Make Next Year Better
Now is the time to start planning so next year is better than this one. Start by reflecting on the current year and identifying what worked well and what didn’t. Were the challenges hiring good staff or training them? Making…
Small Business
Kohala Restaurants Offer Food Fit For A King
Find big flavors on the Big Island at these best places to eat in North Kohala. North Kohala has a rich history as the birthplace of Kamehameha the Great and as a central hub during the plantation days. Still, many…
What Small Business Owners Can Learn from the Uber Fiasco
The fall of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick offers valuable lessons for small business owners. From my perspective, Kalanick did not understand or appreciate his limitations and the ramifications of his actions. Both are common management failures. As the owner of…
Increasing the Value of Your Business
You have a business that is doing well and paying the bills. Maybe it has put one or two children through college. The kids are working, maybe on the Mainland, and not interested in taking over the family business. Now…
South Kona Store Is Durable, Like Its Fabrics
Brian Kimura sees an unfortunate trend in the sewing industry. “With all the discount stores coming here,” he says, “they’re bringing in so much cheap clothing. Before, it was cheaper for people to sew their own outfits for the kids.…
5 Things Small Businesses Should Know About Monetizing Their Digital Media
Monday, September 11, 2017, 11:30 am - By Noelle Fujii The customer is king because customers control whether a business succeeds or fails. Today, effective ways to reach consumers include social media, websites and mobile apps. …
5 Things to Know About the Customer Connection
Thursday, January 1, 1970, - By Noelle Fujii There's an old saying, "The customer is king." Today, the customer really is a king: well informed, very demanding, willing to change their mind at a moment's notice - and with their…
5 Things to Know About a Digital Media Strategy
Thursday, January 1, 1970, - By Noelle Fujii “A digital media strategy is not something that you should…
5 Things to Know About Developing an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy
Thursday, January 1, 1970, - Figuring out how to share your brand’s message and the right audience to share it with is becoming more difficult in today’s noisy world. After all, businesses now compete for attention with information that’s available…
5 Things Small Businesses Should Know About Monetizing Their Digital Media
The customer is king because customers control whether a business succeeds or fails. Today, effective ways to reach consumers include social media, websites and mobile apps. Navigating those platforms can be difficult for some small businesses, so Hawaii Business put…
6 Family Business Essentials
A family business is one of the oldest forms of capitalism, but that doesn’t make it easy.
Saimin Starts Here 6 Days Each Week
Ross Shigeoka starts his day at 6:30 a.m. by mixing and rolling dough for the noodles he serves at Shige’s Saimin Stand in Wahiawa. He cuts the dough using this 1950s-vintage Japanese machine to produce 60 to 80 pounds of…
Our Kakaʻako: Connecting People and Place
Past or present, people remain the soul of Kakaʻako Ewa-uplifting its concrete facade, splashing color and character across sullen streets, and creating new spaces for communions and opportunities.
Duck What? Duck Butt, That’s What.
When Jin Hong started visiting bar and restaurant suppliers as the new GM for Café Duck Butt, people remembered him. Some giggled when he said the name. “Back in the day, people thought I was either a pervert or that…
Report from Washington: Good News for Hawaii Small Businesses
I just finished three days of providing testimony and participating in the national Small Business Administration’s Regulatory Fairness Board meeting. Twenty-two board members from across the U.S. attended and represented their states and regions. I represented Hawaii and served as…
Hawaiʻi is Home for Many Musicians and Kumu Hula, but Japan Pays the Bills
For many Hawaiian musicians and singers, performing is both their passion and their livelihood. So, when there's not enough places to perform locally, or the pay is too low, they have to improvise. Some work day jobs and perform at…
8 Fat Fat 8
When Sai Yeung opened his bar and grill over 30 years ago, he wanted a lucky name. His choice was 8 Fat Fat 8 and the lucky name seems to have worked, as the restaurant has been in the same…
5 Things to Know About a Digital Media Strategy
“A digital media strategy is not something that you should be afraid of,” said Thomas Obungen, digital and…
Hawaii Depends on Small Businesses
Small businesses are so crucial to Hawaii that they must be nurtured and protected for the overall economy to grow. The federal Small Business Administration has different definitions for a small business depending on the industry, but, if we use…
Manage to the Max
My last column explained why small businesses are so crucial to Hawaii and that they must be nurtured for the overall economy to grow. This column offers a simple but effective strategy to manage your business to maximum capacity. First,…
6 Family Business Essentials
A family business is one of the oldest forms of capitalism, but that doesn’t make it easy. “It’s hard enough running a business, but then you have all of these family things that are overlaid on top of it,” said…
Restoring Memories
The JamBio for JamBios goes a little like this: An entrepreneur with successful ventures sees ideas everywhere. As she walks down the street, Beth N. Carvin pulls ideas from her surroundings, her daydreams, and the people and things in her…
The Small Biz HR Guide
Discover the Human Resources and Experts that will help take your small business to the next level. Click here to view the section
Maui Brewing Founders Named Hawaii and National Small Business Persons of the Year
UPDATED: MAY 1, 2017 Maui Brewing founders honored as 2017 National Small Business Persons of the Year WASHINGTON, D.C. – Linda McMahon, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, today announced that husband-and-wife business partners Garrett and Melanie Marrero of Maui Brewing Co.…