Leasehold Properties: A Deal or a Drain?
While most of the state’s leasehold single-family properties have converted to fee simple ownership over the past few decades, the leasehold option remains alive in the condo market.
Business & Industry
Talk Story with Coralie Chun Matayoshi
Coralie Chun Matayoshi, CEO, American Red Cross, Hawaii Chapter & Pacific Islands Region The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15 and runs through Nov. 30. In this interview, Matayoshi talks about disaster preparedness and the role the Red Cross plays…
5 Steps to Publishing a Book to Win Clients
Small-business consultant Patrick Snow is frequently asked for the best way to attract more paying clients. His answer: Write and publish your book and give it away to prospects. This works, he says, because it allows you to stand out…
Ask the Expert: Loan Options
Question: I’m in the early stages of growing my small business. What are my best loan options if I have limited qualifications for financing? Answer: Securing capital through a loan can be challenging when you are just starting or…
Not Your Parents' College Degrees
The world will always need people trained in traditional fields such as education, medicine and law. But many college students today are looking to emerging fields where the number of jobs are growing, not shrinking, or careers that seem more…
Aloha Medical Mission Heals the Poor in the Philippines
For a week in February, a team of 28 volunteers helped heal some of the poorest people in Tuguegarao and the surrounding region of the Philippines. The visitors from Hawaii’s Aloha Medical Mission and their local partners saw 1,300 patients, performed 22…
Happy Employees Seem to Increase Profits
Delaney launched HiHR in 2009 and the company has made the Hawaii Best Places to Work list in every year for which it was eligible – four straight now. In the same time, HiHR went from revenues of $6.1 million in 2009 to $123…
Ecofriendly Wrapping Paper
Problem: After years of attending weddings, birthdays and baby showers, Sara Smith had reached a tipping point. “I was feeling the weight of all the rubbish that was created by gift giving,” the Maui resident says. So she founded Wrappily last year…
Ask the Expert: Picking a Restaurant Location
Question: I want to open my own restaurant. How do I pick the right location? Answer: For many people, there’s no more romantic notion than opening a restaurant. While the business is a lot less glamorous than it appears…
5 Steps to Becoming a Better Public Speaker
Public speaking is a great way to build your business by educating the community on how you can serve it. Motivational speaker and speaker trainer Annette Lynch shares these steps to help you overcome nerves and engage your target audience.…
Ask the Expert: Retirement Plans
Question: What are the best retirement plans for the self-employed? Answer: If you are self-employed or have a side business in addition to another job, the best retirement-savings options are solo 401(k) plans (either Roth or regular) or a…
The Commerce of Hawaii Political Campaigns
The best political candidate in the world might get nowhere without a team of marketing, direct-mail, advertising, polling and other professionals to help refine the message and effectively deliver it to voters. It’s an election year and Alan Tang is…
Wild Days of Tree Trimming are Dying
PHOTOS BY ELYSE AND MATT MALLAMS Back in the mid-1970s, when Abner Undan started working for a tree-trimming company, the standard method was to lop off branches randomly and use spikes to climb palm trees. “Those were the old…
High-Rises Design Inspired by the Ocean
It’s not your imagination, Honolulu is packed with high-rises. In fact, it ranks sixth in the United States —right behind San Francisco—and 30th in the world among cities with the most skyscrapers, according to Emporis, a building-industry information clearinghouse. Since…
Raising Funds for Hokulea's Worldwide Voyage
PHOTOS BY MONTE COSTA “Raising funds in today’s economy is no easy task,” says Clyde Namuo, CEO of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. Neither is travelling around the world in a traditional Hawaiian sailing canoe, but the voyaging society is simultaneously…
Talk Story with Jeff Shonka, First Insurance Co. of Hawaii
Shonka, who oversees 300 employees, says First Insurance will continue to pursue core values exemplified in the acronym RICE: Respect for others; Integrity in all we do; Creating the future for ourselves and the community; and Excellent customer service. You…
Parting Shot: Surf Photographer Zak Noyle
Swell Shot Wednesday, 5 P.M. North Shore, Oʻahu Photo by Nate Lawrence Zak Noyle positions himself as he prepares to photograph surfers at Pipeline. Noyle has been shooting surfers for eight years, the past six professionally. The time he spends in…
Ask the Expert: Flood Insurance
Question: I heard the National Flood Insurance Program is moving away from “subsidized” rates. What does this mean? Answer: Due to the catastrophic nature of flooding, most private insurers exclude flood damage from their property insurance. To fill this need,…
Entrepreneurs Inspired by the Ocean
It’s no surprise the same ocean that inspires surfers, paddlers and swimmers has also inspired entrepreneurs to make a living off what they love. They start surf schools, design canoe paddles, cultivate marine livestock, run fishing charters or develop technology…
Talk Story with Ben Godsey, President of ProService Hawaii
Godsey, 41, acquired ProService with Dustin Sellers in 2005, with both serving as co-presidents until Sellers left the company at the end of 2013. Born and raised in Ocean Springs, Miss., Godsey has worked on Wall Street and as a biologist studying…
Local Businesses Succeed Through Crowdfunding
You may have seen Kathy Sills selling her Aloha Pops frozen treats in front of the King Kamehameha statue or at Honolulu events such as Eat the Street. Her distinctive tricycle is tricked with a cooler packed with dry ice and $3 pops…
5 Steps to Understanding Arbitration Clauses
Increasingly, small-business contracts include arbitration clauses that seek to limit potential lawsuits. Mark Davis, a partner with Davis Levin Livingston, offers these tips to help you understand arbitration clauses and avoid potential pitfalls. 1. Know the purpose of an arbitration clause…
Ask the Expert: Franchising on the Mainland
Question: My business is successful in the Islands. How do I know when I’m ready to franchise on the mainland? Answer: Here are the main factors to consider when deciding if you are ready for franchising. Built for Other…
Hawaii is Business Heaven, Not Hell
For many people around the world, Hawaii is paradise. They have a vision of pristine beaches, glorious sunsets and friendly people. In other words, heaven on earth. But when it comes to commerce, the vision of Hawaii from the outside…