Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 11, 1 November 2015 — How to By Lynn Cook SUCCEED in BUSINESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

How to By Lynn Cook SUCCEED in BUSINESS

Dream big, but keep it real and keep it small to start," says the mentor of many very successful loeal businesses,

Maile Meyer. From the first Native Books and Beautiful Things store in downtown Honolulu to Kalihi, to Maui and Ward Warehouse, Meyer has given advice, a head start and support to possibly hundreds of loeal artisans and young entrepreneurs. "Figure out what your cost to produce will be. That may be one hour

of service or one unit of product," so begins a class on hnaneial planning taught by Julie Percell through Hi'ilei Aloha LLC. (See related article, page 8.) Percell has been teaching since 2002, helping hundreds of students find the skills and knowledge necessary to start up and be successful in business. The steps may seem simple, but it is easy to get caught up in a "great idea" and miss the details that will allow it to fly. Percell says it takes solid Ananeial planning, knowing how mueh it will cost to get up and running to stay in business for at least six months. Another make-or-break element is keeping a paper trail for all expenses and always filing taxes on time. "Indigenous is that whieh endures," Meyer says. "First recognize your gift. If your dream is a partnership, learn your kuleana and your partner's strengths. Recognize excellence in eaeh other. Then move forward with a team approach. In class, Percell presents the reality. "You may love

this as a hobby," she says, "you may have been very successful at a craft fair, but that is not full time, all year." She asks her students to think carefully and imagine making a living at it. She says the dedicated entrepreneur will succeed. She always suggests they consider the possibility of keeping their day job, to supplement their ineome as they launeh their business.

Onee they have a sound business plan she reminds them that they can't rely on the myth that if they build a website "they will eome." Maile Meyer is enthusiastic about the future of small business. She eontinually changes up her own projects and her store. One new project is a "short stack" - not hotcakes - but

books. The Internet, she says, has greatly changed the publishing business but books are still around and in demand. So she decided to move toward print-on-demand. "We ean do a small batch, say forty books, for an author. If those sell out we ean do forty more. It is a way to build on success, not recover from failure when you are stuck with a warehouse full of books." Meyer suggests that the best way to start is to "build on your kuleana." If the project has partners, make sure they have eaeh other's back. See the excellence in yourself and in your partners. She says let the business be a vehicle for gratitude. Spread core values and always remember "indigenous is that whieh endures." She echos the message of Julie Percell and many other educators and business owners. She says with strong conviction, "If you have a product or a skill, prove it." Contact Jenniferc@hiilei.org for information on the entrepreneurship classes. ■

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