Maui County Business Resource Center to Hold March Workshops

The Maui County Business Resource Center is located at the Maui Mall, across from IHOP.

The County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development will hold free workshops in March.

Workshops are presented at the Maui County Business Resource Center, a County of Maui facility located in the Maui Mall across from Pizza Hut, in Ste. B-9.

Seating for all workshops is limited, and all workshops are subject to change or cancellation.

Workshops are free unless noted otherwise.

To reserve a seat, call the Maui County Business Resource Center at 270-5770.

The ABC’s of a Business Plan
Instructor: Craig Swift
Wednesday, March 2 • noon to 1 p.m.

Maui Economic Opportunity Business Development Center’s Core Four Business Planning is a 36-hour course on how to write a business plan, while providing the information you need to know in order to start, operate and grow your business. This workshop is a one-hour introductory workshop which will provide you with a better understanding of the course outline for the Core Four Business Planning.

Craig Swift, director of the MEO Business Development Center, will discuss the numerous reasons for writing a sound business plan. He has more than 35 years of experience in owning, managing and lending to small businesses. Participants will receive an outline of the business plan taught by MEO’s Core Four Business Plan Course.

Leveraging the World’s Greatest Marketing Secret by Writing, Publishing and Promoting Your Book to Better Market Your Business
Instructor: Patrick Snow
Wednesday March 9 • noon to 2 p.m.
Thursday, March 24 • noon to 2 p.m.

Are you looking for a better way to market your business? Do you have a burning desire to become a best-selling author? Attend this seminar and learn how to make your publishing and business goals come true. If you want to stand out from your competition, strengthen your credentials and get free publicity, then writing and publishing book is your best marketing strategy.

Let international best-selling author Patrick Snow guide you through the process. In this two-hour seminar, you will learn your three publishing options, top-five requirements for becoming a best-selling author and 18 mistakes to avoid. Most importantly, you will learn how to monetize your passion and improve marketing your business, or start a new business using your book as a platform from which you can launch.

Come early and stay late for his Q&A session that will answer all questions on your book project.

Patrick Snow is an international best-selling author of Creating Your Own Destiny, The Affluent Entrepreneur and Boy Entrepreneur has sold between 250,000 and one million copies, distributed in five languages and 108 countries. He has been featured as a cover story in USA TODAY, The New York Times and Forbes. When he is not traveling the world presenting, he lives in Wailuku. For more information visit www.PatrickSnow.com or www.ThePublishingDoctor.com.

WINNING the Tax Game: How to Save Money and Avoid Audits
Instructor: Pierce Gray M.A.
Thursday, March 27 • noon to 1 p.m.

Believe it or not, over 75% of the tax code is devoted to tax-saving deductions and credits designed to promote small business and investment. The trick is knowing what they are and how to use them to reduce your tax bill.

In this workshop, you will learn often-overlooked ways that you can save money on taxes.

Most tax returns today are e-filed, and a virtual agent, a super computer, kicks out returns flagged for audit exceptions. You will learn how to avoid getting flagged and audited, and come out a winner at the tax game.

Pierce Gray M.A. is a Managing Partner of Smart Tax Solutions, a new breed tax consulting company offering cutting edge tax planning, preparation, and representation for small and medium sized businesses, and select individuals. Pierce has a long history of tax and financial management, and is also CEO of Pierce Gray & Associates, offering business consulting services to clients worldwide. Pierce is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and was a popular QuickBooks instructor at UH Maui College.

Pierce has extensive international and small business experience and was the International Comptroller for Mellon Bank in Europe and CFO of Periplus Group, a global publishing company headquartered in Singapore. He has taught in MBA programs and is an entertaining and highly informative speaker, selecting insightful topics relevant to the needs of his audience.

Don’t Go Down the Social Media Rabbit Hole
Instructor: Nicole “nico” Fisher
Wednesday, March 23 • noon to 1:15 p.m. (Q&A until 1:30 p.m.)

Managing your social media doesn’t have to feel like another huge obligation that takes too much time out of your day. In this workshop, you will learn simple time management strategies to help grow your business. Are you having the challenge of managing your social media? Do you need a plan? Nicole believes that small businesses should maximize their presence on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin, as this is their best chance for success.

Nicole Fisher is an energetic entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience as a marketing strategist, social media consultant and trainer.

The Power of the Inbox!
Instructor: Mckenna Hallett
Tuesday, March 29 • noon to 1:30 p.m.

Join Mckenna to see the amazing results that the sending of a single email can bring to your bottom line. Push your business to new levels of successful marketing with this already simple, effective, accepted and most commonly utilized tool—email marketing.

Did you know that mail marketing has always been a more powerful marketing machine and has the highest ROI of any other online marketing tool?

In this workshop, you will learn the very best and latest tips and tricks for successful email marketing. This powerful seminar takes you systematically through effective email strategies and best practices.

Discover the five easy steps you must take to harness the power of the inbox.

Mckenna Hallett is a professional consultant and owner of www.MyGoldenWords.com who blogs regularly to a worldwide audience. With over two decades of experience with her own small business on Maui, she brings practical and easy-to-use advice to all business owners at any stage. She had her first business at the age of seven and has been in sales and marketing roles in both retail and wholesale with both small and large businesses for over 50 years.

QuickBooks for Small Business
Special Evening Workshop, $45 per session. Hands-on computer training for beginners.
Instructor: Richard Kehoe, CPA
Thursday, March 31 • 5 to 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 your solutions.

Sponsored by SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and presented by Richard Kehoe, CPA and lead SCORE counselor.

Free counseling sessions with experienced SCORE and Small Business Development Corp. (SBDC) counselors are available every Thursday and Friday morning from 9 to 11:30 a.m.