Hawaii Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Lihue, Hawaii

Thinking about starting a business in Lihue, Hawaii? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Lihue.

Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?

Most new companies do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Lihue. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. 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.

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Free Business Ideas.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Construction Engineers Business guide or our Starting a Paving Equipment Retail Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are opening your new business in Lihue. Some businesses will do better in Lihue than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Lihue demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Lihue, Hawaii Demographic Information

Lihue has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for Lihue demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Lihue.

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
996
5-9 Employees
486
10-19 Employees
324
20-49 Employees
201
50-99 Employees
66
100-249 Employees
36
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Lihue Businesses
2118

As a new Lihue entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lihue 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
4
Armored Car Services
2
Art Dealers
3
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Breweries
1
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
4
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Convenience Stores
3
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing
1
Couriers
3
Credit Card Issuing
1
Credit Unions
5
Dance Companies
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Dry Pasta Manufacturing
1
Educational Support Services
2
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
5
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
2
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
2
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
22
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
8
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
7
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Historical Sites
1
Home Health Care Services
3
Human Rights Organizations
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
14
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry Stores
10
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscaping Services
6
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
20
Marine Cargo Handling
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Meat Markets
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
4
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
4
Nail Salons
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
4
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
7
Offices of Dentists
17
Offices of Lawyers
17
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
17
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil
1
Portfolio Management
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
5
Recreational Goods Rental
3
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
1
Retail Bakeries
2
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
3
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
3
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
7
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Sports and Recreation Instruction
3
Temporary Help Services
2
Temporary Shelters
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tour Operators
2
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
4
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Picking a Company Name

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Lihue, it's imperative that you check now that no Hawaii company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Having a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Free Business Plan Templates. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Hawaii.

Raising Capital for Your Business

Obtaining startup financing for your Lihue business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Lihue entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Hawaii Angel Investors and our List of Hawaii Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Lihue business to do well.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Closing Sales offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Lihue businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Lihue and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Lihue 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 Lihue, Hawaii

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Lihue.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Hawaii

Starting a Business in Lahaina
Starting a Business in Paia

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Hawaii
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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