Thinking about starting a business in Waipahu, Hawaii? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Waipahu.
Do You Have What It Takes?
An entrepreneurial life is difficult, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Waipahu. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
Waipahu, Hawaii Demographic Information
Waipahu has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Waipahu demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Waipahu.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1307 |
| 5-9 Employees |
606 |
| 10-19 Employees |
408 |
| 20-49 Employees |
327 |
| 50-99 Employees |
126 |
| 100-249 Employees |
51 |
| 250-499 Employees |
9 |
| 500-999 Employees |
6 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Waipahu Businesses |
2840 |
As a new Waipahu entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Waipahu for each business category. By looking at this chart, you can get
a general sense for how much competition there is in the business niche that
you are pursuing.
| Business Type |
# of
Businesses |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
3 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
11 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
14 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
6 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bottled Water Manufacturing |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
3 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Cheese Manufacturing |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
6 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
3 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coffee and Tea Manufacturing |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
2 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
3 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
2 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
4 |
| Convenience Stores |
3 |
| Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing |
1 |
| Credit Card Issuing |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
7 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
8 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
4 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
13 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finfish Fishing |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
6 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
4 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
28 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
15 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
5 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
5 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal |
1 |
| HMO Medical Centers |
1 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
4 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
18 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
11 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
57 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Mattress Manufacturing |
1 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
4 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
3 |
| New Car Dealers |
9 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
28 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
2 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
10 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
8 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
5 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
4 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
5 |
| Remediation Services |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
4 |
| Residential Remodelers |
8 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
10 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
3 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Ship Building and Repairing |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
11 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
2 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
6 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
3 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
7 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
16 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
What About Franchising Opportunities?
As you drive around Waipahu, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Scams. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Steam Brothers and Chanticlear Pizza. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Sports Franchises and Dollar Store Franchises.
Note on Waipahu Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Waipahu.
What About Buying an Existing Waipahu Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Hawaii. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Waipahu.
If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading The Art of the Executive Summary. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Hawaii.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Good business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.
With your business being located in Waipahu, Hawaii, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Hawaii universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Waipahu entrepreneurs.
Now It's Up To You
As an entrepreneur in Waipahu, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Waipahu businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Waipahu entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Waipahu, Hawaii
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Waipahu.
More Business Startup Guides for Hawaii
Starting a Business in Wailuku
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Business Startup Guides for Hawaii
