 Think Tech-A-Way. Civil engagement lives here. Comfort Zone. I'm your host, Arby Kelly, and it is Tuesday at 1 p.m. So, one of the things I love about what I do is I get to find interesting people and bring them onto my show and ask them questions. Now, you may not know this, but I work as an entrepreneur. I'm a body language coach and I work with businesses and individuals to help them figure out what their body language is saying and the ways it may be sabotaging their success. I love entrepreneurs and I think entrepreneurship plays a vital role in revitalizing and strengthening our economy and in helping everyone to achieve their individual purpose and play to their strengths. But it's kind of hard to be an entrepreneur if you don't have a good network if you're not sure how to get the word out there, which is why today I'm really excited to have here with me Karen Knudsen, who is working on a project specifically for entrepreneurs. Karen, can you tell us a little bit more about what you do? Yeah, sure. And thank you so much for letting me have this time. Our mission of Ohana Holly Marketplace, the sole mission really is to help entrepreneurs and our small business owners thrive. Being an entrepreneur, which you are, I've been, you know, it isn't easy. It is full of lots of challenges. Sometimes you feel very alone as you're doing it. So the concept in our founder, Chris Ulu, the intention was to say, how can we make life easier? How can we make entrepreneurs more successful, have more access, have more stability? So that's really where Ohana Holly Marketplace was born from, was that feeling of let's see what we can do. There really isn't any place like it in really, in the whole state to have a large space indoor, air conditioned, where entrepreneurs can really truly have a home, have a place that they can count on, have everything that they need to succeed. So that's kind of the compelling mission and the drive to make this a place where, you know, there's so many small businesses here in Hawaii and to be able to give that stability is really what we're here for. I like that. Thank you for sharing. So the Ohana Holly Marketplace, now when I hear Marketplace, I think of like walking into a grocery store and picking out the vegetables that I need, but I don't think that's quite what you're saying here. So can you help me understand what this is? Yeah, so the feeling is as you walk through the doors and for those of you who remember Sports Authority and wondering now that Sports Authority is gone, who's going to take that space, that's the space we have. It's 60,000 square feet. So now the way you're envisioning it in your mind, it's becoming, I think, bigger than maybe your first. Bigger than the Safeway, yes. And we've arranged it in such a way that we've got some wonderful food vendors. We have 45 food vendors that are signed up and anxious and ready to go. And then we also have a lot of retail space as well. So as you walk in, you'll see and feel this kind of massive collaboration group of all of these entrepreneurs with their very particular interests or art or clothing or businesses or whatever it is that they want to share and just doing what they love to do without all of the complications that can go along sometimes when you're an individual entrepreneur. So it kind of sounds like what I'm seeing now in my head is more a mall for small business owners. And so when you want to shop, you want to find something interesting, you go to the Ohana Holly Marketplace and you're shopping with local small business owners. And so instead of getting things at Macy's or some of the other big store brands, you're helping the little guy and your family, your money is not only are you getting something cool, but you're directly supporting a local resident here in Hawaii who is creative and hardworking and making a difference. Yes, absolutely. That is revolutionary. Yeah, it's, we are thrilled. It's certainly been a labor of love. It says as any startup is, but when you get into this massive space it's been fun and we're looking forward to opening. So we are only about 30 days away from opening. Oh, so it's just right around the corner. It is right around the corner. Yeah. And so what kind of vendors are you looking for? Right now we are looking for to really add more to our retail offerings. So we've got I think maybe we have one or two spaces left for food but we do have more space for whether it be, we've got some very interesting partners on board with us. We have certainly we've got clothing, we've got jewelry, we've got someone that is selling these beautiful quilts. We've got those that are really interested in skincare. We've got some that are really focused on health and well-being whether it be supplements or whatever they're bringing to the table. So in the spirit of that we're just looking for anyone who is thrilled with what they do loves to share their products just come see us. Anybody actually can come see us right now. We're there every day. And if you want to just pop in and see the progress, we are an open book. Wow. That sounds exciting. I'm almost like what do I have in my schedule this afternoon? Can I come over with me? Well that sounds like it's not only going to be interesting, not only helpful for the vendors themselves people who have like the physical product, they're there, they're trying to find their market but also it will be helpful, it will be really interesting for people just to come in and shop because they've got all these cool vendors in one place and we talk a lot here in Hawaii about shop local, about shop Hawaii. We talk a lot about supporting small businesses and making those small contributions count but this is a way to actually put your money where your mouth is and actually make a difference. So what kind of word this idea, how did it come to be? Chris Ulu, he and he's so sorry he couldn't be here but he is a very fascinating person so I'll just share a little bit about him and kind of where he was coming from on this. He started out actually as a boxer in life and that in itself is a long story but then he, when he decided what he wanted to do next, he was very interested in the storage business which we know is big here in Hawaii and so he started as a janitor and said I'm going to learn everything that I need to learn. I'm going to figure this out and he did. He just kept rising and rising and rising and until he opened his own which is right on Kapi Elani, storekeepers and so from there he reached that goal and then in his mind it's like well what's next? What else am I passionate about? And that's really where the idea came from. He's an entrepreneur so he runs saying how can I, he feels very lucky even though he's very skilled, he feels very lucky and fortunate he wanted to be able to take that to others and say let me help you in your journey. So there's other things that he's done that have been, it really evidences how passionate he is about this. As an entrepreneur if you're going to take commercial space, what do you come with that specifically? A lease, right? Oh I'm not sure about this a year, two years, three years. And if you have a slow month or two and you're behind, it can be devastating. So it's very easy. You come in and you pay your lease or your rent every four weeks and that's it. So it's like month to month leasing. Interesting. So if someone is like I can't afford it this month that's fine, you clear out your space. But if they're back on their feet in another month or two, they're welcome back. Yeah, if there's space because once that space opens then you know it's going to have to go to somebody else but this way again it's low risk and you know we want people to not just experienced entrepreneurs but you know people who are saying maybe I could. I've never done this but maybe I could and it can blossom and if they do it and try it and say you know what maybe it's not my dream anymore then it's okay, right? Yeah, it's not that harsh where it's like oh I'm going bankrupt and now I have to sell this place I bought. But I can also see it how it's actually, if you are starting out brand new as an entrepreneur say you're making jewelry and you want to have a vendor at the Ohana Holly Marketplace and you get that set up, you don't necessarily have to track down your own customers because people are already going to be coming into that area. So as long as your little store front looks interesting, people passing by, you're already getting that exposure, you're already getting that interest. Yeah, yeah. And that when you think about if again as a small business owner you're doing your business plan and you think okay what are my biggest expenses? You know I'm going to have to advertise. Okay, there's that, right? I'm going to have to get a space, right? There's that. I'm going to have to pay the electricity. There's that, right? So again we've said here's your number, here's what you need every month and we'll take care of the rest. You know we've got a very, I'm marketing director so we've got a very robust plans ahead of us to ensure that if they're there then we're doing our part, right? To bring those feet through the door. You know this is so powerful and I am so intrigued and I'm wondering is this something you plan to do just at the Old Sports Authority building or are there going to be more Ohana Hollywood places popping up? Stay tuned. I think right now our focus is let's get this one open but it seems certainly like a prototype that would work in other places as well I'm sure. And it will be very intriguing to see how that changes and progresses as this grows. So viewers we will be right back in just a minute to finish this interview and there's more you need to know so don't change the dial. Stay here and I'll see you in a minute. Bye. I'm Jay Fiedel one of the hosts of Asia in Review which is broadcast Monday afternoons on thinktecawaii.com. We cover, we study news and politics in and affecting Asia. We work hard to bring you the most interesting subjects and guests who will raise your awareness. Please join us Mondays every week on Asia in Review on thinktecawaii.com and also on YouTube and iTunes. Thanks for watching. We'll see you then. Aloha Sheshe and Sai Jian. Aloha my name is Mark Shklav I am the host of thinktecawaii's Law Across the Sea. Law Across the Sea is on thinktecawaii every other Monday at 11 a.m. Please join me where my guests talk about law topics and ideas and music in Hawaii all across the sea from Hawaii and back again. Aloha. Welcome back to Out of the Comfort Zone. I'm your host RB Kelly. I can say my name I promise. But I'm here today with very special guest Karen Knudsen who is helping to create something revolutionary not just for business owners and entrepreneurs but also for the people who are wanting to be involved. Now we were talking without you over the break we're sorry but while we were talking you mentioned that this might be something you'd also be opening up to entertainers or even to non-profits. Yeah as part of our space and planning it we have a stage and the stage is built to be used so we are you know it's again it's another segment of our population that we can draw in with other music you know we're looking at all sorts of things entertainment we're looking at you know my vision as well and looking again at community is you know how can we you know how can we use this great space for every way possible. I'd love to start interacting with our schools. You know having field trips to the Ohanoholy marketplace. I just had a crazy idea. You could host high school students they have debate classes. You could have debate politicians there and I know there's a lot of politicians who are wanting to have more engagement and then you also mentioned entertainers stand up comedy artists who are just getting started musicians are you thinking of opening up the space where people could do public speaking events there or host some kind of workshop. It's really evolving as we go so we're really at this point open to any ideas. Wow that's exciting. Also it's really important to us a strong connection with nonprofits and again they have separate struggles that they go through right so we have taken some of our boots and we are not going to lease those to anyone else and we're going to invite our nonprofits to come in and at compliments of us and we have a chance to talk about you know what's important to them and their organization. That's incredible. What kind of nonprofits are you thinking. You know there's such a wide variety that you know we'll be looking at but you know and there's a lot of passion. We also have a lot of space and a lot of time so you know my mission is to anybody who wants to you know have that opportunity. I'm sure that we can make that happen. That's intriguing and so it sounds like this is going to be a really cool place for community members. You want to shop local you want to build your business local this is where you go. It sounds like if you are maybe Christmas shopping or you're just wanting to kind of spend a fun weekend or a fun afternoon. This is a great place to see not only your favorite things but also brand new items and products made available here. Yeah and we'll have events you know we want to keep it it'll be so active but we want to keep surprising and doing fun things so that there's always something new going on. And so I'm sure some people are wondering like how are we going to get some of the first some of the first clients in there how are you going to be bringing people in to make sure there's enough demand to really keep your entrepreneurs afloat. Yeah we're going to when we open you know kind of start with a little bit of a soft opening and then we will announce the dates very shortly of our grand opening and that will be a lot of fun with all sorts of music and probably a live DJ there and we'll be on the radio we'll have giveaways it'll be a terrific day of celebration. And then after that I can even see is this something you'll be bringing tourism in for? Yes yeah we we're really pleased we just finalized an agreement in a partnership with Robert Tsawaii and they will be bringing us every week seven to ten thousand tourists. So we you know we're happy we're really looking at this is such a you know wide array you know it's tourists coming in and having fun and finding the things they want it's all of our local vendors it's all of our you know we're in the heart of Kakaako so I don't think we could have had you know a better place in terms of just welcoming everyone to us so it's it's a thrill you know we are still in these next thirty days we still have some openings as well I bet once you get started those openings are just going to disappear especially if you're bringing in not it's not like seven to ten thousand people total it's seven to ten thousand tourists every week and some of those if you're a vendor there they are guaranteed to be walking past your shop if you're halfway decent at your job they'll be walking into your shop and they are guaranteed business so okay you're saying there are a few slots open now you jump on this even if you have a half crazy idea you jump on this and you steal a slot how can how can people get one of these slots for you what's the process sure sure there's a couple ways one way is they can go to our website which is OHMHawaii.com as well they can call it's 797-2001 797-2001 yeah and if they're interested they can actually fill the application right electronically on our website and we get it immediately and we'll call and we'll you know invite you in so alright if you're watching this live you are watching this on our ThinkTech website which means that you can click open another tab and start filling out that application and so at this stage it sounds like you have very few spots left and you're expecting to get them all filled we have some and we do expect to get them filled alright this is exciting I'm really wanting to be like okay honey let's just go hang out there so let's see you said we could kind of come over poke our heads in do you know when the soft opening is going to be it'll be in that first week of August yeah that's exciting so it really is just around the corner it is just around the corner yeah yeah so we are we are thrilled you know again we you know we welcome you know new thing unique items and just really come be part of the family whether it's a vendor or whether you're a shopper we are just looking for this great collaboration for something that's so good for our community can I ask what are some of the vendors you have right now is that okay yeah sure we have such a wide array we've got those who make their own jewelry we've got all different types of clothing sportswear we have skin care we have several wellness vendors as well that have a passion for helping us be more healthy and again we have art yes and yeah it's you know and then you know little things like if you need your eye watch something is wrong on it and you need it fixed quickly we'll have something like that so it's a very diverse group of people but each providing their own special you know gift interesting so I'm curious how you got sucked into this how you got involved in this project and Chris how did I get sucked into this I met Chris about four years ago when I was an entrepreneur and my business was helping small businesses and getting startup and also doing business plans so through all of his efforts to find the right place I've been working with him on adjusting these business plans and so when he called me in January and said we've got it we've got a permanent spot Howard Hughes Corporation it's where sports authority so I decided to make a move and get on board and I'm glad I did it's a terrific feeling honestly to know that in the end what you do makes a difference you know all of us feel that for whatever way but to know especially being connected with small businesses to be able to just watch them thrive is really a thrill and I really just can't get over what an impact this is going to make even on a small scale I mean everyone knows how hard it is to make a living here in Hawaii everyone knows you're working multiple jobs you're doing everything you can everyone knows the minimum wage like cannot support you here but you've created this place where small business owners and entrepreneurs can get hundreds of people walking through their store every day if not thousands of people walking through in front of their store every day but it's a place where there's a low risk investment they're just there for the month they can extend or leave where they're surrounded by other people who are interesting who do similar things or complementary things this is going to make such a big difference for brands for your favorite big name brands or instead of using online shopping you're able to actually feed someone's family this month by coming to shop at the Ohana Holly Marketplace and that's just crazy I mean we talk a lot here in Hawaii about how we can help people sustain themselves we talk a lot about how we can help each other bring the aloha spirit or actually just help out our neighbor but this is a way to actually do it I'm just blown away so we've only got a few minutes left but is there anything else you'd like to tell us that we've missed? I think another thing if you're thinking about being on your own and saying oh can I do this because we're open seven days a week for several hours every day one of the things that's been fun for me is to kind of match people up so if you think I've got this product that I want to do but I'm not sure I can do it alone come talk to us because I'm keeping my lists of people who want that and we've been able to do, I call it matchmaking to do that if there's if they match and it's not some motor oil and diamonds but if it works then don't hesitate to just come talk to us and look at possibilities, look at what could be we take great pleasure in doing that so it sounds like you're doing everything you can to make this as easy as possible so not only are you, there's just a set fee every month that they can choose to either keep going or not you're also bringing in customers to help them but also you're willing to match make them with another business owner we'll give it our best effort on that so where do you see this being in the next five years? I think that it's going to be interesting to see you have a vision at first but it never turns out exactly as you thought you make your plans so for me I'm looking forward to it kind of showing us what it is we'll learn, I'm sure we'll look back as everyone does but I think with a building full of creative, brave people who are ready to put it all out there we tell everyone who comes on board with us we say we are partners with you we're going to have these open hours, if it doesn't work for all of us then together we'll figure it out so I think that it's a good feeling between that to say we are together in this this is incredible, thank you so much for coming Karen I would love to have you on the show you have a choice in front of you or maybe things are going fabulous for them and they're looking to expand maybe you have a family member who's always talked about running their own business or has a little hobby shop, they're running out of their garage maybe it's you who's been wanting to create something instead of working a nine to five day job working for someone else whatever it is, this is an opportunity to not only get almost guaranteed success where you have clients coming in month to month commitment, this is something you can literally try it and then see if it goes well or not, so this is what they've created here is a very safe opportunity for you to try growing your own business so please do make sure to share this video with someone you know who's trying to grow and spread their business here in the state of Hawaii on the island of Oahu, this is a fabulous opportunity and I'd love to see you take part in it, and you can by visiting oahu.com, see you next week