A group of small business owners and leaders of non-profits recently attended a workshop to grow their business with AI. The half-day workshop was hosted by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and presented by Marc Rix, an international adviser, speaker, consultant, and trainer. 

A Maui resident and serial small business founder, Marc has guided some of the world’s largest organizations through major technology shifts and helps business leaders put AI to work in practical, human-first ways.  

“My goal was simple,” said Rix. “Help Maui’s business leaders separate AI myth from fact and apply AI in their organizations for fast, measurable results. Watching the room evolve from curious to confident to building real, working solutions before lunch proves that you can noticeably raise the tide on AI fluency on Maui in the right setting.” 

Rix believes business leaders are being buried in AI noise, hype, and misinformation. The interactive workshop’s whole intent was to help them see through it and succeed with AI on their own terms. 

Participants were asked to come prepared with a problem (or two) to solve. Rix helped them to build three “super skills” together, identify quick-win opportunities for AI in their own businesses, and had each leader build a working AI solution they took back to work that same day. 

Wayne Wong, Director of Hawaii Small Business Development Center on Maui took part and said, “The workshop struck an unusually effective balance: enough AI understanding to build confidence, enough hands-on practice to make it tangible, and a strong connection to the everyday realities of running a small business.” 

Dan Ellis, President of Pacific Millworks added, “We loved the delivery, engagement, and how we used our own business problems, not a textbook.” 

MEDB runs workshops with support of County of Maui to assist small businesses owners and entrepreneurs. This workshop gave the confidence and practical skills to turn everyday challenges into working AI solutions—saving time and helping them focus on growing their businesses.