March Workshops at Maui County Business Resource Center

The County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development today announced its free workshops for the month of March. 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 ph. 270-5770.

The following workshops are available:

SPECIAL WORKSHOP: In honor of 2017 National Consumer Protection Week is from March 9-11, MBB, MCBRC and HI SBDC Maui join forces to bring a special workshop titled: “Say NO to SCAM Artists”, a video presentation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Thursday, March 9, 2017 – 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Talking points to include the following:

· Internet Fraud * Investment Scams * Tax Scams
· Credit Card Skimming * Validation Code Scam * ATM and Debit Card Fraud
· Billing/Invoice Scams * Telemarketing Scams * MLM Scams
· Product Counterfeiting * Phony Charities * Rent to Own and Rental Scams
· Home Business Scams * Moving Company Scams * Medical, Health, Hospital Fraud and Scams

How to Get 25 Hours out of a 24-Hour Day
Instructor: Patti Sabla
Tuesday, March 14, 2017 – 12 to 1 p.m. (Q&A until 1:15 p.m.)

Time… isn’t that something we all wish we had more of? Since we only get 24 hours in the day, this class will teach you how to make the most of those precious hours. Discover what may be eating up your time without you even realizing it. Find out what is keeping you from being productive. Plus, learn five quick and easy tips to be more efficient, three ways to get more organized, and even how to prioritize your to-do list and stay on track. In addition, participants will receive a Time Journal handout to help guide them and keep them focused throughout the workday. Patti Sabla is a psychotherapist who loves helping people reduce their stress, be more productive, and increase their happiness. She is the owner of Live Life Better, a Maui-based company that provides Time Management Seminars, Stress Reduction Workshops, and Private Coaching. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work with a minor in Holistic Health and a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work.

An Introduction to “Be Strategic: Grow your Business and improve Profitability”
Instructor: David Daly
Wednesday, March 15, 2017 – 12 to 1 p.m.

The MEO Business Development Center (MEO BDC) has brought the “Be Strategic: Grow Your Business” series to Maui County. MEO BDC is actively recruiting 8–10 local entrepreneurs for the upcoming series. The “Be Strategic: Grow Your Business” series was developed for established, local entrepreneurs to grow sales and improve profitability over the course of eight evening sessions, held over a six month period. Participants will:

· Develop a strategic business plan
· Improve business skills critical for growth
· Build a network of like-minded entrepreneurs
· Adopt the “growth mindset” and overcome common barriers to growth

“Be Strategic: Grow Your Business” is a proven series and has demonstrated significant success in sales growth and profitability improvement for businesses. Come to this workshop to get information about this series of evening sessions. More information is also available at MEO BDC/Be-Strategic.

Farm Development 101
Instructor: Richard “Buddy” Nichols
Monday, March 20, 2017 – 12 to 1:30 p.m.

Are you possibly thinking of working off the land and being a farmer? In this workshop, Buddy Nichols will help you to achieve what you want out of life, as a farmer. He will focus on assisting you to compile a list all of the resources that are currently available to you and providing information on how to best utilize these resources in order to become a successful farmer. The end result would be a fulfilling life for the farm, as well as, for the farmer. Buddy Nichols is a USDA Farm Loan Program Manager on Maui. He has a BA in Animal Science and an MBA. He owned/managed a dairy, raised cattle and fruits/vegetables. He understands the aspects of farming from production to financial recordkeeping.

You Want to Start a Business, Now What?
Instructor: Wayne Wong
Friday, March 24, 2017 – 12 to 1:30 p.m.
(Please feel free to bring your “brown bag” lunch)

New Business Ideas cross people’s minds all the time. Learn what elements to evaluate and what it takes to start a business in Maui County. Here are some key questions to ask when starting a business:

· Are you an entrepreneur?
· LLC? Incorporate? Sole Proprietor?
· Can you describe your business; what problem are you solving?
· What are your Startup costs and how will you finance that?
· How do you learn about your target market?
· How will you market your business?
· Who are your customers and what’s in it for them?
· How will you reach your customers?
· Who are your competitors?
· How will you distribute your product?
· How will you price your product or service?
· How will you make a profit?
· What is your sales potential?

Finally, how do you take the answers above and turn it into an action plan? Wayne Wong is the Maui Center Director of the Hawaii Small Business Development Center Network. The Center provides both existing and aspiring business owners with confidential, one-on-one, no cost business advising services, training workshops, and market research services.

Look GREAT in the Inbox!
Instructor: Mckenna Hallett
Tuesday, March 28, 2017 – 12 to 1:30 p.m.

It’s really competitive out there! You need to stand up and be recognized! Everywhere, people connect with you, especially in your email marketing. This hour-long workshop will cover “The 7 Don’ts of Email Design.” With recent changes in marketing online, this is an essential hour that every business or non-profit needs to attend. Your short-term and long-term success may hang in the balance. Learn the best ways to avoid being among the 80% of messages that are now being deleted and the 30% (and growing) unsubscribe rate being experienced among certain groups of recipients. Mckenna Hallett is owner of MyGoldenWords.com. She is a sales and marketing professional who also partners as a Certified Authorized Local Expert with Constant Contact. Starting her first business at the age of 8, she was in sales and marketing management for large and small businesses for three decades. She then started a successful wholesale business creating and selling wearable art jewelry in 1992.

Lei Ho‘olaha CDFI – Providing Financial Education, Training and Loans
Instructor: Peter Hanohano, Executive Director of Lei Ho‘olaha
Wednesday, March 29, 2017 – 12 to 1 p.m.

Lei Ho’olaha is a certified Native CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) that was established initially in 2011 to provide financial assistance and services to rural, low income and Native communities throughout the State of Hawaii. First established to assist charter schools and their support nonprofit organizations, Lei Ho’olaha now provides financial products, primarily in the form of loans, but is working actively to complement these loans with grants to eligible communities and business ventures. Through this workshop, we will share how Lei Ho’olaha and its partner CDFI’s, both locally, regionally and nationally, can bring much-needed funding and technical assistance to Maui. Lei Ho’olaha continues to develop loan products and business services for mission-driven for-profits and non-profits and is funded by a Financial Assistance award through the Native American CDFI Assistance Program (NACA Program), of Community Development Financial Institutions Fund of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Peter Hanohano is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools, and went on to pursue his undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University Hawaii, and graduate degrees at BYU in Provo, Utah, in Educational Psychology (MEd) and Law (JD), and his PhD in First Nations/Indigenous Peoples Education from the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His dissertation title was: “Restoring the Sacred Circle – Education for Culturally Responsive Native Families,” which described culturally resilient factors that Indigenous families could incorporate in creating enriched learning environments at home.

Free Counseling Sessions
Free counseling sessions with experience SCORE and Small Business Development Corp. (SBCD) counselors: Tuesday afternoons, 1-3 p.m., and Thursday and Friday mornings, 9-11:30 a.m.