There has been a lot of talk recently about an impending recession. For certain, the stock market has had some huge losses lately; inflation is very high; supply chains are a mess, and nearly every business is short of competent staff. Taken together, as well as adding an inflated housing market, rising credit card debt,...Read More

One of the best defenses around castles were moats. Perhaps the most forbidden places in Tokyo is the imperial palace in downtown Tokyo. There are only a few bridges into the palace, and the rest of the area surrounding the palace has a moat. When I lived there, a person trying to cross the moat...Read More

“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water” is the famous tagline from Jaws 2. It also describes my perception of what is happening with the COVID pandemic. Signs of hope–the reopening of tourism with a pre-flight test protocol–get crushed, and now we’re stuck with the status quo.  One step...Read More

Tourism in Kona, Hawaii, is the lifeblood of our economy. Hotels, restaurants, small retail, and all the businesses that are supported by them have had a significant part of their livelihood taken away from them since mid-March. Tour businesses and most hotels have had zero revenue, and most restaurants are operating at a fraction of...Read More

Kona Impact works mainly with small and medium-sized businesses. We are usually sitting at the table with the business owner or at least someone who works directly with the owner. We like this. When we work with a relatively small organizations, we have a great opportunity to learn about where the business is and where...Read More