February Workshops Offered at Maui County Business Resource Center

Maui County business workshop. Image courtesy County of Maui.

The County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development today announced its free workshops for the month of February.

Workshops are presented at the Maui County Business Resource Center, a County of Maui facility, located in the Maui Mall across Pizza Hut, in Suite 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 (808) 270-5770.

The following workshops are available:

Business in the Think Tank with MBB Members (Free)

Kahului meeting: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 12 – 2 p.m.

Hāna meeting: Wednesday, Feb. 24 (especially for the East Maui community) at Ala Kukui Hāna, 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

To RSVP for either meeting: www.Meetup.com/MauiBusinessBrainstormers

Note: Non-members need first to join the FREE membership of MBB

Maui Business Brainstormers (MBB) invite you to bring your business challenge to our Brainstorming Segment OR If you want to feature your business (or business concept) in our “Think Tank” segment (that’s 20 minutes just for you), submit a form on the MBB meetup site, OR come along to brainstorm and be showered with ideas.

Features:

• Mingling, introductions
• Get to Know Your Neighbor, an opportunity to interact with new faces and strengthen your own ability to communicate succinctly with others in fast-paced situations.
• Featured Business in the Think Tank, a 20-minute segment in which a selected business is featured for focused brainstorming with the group. Owners of startups and small businesses benefit from this activity. You are qualified if you have a business concept fully researched and planned but with questions or obstacles remaining, or if you are a business already in operation with sales, but facing challenges to achieve further growth. The business owner needs to be an MBB member. To be featured in the 20-minute case-study “Think Tank,” fill out and submit the online form describing your business challenge. On the day of the meeting, the candidate chosen presents a 5-min overview of the business, including the current challenges. The audience then brainstorms on ideas to address the problem area with the “build it, measure it, learn from it, improve it!” spirit.
• 5-minute Think Tank: Attendees have the opportunity to present a challenge they are experiencing in their own business for ideas and suggestions from the group. No prior submission is required – just come to the meeting with your ideas and questions, to help others and be helped toward your own success!

Get the Facts about Farm Loans and Farm Record Keeping

Instructor: Richard “Buddy” Nichols

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 12 – 1:30 p.m.

USDA, Farm Loan Programs have been available for many years and has numerous types of loans available to a farmer from beginning farmers to seasoned farmers. The importance of good record keeping increases the success of any business; including farming. Whether you apply for a loan or not, you will need to know the productivity of your farm and whether it is improving every year. Buddy Nichols is a USDA, Farm Loan Program Manager on Maui. He previously has a BA in Animal Science as well as an MBA. He owned/managed a dairy, raised cattle and fruits/vegetables. He understands the aspects of farming from production to financial recordkeeping.

Creating a Social Media Marketing Plan for 2016

Instructor: Nicole “nico” Fisher and Danielle Miller

Wednesday, Feb. 17, 12 – 1:15 p.m.

Did you know that the best way to grow your business is by creating a social media marketing plan? Let Nicole and Danielle help you to jumpstart your marketing plan for 2016. This power team will show you how to set standards for business communication and develop a solid foundation for consistent messaging and how to choose tools and strategies that communicate key information to customers in a memorable and share-friendly way. As an added bonus, they will cover: The Method – Goal Setting – Foundation to Advanced. Nicole Fisher is an energetic entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience as a Marketing Strategist, Social Media Consultant and Trainer. Danielle Miller is a Social Media Expert and Founder of Miller Media management. She specializes in authentically marketing small businesses on social media.

WINNING the Tax Game: How to Save Money and Avoid Audits

Instructor: Pierce Gray M.A.

Thursday, Feb. 18, 12 – 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.

Home Ownership – Steps to Success

Instructors: Jaimie Brown and Jeannie Kong

Friday, Feb. 19, 12 to 1:30 p.m.

This informational workshop is being presented by Jaimie & Jeannie to empower and educate the Maui community by disengaging obstacles to home ownership. Information on upcoming affordable housing projects, tax advantages of home ownership, credit score requirements and loan products are among some of the many topics covered by this seminar. Knowledge is power!

Brand Consistency and Cross Promotion

Instructor: Nicole “nico” Fisher

Wednesday, Feb. 24, 12 to 1:15 p.m. (Q&A til 1:30)

Did you know that brand consistency and cross promotion is more than just using the same logo or tagline across multiple formats? In this workshop, you will learn how to manage and meet your customers’ expectations, how to communicate with your customers, and how to stick to a cross promotion plan that makes sense. In addition, you will learn about sponsorship, affiliate marketing tips, what to put your name on and how to approach online brand management. Nicole Fisher is an energetic entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience as a Marketing Strategist, Social Media Consultant and Trainer. She is passionate about taking businesses from good to great through various marketing avenues.

Leveraging the World’s Greatest Marketing Secret by Writing, Publishing and Promoting Your Book to Better Market Your Business

Instructor: Patrick Snow

Thursday, Feb. 25, 12 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 even better market 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 of his three books 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.

Small Business –Learn to Pay Yourself

Instructor: Wayne Wong

Friday, Feb. 26, 12 to 1:30 p.m.

Does working for yourself mean working for free? Do increases in sales translate to you working more hours yet still not making enough to pay yourself? The largest factor in making enough profit to pay yourself is mostly about pricing. Learn strategies for pricing and how to determine what’s right for you. What is the concept of supply and demand and what does that have to do with pricing? We’ll help you understand service costs and their impact on pricing. Can you take advantage of front-end, back-end and/or tiered pricing? What are your competitors charging? How can you price higher than you think you would by focusing on value and avoid falling into a price war thinking you must price lower than your competition?

Bring your lunch and join Wayne Wong, Maui Center Director, of the Hawaii Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in an informal brown bag session on pricing and profit. He provides both existing and aspiring business owners with no cost, confidential, one-on-one, business advising services, training workshops, and market research services. This is a “brownbag” workshop. Feel free to bring in your lunch.

SPECIAL EVENING WORKSHOP- $45.00 PER SESSION: “QUICKBOOKS FOR SMALL BUSINESS” – Hands-on computer training for beginners

Instructor: Richard Kehoe, CPA

Thursday, Feb. 25 – 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. counselors every Thursday and Friday mornings from 9 to 11:30 a.m.