What Are Your Biggest Problems?
The BOSS survey examines what’s holding back your business
Government Regulations
The BOSS survey presented 402 local business leaders with five regulatory issues. They were asked if each one presented an individual challenge to their companies. Afterward, those who selected at least one of the five as being an issue for their companies were asked to identify which presented the greatest challenge.
| Issue | Affects Business (Can choose more than one) | Biggest Challenge (Can only choose one) |
| Licensing and permitting | 33% | 37% |
| Labor laws | 23% | 19% |
| Tax reporting requirements | 22% | 19% |
| OSHA | 19% | 11% |
| Lack of access to state & federal officials | 15% | 13% |
Note:
- Lack of access to state and federal officials is more of an issue on Oahu (19%) than on the Neighbor Islands (6%).
- Those leaders with businesses of fewer than 10 employees are least likely to have OSHA challenges.
- When asked about their biggest challenge, business leaders on the Neighbor Islands cited licensing and permitting concerns more often (58% vs. 27% on Oahu). Oahu business leaders were more concerned with access to state and federal officials than Neighbor Island leaders (18% vs 3%).
Nonregulatory Issues
The business leaders were presented with five nonregulatory issues. They were first asked if each one presented an individual challenge to their companies. Afterward, those who selected at least one of the five were asked to identify the item they felt presented the greatest challenge.
| Issue | Affects Business (Can choose more than one) | Biggest Challenge (Can only choose one) |
| Finding good employees | 78% | 54% |
| High cost of doing business overall | 73% | 20% |
| Competition from other businesses | 49% | 12% |
| Cost of leasing or buying land and facilities | 44% | 10% |
| Access to capital | 20% | 4% |
What is the BOSS?
BOSS stands for Business Outlook and Sentiment Survey. The survey of local business leaders is conducted twice a year for Hawaii Business by Anthology Research, previously known as QMark Research.
Methodology
Find the BOSS survey methodology here.
*Percentages do not always add to 100 due to rounding.
