 Think Tech Hawaii, civil engagement lives here. Welcome to Adventures in Small Business, a collaborative effort by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Small Business Development Center Network, the MINK Center for Business and Leadership, and our Veterans Business Outreach Center along with Think Tech. To bring you news about small business in Hawaii, successful small businesses, and the resources that are available to you. Today we're talking with a small business owner who has five years of success under her belt now. With a terrific small business, we're talking with Alice Inouye, the founder and chief happiness officer of HappinessU. Welcome to the program. Thank you, Jane. It's great to be here. Good. I'm glad you're here and to talk with us a little bit about one of the most unique service businesses in Hawaii actually. Now I know you're an expert in this area, but tell us a little bit about what is HappinessU and what does a chief happiness officer do? Chief happiness officer. First of all, what HappinessU is, it is a small business. We are a brick-and-mortar location and we offer services to help people ease the challenges in their life in the form of classes and events. Okay. Classes and events and you as the founder and officer must lead all this and to put this whole program and the business together, can you tell us about that? So as the chief happiness officer, it's basically like this, I guess the CEO, but it just sounded good to have HappinessU as a chief happiness officer. So what we do is basically, I run the business, I also offer some of the services of the business, but I also hire other teachers and consultants to also serve our members and our community. It's pretty unusual for this kind of consulting, coaching kind of business too. Have a physical plant, your facility, is it salt? Yes, it is. So what it is, is I think traditionally life coaches usually just coach out of their home or they coach on the telephone or have maybe a small office. And what I found that my personal business started growing so much so and I started meeting others who also wanted to be able to help people in their life and I thought, you know what, how can I create a larger platform where we can serve more people? And so I made that decision, had this literally, it was one of the most inspirational days of my life. I had the idea that I wanted to have something called a school of life where people could come and learn things you never learned in school about how to be happy or how to live life and embrace all the challenges that we're dealing with in life now on a day-to-day basis. I can see definitely there is a need for that with so many people dealing with stress and struggles and challenges of managing just everything that's around them and you need to be able to do that. Yes, and I think what's most helpful is that a lot of times we don't know how to deal with our stress. We think we just have to just go through life and hope life gets better. But there's so many studies that are coming out of Harvard and Yale and other great universities on how the brain works, how to manage stress, how to change your perspective on your overwhelm and so I take a lot of tools and strategies and share that with our membership. Not just at SALT but we also do corporate classes and corporate training as well. So it's how do you live life with a greater sense of ease given the modern-day pressures of life? And actually you came in and did some coaching and some training with my staff and it was very, very beneficial. So I can see where that fits in with larger businesses, human relations, management, dealing with supervisors who have to deal with employee issues and things like that. So it really isn't, it's an important skill and something that needs to be addressed in managing and balancing out how businesses move forward. So are most of your clients, would you say, in the business realm or do you kind of take a comprehensive approach to, you know, everything? I think it's a little of both and I think if you're working, you spend so much time at work and so how do I help people at work and their co-workers and their everyone to understand that there's more than just do the work, get it done, that whole thing about appreciation of each other, taking responsibility for your own mistakes, seeing a different aspect of life. So I kind of bring that bigger picture to it because when we talk about energy, right, we talk about energy, we only have so much energy, right, you're giving energy to all the things around you, so how do you conserve energy for yourself so you can be more productive? So business sector, yes, but then also, you know, we talked about this earlier, like work-life balance is like a word that used to be used a lot. Now I'm talking about work-life integration. How do you integrate work with your life? There's no such thing as just this is home and this is work. Now we're really doing emails from the soccer field, you know, there's just different ways that we're sort of working these days and so how do you just reduce that tension, almost like a balloon that's about to pop. How do we reduce it without necessarily reducing the amount of things you do? So much of it is mindset. Right. And that influences to, you know, an employee motivation at work, their productivity, it just really influences what you can do with a productive workplace. Yes, yes. So we have, in our business, we have basically two tracks. One is where we help organizations sort of add humanness, I guess, to organizations and help people understand what to do on a day-to-day basis to help them feel better about. And then while we're doing that, it also, if I can help you at work, manage like your upset at maybe your dog is sick, so how do we, how can I help you just make life easier? Because if you feel better, you'll do better and so the organizational help is there. And then also our physical location at Salt is literally a classroom and we have membership, we have a schedule of classes, we have other teachers that are experts in their field, and everything there is to sort of help you replenish your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy. Spiritual is like purpose. You know, what is your purpose in life and you have a purpose, you get up and you feel more energized. Yeah. And I think if you've taken a very unique approach to delivering services because you use multiple channels to reach people, I mean to actually physically deliver the classes and the training, because you have your office model and your classroom there, you can go and meet or come out to places of business, meet with people in their offices, coaching one-on-one, classes, blogs, newsletters, articles, so it's multiple revenue streams as well. Yes, it is. So showing the business smarts as well as being, you know, top of the state of the art for the technology that you teach. Yes, and I think what's really, I've learned so much in just opening a business. I never realized that it was going to take so much of my time and energy and I think one of the best challenges about having a business is trying to figure out how do you make it grow, how do you allow this business to sustain itself? And I always say if I can just make sure that we make at least one dollar, then the vehicle can move forward and my greatest purpose is to share more and more to people about how to make their lives better and how to live a happier and more fulfilling life. So it kind of forces me to be a good business owner. Otherwise I don't have a venue. Yes, you mentioned earlier that when we were discussing the program that you had kind of your eureka moment when you said, yes, I have to work on my business, not just in my business. I need to be a good business owner and having now been in business and having your office for about five years now, you've really grown in that capacity to watch, you know, watch your budget, do your planning and all those things that sound so, so just not what you want to do because you're really motivated by wanting to help others, but the budgeting, the business planning, the being able to monitor where you are, market, and so you have to be the entrepreneur, constantly checking, as well as being the expert. Right, I keep thinking back in the good old days, all I did was teach people and coach people and so easily now I have a whole nother level, but life is about living and growing and evolving and becoming your best self. So I jumped in, took the plunge, and we make five years next month. Congratulations. A lot of small businesses don't make it or, you know, continue to struggle and struggle and struggle and kind of chase after the business, making it more difficult. But you found some different ways that made it easier for you and finding resources and help in working that. Yes, and it was an evolution along the way. Just, it's like what you thought was going to work, if it doesn't work, you have to change it. And if that doesn't work, you have to be willing to change it because there's always so much on the line, right, when you go out and get a loan and you say, I'm committing myself to start this business. Sometimes you think it's one thing and it turns out to be another and so using a lot of the things that we teach at school on myself has been super helpful. Uh-huh, uh-huh, okay. So you said also that you found some of the things you didn't expect to see happening kind of were surprises or you had your expectations but had to kind of keep your eye on what was going on because things changed as you went along. Yeah, and I think if anyone's starting a business, the idea is always great, right? It sounds so much fun because you get to do what you love. You're choosing this business and the idea here is, you know, just, and just doing the work is not enough. Just doing the service is not enough. There's the platform, there's the structure, there's the systems, the procedures, and I think one thing that I guess I had a fantasy about was like, well, if I just plan it out, you know, X amount for website, X amount for this, you know, all of these things that you think you need in the expenses and then when you get there, what if a license or a plugin on your computer breaks and now people can't sign up for classes and then there's the expense of all the different web people and the tech people and the research and then like, oh, you need a new model and it's just like, it's just the expenses that I never expected. So that kind of gives you the emphasis to go out and say, how can I be more creative because we need to sustain the business. Yeah. Those costs and the changing world that we're in, you know, that you have to keep up. And for example, in social media, you do a lot online and a lot with social media. So what are you find most effective? So what I've found is that a lot of business owners in either let's say my age group, so we're talking, you know, 50s and older might feel that social media is like, oh, it's just a bunch of, you know, it's just for kids or it's just too much trouble or I'm so busy running the business, I don't have time to do it. But I found that to be my most effective tool because as I go out and we ask people, how did you know about us? And they, oh, I saw you. And social media is a huge one. So, and it's understanding where people are at, what platforms they're at and how to make sure that we keep a consistent voice and not just do it here and there and then forget about it, but to really have a plan. So it really is part of our marketing. And it's one of the most inexpensive ways to really get your word and your message out. I think a lot of business people or people who haven't experienced it are confused by that social and they think it's kind of a waste of business time. It's not, you know, necessarily productive, doesn't achieve results. But I think that the data now was really showing, you know, something contrary to that, that that's where people look for things and that's where they find you. That's where they'll get more, the latest information about you and a number of channels are necessary, you know. Yes, and to pull them in, you have to give people what they're looking for. It's not like always just, oh, our business is here. This is what we do. This is where we're at, because people really don't care. It's like giving them information that can help them. So it's like really giving information so that people start feeling like you're a great resource. And that sort of, as a byproduct, helps you to gain awareness in people's minds and be top of mind. I think you're doing a good job with that, with your website, because I went to look at, you know, some of the topics on your blog. Oh, yes, yes. And so tell us a little bit about, you know, what's there and how you've developed that and where people can find that. So we have a website and we also have a newsletter if you sign up every week. We don't just tell you what's going on because we want you to come. We're giving affirmations. We're saying here's some information that might help you see things differently. I might notice that a lot of people are going to changes. So how do you look at changes? So it's just sort of like a little bit of an advice thing that you can use across the board at home, at work, with people you can't stand, with people you love. It's just sort of life just brings us so many complexities. And if we don't know how to manage them, we just sort of lose touch with ourselves and others. We develop resentment, we get stressed out and then we forget that life is about living and being you enjoying that moment. So on our website, we have online classes. If you're a member, you can actually not even show up at our brick and mortar. You can watch us remotely from your home. So it's really easy. So we're using technology, but my big thing was I wanted to have a place where people could come and I could see you when I talk to you because and have some tea and maybe it's not about me. Maybe you meet a fellow person there and connect with them. They become friends. So I wanted to create a little bit of a community where there's support in life. Well, life we hear so much about people feeling isolated. It looks like you found another way to help people shift that and be a little bit different and connect again. But there's some really good tips on there. I've been scrolling through this morning, found a few. Right now we're gonna take a quick break and then we'll get back to talk a little bit more about how you built this unusual business model and made it so successful. Thank you. I'm Jay Fidel, Think Tech. Think Tech loves energy. I'm the host of Mina, Marco and me, which is Mina Morita, former chair of the PUC, former legislator and Energy Dynamics, a consulting organization in energy. Marco Mangostorf is the CEO of Provision Solar in Hilo. Every two weeks we talk about energy, everything about energy. Come around and watch us. We're on at noon on Mondays every two weeks on Think Tech. Aloha. Do you want to be cool? If so, watch my show on Tuesdays at one called Out of the Comfort Zone. I sang this song to you because I think you either are cool or have the potential to be seriously cool. And I want you to come watch my show where I bring in experts who talk all about easy strategies to be healthier, happier, build better relationships and make your life a success. So come sit with the cool kids at Out of the Comfort Zone on Tuesdays at one. See you there. Okay, thanks for joining us again here at Adventures in Small Business. And I think that happiness, you does provide a lot of people with a sense of adventure and adventure into their own life and into their own business in a lot of different ways. So when you decided you were going to take on this new concept, you knew also that one of the things your business was going to need was additional financing because taking that big step into, okay, I'm going to open a brick and mortar. I want X amount of space that takes a commitment investment and signing on the dotted line for lots of different things. How did you figure out your next steps? So what it was was I felt that I was doing a lot in my business. My personal business was busy, but I felt it was time to grow and I had that idea to open the school of life. So what would that look like? So estimating, so you start doing it rent, internet, insurance, right? You start doing it and you realize, like, wow, that's a lot of money that I need and you need operating capital as well. So I realized, like, I didn't want to use my savings. I was like, no, I want to use someone else's money. So then I went to the bank and I put together what I thought was a business plan and it wasn't good enough and the guy there was so kind and says, well, maybe you need a little bit of help in doing this is my first time. And so because I was a female, I think there's certain things that really worked and said, oh, why don't you look into an SBA loan? So I started looking into SBA and found that I could get funding. And then I also found that there was support. Yeah, I know there's support. And I remember seeing you at an event, talking one time and I was thinking, that's Jane Sawyer, she's the head. Like, wow, if I get to know her, I'll never be so infatuated by you. She'll write me a big fat check. She'll say yes to the check. And so that took me on to the SBDC. Small Business Development Center. And I made an appointment up there and I met a really wonderful guy named Dennis Clark and he looked at what I had and he goes, okay, so let me help you. So that was an education in and of itself. So he knew how to help me write my business plan and to be able to get the funding that I needed. So he helped me work through the numbers more clearly, helped me set like the spreadsheet and what I needed to research. So I went to see him like three or four times until he felt like, this is good, this is solid. And then I went to the bank and in conjunction with SBA, it got approved. Okay, terrific. So that and that process, you did do a lot of the thinking through. He helped frame it up, but it was your narrative, your story, you found the money. So you had a good sense and knew what you had to do and why you had to take your business once you got that money. Yes, I knew that I needed recurring income so I wanted the membership program so people could pay and so every month I would have people. But then not everybody wants to be a member and come consistently, you might need to just come once or twice. So I wanted to have that. So I kind of took it like a yoga studio or an exercise studio, that kind of model. And then I developed it further into personal consultations and consultations for others. So it kind of grew from there, but boy, it was just managing the structure and the foundation to me was a lot of work. And then ultimately it also, the bank saw it could work and figured that you were at least a good risk or that you would repay this loan. Yes, and I had good credit at that time. So at least they were like, okay, I think she's dependable and trustworthy, but they kept saying like, why don't you, why do you want to do this? Why don't you just do it online? Now you can just talk in front of your camera. You don't need this, but I wanted a place because in this world of technology where we're becoming more and more separate, I wanted a place where we could still come together. And you were convinced it would work? I was. And I'll just tell you that I think for the first three years, even the first four years, I wasn't certain. It was just a lot of work, you know? But then they always tell you three to five years for a small bit. And they tell you that three to five years, but you have this fantasy, like, no, in two years. Like when I did the numbers, I'm like in two years we'll be killing it. It was like, okay, well, maybe it's our third year. And it's like you win some, you lose some, you win some, you lose some until you finally get, and I'm not even saying I'm there yet. We're still in process, but at least I feel like I can see that we will be able to not just survive, but thrive as we move into earlier years. So it's just a good chunk of time and energy that you have to put aside in the beginning, that commitment and that going through all of those fears of the unknown, like, wow, when you sign a five-year lease, you're liable for the quarter of a million that that lease, whether you stay there or not, or if you fail, you still have to pay that. So I think it's really thinking things through and having good advice is so important. So you'd go back and see Dennis again if, you know. That's amazing. I even tried to give him money, like a gift certificate. He's like, I can't accept it. Yeah. I can't. So he said, no. I was like, wow, how can I say thank you? He's like, this is just my job. This is what I do. And we have several many, many really good consultants just like Dennis Kwak at the Hawaii SBDC. And they're on all the islands. So any of you can go out and give them a call, find the same kind of services. So you feel the business planning piece that you did was very valuable to you. And it also kind of informs you going forward. So even if that business plan was only a three or four-year plan, or you still kind of use it as a guide. Pretty much. And it's funny how the bits and pieces of it are the foundation is there, but the form has morphed. The price points have morphed. The offerings have morphed. But there's membership. There's pay per class. There's corporate present. So the foundation was good. And it took me like a good three months of planning. It wasn't just like, oh, let me just write it up. I literally took a month off kind of sort of to just focus on the final pieces of it. Because I realized how important it was to have a guide as we go forward. And again, the guide changed. But it was like, that's a team. It's a living document. And a lot of people think it's this big academic thing that you write and put together. And then you put it on the shelf. But the better use of a business plan, not only just for financing, because yes, we talked about the banks speaking a little bit different language than what entrepreneurs speak of. Or when you're really building that dream of running the perfect business that you know is going to succeed and be making millions in the second year, right? Yeah, that you know, but that doesn't happen. That nobody else can quite see. So yeah, it was a journey. And I think the biggest thing, like when people ask me like, so I want to open a business. I'm really good at baking apple pies. I'm really good at whatever it is. It's really, I didn't realize the amount of time, energy. And there's things that I have to do that I don't like doing. I just dislike the reconciliation at the end of the month. Of all, I don't like that. People will hire someone. But when you're a small business, you just don't have the luxury of just hiring controllers. A lot of it, you just have to do it yourself until you can finally get yourself to a place where you can start to delegate it out. So I think it's just knowing that it's a lot of time, a lot of energy, you learn and you grow so much. And really thinking it through before you start, but even in thinking it through, you're not going to be able to foresee everything. It's just being really open to that journey. And the journey that, and again, I will say this, that just when you think you're just about to just say I give up, something, someone, the right situation, the right circumstances sort of come up and it opens you up to a whole new thing. And then it creates another pocket of creativity. So what we did through all this started a scholarship program. It's so amazing. People say, hey, you're doing so much good. I don't have time to go to happiness you, but I sure would love to help someone else go. So I started kind of pairing people, money, businesses, like for example, mass mutual. They said, here's some money we'd like to sponsor someone. So we started a whole application system and we put students together. And now we have about 13, 14, maybe 15 that are either in-pros or have been through. And as a scholarship person, you are held accountable to come and give us reflections and attend so many classes, so lives will change. Because I have members that pay that don't come. It's like a gym, right? You go to the gym, you're all intense, you're going to exercise the first month, you exercise in for the next 11 months, you never exercise. So you don't get healthier, your body stays the same. So it's the same with happiness you. People want to get happier, they sign up, they come, and then they sort of just like don't come. So it's great for business if you're paying and you're not coming for me, but it's not good because we're not able to service you in the way that we're here to service you. So through the scholarship program, we have students that come all ages, 20s, all the way to 60, 70s, it doesn't matter. Everyone is looking for something to fulfill themselves. So we have the scholarship program and it benefits. So you've got, you're doing well in business, you're accomplishing your goals there, and you're doing well by helping so many other people with scholarships as well. I have a couple more questions I wanted to ask, but we're about ready to wrap up already. So we have a couple of minutes left. So you've gone through this process, you did the business planning, you've got the financing, things are going well, you're still in business after five years. Where do you want to be in the next five years? What would you like to see happen? I think I'd just like to see our community grow. I'd just like to see my ability to scale become greater so that I can oversee the business a lot more, still be in the business and teach when I want, but to allow other teachers, instructors, consultants have a platform where they can attract their people so that happiness new just isn't just me and a few, but many people being able to share their expertise to help our community be happier. Okay, so you'd go through this process all over again? No, I wouldn't. So that's why I think blindness is good. Like when you start out you're just like, I just, oh, I just wanna, so I think you have to have a little star in your eyes to do it, but again, if I, but now I know better and I think had I spoken to more people I'd be a little bit better prepared. It's still go with the same model. It's a unique service model, using a lot of social media, taking advantage of technology that's available to you, using the other resources, like the Small Business Development Center and SBA, wasn't daunting, was an eye-opening experience as well, and a learning process that's gonna help you continue to succeed. So we wanna thank you for joining us. Happiness you, I looked on the back of this and said, oh wow, a three month membership. I think I need to go to happiness you. So thank you so much for joining us and best of luck moving forward in your adventure in small business. Thank you, Tim. Thank you. And don't forget, we have a small business fair coming up. It's free for you people who are thinking about starting a small business. It will be at Honolulu Community College eight o'clock on Saturday morning, August 4th, and you'll see all of these resource providers at this fair, learn about programs, learn how to get an SBA loan. Come on down and see us.