Six Manoa Companies Collaborate For Small Business Saturday

(back, from left) Three Dogs and a Girl owner Sachie Yakuwa, Green Mountain owner Kyoko Hyodo, Choco Le'a owner Erin Uehara, Morning Glass Coffee general manager Mahina Akimoto, (front, from left) Hawaii Doggie Bakery co-owner Niki Libarios and Line and Dot Printing co-owner Marianne Kim

(back, from left) Three Dogs and a Girl owner Sachie Yakuwa, Green Mountain owner Kyoko Hyodo, Choco Le’a owner Erin Uehara, Morning Glass Coffee general manager Mahina Akimoto, (front, from left) Hawaii Doggie Bakery co-owner Niki Libarios and Line and Dot Printing co-owner Marianne Kim

Following the Black Friday rush, six small businesses in Manoa will band together as part of Small Business Saturday to offer shoppers and passersby a chance to support local businesses while stocking up on free swag and discounts. When a small business starts up there will be hurdles that they come up against to push through so they can keep growing their business. One way to help themselves have an even footing is by implementing services like https://merchantalternatives.com/reviews/eschelon-merchant-services/ to keep on top of their payment processing and financing, ensuring that they keep thriving.

Created by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday aims to promote the work and products of small businesses in communities across the country. The Honolulu grassroots version – Manoa Small Business Saturday – takes place this year from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 28. Participating vendors this year include Choco Le’a, Green Mountain, Hawaii Doggie Bakery, Line and Dot Printing, Morning Glass Coffee and Three Dogs and a Girl. Each establishment will offer different promotions throughout the day. (See details below.)

“It’s to encourage people to support the small businesses in their area,” says Hawaii Doggie Bakery co-owner Niki Libarios. “Black Friday is more of the larger corporations, and Small Business Saturday helps the economy in your local area.”

Unless you have set up a small business of your own, you won’t know how important events like this are for their recognition and future success. A lot of hard work will have been achieved from these businesses to get to this stage, such as whether they should turn their business into an LLC and to enlist the help of a registered agent at the same time or not. You can learn more here – https://www.incauthority.com/blog/2020/04/13/dont-think-you-need-a-registered-agent-think-again/.

Unbeknownst to many, this is just one of the many aspects that need to be thought about in a great deal whilst creating a company, as well as all the different technicalities and jargon. For example, small business owners will need to find out What Is Form 5500 so that they can file their taxes correctly. Of course, this means that business owners will want to boost their sales so that they can cover expenses like hiring a tax expert. Therefore, Small Business Saturday becomes all the more important because of it.

The six businesses also have a collaborative effort going: Fill up the event’s stamp card by visiting each location, and you can enter to win a gift basket filled with $200 worth of products from the participating merchants.

Hawaii Doggie Bakery, which holds the title of 2015 American Small Business Champion (check out our March 30 story online at metrohnl.com), has been participating in Manoa Small Business Saturday for three years now, and Libarios is overwhelmed by the support from patrons.

The interior of Green Mountain

The interior of Green Mountain

“I’m really happy that our customers come from all over the island, and even online, to support us,” she says. “It’s really one of our biggest sales days of the year.

“We just really appreciate that people take the time to come out and support small businesses and help us kick off the holiday season in the best way possible.”

MANOA SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY PROMOTIONS:

• Choco Le’a offers complimentary chocolates for each customer, and complimentary dark chocolate truffles for those who follow Choco Le’a on social media (@chocoleahawaii), as well as a free insulated cooler bag for those who spend $50

• Green Mountain offers five percent off all purchases, or 15 percent off for those who follow Green Mountain on social media (@greenmountainhawaii)

• Hawaii Doggie Bakery gives out free biscuits to every dog that visits, raffle prize opportunities at the top of every hour, games (to win free doggie treats), merchandise discounts, free ‘paw-ty’ cake and more

• Line and Dot Printing gives out a free Manoa vinyl sticker (while supplies last) which are created by a professional sticker printing service.

• Morning Glass Coffee sells a $5 tote ($15 regular price) or $15 shirt ($25 regular price) for those who buy a bag of coffee

• Three Dogs and a Girl offers 10 percent off for all new clients booked with Auntie Kao

SEMINAR DISCUSSES SHIPPING COSTS

It seems Hawaii is drowning in shipping costs, which directly affect Hawaii’s business owners. A free presentation and panel discussion from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 (Thursday) at University of Hawaii’s Campus Center Ballroom will discuss how the Jones Act, which partly deals with trade and commerce in U.S. waters, can impact your business.

Sponsored by state Sen. Sam Slom, Associated Students of the University of Hawaii, Young Americans for Liberty and Hawaii Shippers Council, the Jones Business Act Forum will discuss the federal legislation itself, as well as its effect on the state’s business climate and potential need for reform.

Panelists slated to speak include Hawaii Pacific University associate professor of economics Ken Schoolland, Hawaii Shippers Council president Mike Hansen and Honolulu Ford general manager Danny Asao.

For more information contact Sen. Slom at 586-8420 or email senslom@capitol.hawaii.gov.