We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kainalu Kamai a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kainalu, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

After my time serving in a military deployment to Afghanistan in 2019-2020, I wasn’t expecting to come back home and start a business with my mother during pre-Covid era. My mom decided to put together a clothing and boutique store(an idea she had for years before) and I agreed to help out and design our logo and designs for our business name, 3Kai Clothing Company. I knew it was going to be a lot of work and investment but in the long run, we were able to build a steady clientele and recognization for our business. Overall I am very happy being a business owner despite the stress and setbacks seven encountered along the way, it’s a learning process and not all businesses start off successfully in the beginning. You have to fall a little before getting back into gear and having a steady path.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am currently a co-owner of a family business as well as a military veteran still in service with the Hawaii Army National Guard. I also run my photography business that I’ve had since 2011. Our clothing store offers a mix of women’s boutique styles clothing and men’s wear from local brands and ours. We also sell local designer jewelry and other merchandise as well.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My mother took the bulk of the social media posting to help get our name out there. She has connections in the pageant industry as being a makeup artists for various titles in the Hawaii pageant scene and clients from her former department stores she used to work at. As for myself I was known more in the surf and Hawaii photography community amongst close friends and others, so this help get our business out on my side of promoting.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Always ask for help and don’t be afraid to do so. It’s better to have a dumb question than no questions at all. This was something I learned from the military as it was vital to keep a clear communication amongst members to help get a task done or finished the right way and safely.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Nalumonphotography
• Facebook: Kainalu Nakoa Kamai
• Twitter: Hawaiiaoppa
• Youtube: Kainalu Kamai

Image Credits
Jay Kern, Ke’ali’i Punley, Ian Fonseca.