By HUNTER BISHOP
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Hawaii Business Fairs 2012 is under way today at Aunty Sally’s Luau Hale in Hilo. The event is Hilo real estate broker Liza Yogi’s second attempt at an annual business-related conference.
Last year’s event was more narrowly focused as the “Hawaii Body and Beauty Trade Fair.”
“This year we wanted to make it more inclusive,” said Yogi. So far the strategy has worked as interest in the Hawaii Business Fairs “has been a lot better than last year.”
Workshops are lined up this afternoon and tonight with featured speaker and author Kenneth D. Foster scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. and 6:40 p.m. following dinner. Dozens of exhibitors will set up booths in the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium from 1-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The goal is to elevate Hawaii’s position in the global economy as a model of sustainability, innovation and excellence, Yogi said. Attendees can expect to discover new business opportunities and marketing techniques, explore existing local business owners’ services and products, and learn the importance of small business, entrepreneurship and innovation in Hawaii.
Yogi, who calls herself a survivor, knows the ups and downs of business. She came to Hawaii 33 years ago from her native Philippines to work for her brother. A real estate broker since 1996, Yogi said she became a “victim of the economy” and lost her house in the recession. “I thought I was already made,” she said. “I should have been prepared for it, but I wasn’t. On TV I see people walking away from their homes, giving up.” Yogi actually lost her home, too, but she didn’t give up.
She told her husband Byron that “we need to do something, find another way to make a living.” Her Business Fairs introduce ideas such as bartering and social media marketing to the mix of business survival tools and has a host of speakers ready to expound on different ways of doing business.
“I did not know much about making a living but learned to survive by doing business in Hawaii. I started with assisting my brother in importing goods from the Philippines, learning to clear shipments, packing and shipping, sales and delivery, and negotiating. I learned many things but labor just wasn’t my cup of tea,” she said. She attended a business school, learned accounting, and earned a Real Estate license while raising her three children, one with special needs. “I can say that I have succeeded in all of my serious endeavors. I remain a caregiver to my special son. (But) I am in a place where I don’t need much anymore. I just want more. I want to make a difference.”
Yogi’s goal is to create a comprehensive website with business contacts that can lead people to the new ways of doing business. “We’re doing crash courses here,” she said, “But the support is there. We’re just a conduit.”
Larry Czerwonka has worked with Yogi on several previous events and is on this afternoon’s list of speakers. “I’m trying to get people to understand what it takes in business,” he said. Part of that is to dispel the notion often touted in breathless ads claiming anyone can make thousands of dollars a day with just their computer at home.
“Well, you can make it in business,” said Czerwonka. “But you have to work. That’s part of the reality. There’s no magic pill. The key is to network with people actually doing it. It comes down to your interaction with people. Word of mouth will always rule.” Czerwonka will discuss “ePublishing … the New Wave,” this afternoon at 3.
Organizing the event is “really a lot of stress but exciting at the same time,” said Yogi. “For us it’s very fulfilling to know it’s grown in popularity.”
Yogi counts Joe Becerril, 53, among her success stories. Down and out of luck, the homeless Becerril met Yogi, who helped him find a place to stay, asked him to help out with the Business Fairs, and encouraged him to get started in business himself. “I learned that businesses need each other to move forward,” Becerril said. “Through that, I’m meeting all these people. I even shook the mayor’s hand.” Now his videography work is picking up and he’s published a book of his own poems.
“I found that if you’re unemployed, you’re self-employed,” Becerril said. “I’m just trying to work it and make it happen.”
There will be entertainment throughout both the Friday and Saturday exhibit days, including hula, line dancing, belly dancing, harp therapy, Filipino folk dancing and taiko drums.
Only today’s events carry a fee — $10 for the afternoon workshops, $15 for dinner, the evening’s speakers and and an entertaining SpeedNet event. Registration begins at noon.
The event’s featured speaker, Kenneth D. Foster, is a part-time Kona resident and author of the book “Ask and You Will Succeed.” Foster will discuss how to use joint ventures in his talk titled “Building Your Business … to Succeed.”
In addition to his after-dinner talk, Foster will present “The Art of Business Consciousness: How to Increase the Impact of Your Mission, Your Message and Your Sales With Joint Venture Partnerships,” from 2 to 3 p.m. today.
Other speakers today include Kevin Hopkins on Aquarium Fresh Water Fish, “The next big Big Island Export Wave”; Patrick Walsh on product branding and exportation; Jill Mattos on cattle production; Angela Adamson on stage productions; Mike DuPonte on Korean natural farming; Tony Vidana on energy alternatives and others.
State Sen. Gil Kahele also will speak today on “The Big Island … in the building stage.”
Exhibitors will set up booths in the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium for interaction with the public in areas such as marketing and publishing, health and beauty, arts and music, aquaculture, farming and livestock, agriculture, science and technology, from 1-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Admission is free both days.
Dale Olive and his Waiakea High School robotics group will make a presentation at 4:20 p.m. today and will stage a solar-powered robotics competition on Saturday in the Butler Building next to the Civic Auditorium. Event Sponsor De Luz Chevrolet will have electric cars from its fleet on display and two trips to Las Vegas will be raffled off from event sponsor Boyd Vacations Hawaii, one on Friday and another on Saturday.
“It is important to me that I share my experiences and talents to others who are in need,” Yogi said. “I once had a blind spot about how to survive but I kept searching and learning until I realized that I can realize my dreams only if I am determined. I have not stopped dreaming through all the challenges in my life.
“This is something I know I can share with others who also want to make a difference in their lives.” Yogi will be among the speakers at today’s afternoon sessions.
Other event sponsors include Vacations Hawaii, Aloha Land Realty, Estate Noni, Bolo Graphics, Cost-U-Less, Akmal Foods and Cafe 100. For more info, http://hawaiibizfairs.eventbrite.com.
Email Hunter Bishop at hbishop@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
