“Marketing Food Products” and Other November Business Workshops

Maui County Business Resource Center is located at the Maui Mall. File photo.

By Sonia Isotov

Every month, local business experts bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to free workshops held at the Maui County Business Resource Center. Topics vary by month but usually focus on starting, financing, and growing a small business.

Workshops are usually presented between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., except for the special evening Quickbooks class. All workshops are free, unless otherwise specified below.

The center also has free business counseling with executives through the US Small Business Administration’s Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE) counselor program, lead by long-time SCORE counselor and local certified public accountant, Richard Kehoe.

Here’s the November schedule of business education workshops:

Susie Thieman, interim executive director, Lokahi Pacific. Courtesy photo.

“Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Pono Center – How Can it Help Your Small Business” by Elaine Javier & Susie Thieman – Tuesday, November 8

Come join Elaine Javier, Pono Center Manager, and Susie Thieman, interim Executive Director of Lokahi Pacific as they discuss all the options available at the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Pono Center in Wailuku, including a publicly available training and conference area and a publicly available commercial kitchen?

“Financing Alternatives for Small Businesses” by Mike Kern – Wednesday, November 9

Mike Kern specializes in helping companies to obtain working capital, manage cash flow and build cash reserves for business growth. Kern will discuss financing alternatives including SBA loans, family and friend loans, and venture capital funds. Mike is available every Tuesday afternoon at the Maui Resource Center from 1 to 3 p.m. to discuss financial strategies.

“Doing Business with the Government – The HUBZONE” by Evette Lau – Thursday, November 10

The HUBZone program is a federal project to promote economic development and employment growth in distressed areas by providing access to more federal contracting opportunities. Lau will cover the basics of participating in the HUBZone program, its benefits, the application, HUBZone maps, tools and other information.

“Introduction to Taking Your Food Product to Market” by Maui Food Technology Center (MFTC) – November 17

A panel of experts from MFTC will present an overview of the steps necessary to take a local food product to market. Panel members include: Nina Ann Tanabe, an MFTC food scientist with 30 years of experience working on product/process development/improvement from concept through production, packaging and marketing. Luana Mahi, MFTC natural foods broker, is a seasoned broker of natural and organic products and uses her expertise in defining strategies for sales, marketing, and product development. Susan Teton Campbell is an author, chef, nutritional educator, and Chair of Slow Food Maui. She is a board member of MFTC and a seasoned advocate of local food productions, including recipe development.

David Fisher, Maui Venture Consulting, LLC. Courtesy photo.

“Evaluating Your Idea” by David B. Fisher – Tuesday, November 22

David B. Fisher, principal consultant with Maui Venture Consulting LLC, will facilitate 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.  David has 20 years of experience in Hawaii helping over 3,000 entrepreneurs resulting in over $100 million in economic impact on Maui and in the state of Hawaii.  He recently served as Director for the Hawaii Small Business Development Center and was honored in 2006 as the US Small Business Administration’s “Financial Services Champion for the State of Hawaii.”

“How to Attract Clients: Ten Ways to Get and Keep Clients for Your Business” by Dr. Robert Santry – Tuesday, November 29

Learn to attract new clients and keep them coming back by using networking strategies and referral practices. Networks include your family, friends, spheres of influence (businesses that refer clients to you and vice versa), competition, and the social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter).  Dr. Robert Santry serves as CEO and Master Coach-Consultant-Trainer at Life and Success Adventures.

Richard Kehoe, MBA, CPA, SCORE counselor, and QuickBooks instructor. Courtesy photo.

SPECIAL EVENING WORKSHOP

“QuickBooks for Small Business” by Richard Kehoe, CPA
$45 per session, includes hands-on computer training for beginners.
Thursday, November 17 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

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. Get customized answers and schedule a follow-up appointment at no cost to discuss solutions. Sponsored by SCORE (and presented by Richard Kehoe, CPA and lead SCORE counselor).

For more information or to reserve a seat, call the Maui County Resource Center at  (808) 873-8247. All workshops are subject to change or cancellation.