Michelle Carpenter, owner of Aloha Complex Care, won the $20,000 first place prize in the Maui Economic Opportunity Business Development Center's Core for Best Business Plan Competition. Photo courtesy of MEO
KAHULUI – Michelle Carpenter, owner of a concierge health care business serving clients and families in need of care, wrote the best business plan in Maui Economic Opportunity’s third annual Core for Best Business Plan Competition, winning a $20,000 grant.
Carpenter's business plan for Aloha Complex Care LLC was one of eight that won grants ranging from $20,000 to $5,000 in a competition run by MEO's Business Development Center and funded through the Maui County Economic Development Agency.
Twenty-one startup business plans were submitted and reviewed by Hawaii Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Maui Director Wayne Wong, SBDC Maui Senior Business Advisor Fred Rickert and Jerry Smith, a retired business development consultant and senior budget analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense in Maui.
Business owners completed one of six Core 4 Business Plan courses in 2023-24. Judging was based on a business plan description and summary, marketing plan, operations plan, cash flow projections and the impact of economic diversification on Maui's economy.
The other seven winners are:
• Second place, $15,000 prize, Maui Walking Tours LLC, owner Keith DeVey.
• Third place, $15,000 prize, Café Wa'a, Shawn Leong and Angie Corpuz.
• Fourth place, $10,000 prize, Ano Farms, Catalina Araki.
• Fifth place, $5,000 award, Luau Creamery LLC, Wailani Artates.
• Sixth place, $5,000 award, CHESS (Cardio Health Environmental Safety Systems), Gary Candido.
• Seventh place, $5,000 prize, Tracy Robinson, Queens.
• 8th place, $5,000 prize, Maui Microgreens, Joshua Farin.
MEO Business Development Center's Core 4 Business Planning class and Best Business Plan Competition are funded by the Maui County Economic Development Office. The Core 4 Business Planning course provides a total of 24 hours of instruction in person and via Zoom, covering how to write a business plan and providing the information you need to start, run, and grow your business. The course is designed for those who are thinking about starting a business or those who are just starting out and need direction. The course is offered multiple times throughout the year on Maui and Molokai.
The cost of the course is $75, with financial assistance available upon request. For more information about Core Four, call (808) 249-2990.
Aloha Complex Care Story
Carpenter said the Core Four series helped her. “It pinpoints critical flaws in your business plan that, if not addressed, could lead to significant financial losses.” The class taught her a systematic and thoughtful approach to developing a comprehensive and robust business plan, and she found the cashflow worksheet to be a valuable tool that she refers to constantly.
As a concierge care coordinator, she and her company coordinate and support clients and their families with challenges including housing, home care services, medical management, legal and financial issues, etc. She acts as a liaison between clients, families and other professionals, and as an advocate for clients in care coordination.
For example, one recent client needed 24/7 private care but was only available 10-12 hours a day, and her knowledge and problem-solving approach enabled family members, private caregivers and technology like Blink cameras to enable her client to spend her final days in the comfort of her own apartment.
Carpenter used a $20,000 grant to 'Big investment' Technological devices include an increase in Blink cameras, motorized stair chairs for occupants of apartment buildings without elevators, stretchers that can transform into chairs, voice-activated devices, wheelchairs and motorized hospital beds.
Carpenter, a licensed nurse, came to Maui during the COVID-19 pandemic as a travel case manager for Maui Memorial Medical Center, her website states.
Carpenter founded Aloha Complex Care in August 2022 and took the Core Four class series in January 2023. She has worked with five to eight clients.
To contact Aloha Complex Care, please call (808) 269-5463 or email info@alohacomplexcare.com.
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Michelle Carpenter, owner of Aloha Complex Care, won the $20,000 first place prize in the Maui Economic Opportunity Business Development Center's Core for Best Business Plan Competition. Photo courtesy of MEO
