We’ve made plenty of mistakes at Kona Impact over the years, but there is one error in our thinking processes that we have made a few times over the years. Simply put, it was letting technology lead instead of letting the needs of our customers lead. Not only have we wasted money, but we’ve also...Read More

These are, without a doubt, challenging times for businesses. One thing we’ve all learned is that all businesses are connected at some level. I always say it’s hard to go up when everyone is going down. Zigging when the economy is zagging is exceedingly difficult.  For most businesses, now is a fairly slow time. Fewer...Read More

Right now (July 2020) we are probably (or maybe–I don’t know) about half-way through the great Covide 19 Pandemic of 2020. Many believe we’ll have a vaccine by year’s end. That is the assumption I accept. We have at least five more months of the pandemic affecting nearly every aspect of our lives. The Good...Read More

If you are bootstrapping a new business or just want to grow an existing business, how would you allocate a $500 marketing budget?  Going “all in” on one medium? $500 for one or two days of small newspaper adsA very limited radio ad spendA very small yellow pages ad None of these are likely to...Read More

It’s hard to be positive these days about Hawaii’s economy, and more specifically, Kona’s economy. I saw last weekend that the unemployment rate was 13% overall for Hawaii. I imagine it is close to 20% for the tourism-driven economy of West Hawaii. A walk down Alii Drive, our main tourist shop area, will show “For...Read More

Stay out of trouble by doing things right. Register your business with the state. Get insurance. Pay your taxes. Follow the law. Be “all in” all the time. Running a business, any business, takes hours and hours of dedication, focus, and hard work. If your business is your livelihood and not a hobby, give it all...Read More

We have a saying in our office: “No one regrets a sign.” There are very few more direct and visible ways to promote your business than effective signage. As they say, “a business with no sign is a sign of no business.” Here are some options: Paper – A great option for indoor signs. It’s...Read More

One thing I try to keep in mind with the Covid pandemic is that we are all figuring things out for the first time. As such, I don’t Monday morning quarterback the decisions of others, and I try to give as much patience and understanding as I can to the viewpoints of others. Many people...Read More