Hawaii Business Podcast

Ryan Esaki co-founder of Ukulele Underground These days the concept of a "startup company" is ingrained in our pop culture, with superstars like Elon Musk of Tesla & SpaceX, Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook, and Travis Kalanick of Uber making big waves in the news and changing the way more than a billion of people live their lives. It's no surprise that everyone wants their own startup, and you can find piles of books, magazines, and blogs dedicated to teaching people what the "startup...

Tori Lowry in her new office Tori Lowry has been at the helm of La Gelateria for the past 6 years. In this episode she shares the history of the company, how she got the top job, and most importantly, how many taste samples you can ask for at a ice cream shop before it gets weird.

Edward Kim, Director at Hi Capacity Hawaii has its share of makerspaces but Hi Capacity is a hackerspace where the focus is on technology. Edward Kim heads up the community space where for a small monthly fee, members can come to work on pet projects and learn from other members. In this episode Ed shares with us what the goals of Hi-Cap are, the difference between White hat and Black hat hacking, and how the hobby of making and building helps you in your day job.

fresh BOX cofounders Will Chen(L) and Jed Inductivo(R) fresh BOX is a weekly meal delivery service that operates across Oahu. Founders Will and Jed leveraged their extensive culinary and restaurant background to bring delicious meal kits to a generation of eaters with a love of food, but not quite a love of cooking. In this episode, learn about how fresh BOX helps people cook their own meals, where the idea came from, and what the future of food should look like.

David Pae, Elvis impersonator David Pae is an Air Force veteran with one of the craziest stories I have ever heard. It begins with a night out and car ride with his military friends and ends with a new found appreciation for some classic Elvis Presley music and 3 years of rehabilitation. David performs at parties, weddings, and even funerals to not only share the music of Elvis, but to inspire others with his life. Special thanks to Bert Uyenco for connecting us with David, and for...

Perry Martin, President of Maryknoll School The Mx Scholar programs at Maryknoll are the future of education. That's the vision President Perry Martin has for a Catholic school that has been in Hawaii for almost 90 years. Join us as we learn more about the programs and how they intends to prepare the next generation for the rapidly changing and uncertain world climate of tomorrow.

Robbie Melton Executive Director & CEO of the High Technology Development Corporation For decades, Hawaii has been trying to turn the technology industry into a significant part of our economy. Robbie Melton heads the HTDC, one of the organizations tasked with making that a reality. She brings to the table a successful history of helping startups on the mainland but also has deep roots here in the islands. Listen in to learn about her history, her goals for the tech industry in Hawaii...

Dean Levitt, Founder of Tea Cup Analytics Dean is not your ordinary Hawaii entrepreneur. Born in South Africa, Dean got his start on the East Coast of the U.S. with his first company Mad Mimi before moving to Hawaii and starting Tea Cup Analytics. In this episode, we learn a little about what google analytics is and how Tea Cup Analytics makes it easier for business owners to gleam meaningful insight from their website traffic data. Dean is also kind enough to recommend a favorite tea to...

Eric Pape, Editor for Civil Beat In this podcast we have Eric Pape, editor for special projects and innovations for Civil Beat. Eric has written for Newsweek, The Guardian, The New York Times, Slate, Salon, Spin, and many other major news publications. He’s covered everything from U.S. politics to Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge. He is probably most recognized in Hawaii as the man writing the series of articles on the cost of living in Hawaii. We talk about his articles and the different aspects...

Craig Katsuyoshi, Owner of Helena's and Lianna Lam our guest Co-Host for this episode Helena's Hawaiian Food is arguably the best Hawaiian food on the island. In this episode we sit with 2nd owner Craig Katsuyoshi about how his grandma started the business, the correct way of saying "Helena's", and what's in store for the next 70 years. This episode was recorded on site so please forgive the background noise.

Thomas Obungen(L) & Grant "Chuggy bear" Shindo. If you follow either Thomas or Chuggy on social media, you know they take their food seriously. In this interview, Thomas & Chuggy who are both writers at FROLIC Hawaii tell us what is food porn, who Gudetama is, and what the amazing phenomenon that are BreadFaceBlog and Muk Bang are all about.

Jo McGarry, owner of Mojo McGarry. In this podcast, we talk to Jo McGarry, one of Oahu's leading experts on the Oahu restaurant industry. Her business, Mojo McGarry helps restaurant entrepreneurs pick and negotiate a business location, assist in business plans, and provides expertise in many other aspects of opening a restaurant. For anyone looking to start a restaurant Hawaii, this is a must listen to podcast.

Michael T. McEnerney, MBA.JD,CPA/ABV/CFF,ASA,CVA For this week's podcast, we have Michael T. McEnerney, a business valuator with McEnerney Shimabukuro Okazaki and Fujita CPAs. Mr. McEnerney currently serves on the Board of Regents and previously served on the Guidelines Support Committee of the Family Law Section and as a member of the Tax Review Commission with the State of Hawaii. In this podcast we talk policy, University of Hawaii, and local economics. If you're interested in...

Andy Doka, owner of Andy's Bueno Salsa For this week's podcast we have Andy Doka of Andy's Bueno Salsa. You might have seen him at one of many farmers markets in Hawaii or seen his product on the shelves of Whole Foods and other grocers on the island. In this podcast we talk about bringing a food product to market at farmers markets and retail establishments, creating new varieties of products, and eating too many peppers. This podcast is certifiably delicious.

Ryan Hew, Small Business Attorney After saying enough things to get us in trouble with the law, we thought it was time to bring on an attorney. Ryan Hew is a business attorney in Hawaii specializing in food, retail, and startups. In this podcast we talk about running your own professional services firm, when you should probably seek legal counsel, and other fun legal stuff. I think at this point I'm supposed to put a disclaimer here, but I wouldn't really know, I'm not an attorney.

Lynn Miyahira, Marketing Director at the Shidler College of Business If you've ever considered getting an MBA, then this is the podcast to listen to. We talk to Lynn Miyahira about the current programs offered, why it helps, and what the College plans to do with the enormous $100 million gift from local businessman Jay Shidler. Lynn also shares with us her work with the Hawaii United Okinawan Association and which Star Wars characters she would pick to be the group's mascot.

John Garcia and his signature hat For this week's episode we have John Garcia, a serial entrepreneur, whose most recent venture is a design firm called Brain Eye Creative (along with his partner Avy Chan). We talk about the different aspects of a business and how they ultimately affect the image, brand, and overall design of the company. John Garcia, prior to starting Brain Eye Creative, helped launch Our Kakaako, Greenhouse Innovation Hub, Nonstop Honolulu, and many other projects...

Special Agent Tom Simon This episode we talk to Tom Simon, special agent for the FBI. Tom shares stories from his 20+ years of experience about financial scams, crime in Hawaii, and how to spot an embezzler. It’s a great podcast listen for every business owner.

Ray Carbullido In this podcast, listen to us talk to Ray Carbullido about being a martial artist focused on personal development. Ray has been training in the martial arts since 1993 and runs martial arts workshops which help people focus on what they're trying to achieve in their lives and how to get the mindset to accomplish those goals. His business plan is keeping it as simple as possible so he can help as many people as possible. Please join Ray at his Art & Shamanism event happening...

Jonathan Parrish is ready for the 2015 Season to begin on September 26! In our newest podcast, we talk to Jonathan Parrish, Executive Director of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. We talk about the history of the symphony, rockstar musicians, and reinvention of a historic institution. We also talk about the upcoming season and the cool stuff they're doing including their Masterworks program and Pops concerts, which includes some Disney classics and the Nightmare Before Christmas.