To Outsource or Not?
It’s not just about cutting costs. Hawai‘i outsourcing companies provide expertise in preventing cyberattacks, complying with laws, hiring the right people and more.
Smart Advice
What New Federal COVID-19 Relief Bill Means for Hawaiʻi Employers
The $900 billion pandemic aid bill passed by Congress at the end of 2020 aims to drive more money to small and minority-owned businesses.
6 Marketing Principles for Hawaiʻi
Experts explain how to ensure your marketing campaigns are effective in the local market AND for the particular audience you want to reach.
Your Kitchen Counter (aka Home Office) Isn't So Great for Your Posture
Working from home may help protect you from COVID-19, but your neck and back are paying a price. Chiropractors are reporting more cases of muscle strain due to employees using sofas as office chairs and coffee tables as desks. Michael…
How to Choose A Growth Strategy
I recently participated in a Skype call with a successful midsize 10-year-old business on O‘ahu. It is owned by a committed and ambitious young man who wants to grow his company into a larger and more profitable operation. The owner…
Buying a Business: More than Just Crunching Numbers
There’s a lot of buzz lately about how to buy a business. A strong economy will do that. Not wanting to miss out on the potential growth and looking for a fast way to expand, business owners often look at…
Interests of Big and Small Businesses Are Sometimes at Odds
The issues facing big and small businesses are not always the same. Big businesses generally have greater infrastructure and management depth that allows them to delegate specific issues (like labor law, contracts and taxes) to employees specifically trained to handle…
Spotlight on Small Business:
Preparing Your Business for 2019
If you want history to repeat itself, then do nothing and maybe it will. But if you want 2019 to be better for your business than 2018, identify what worked well in the past year and what did not: Consider…
Don’t Always Fear Raising Your Prices
When was the last time you evaluated your prices? Does this process make you uncomfortable? Let me share a story about a friend and the surprise he experienced when he increased his prices. My friend and his wife had been…
Most Hawaii Small Business Owners Will Save on Taxes
But how – and how much – is very much a work in progress and it’s important that you monitor what happens next Finally, after more than 30 years, true tax reform has become law. Most small and midsize businesses…
IRS Opens Tax Filing Season
The IRS announced today that it is accepting tax returns, with April 17 as the filing deadline for individuals. The IRS also explained tools and resources that will make the tax filing season a little easier for taxpayers. Here is…
Make Next Year Better
Now is the time to start planning so next year is better than this one. Start by reflecting on the current year and identifying what worked well and what didn’t. Were the challenges hiring good staff or training them? Making…
Increasing the Value of Your Business
You have a business that is doing well and paying the bills. Maybe it has put one or two children through college. The kids are working, maybe on the Mainland, and not interested in taking over the family business. Now…
Spread Out Your Taxes (This Year Only)
It’s not every day that the federal government allows people to pay taxes over two years instead of one. But that’s what it’s offering to those who convert their traditional individual retirement accounts into Roth IRAs. The catch is people…
Advice from the Top
Warren Haruki has seen his share of companies in transition. The current CEO of both Grove Farm and Maui Land & Pineapple, Haruki was also at the helm of Verizon Hawaii as it morphed into Hawaiian Telcom. Here, he gives…
Advice from the Top
What’s your advice to business executives thinking about volunteering? Do it. Get involved. Volunteer for something. If you don’t know what you like, try them all; find out what you don’t like. It’s just like restaurants: Sometimes you don’t know…
Advice From the Top
What is the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself during your career? It sounds cliché and it’s easier said than done, but the most effective way of leading is to trust being yourself instead of what you think other…
Advice from the Top
When should a young executive take a risk? Take a chance after conferring with a small group of advisers; venture with people you trust and respect. And take bigger chances when you are young and have limited responsibilities for others.…
Should You Blow the Whistle If You Suspect a Crime?
Retired Island executive offers advice on office life I work at an import-export company. I’m just a clerk, but I suspect the owners (a family) are illegally bringing things in without paying the proper duty. Am I obligated to report…
Build Employee Loyalty by Helping Parents
Early childhood education is everyone’s issue. It’s about having successful families and contented workers now, but it’s also about building a high-quality workforce for the future. As part of its mission to improve early education in Hawaii, Good Beginnings Alliance…
Family-Business Lessons
In 1960, K.J. Luke founded Hawaii National Bank. Since then, three generations of the Luke family have run and grown the business. K.J.’s son Warren Luke and his children Bryan and Cathy Luke say the secret to operating a successful…
5 steps to Build Trust In the Workplace
The key to a peaceful work environment is trust, says Kalei Inn, principal consultant of Kalei Inn, Ph.D. and Associates. “Where there is trust, there will be a lower incidence of conflict in the workplace,” says Inn, whose firm specializes in…
Whats Your Beef? Guy Asks How To Kiss
The Corner Office Curmudgeon answers your questions on office life Retired Island executive offers workplace advice Call me a nerd, but I still don’t get how to handle the social-business kiss. What is the male role and what is the…
Popcorn, Broccoli, Durian? PHEW!
Of course, you’re not supposed to eat lunch at your desk, but sometimes there’s no choice. You can’t risk missing that critical telephone call or a meeting that might be called at any moment. So, thinking ahead, you brought something…