Business Development and Support Division

Entrepreneurs register for this years Small Business Fair.

Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) co-hosted the Small Business Fair, “Launch Your Dreams into Reality” on Saturday, October 12 from 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Chaminade University’s Henry Hall in Honolulu. More than 200 small business owners and entrepreneurs attended the free one-day event featuring 23 business-related workshops and one-on-one business counseling, plus exhibits with vendors from Federal, State and local agencies, organizations and financial institutions.

Attendees enjoyed a wide range of workshop topics including How to “Sell” Yourself & Your Product, Specialty Loans & Tax Breaks, Brand Imaging, Understanding Business Accounting, Exporting: The New Wave for Small Business, Filing and Paying Taxes, and many more. There were also opportunities for one-on-one business counseling provided by the Small Business Development Center and SCORE.

DBEDT partners included the US Small Business Administration, Chaminade University, Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Internal Revenue Service, Bank of Hawaii, and the Business Action Center.

Other exhibitors on-hand to assist, encourage and provide information to existing and future small business owners included the Minority Business Development Agency, SCORE, State Dept. of Transportation, State Department of Taxation, State Department of Health, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Patsy T. Mink Center for Business and Leadership, Pacific Gateway center, Central Pacific Bank, Homestreet Bank and many more.

For more information about future Small Business Fairs coming to your community, call Wayne Thom at (808) 587-2757.