Keep it Simple Honolulu LLC | Application Preview
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 85-2790591
Location: HONOLULU, HI, United States
Length of Operation: 1-5
Number of Employees: 11-25 Employees
Annual Gross Income: $500k to $1M
Annual Gross Expense: $500k to $1M
Open to Loans: YES
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Funding Usage
We will use the funding to support four key areas of our business: 1. Product Development: A portion of the funds will be allocated to research, development, and improvements in our product line to enhance its features, quality, and appeal to customers. 2. Marketing and Expansion: We plan to invest in marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness and customer acquisition. Additionally, we will use the funding to expand our reach to new markets and regions online and in store. 3. Operations and Infrastructure: A portion of the funds will be used to optimize our operational efficiency by investing in inventory management systems, upgrading our technology infrastructure, and improving our overall supply chain processes. 4. Education: We plan to invest in educating our customers about how shopping at our store is imperative to the future of keeping Hawai'i clean and green. Our environmental and social impact is a driving force behind investing in the proper channels of education of our customers, school speeches, collaborative events with Universities and more. By strategically allocating the funding to these areas, we aim to fuel our growth, drive profitability, and deliver an even better customer experience.
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Business Plan
In the next five years, we have a comprehensive growth strategy in place to expand our business and solidify our position as a market leader: 1. Product Innovation: We will continuously invest in research and development to bring innovative products to the market. By staying ahead of emerging trends and customer demands, we aim to enhance our product offerings and maintain a competitive edge. 2. Market Penetration: Our focus will be on increasing market share in our current target markets. We plan to achieve this through aggressive marketing campaigns, targeted customer outreach, and building strong partnerships with key distributors and retailers. 3. Education: We plan to launch significant efforts into networking with local schools, private institutions, and universities to connect with students. We plan to educate them with outreach programs and build strong relationships in the community. 4. E-commerce: To tap into the growing online market, we will invest in marketing and visual content which will be vital in attracting and retaining customers in the digital era. 5. Customer Experience and Brand Loyalty: We understand the importance of exceptional customer experience in fostering brand loyalty. By implementing customer feedback mechanisms, personalized offerings, and loyalty programs, we will build long-lasting relationships with our clientele. 6. Strategic Partnerships: To accelerate growth and expand our capabilities, we will actively seek strategic partnerships that align with our vision and values. 7. Sustainability: As a business centered around sustainability, we will further integrate ethical practices into our operations and products. This commitment to environmental and social responsibility will enhance our brand reputation and appeal to our niche of customers. 8. Employee Development: Our workforce is our most valuable asset. We will invest in employee training, career growth opportunities, and a positive work environment to attract top talent and foster a motivated and skilled team. By pursuing these strategic initiatives, we aim to achieve strong and sustainable growth, delivering value to our customers, stakeholders, and communities we serve. I grew up in a Hawai`i that was different than was shown on TV and in marketing agendas. It wasn't until the pandemic was in full swing that I really had the chance to sit on the beaches and think. To be honest all I could think about was how much trash was washing ashore so I started to pick it up, as always, but this time I found a toothbrush that looked exactly like one I had when I was a child. Could it be mine? That's when it hit me hard and I decided I had to do something about it. I got to thinking and my brain was moving faster than lightning and the dreams that I was dreaming seemed big and way out of my league. What if we could stop the pollution at the source? I blasted off a text that read, "Hey Jill, do you want to start a zero waste store with me?" What started as a simple text to my roommate, quickly turned into the ride of our lives. Four months later in December 2020 we opened a zero waste store called Keep it Simple Zero Waste. The store aims to reduce plastic pollution by allowing customers to come in and refill their empty containers with soaps, beauty products, household goods and many other plastic free swaps. There wasn't a local option to shop plastic free and we were really frustrated with seeing how much pollution was washing in at the beaches. As a local girl, I get more and more stressed out every year when I see how much trash ends at washing in and harming the sea animals. When Covid originally hit, I was at the time competing in the Olympics trials, X-Games, and US open for park skateboarding representing Hawai`i and the USA and my dreams were crushed by the covid pandemic. My business partner's job closed its doors for good and we were at rock bottom. At the same time pollution was at an all time high we decided that we had nothing to lose and we set out to create the sustainable place we desired to have in our community. We started the store nearly right out of college and that would not have been possible if we did not decide to take the risk during the pandemic. As 22 and 25-year-old females, it was no easy task and we got rejected a lot but we knew that our mission was strong and people cared about the planet so we kept going and taking risks. Just 22 months ago we opened our first shop and had barely anything on the shelves but in the past two years we have opened a new shop in Waikiki and one in Kapolei. Today we have helped the community to divert over 35,000 bottles from ending up in the trash through our refills, saved tens of thousands of single use products such as sponges and plastic items from ending up in our environment, organized hundreds of community members to help clean the beaches bimonthly, and gave back to non-profits serving the houseless, survivors of domestic violence, those facing period poverty, and much more! Our store is a platform for over 40 local women and native Hawaiian entrepreneurs when people shop with us they're shopping with our community and voting with their dollar. At no other corporate store are you able to support all of these incredible community events, local entrepreneurs, and participate in a deliberately circular economy. Above all we have created a safe, happy, fun, an accessible place to enjoy natural products to get products all while saving the environment. As pollution is one of the leading threats to our island, this new store serves West side and Central `Oahu and we will be able to divert tons of waste from ending up in the trash by simply allowing our customers to refill their bottles. We saw a need in the community and we are on a quest much bigger than ourselves to support this business and keep this community space open and thriving. It all started from the heart and was a series of big risks and faith. We wanted to create a place where we would shop and above all we wanted to make it fun and attainable to empower people to take sustainability into their own hands. We never come from the lens of guilt for plastic use but rather we empower people to see the value in supporting small, local, and sustainable options for a feel good experience that will change the world. The grant would be life changing because as a small, women owned business with the owners being under 30, it has proven to be challenging to secure funding from most financial institutions. We are limited to more unappealing sources of capital such as credit card debt, or higher interest personal loans and lines of credit. We had to get super creative with the financing of the first two stores and just start small and grow into ordering new inventory. However, with the addition of the third location we are learning that supporting an organization even this size comes with added challenges. We went from being a team of two in November 2021 to having a team of 15 employees today. If awarded the money we would invest it in purchasing new inventory to boost sales, marketing videos to get the word out to the community, and finally to pay off some of the urgent debts that came along with funding the third location out of minimal resources. We have always had a "yes, we can!" attitude when opening these shops and we were not prepared by any means to open any of them, physically of financially. A lot can be accomplished when you just set on making it happen. This grant would change our lives and the tides of plastic pollution in Hawai`i for generations to come.
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Self Identified Competition
Our top three competitors are: 1. Target 2. Grocery stores (like CVS or VONS) 3. Local Zero Waste Stores Our market is so new that we don't have a lot of direct competition. We maintain the majority market share of Zero Waste stores on the island because there really aren't many. Our competitors will never be able to give customers the same experience as our store. The people who value shopping plastic free will choose our store every-time once they switch. While there is a learning curve, the customer retention is much higher because of the social impact customers can feel personally when shopping at Keep it Simple. They come because it makes them feel like they are making a difference, and they truly are.
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Contact Applicant
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