It’s a Wrap! 2016 BGF Summary

Aloha Lemonites & BizzyBs! 2016 has been a year of astonishing growth and good times for the BizGym Foundation. Our message of “Profit to SHARE” is trending in a market that’s celebrating a renewed interest in innovative skills and entrepreneurial spirit. Top BGF initiatives this year:

1. Lemonade Alley was Zestier than Ever!

Lemonade Alley completed it’s 7th year of operations this year at Pearlridge Center. As always, American Savings Bank provided the big $1,000 cash prizes won by three lucky teams. Also, a new prize by Jamba Juice selected three team recipes to be featured at all Hawaii Jamba Juice locations for 3 months. 20% of proceeds go to the teams’ charities and all teams got to go to Jamba Juice’s test kitchen to perfect the recipes for commercial distribution.

We’re also excited to announce new partnerships with Kama’aina Kids where their mentors will prepare teams at 75 after school program sites on 4 islands and Hawaiian Community Assets who will provide micro loans to needy teams in 2017. Competition entry for our April, 2017 event will remain free on a first-come basis so join our mailing list to get a notification or look the first week of January at LemonadeAlley.com

2. StoryUarts, Puttin’ the Biz in Performing Arts

Miss Kimee making story at Five-0

BGF continues to connect the dots from the performing arts to the world of business thanks to Miss Kimee. In addition to running the Lemonade Alley program at Mid-Pacific, Emceeing Lemonade Alley at Pearlridge Center, Directing Mama Mia at Diamond Head Theater, and gaining a recurring role as “Dr. Noelani Cunha” on CBS’ Hawaii Five-0, Miss Kimee produced programs at BGF’s StoryUarts including:

January – My Teacher’s Got Talent at Bakken Auditorium
March – 2nd Annual Hawaii Sketch Comedy Festival at Honolulu Museum of Art
On going performing arts classes for adults at Manoa Innovation Center teaching improv skills to business people through ImprovHI

Is Miss Kimee a bizzy bee or what???!!??!? 🙂

3. NEW! BizBuzz™ Lemonade Coffee

This year we created BizBuzz™ Lemonade Coffee, the entrepreneur’s drink that’s a fundraiser for Lemonade Alley. The drink is sold around town at popup events and we’re seeking restaurants and coffee shops to add the drink to their menu, pricing it 20% above their top drink price and donating the 20% to Lemonade Alley.

Restaurants & Coffee Shops: add drink to menu, price it 20% above top drink price & donating the 20% to Lemonade Alley

Lemonade Coffee

BizBuzz at Entrepreneurs Foundation Hawaii Wine Event

Team BizBuzz

Thanks to our recipe squad Krystal Kakimoto, Tim Caminos, Ronalyn Reyes and Mark Loughridge for their amazing efforts in making this concoction come to life. Thanks also to early-adopters Island Brew, Honolulu Coffee Company, Hawaii Food & Wine Festival Keiki in the Kitchen, Retail Merchants Association of Hawaii, Lux VIP Events, Wood & Bucket Tapas Bar and Entrepreneurs Foundation of Hawaii. To signup or find out where BizBuzz is available at, see http://bizgym.org/bizbuzz

4. NEW! BizzyB Project-Based Learning Platform

BizzyB Concept Team: Steve Sue, Brian Dote, Mark Loughridge

Team BizzyB

We’re excited to announce a new app-based entrepreneurial learning platform. The app will feature a library of entrepreneurial business adventures for kids. As adventure assignments are completed, adult advisors will mentor via mobile devices offering comments and ratings. Once all assignments are all green-lighted, the kid-biz is approved to go into business.

A library of Business Adventures combined with mobile mentoring!

Our concept team is lead by Brian Dote, Mark Loughridge and your’s truly… we’re so excited to see this app come alive! 2017 plans call for an MLP (Minimum Lovable Product) alpha launch scheduled for July 2017 that includes web, iOS Apple and Android versions. So stay tuned for exciting announcements!

BizzyB is made possible through a 3-year development grant by The Hoag Foundation and leverages the BizGym.com entrepreneurship app. In combination with other grants including Google Foundation, we’re excited to report that this year’s grant awards exceeded $1M, which provide a sustainable platform to develop robust empowerment systems that will stand the test of time.

Please Join Us!

We of course are always in search of smart minds and funding resources to grow our programs, so please consider consider donating, bequeathing or participating in our programs. And if you’re an online shopper, please use smile.amazon.com » (select BizGym Foundation as the beneficiary), Donations can be made at: http://bizgym.org/donate »