship Month. For 2016, Global Entrepreneurship Week is Nov 14 to 20, 2016, National Entrepreneurs’ Day is Nov. 15, 2016; National Entrepreneurship Month is November 2016, and a special Women’s Entrepreneurship Day falls on Nov. 19, 2016.

Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is an international initiative begun in Great Britain and the U.S in 2007-2008 and now introduces entrepreneurship to young people in six continents. Since its creation, more than 10 million people from 102 countries have participated in entrepreneurial-related activities during the Week. This annual event occurs over the span of one week and includes the participation of entrepreneurial experts, policy-makers, education practitioners and politicians. Last year 88 countries hosted Global Entrepreneurship Week and generated over 32,000 activities.

National Entrepreneurs’ Day was first held in the United States in November 2010 to celebrate the American men and women who promote entrepreneurship, business, innovation, and new jobs. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to thank mentors, give funding and advice, and spread the word of innovation on this day. In 2012, President Barack Obama declared November of that year as National Entrepreneurship Month.

Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) is a day on which the work of women entrepreneurs is observed, discussed, and celebrated, held on the nineteenth of November of each year. The inaugural event in 2014 was held in New York City at the United Nations, with additional events being held simultaneously in several other countries. 144 nations overall recognized the first WED, which included the presentation of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Awards. The organization behind WED also has an ambassadorship and fellowship program.

About Maui Business Brainstormers Since 2012, Maui Business Brainstormers (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 the MBB events.