June is Marketing Month at County Business Center

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

By Sonia Isotov

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 and June is loaded with marketing workshops that focus on Internet marketing, new product marketing , and market planning for small business.

In June, the Center will also host special guest, Jayna Uyehara, the manager of the State’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Business Action Center. Uyehara, an attorney, will be discussing business structures and the state registration process.

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 June workshops are as scheduled:

BUSINESS STRUCTURES WORKSHOP by Jayna Uyehara, Esq. – Tuesday, June 5
This course provides an overview of the most popular entity types and background on the business registration process.  Jayna C. Uyehara, Esq. served as lead attorney and legislative coordinator for the Dept. of Taxation.  In 2005, she was appointed manager of the State’s DCCA Business Action Center.

Richard Kehoe, MBA, CPA is a long-time SCORE counselor, and the lead SCORE representative on Maui. Numerous business owners have received his free business counseling and QuickBooks workshop at the Center. Courtesy photo.

HOW TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS FOR FREE WITHOUT A WEBSITE by Bob & Josh Sommers – Wednesday, June 13
Bob and Josh Sommers, owners of the Internet Marketing Association of Hawaii will show you how to build your reputation on the Internet through the acquisition of 5-star customer reviews and referrals. Discover how to dominate the first page of results on Google with multiple 5-star listings, the easiest way to acquire only 5-star reviews from your customers, and more.

BUSINESS SUCCESSION PLANNING by Gretchen G. Voxland CLU, ChFC- Wednesday, June 20
Even from the beginning, it is important to think with the end in mind. How do you see yourself transitioning your successful business? Selling it? To whom and for how much? Passing it on to your kids? How can you get the equity out of your business when your child takes over? What happens in the event of death, disability or retirement? Do you have a written plan? All of this will be discussed in this workshop being presented by Gretchen G. Voxland, CLU, ChFC, owner of Horizon Financial, LLC.  She has been teaching the Complete Financial Workshop at UH Maui College for over ten years.

MAUI BUSINESS BRAINSTORMERS (monthly meeting ) Thursday, June 21 at 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Open to the public, this networking group offers an opportunity to share ideas and get expert coaching. RSVP at www.meetup.com/MauiBusinessBrainstormers.

THE P’s & Q’s OF BRINGING PRODUCTS TO MARKET by Steve Rose – Tuesday, June 26
Want to bring tutu’s Ono cookies to market, that great hot sauce, your book…. or that next great skin product?  Whatever the new food or product idea you have in this workshop, Steve Rose, a local marketing consultant, will outline the basics of getting it ready for retail and many of the issues new entrepreneurs often have. He will also discuss the Maui resources for new product introduction.  Steve Rose is President of TravelingRose Ltd., a Maui-based business development firm, and past Chair of the Made in Maui Trade Association.

DEVELOPING A MARKETING PLAN by Fred Rickert – Wednesday, June 27
Creating a marketing plan for starting or growing a business is essential. Concepts such as product service and target markets, identifying key competitors, industry analysis, strengths and weaknesses, creating a marketing strategy which includes advertising and promotion, distribution, product branding, and pricing and placement will be covered. Fred Rickert, is the senior business consultant with the Hawaii Small Business Development Center-Maui.

QUICKBOOKS FOR SMALLBUSINESS by Richard Kehoe, CPA – Thursday, June 28 at 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. $45 per session.
This special evening workshop offers hands-on computer training for beginners. 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.