Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 7, 1 July 2012 — Helping Hawaiians shape their business ideas [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Helping Hawaiians shape their business ideas

By Harold Nedd

An effort to help Native Hawaiians earn a living from their passions is gaining appeal at Kapi'olani Community College. The number of students taking the college's seven-week entrepreneurship class, funded by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, nearly tripled last year.

Behind the numbers are people like 57-year-old Tony Lenehanko, a career flight attendant who took the class to help develop his "jet-ski-boat" idea into a full-lledged business. "The class really helped me think through my idea," said Lenehanko, who will be reimbursed by OHA for completing the $231 class. "I walked away thinking, ' Yes, I ean run my own business.' " Lenehanko is one of 320 Native Hawaiians who have taken the class at a time when many career paths have heeome riskier, making the idea of starting a business seemmore attractive to them Despite the risks, hard work and uncertain rewards, entrepreneurship for them represents an opportunity to own their future. It also fits into a broader effort at OHA to increase family ineome in the Native Hawaiian community. For more information, eall (808) 594-1924. ■

The class really helped me think through my idea. I walked away thinking, Yes, I ean run my own business " — Tony Lenehanko, course graduate

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I Tony Lenehanko presented his , business idea on the final day ^ ; of an entrepreneurship class at % i Kapi'olani Community College. ' - Photo: Harold Nedd