Managing a business

We all recognize that the times are tough and the economy is in trouble. Unemployment is at an all-time high and the housing market is still in a tailspin. Worry and fear seem to fill the air.

For these reasons and many others, the challenges of managing a business may seem overwhelming. But these are the times when effective management is most important. It can truly make the difference between success and failure.

But what is effective management? Answers to that question have been sought by business persons for decades and the ones who found successful solutions are often called “entrepreneurs.”

The skills, attitudes and knowledge that define the entrepreneur have been the subject of extensive research by the Kauffman Foundation in cooperation with America’s most popular business training programs offered at our leading universities. Their findings have been tried, tested and proven in every kind of business, large and small, across the county. They are consistently producing successful enterprises, even in hard times.

These findings have been translated into the principles and practices that comprise the art and science of entrepreneurship. They are included in a 10 session course entitled “Business Management and Growth” offered at Kaua‘i Community College. The course is from 4 to 7 p.m., Jan. 13, in the Trade Technology Building, Room 114.

Topics include: employee recruitment and training, team building, managing and empowering personnel, managing money and operations to achieve and maintain profit, designing an effective strategy for marketing, advertising and sales, negotiating business agreements, applying leadership and management skills to achieve genuine business success, learning to expand incrementally, building the versatile business organization, developing and refining operating and control systems, applying evaluation systems that create a strategy for future growth, and understanding why ethics are important for sustainability in the marketplace and for the ultimate prosperity of your enterprise.

Learning to manage your business is learning to manage the process growth and expansion as the foundation for continuing success. This course focuses on the skills required to manage a growing business that will respond to change and continue to prosper in a dynamic economic environment.

The principal instructor is Glenn Hontz. He earned his masters and doctors degree at Columbia University and has held teaching and administrative positions at the State University of New York, the University of California and the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. He served as a business counselor at Kaua‘i’s Small Business Development and has held leadership positions in city government, numerous businesses and non-profit organizations.

To enroll, call the Office of Continuing Education and Training at Kaua‘i Community College at 245-8318. Tuition is $120. Financial assistance is available.

• Glenn Hontz is coordinator and director of the Food Industry Program at Kaua’i Community College and can be reached at 246-4859 or hontz@hawaii.edu.