We live and work in the heart of the world-famous Kona coffee region.  A big part of our economy is connected to the coffee industry. Kona Impact has several coffee clients. It is the only coffee we drink.A lot of farmers are great at farming and less effective at marketing. This is not a problem...Read More

Kona Impact has worked with thousands of entrepreneurs over the years. We often see these entrepreneurs at different stages of their businesses, from day 1 when they get an idea and are ready to run with it, to the waning days of business as they begin the steps to liquidate their assets and close up...Read More

I found out yesterday that my local barber is leaving the island soon. I’ll miss him as much for his excellent haircuts as his grumpy, opinionated personality. Even though I could have easily labeled him as rude, out-of-place, and genuinely disagreeable (at times), I challenged myself to look at each haircut as a time to...Read More

Here is something most business owners understand to some extent: a solid relationship with a supplier is invaluable, especially in times when many businesses are working near or at capacity. You need your supplier just as much as your suppliers need you. A little non-secret in the business world is that suppliers turn down business...Read More

Marketing expenses are often looked at very narrowly: how much did I spend on a promotion, and how much did I make on the promotion? Minus out expenses, and you’ll have a very crude measure of how much return you received on your marketing investment. That narrow focus, however, will not give you a complete...Read More

There have been a few stories in the media recently about businesses refusing services to people they don’t like. One news story was about a  cake baker in Colorado who won a favorable ruling in the Supreme Court, giving him the right not to make a cake for a wedding of two gay men. Another...Read More

We recently installed a large display on the entrance to our office. Previously, we had a nice blue entrance; this time we decided to go for green. The material is see-through, so from the inside of our office, you can see out clearly. From the exterior, you can see the graphic, but not the inside...Read More

Last week we started several new projects, and nearly a third were projects for people who speak English as a second language. All grew up outside of the United States and were now running businesses on Hawaii Island. This is not unusual: a large number of our clients fit the profile of immigrant, non-native speakers...Read More

Like any community, Kona, Hawaii has a range of businesses for sale at any given time. Some are gems in the rough and some are close to closing and no amount of effort can save them. I like to think about Kona businesses for sale as falling into four categories: 1. Turnkey Profitable 2. Distressed...Read More

The key concept to describe the business situation in Kona, Hawaii is “at capacity.” Almost every business that we deal with at Kona Impact is in what I call a “busy and profitable” mode; that is, they are running full speed and making money. This contrasts with the worst case scenarios we have had in...Read More