Last year, we did a lot of thinking about how we can help our community become a place where entrepreneurism thrives and locally-owned and operated businesses start, grow, and prosper. We all know the numbers: very little money spent at big box retailers cycles through our community. We know, for example, that a big part […]
A life well lived, a game well played: David Bowie (1947-2016, RIP) It’s hard not to imagine anyone from my generation, the one before it, and perhaps current generations, who has not been inspired and touched by a David Bowie song. For me, it was “Changes,” which I played incessantly as an early teen. It […]
I was thinking the other day about what conversations I have that are the most frustrating. These are the conversations I have several times a year, and they all have the same script. The entrepreneur… Realizes she is struggling with her business. Knows the business is important to her livelihood Has used several off-island, low-cost […]
Never before have the tools for making business cards, brochures and newsletters been so readily available. What used to be a $2,500 software suite, the Adobe line of tools, including InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, can now be rented for about $50 a month. Most off-the-shelf computers these days can handle nearly all entry-level graphic design […]
Kona Impact is thankful for …having great employees who do their best to provide awesome products and services to our customers. …the several hundred businesses that chose to do business with us in 2015. …our suppliers who have helped us go from two or three-day turnaround to same and next day turnaround this year. …those […]
There’s a pretty accurate idea that 20% of your clients are responsible for 80% of your problems. I’ve also heard that 20% of your clients are responsible for 80% of your profits. We’ve found both—plus or minus 10%–to be true. Some days it feels like 1% of our clients are responsible for 99% of our […]
Every year or so, we get a client who requests the Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop file of a project. At times, we say, “yes, here it is,” and most of the time, we say, “no.” The always “yes” answer is with logo design projects. The “no” is with almost everything else. The metaphor I like […]
At Kona Impact we work with four hundred or so businesses a year. This includes off-island companies, some of the largest employers on Hawaii Island, and a lot of small, single-person businesses. At times I learn a lot from all my clients. I also get to share a lot of what I have learned from […]
We hear the same old tired complaining yearly about the IRONMAN in Kona. Here are the complaints I hear every year: “The athletes don’t spend any money here.” “Many businesses have to close on IRONMAN day.” “IRONMAN is a huge business, and it takes advantage of the goodness of the people of Kona.” “The athletes […]
I came across an interview with Lee Paterson of Hula Daddy Coffee on YouTube a few days ago. The gist of the interview is how Hula Daddy went from inception to one of the world’s top-rated coffees in just ten years. What’s even more striking to me is how he wants to improve the level […]
