The lyric from Bob Dylan pretty much sums up a common entrepreneurial attitude. It’s the credo of the worker bee who is tired of being a worker bee, who sees a better way of doing things, who wants to take full advantage of the income generated by the business in which he or she is generally a key worker, and, most importantly, who wants to take more control over his or her life. Along with all that “freedom,” comes the responsibility, and most worker bees who have been working in a particular industry for a while realize that as the flip side of the entrepreneurial coin and are willing to make that bargain.
This all comes to mind as we have two new examples of this approach to business formation by Small Business Development Center clients in the West Hawaii business community this month with the formation of Diamond Sprinkler and Farm Supply and Kona European Auto Repair.
While these are two dissimilar businesses, they are operated by owners with similar depths of experience in their respective industries, striking out on their own after considerable time spent in their fields. I know none of the owners took this step lightly and only made the move after a lot of deliberation and planning. I thought it would be worthwhile, given that, to get some insight on the process of deciding whether and when to become an entrepreneur.
Lynnett Tohara, the operating owner of Diamond Sprinkler and Farm Supply, has been a manager in the sprinkler supply business for over twelve years. Over that time she’s developed a steady clientele and has seen the nature of the business change with buy outs and mainland companies coming in. Now she, and her partner Buddy Yadao, are ready to take everything they have learned about this niche business and do things their way. Diamond Sprinkler and Farm Supply opened last Friday at 73-4260 Hulikoa Drive.
John Bertram and Mike Appleby, partners in Kona European Auto Repair, have been in the auto repair industry for a combined total of 60 years, both on the mainland and in Kona. They have witnessed the transition of professional auto repair from a guy working with a wrench and a dog-eared manual to complicated technical work on today’s sophisticated, computerized vehicles. John and Mark opened their shop at 74-555 Honokohau St. two weeks ago.
So why did these newly minted entrepreneurs make the move into business ownership? “We want to be in a business where we can make both customers and employees happy and be happy ourselves. We’ve both had that at places we worked in the past, but it didn’t seem to last long,” says Mark Appleby. “Also, I met John; I could never have done it by myself.” John Bertram adds, “Between the two of us there is a real synergy of abilities and skill sets and we both have the same values about business. You need to work at what you are passionate about and then the money will come.”
Lynnett and Buddy made the move “Because they wanted to do something for ourselves, something we could call our own, build up and maybe pass down to our kid. We also wanted to bring back a local style to business.”
Any fears any of these owners had about striking out on their own? The decision is unanimous: “Not one,” says Mark. “Too busy for fear,” says Lynnett.
Then there is the opportunity to put their own mark on how a business is conducted and to make a difference. Mark says, “We want to have the kind of shop where we do it right the first time at an honest and fair price.” Lynnett and Buddy “Want to focus on the most important thing: the customer. As long as we always keep that in mind, everything will fall into place. They are the bosses and they need to be taken care of. If they do well, we do well.”
Asked for any words of advice for other would-be business owners, Lynnett says her only advice is “If you are passionate about something, go for it. You’ve got to love what you do.” Mark says, “We found out that owning a business is a super difficult endeavor, but it’s the difference between having a simple life just getting a paycheck or being in charge of your own destiny.” John adds, “Go to the SBDC. We were stuck until we came for assistance and the advice provided was very helpful. Also, don’t give up, it’s an uphill battle, but you can get there.”
Want to be in charge of your destiny? Join us for “How to Start a Business in Hawaii” on Wednesday from 9-11:30 a.m. at our offices at NELHA. Register at www.hisbdc.org.
Dennis Boyd is director of the West Hawaii Small Business Development Center
Hawaii SBDC Network is funded in part through Cooperative Agreement No # SBAHQ-13-B-0048/0001 with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the University of Hawaii at Hilo. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.