Volunteers dedicate their time to help Maui’s businesspeople succeed.If you have been searching for a roadmap to start your own business in Maui County, there is a team of professionals who can steer you in the right direction—straight down the pathway to success.
Located across from IHOP at the Maui Mall in Kahului, the Maui County Business Resource Center (MCBRC) is an extension project of the County of Maui’s Office of Economic Development (OED). The MCBRC serves as the ultimate “information kiosk,” offering a bevy of resources to individuals who may need assistance in the development or maintenance of a small business in Maui County. With its participating partners, the MCBRC offers a customized crash course in “Business 101,” walking clients through application and registration processes, demystifying business plans and accounting techniques, and providing hands-on resources, such as a computer bank, comprehensive business library and a Business Action Center offering a series of forms, applications and other documents. The MCBRC also hosts a series of classes, lectures and brown bag workshops throughout the year, covering a wide range of topics, such as “The ABC’s of a Small Business,” and “Computer Systems for a Start-up Business.”
Within the MCBRC is the Maui Branch of the Service Core of Retired Executives (SCORE), a nonprofit organization comprised of a team of professionals—not all of whom are retired—who volunteer their time to counsel budding entrepreneurs and small business owners. From small, “mom and pop” establishments to flourishing Fortune 500 companies, SCORE has helped all shapes and sizes blossom from hopeful ideas to successful realities. And best of all, SCORE services are free of charge.
A resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE is designed to guide both prospective and established small business owners through the often-bewildering process of starting and maintaining a small business in Maui County. SCORE clients receive confidential, one-on-one or online mentoring from friendly, dedicated professionals who are trained to oversee the development, growth and success of small businesses.
Founded in 1964, SCORE rapidly evolved into “America’s premier source of free and confidential small business advice.” Today, SCORE’s 389 chapters and nearly 11,000 volunteers operating throughout the United States, and has nurtured the growth of eight million businesses nationwide.
On Maui, SCORE volunteers dedicate a generous amount of time to help their clients succeed in a variety of business endeavors. “Our primary goal here,” said SCORE Counselor Brain Thomas, “Is to help the small businessperson navigate the landmines by sharing our expertise and knowledge.”
Thomas certainly knows a thing or two about building a business from scratch. When he was just 15 years old, he developed his own industrial painting business. “It was great, but I could have used SCORE back then,” he said with a smile. As a result of his own experiences, he admitted, “My heart is with the small businessperson… I have a maximum amount of respect for anyone making it on their own.”
Like Thomas, Maui’s SCORE counselors bring a high level of enthusiasm and diversity of expertise to the table. There are seven SCORE counselors, each with an extensive background in a particular area, ranging from business marketing and Quickbooks Pro to life coaching and patents and trademarks.
And the comprehensive approach is very effective. “A client might find that a seemingly obscure topic like global economics actually has a perspective that is relative to their own business,” said Thomas.
To date, Maui SCORE counselors have assisted hundreds of clients, and they have no plans of quitting anytime soon. “SCORE is truly the backbone of the MCBRC,” said Maui County Small Business Advocate Anna Rubican. “These guys give their clients 110 percent.”
Rubican and Thomas both agreed that their greatest joy is seeing a client walk in with a dream, and walk out with the necessary tools—and the confidence—to make it come true. “It’s the best feeling,” she said. But the first step—literally—is walking through the front door. “We are here to help,” said Thomas. “We encourage people to come in and see what we can do for them.” The Maui County Business Resource Center is located at the Maui Mall, 70 Kaahumanu Ave., Unit B-9, across from IHOP. For more information, or to schedule an appointment with a SCORE counselor, call (808) 873-8247 or visit www.mauicounty.gov/mcbrc.