 Welcome to International Hawai'i and ThinkTech, where we showcase local import and export companies and the trade industry. I'm your host, Cindy Matsuki, and today we're chatting with Kumu Blaine, Kamalani Kia of Kia Enterprises. Hi, Kumu. Thank you so much for joining me. Aloha. It's my pleasure to be on board. Thank you, Mahalo. And you're an awesome FBZ client, too, tenant. So it's nice to have you here. Oh, what a time. Could you briefly explain what Kia Enterprises is and how you got started? Sure. Well, Kia is my last name. It is Hawaiian. I'm Hawaiian by nationality. And Kia Enterprises LLC is a cultural consulting company. And I call myself a cultural asset because I was raised with certain attributes. And I've been able to use those attributes to better our culture through our people of Hawai'i, but also to share the knowledge and the wisdom of our culture with our visitors from all over the world. I travel often as well. And so having a legitimate business where I can take my attributes and put them to good use and has paid off in terms of what I've been able to do with people around the world, whether it's through music, whether it's through knowledge and wisdom, or whether it's through a Hawaiian philosophy, spirituality, however it may be, it has proven to be very successful and very rewarding, above all. When did you start? When did you start? So Kia Enterprises LLC actually started when I got married. I say that because that was a pinnacle point in my life in terms of my direction. So prior to 1990, I got married in 1997. So prior to 1997, I was more on the side of entertainment. I was a full-time musician and a full-time producer producing other acts, but also I was the road manager for Hawai'i's renowned Cecilio and Kapono, or more so Henry Kapono, road manager and did a lot with Hawaiian radio, KCCN. And on a side note, I was the young, not I was, I am the youngest of nine in my family. And I'm the only one that did not marry at the same age as the others. This was about 24. I didn't get married until I was 33. But by the time I got married, it was important for me to get out of that scene or out of the evening scene, the night scene of working in the night stuff. My wife was a bartender, which is how we met. I was a barfly, bartender. And we both decided to get out of the night scene and out of that industry. And so I had to find a new way to take all of what I've learned through my culture as well and to try to see if I can make a living changing my business criteria and to change my purpose and be more family oriented because I wanted to raise children and we have three. And this is where Kia Enterprises LLC became this new, new purpose and this new direction with my business. And it really took off extremely fast. And so it was established in 1997. Prior to that, my other work was primarily in music. However, I was still teaching Hula. But Hula was not a full time part of my industry. So it wasn't until I flip right from a music industry to a Hula industry, I just flip it over. And Hula became 100% full time. And through the Hula and through what I learned in the culture, that's how this was established with all my assets and the attributes that I have that that I was able to take this and make it a profession. Wow, that's amazing. So you have 14 Hula Hula schools across five different countries. How did you do that? Well, it again, that's why I go back to my marriage. When I committed to my seriously, I'm not even kidding. I wish I I mean, not I wish I was kidding, but when I committed to be when we committed to be a relationship to be a boyfriend, girlfriend, it is it really snowballed quickly. I mean, the relationship that giving in to love and and to be faithful and to love her always. And that that relationship fostered all of these revelations that started coming fast. Again, part time priority is changing. Yeah, so who was only part time. Music was full time. I was single. I was a bachelor working at night. Okay, just put that in perspective, right? Now I'm on the edge on the fence of getting married, and I can't be doing this. And so as I flip that concept and everything became family, all that I learned through my family experiences and being the youngest all came to the front. It wasn't there. And I was single, right? I'm just free. I'm a free spirited person. You know, in my 20s in my early 30s, and I had no cares. I had no responsibilities. I was a favorite uncle. But having been able to yeah, but being able to flip that and make make a living off and make a life of it. Yeah. So it's pretty heavy. But but that's how it happened. That's that's how it it it came about. And if not for my my relationship with my wife and my family, I would not have what I have today. I can't know no possible way. That's amazing. But then more specifically, more specifically, like, how did you enter these different countries to start up your and what made you decide to go outside of Hawaii? Yeah, I was getting offered. I was literally offers were coming people were asking. Yeah. And it never happened before that. It never happened when I was teaching rule of part time and doing music full time. I guess people found out that I was doing hula now full time. And we didn't have that social media platforms or we we still had beepers back then, right? And so I'm not sure how people found out but all these offers came in through these relationships. They just began to build and I was just in I was at the right time at the right place with the right mindset to say, okay, let's try it. Okay, let's do it. Okay, let's see what happens. And I wasn't afraid to take those risks and those and those kinds of bold steps forward to build my my my full aside of who I am. And I think because of that, and because it was so family oriented, and I was standing on solid ground with my wife and my children, that it just made me so ambitious. Right. And so in that ambition allowed me to filter all of these organizations where is the kawaii the island of kawaii is my main halau that's my rooted halau. Then we have Oh, I who the island of Oh, I who then came northern California. I have the largest halau in Northern California in Sacramento with 300 strong up in Brentwood and in Stockton. And then we're going to go to BC, British Columbia, Canada. Right. We are situate here as well. Then we go to French Polynesia to Tahiti Nui, and to some of those Pacific islands there from Tahiti Nui. I mean, New Zealand in Auckland, New Zealand in out there. Right. So the and then last but not least, we go to the country of the Great Red Sun of Japan. And we're also there. So yeah, because New Zealand and Tahiti are not of the same country. So one's British, one's French. So and so that would constitute four or five countries or so. But those are all of the organizations that I have. So in Japan, for example, we have four organizations, right? In Tahiti, we have two or three organizations that are also on some of their islands where such as Hohine and Ray Atea. So it's multiple, right? And and yeah, it's crazy. Right. And prior to the pandemic, I was traveling. And were these built off of different relationships with? Right. It's relationships that I built through my my industry of being a part-time Kumuhu and a full-time musician. But I guess when that that flipped in 1997, the interest changed because I changed. And I became more relevant because you have to remember I'm single. I'm a bachelor. Oh, let him go. He's just he's on his own trip. He's doing his own thing. Right. Right. And then then all of a sudden I become a family man. And it's a whole different ball game for me. And I think that that attracted people to me in that way. And at that time that it really allowed me to flourish very quickly. So besides Kea Enterprises LLC is a nonprofit of 511c3 called Law of Care, so that I keep my eggs in my baskets separate of what is business and what is nonprofit, which is all my organizations. And so this is my living resume. All of my organizations is actually my living integrity and resume because this is what I actually do and practice by business afloat. Right. And that's how I keep my practice constant and in the knowing and in the now is by having these organizations. Right. That's my engine. And that's how and many of my and many of our full of schools across the five countries are able to cross over and also do professional work for me on the business side. Right. So if I have if I have large corporate clients all over the world, I can hire organizations to be part of that showcasing or part of that that show or that presentation online culture or native cultures of the Pacific. So in a nutshell, actually. And what was the biggest challenge that you had to overcome when starting in other countries? Understanding and comprehending who we are that we weren't that we weren't that we weren't something other than a cultural practice because a lot of Hawaiians have transplanted all over the world. I mean, we're the face of the face of Hawaii is very different now. It's not what it used to be. And more Hawaiians have moved away because of the economy. And so part of my mission was to keep our Hawaiians involved in the culture. And there was no better way than to do so through the melee or through the hula, the art of Hawaiian dance, because they go hand in hand. And so when we decided to venture outside of Hawaii and and start these organizations, it was through people that already knew me. They already knew my my history. These are people that already knew my background and had trust in me. And and they said, can we give it a try? Like coming and seeing if we can make this a go? Sure. And and it just and that's how it was built. Yeah. And it's all under. It was all from Hawaii people in those countries. Correct. That kind of pulled you over. Transplant, right. They transplanted. You know what? You know what, Blaine? Hey, you know what? I'm in Sacramento now. You know, and I dance hula for you for a period of time. There are people here that really want to be in the hula. A lot of Hawaiians. Would you mind coming and see if we can start something? So what happens sometimes because hula can be a little intimate, right? So sometimes we will say, OK, we're going to start a Hawaiian club, not so much a hulao. Because when we use the word hulao hulao, there are a lot of rules and traditional rules that come with having a traditional hulao, a real true hulao. So sometimes a hula club or a Hawaiian club encompasses everything Hawaiian. And then the concept, it's easier to filter a hulao that way. So that's kind of like how my approach was when I went to these different geographic locations and tried not to just tell, OK, we're a hulao and throw all these rules at them. So a Hawaiian club idea was the best way to really embrace everyone without turning anyone away. And then build through that concept. And then we get those. Right. So we have the Hawaiian clubs where they get to do things more on a lighter level. And you have those who venture on the hulao hulao, where it's really a hardcore tradition. And you stick to the traditions of Kahiko, the traditions of Awana and Oli, which is the chant in the oral tradition. So that's kind of like the how we flourished since 1997. So I taught 10 years prior to that. I actually started at the death and the passing of my kumu hula daru lupo in 1987. It was that year I started teaching. So that 10-year period was just teaching hula because I love hulao. Right? But there was no right or wrong. But I just did because I loved hulao. And I was being protected or I was given the blessing to teach in the capacity of a teacher through John Kaimikawa. But it wasn't to that 10 years later in 1997 that I got married that it just I flipped it. Yeah. So she deserves all the credit. I got no problem. I got no problem. Nice. We're going to take a quick break. This is International Hawaii on Think Tech Hawaii. And I'm Cindy Matsuki, your host. And my guest today is Blanquea and we'll be right back. Hi. Welcome back to International Hawaii on Think Tech. I'm your host, Cindy Matsuki. And my guest today is Kamu Blame, Kamalani Kia of KIA Enterprises. And we're talking about he has these halos internationally all over the world. And I wanted to know how did the pandemic affect your business? Like when you couldn't travel and you still had these people that wanted to learn hula, how did you adapt? Yeah. Well, as I mentioned, there's two sizes. The business of KIA Enterprises LLC and the non-profit side that really houses all of the hula schools, right? So in the pandemic hit from 100% of business down to losing 90%. And only remaining was 10% of my business right at about April. Right in April, it just hit really hard. It was as if everything froze. And when I see it froze and everything freezed, I mean, we were handcuffed. We were in prison in our homes. What do we do? This is new for all of us. Besides going through a plenium, you know, here we are going through a pandemic. What is a pandemic? I never thought I'd go through one. So it was a question for everyone. And so all of these emails were just piling up on my email because everybody was just afraid. And there was a lot of fear. And there was a lot of panic. And, you know, as hula and the president of your own company, you also become a father, a mother, a sociologist, a consultant, an advisor, a mentor to all of your students and to all of your people. And it was a heavy, heavy, heavy hammer to try to keep people calm and to be that calming effect on everyone when I myself was in fear. And I myself with asthma at 58 years old, I mean, I was in panic. Yeah. And I had, I will tell you, I had a lot of anxieties and it was it was rough for me as well. But yet I have to put on that face and talk with everyone via email. And of course, thank God for Zoom. And we were able to also see each other face to face. We did phone calls with the international calls with dial-ups, anything we could to help each other get through this freezing period of what's going on. I think once we got through that through May and we all started to understand everything through the news, through social media, we all calmed down a bit. And then we had to find a way, okay, do we want to continue hula? How do we continue hula? How do we keep this healing? How do we begin getting through this pain and the suffering of family members or relatives or friends and colleagues who are, we all know that are passing away because of this COVID? How can we lighten this load? I mean, it was a big responsibility. And so we found that Zoom was the best way. And so we did all we could on Zoom to carry us from May all the way through just this past February in the new year, whether it was through doing lessons online through Zoom or whether it was just talking or having little parties on Zoom or little conference calls here and there. We did everything we possibly could. And thank God, I don't know what this would be like if we didn't have Zoom. In this world today and this technology, I wonder how we, I mean, if you lose your cell phone for a day, you are totally lost. Totally lost. Your internet goes down. It doesn't matter. Just your phone alone, you'd be totally lost. And it just goes to show how much we depend and how much we've been controlled by technology. I'm not against technology, but it makes us realize how much we need to be careful of how much we depend on it because we lose the part of us. We don't have that human interactions or we don't have those writing letters and sending them through the mail or calling people up by phone and not always in our cell phones. So that was a real, there were some civil linings and some takeaways because of the pandemic, but we survive and Japan is still trying to get out of it. Yeah. Right. And I have schools there and I cannot tell you how I am still trying to be that, that human for them, you know, and I'm still trying. And it's still, I cry on Zoom, my students, you know, I miss them terribly. And I haven't been able to see many of my students for over a year. And when I see them on Zoom, and I see how much they're affected by it, and I can feel their, I can feel their, their, their emotions across the Zoom, you know, kinetically, or however you want to call it, it hurt, it really hurts because you can see it in their faces and it can help but be emotional with your, with your students and realize how much they love you and how much we need to, we need to get through this together. So it was a hard, hard time, but we're not getting back online. Everyone is getting back to physical. I don't want a new normal. I just want normal. And our HALO organizations have agreed. We've had many board of board of director meetings, and we made it very clear to everyone that we are not to think of a new normal. We need to get back to what is normal because HULA allows us to do that. And we need to do that for the sake of our relationships that can also affect other relationships in all of our life and through, and just to thrive again, right? And to be resilient. And that's what we're trying to do. Basically, people have lost jobs, of course, people have lost themselves financially. But I want to tell you something. HULA is a very huge and loving family and we're very dedicated and we made a lot of sacrifices to one another. And you'd be amazed that I could take another couple hours and share with you how everyone is helping each other financially, physically, mentally, spiritually. And it's not for that. If not for HULA and these relationships, a lot of these people would probably commit suicide, to be very honest. It's been a rough year, definitely. It is. It is. And that's putting it lightly. Yeah. Yeah. So on the business side, that was more tied to Waikiki and the tourism. So that was like the 90% of your business side that just froze. Correct. From the film industry to Waikiki Beachwalk on rigor hotels and resorts to programming through independent contracting to private companies too. Everybody folded. But there was nothing. Nothing at all. There wasn't even people having any desire or motivation to do anything online, let alone people. Because it was hard to rotate. I mean, we were just and no one understood what a pandemic really was or what that was going to look like. But when it hit the doors, everybody learned real fast. Yeah. And I don't think anybody imagined it lasted long too. But we're better for it today. And we just have to learn from what we've been able to experience and take away whatever we can that's positive. And we just have to go forward. That's just what we have to do as human beings. So what have you seen so far? I mean, I've read in the news that the tourists are coming back and is business kind of coming back for you? It's a different tourism. And I'll tell you why. We don't have the Asian market right now. So our market is really mainland, mostly West Coast, right? So all of our business in tourism in Waikiki looks different. We don't have that Asian influx right now. So the dynamic of tourism right now is just all U.S., primarily U.S. And but it looks different because we don't have that much diversity in our economy, right? It's basically tourism. And so when we don't have that Asian market to balance what we're getting from AIDS, it's just a whole different dynamic, right? And it starts to explain what I'm talking about. But when you're in it constantly and you see pre-pandemic and post-pandemic, you can see the dynamics and how different it is. So it's a teachable moment because you're getting this cause and effect by a crowd of tourism that acts differently, right? Aren't they still interested though in the Hawaiian culture? Of course. It's just different. That's all. It just looks like a different animal, right? Because you don't have the balance, right? It's not a bad thing, but it's different right now. It's not your normal, it's what I'm talking about. It's not your normal balance of the Asian influx as well as our mainland influx and then Canada and Australia and the Oceania parts of our global tourism. And so it really is different. I've never experienced that before, right? You don't see Asians out there, all people filming them, right? So the crowd looks different and the interactions are different. So you're almost like feeling really out of the pandemic because we don't know the other part of it. But it's been interesting, but still positive, just different. Yeah. Yeah. I'm getting better. What advice would you give to somebody who's starting to export, like especially a culture, Hawaii culture, to another country? You know, exporting is like looking at a glass of water half full or half empty. Seriously, that's why I look at it, right? Because you look at all of these companies that we have to work with, right? And then you have these retailers and you have your retailers and you get all your product together and you have to decide, okay, what's the best route, right? And what company is best for that? And you have to get it through customs and you have to get your paperwork in order. Everything has to make sense, right? Is it for purchase? Is it a gift? What is it? Is it paid in US? Is it paid from Hawaii or are you collecting in the other country? I've had to learn so many different variety of dynamics of how to ship because I'm dealing with different countries. And so it was extremely stressful. And so I really had to find ways to get my organizations to understand their end of it, to make it easier for that transport and for that export to arrive when it's supposed to and not have all these extra fees that are on top of it. It's complex, definitely. Right, it's complex because we do it here, we get it there, and by the time we get it to our students or get it to the participants or get it to where our fabric needs to be now sewn and put together into costumes, what is the cost to all of the members? And so that's time consuming. So when you look at the whole process of export, we have to start a year and a half, literally a year and a half in advance, just to get it from a creative mindset, just to get that creative part onto paper. And by that six months, we have to know, okay, well, if we send it by this time, it gets to you by this time, and what's the end cost? And that would take another six months, four to six months. Right, and we have to decide with those commodities and what we're sending those items, which is the best, because some were fabrics and they're heavier because they're in bulk. And then you have other Hawaiian crafts, like Laohala things or things that we need like Laohala mats for our sitting pullers, right? That's lighter, right? Should we go to the same company? Because the weight is different and the size and oblong sizes are different, right? So companies were better for different shipping items. But you had to learn all of that. But we had to learn all of that. And so doing the pre-pandemic, we got into this nice cycle, right, every year, depending on what kind of celebrations and events we had, right? Then now post-pandemic, it's as if we have to learn all over again. Yeah, yeah. Literally all over again. And here's the new stress because now it's post-pandemic, everybody's financials and everybody's outlook and everybody is so unpredictable right now because everything is so different. It's different. And we have some new companies too now, right? So I think that we have a few that are either folding or have been bought up by another company. Some have gone on their own, right? So now it's a whole different process. So here we go again. Build new relationships. But that's the business. And if you're not willing to learn the business, then you ought not be in business, plain and simple. It is what it is. And that's just part of doing business, whether you export or import, you have to be willing to stick it out. And that's part of the sacrifice for any company, big or small. Okay, we'll have to leave it there. Thank you so much. You've been watching International Hawaii on Think Tech today. Today, we've been chatting with Kumu Bling Tia of Tia Enterprises. Thank you so much for sharing your time and your knowledge. Mahalo. Thank you so much. Been a pleasure. And thanks to our viewers for tuning in. I'm Zendu Matsuki and we'll be back in two weeks with another edition of International Hawaii. See you next time. Thanks. Aloha.