City celebrates Small Business Week with lineup of events for owners, entrepreneurs

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – It’s Small Business Week on Oahu and the city is celebrating it with a big lineup of events for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.

From April 28 through May 4, small businesses are invited to take part in different workshops and networking events across the island.

The week is meant to be an opportunity to lift up small business owners and entrepreneurs while connecting them with resources that could help them become more successful.

To that end, the City and County of Honolulu’s Office of Economic Revitalization is working to get the word out about a relatively new resource for Oahu’s community of doers.

”The Oahu Business Connector (OBC) program provides support for small businesses looking to launch, expand, or take the next step in their journey. Along with a website that lists a wealth of resources, OER has a four-person team of Resource Connectors, who meet in person with businesses around the island,” said Kym Sparlin, Deputy Director in the city’s Office of Economic Revitalization.

The Oahu Business Connector can provide small businesses with help on things like human resources, financing, marketing and much more.

The online service boasts 70 resource partners with more than 1,250 free and low cost services.

”I would recommend the OBC because they are an available resource to gain access to a network of like-minded individuals and potential collaborators in the community. As a Filipino American living in Hawaii, being collaborative is ingrained in our way of life and philosophy,” said photographer Edmar Castillo in an online testimonial found on the OBC’s website.

Castillo says he first heard about the Oahu Business Connector through the Filipino Chamber of Commerce and quickly realized how the service could help him streamline his business operations.

”OBC offers events, seminars, and professional development to small businesses, and an online directory where businesses can find resources that meet their specific needs,” added Sparlin.

Multiple public events will be held around the island this week to get small businesses and the people who can help them, in the same space together.

Here’s a breakdown:

• Networking opportunity: Meet the Resource Connectors
  • Wednesday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • The Hub Coworking in Kakaako (1050 Queen St., #100).
  • Talk story with OER’s Resource Connector team and learn about free and low-cost help services available to small businesses and startups.
• Workshop opportunity: Is a home-based business right for you?
  • Thursday, May 2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Kapolei Hale (1000 Uluohia St.)
  • Co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Learn about the benefits and challenges of starting or running a home-based business, and how to get your products into military base facilities. Advanced registration is required at Eventbrite.
• Office of Economic Revitalization Pop-up Booth
  • Saturday, May 4 from 8 a.m. to noon
  • At the Makeke Waianae Farmers Market at Waianae Mall (86-120 Farrington Hwy).
  • Small businesses and entrepreneurs are invited to Office of Economic Revitalization’s booth to get connected with free and low-cost services.

For more information or to sign up for these events, click here or call (808)768-2262.

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