Mentoring
Following our stated Mission, the Center has established a mentoring network to give personalized support to CIE's graduates in the creation and execution of their respective business plans. Many small businesses are ill conceived and poorly executed and as a result fail within their first year of operations. A substantial cause of these failures is the lack of expert support for the new entrepreneur, especially for those who lack any tradition or experience in running a business. This lack of actual business experience is a characteristic of most of the budding entrepreneurs in BYUH's target areas. In addition to lacking experience, they often lack contacts with local business people who could advise and counsel them as they endeavor to develop a local opportunity into a viable business. Using "friends" of BYUH (including those available through ecclesiastical and alumni networks), a network of business "mentors" has been established for CIE's main center in Hawai'i and for each Distance Learning Center.
A budding entrepreneur can thus work with an established network of local mentors with the expertise and experience to give valuable counsel. The Center supplements these local mentoring networks by occasionally providing "traveling mentors" ( experienced academicians and seasoned businessmen from Hawai'i and the Mainland) who will donate the required time and expertise to support the mentor networks. Also, local expertise is further supplemented, when necessary, thorough video conferencing which provides "virtual mentoring sessions" with CIE's Hawai'i-based experts. We believe that through the mentor network and local business plan competitions, the expertise and reach of BYUH and CIE is effectively broadened and extended in fulfillment of our mission.
Panels
Each year at the Business Plan Competitions and Conference, whether it be in Hawai'i or at one of our Distance Learning Centers, panel discussions are presented for the student entrepreneurs. These panels are composed of two to three mentors in specific areas of expertise. Each panelist presents personal instruction then participates in a motivating 
discussion with the other panelists and the students. It is a fun and satisfying opportunity for our experienced entrepreneurs to share their hopes and knowledge with the Center's entrepreneurs in training.
Potential panel topics for this year's Conference are:
* From Ideas to Cash Flow
* How to Get Started With No Money
* Surviving a Family Business
* Networking Your Way to Success
* Scriptures, Money, Riches, and Getting Into The Kingdom of Heaven
* Essentials in Starting Business, From a Legel Perspective
* How to Remain Sane with an Entrepreneur for a Spouse
* Selling:The Key to Success
* Ten Rules of Thumb for Business Ideas
* Where to Get Good Business Ideas
* Creating a Winning Team with Employees/Partners
* Being an Entrepreneur without Starting a Company
* Making Money in E-Business
* Marketing On a Shoestring
* Seven Habits of Highly Successful Entrepreneurs
* How to Know if You are Making Money
* When Local Cultures Collide With the American Dream
* Entrepreneurship in its Natural Enviroment
* Leadership in Asia
* Why I have Chosen Entrepreneurship as My Profession
* Franchising: Avenue to Success
* Marketing is Everything
* Manufacturing a Product
* Understanding and Income Statement
* Importing and Exporting
* Funding Your Business Idea
* Idea Vs. Opportunity
* Social Entrepreneurship
* Or, create your own topic!
