If you're just coming off of a major legal battle with a Chapter 7 bankruptcy
attorney, California has probably paled in your estimation. So maybe you think,
I should move my business elsewhere. Like to Hawaii. This is both a good idea
and a bad idea, for Hawaii has its own boons and challenges just like anywhere
else but there are certain situations that are almost completely unique to the
islands that you might not realize on your own. To help you get an idea of what
you can expect should you decide to open a business in Honolulu, we've
created this guide. It should point you in the right direction.
Import/Export
As you would expect from an island state, Hawaii isn't entirely self-sufficient.
Sure it has its share of pawnshops that melt down scrap gold rings, but where
do you suppose that gold came from in the first place? It was imported. Your
first hurdle when you're considering opening a business in Honolulu will
be balancing the extra cost of importing all or most of your materials with
the price you will be able to get by selling them on the islands. The cost of
living in Hawaii is nearly twice what it is in the continental U.S., and this
is the reason.
Conversely, you could choose to open an export business. While it wouldn't
be economical to try and export a common product like online software, project
collaboration or otherwise, which you can get anywhere, there are certain things
that are entirely unique to Hawaii that people in other places will pay for.
These things include native Hawaiian style decorations and crafts, pictures,
posters, and books featuring Hawaii's scenery, and surfboards. If you
have the skills to produce items like these, you could do well off-island and
even on-island selling your wares to tourists.
Services
Because Hawaii has such a tourism-oriented economy, there is an enormous demand
for services, especially in Honolulu and in the neighborhood of Waikiki. While
a make your own business cards venture would probably flop because of a lack
of office-types in the city, tourists have many needs you could fulfill depending
on your skills. You could offer surfing lessons, water taxi rides, commuter
flights, hiking tours of the nearby volcanoes, or helicopter tours. Additionally,
tourists are always in need of places to sleep, eat, and get drunk, so hotels,
bars, and restaurants are also popular ventures.
Online Businesses
There are some business ventures you can do from anywhere with an internet
connection and a mailbox. If you sell online brochure templates from your
website that you code on your home computer or write novels, you can just as
easily do so from Honolulu as you can from Boise, Idaho or London, Ontario.
If you make your living selling products you make at home to an online store
you also have the same options. Knitted sweaters, handmade toys, and replica
paintings all travel very well via the United States Parcel Service. |