We’ve heard it for years: retail is brutal. Competition with big box stores and online channels make it very hard for a locally-owned retail store to survive. This is certainly true to some extent; the traditional models of retails are quickly failing everywhere, but that’s the ‘glass is half empty” perspective. Some retail shops in...Read More

The first day of the work year is a good time to think about some ways to make 2019 better than 2018. Not that last year was bad at all: it was quite good in all respects, but being an entrepreneur I have to believe that 2019 will be even better! Here are five things...Read More

This year was like most others in Kona: we lost some businesses and we gained some new businesses. We typically see a churn of 10-15% of the businesses in our 2,000+ businesses database a year, and this year was no different. Why are so many businesses lost each year? Well, we define a business as...Read More

Few clients ever regret signage. It’s one of those no-brainer ways to draw attention to your business. Being visible is always a good thing for businesses. The Kona Sports Center is a new business in Kona. It has bicycle rentals, camping and hiking gear, beach gear, running shoes and a bunch of other great things...Read More

If you are like most small business owners in Hawaii, you follow what’s happening in Washington, D.C., but feel somewhat removed from it. It is, after all, “over there”, and we are as far away from over there as possible. That said, the recent craziness in our nation’s capital does affect us. The ebb and...Read More

Small business owners, like everyone else, often find themselves pondering what role they play in their community. They, after all, are tied to a physical location (unless they are e-commerce only business) and must rely on others for labor, supplies and a sense of community. One of my favorite poems is by John Donne. In...Read More

Hand-painted signs can be the most expensive signs to have made. Each color is a separate cost, and the time it takes to cut and prepare the surface can be substantial. You also need to plan for at least two coats of paint to survive in the harsh Kona sun, UV rays and wind. One of...Read More

I was picking up a few things at Lowe’s last night and noticed a few spaces dedicated to parking for veterans. I’m not a vet, but do feel great admiration and respect for those who have served our country. It’s nice to see Lowe’s provide some recognition of our vets. Well done!Read More

We spend a lot of time at our keyboards at Kona Impact. Most of the time is spend designing web and print graphics, designing website, doing online marketing and, of course, communicating with our customers. Here are our favorite office software tools Gmail – Several years ago, we decided to move all of our mail...Read More

The end of the year is a time that many business owners reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. It�s a great time to seriously consider making changes. What should we do more of? What should we do less of? What opportunities are we missing? There are two broad approaches to...Read More