Moving To Hawaii - TechHui2024-03-29T00:02:50Zhttp://www.techhui.com/forum/topics/moving-to-hawaii?commentId=1702911%3AComment%3A117542&feed=yes&xn_auth=noCost of living may be tough t…tag:www.techhui.com,2013-02-26:1702911:Comment:1175652013-02-26T15:58:34.369ZChris OKennonhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/ChrisOKennon
<p>Cost of living may be tough to get used to. Traffic I'm used to, as a commute up to DC can easily take 2 hours. Culture shock and xenophobia is probably no better or worse than Richmond, where if you weren't born into a niche, you don't get in. It's like a feudal system, except the royalty are all inbred mountain folk. Or, possibly a scene from Invasion of the Body Snatchers. :)</p>
<p>Anyway, thanks for the feedback. I may pop back in with some more questions, as reality checking can…</p>
<p>Cost of living may be tough to get used to. Traffic I'm used to, as a commute up to DC can easily take 2 hours. Culture shock and xenophobia is probably no better or worse than Richmond, where if you weren't born into a niche, you don't get in. It's like a feudal system, except the royalty are all inbred mountain folk. Or, possibly a scene from Invasion of the Body Snatchers. :)</p>
<p>Anyway, thanks for the feedback. I may pop back in with some more questions, as reality checking can be tricky from here. </p> well said.tag:www.techhui.com,2013-02-25:1702911:Comment:1175532013-02-25T18:31:44.477ZKen Berkunhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/KenBerkun
<p>well said.</p>
<p>well said.</p> Being white is not much of an…tag:www.techhui.com,2013-02-25:1702911:Comment:1175472013-02-25T10:40:29.147ZBrianhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/Brian268
Being white is not much of an asset here. Being rich/connected is an asset virtually anywhere.<br></br>
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There is DoD money here also that's not well-tied to rest of tech community. Depending on your skillset and background that may be a source of revenue.<br />
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Hawaii has pros and cons like any place. I've lived on islands my entire life and I think a line from Six Days Seven Nights sums it up for me. "It's an island [...] if you didn't bring it here, you won't find it here."<br></br>
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Great…
Being white is not much of an asset here. Being rich/connected is an asset virtually anywhere.<br/>
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There is DoD money here also that's not well-tied to rest of tech community. Depending on your skillset and background that may be a source of revenue.<br />
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Hawaii has pros and cons like any place. I've lived on islands my entire life and I think a line from Six Days Seven Nights sums it up for me. "It's an island [...] if you didn't bring it here, you won't find it here."<br/>
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Great place, but will not solve life's problems with beaches and sun.<br/>
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Don't underestimate cost of living, traffic, culture shock, and xenophobia. They're all both better and worse than you'll hear. Being white and connected/ric…tag:www.techhui.com,2013-02-24:1702911:Comment:1173842013-02-24T22:41:11.780ZChris OKennonhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/ChrisOKennon
<p>Being white and connected/rich is an asset, just being white is only the status quo. But I get your point. I'm a sweetheart with a good sense of humor, so I should be too off-putting.</p>
<p>And to be honest, a different business world would be a refreshing change. :)</p>
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<p><br></br> <cite>John said:…</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.techhui.com/forum/topics/moving-to-hawaii?commentId=1702911%3AComment%3A117383&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1702911Comment117383"></blockquote>
<p>Being white and connected/rich is an asset, just being white is only the status quo. But I get your point. I'm a sweetheart with a good sense of humor, so I should be too off-putting.</p>
<p>And to be honest, a different business world would be a refreshing change. :)</p>
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<p><br/> <cite>John said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.techhui.com/forum/topics/moving-to-hawaii?commentId=1702911%3AComment%3A117383&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1702911Comment117383"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>From what I know of the Deep South, being white is as an asset in the good ole boy network. In Hawaii, it's kind of the opposite, especially if you weren't born here and, as Ken alluded to, didn't go to the right high school.</p>
<p>It's certainly not impossible, especially if you are nice and deferential to locals, even when their competency is far below mainland levels.</p>
<p>All that said, I like Hawaii overall but be prepared to enter a business world that's different from what you've experienced elsewhere.</p>
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</blockquote> From what I know of the Deep…tag:www.techhui.com,2013-02-24:1702911:Comment:1173832013-02-24T21:38:01.999ZJohnhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/John
<p>From what I know of the Deep South, being white is as an asset in the good ole boy network. In Hawaii, it's kind of the opposite, especially if you weren't born here and, as Ken alluded to, didn't go to the right high school.</p>
<p>It's certainly not impossible, especially if you are nice and deferential to locals, even when their competency is far below mainland levels.</p>
<p>All that said, I like Hawaii overall but be prepared to enter a business world that's different from what you've…</p>
<p>From what I know of the Deep South, being white is as an asset in the good ole boy network. In Hawaii, it's kind of the opposite, especially if you weren't born here and, as Ken alluded to, didn't go to the right high school.</p>
<p>It's certainly not impossible, especially if you are nice and deferential to locals, even when their competency is far below mainland levels.</p>
<p>All that said, I like Hawaii overall but be prepared to enter a business world that's different from what you've experienced elsewhere.</p> Nothing is impossible. But y…tag:www.techhui.com,2013-02-24:1702911:Comment:1173822013-02-24T20:58:06.322ZKen Berkunhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/KenBerkun
<p>Nothing is impossible. But you are entering a small crowded market, so it certainly won't be easy! </p>
<p>Stay in touch and let us know what you decide.</p>
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<p>Ken</p>
<p>Nothing is impossible. But you are entering a small crowded market, so it certainly won't be easy! </p>
<p>Stay in touch and let us know what you decide.</p>
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<p>Ken</p> We do love Hawaii. Our other…tag:www.techhui.com,2013-02-24:1702911:Comment:1174812013-02-24T20:39:53.822ZChris OKennonhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/ChrisOKennon
<p>We do love Hawaii. Our other choices are the DC area (hectic), NY, or CA. All are acceptable to my wife. But all of them are a pain in one way or the other. And Hawaii is just so much more pleasant. But we do IT stuff, so it's not really a tourism industry for us. <br></br> <br></br> <cite>Ken Berkun said:…</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.techhui.com/forum/topics/moving-to-hawaii?commentId=1702911%3AComment%3A117271&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1702911Comment117271"></blockquote>
<p>We do love Hawaii. Our other choices are the DC area (hectic), NY, or CA. All are acceptable to my wife. But all of them are a pain in one way or the other. And Hawaii is just so much more pleasant. But we do IT stuff, so it's not really a tourism industry for us. <br/> <br/> <cite>Ken Berkun said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.techhui.com/forum/topics/moving-to-hawaii?commentId=1702911%3AComment%3A117271&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1702911Comment117271"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>I will be more blunt. The only reason to run a business in Hawaii is because you love living here. OK or perhaps you have a tourist oriented business. There are no or minimal incentives (though one is working it's way right now through the legislature), the market here is tiny (we are a very small state both in size and population), the state IT department is acknowledged to be in the dark ages ("It was even worse than I thought" said the new state IT director when brought on board) and larger sales are made on "where you went school" - meaning "where did you go to high school?".</p>
<p>If you are doing business on the mainland then add the time and cost of a 5 hour plane flight at a minimum for every meeting. There is no venture capital here. There is an active Angels organization, but it takes time to make it work.</p>
<p>On the other hand the small tech community is very open and welcoming - we want everyone to succeed. </p>
<p>And then there's the weather.</p>
<p>If you are particularled skilled, esp. if you know Ruby on Rails then just get a job at Ikazo or Contix, it'll be easier than running your own business!</p>
<p>Ken</p>
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</blockquote> I'm okay with hard, it's impo…tag:www.techhui.com,2013-02-24:1702911:Comment:1175422013-02-24T20:37:29.967ZChris OKennonhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/ChrisOKennon
<p>I'm okay with hard, it's impossible I don't like. I'm from the Old South, so I get the relationship thing and talking story. Everything in the South is part of the Good Ol' Boy Network. I just want to make sure it's not something that's dead in the water before I even begin.</p>
<p><br></br> <br></br> <cite>John said:…</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.techhui.com/forum/topics/moving-to-hawaii?commentId=1702911%3AComment%3A117271&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1702911Comment117478"></blockquote>
<p>I'm okay with hard, it's impossible I don't like. I'm from the Old South, so I get the relationship thing and talking story. Everything in the South is part of the Good Ol' Boy Network. I just want to make sure it's not something that's dead in the water before I even begin.</p>
<p><br/> <br/> <cite>John said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://www.techhui.com/forum/topics/moving-to-hawaii?commentId=1702911%3AComment%3A117271&xg_source=msg_com_forum#1702911Comment117478"><div><div class="xg_user_generated"><p>Chris, so you want to sell to local Hawaii businesses? That could be challenging as (1) it's not a big market and (2) business is heavily relationship based. Of course, it depends on personality - if you like networking and talking story, etc. you probably can do it with some time and effort.</p>
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<p>The safest approach, at least to start, is to have some existing clients and be able to service/support them from Hawaii.</p>
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</blockquote> i'm looking for a "like" but…tag:www.techhui.com,2013-02-24:1702911:Comment:1173812013-02-24T18:58:45.504ZKen Berkunhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/KenBerkun
<p>i'm looking for a "like" button, John.</p>
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<p>ken</p>
<p>i'm looking for a "like" button, John.</p>
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<p>ken</p> Wow, that's a relief. Now, I…tag:www.techhui.com,2013-02-24:1702911:Comment:1173802013-02-24T18:56:23.011ZJohnhttp://www.techhui.com/profile/John
<p>Wow, that's a relief. Now, I won't be taking the most negative position in this discussion :)</p>
<p>On the positive side, it is easier than ever to run a business that deals with people in the mainland and internationally. My company has literally 99.95% of its customers/members outside of Hawaii. The main annoyance for me is that I tend to wake up early because things are already happening in the US mainland/Europe during normal Hawaii sleep hours.</p>
<p>The most important thing is to be…</p>
<p>Wow, that's a relief. Now, I won't be taking the most negative position in this discussion :)</p>
<p>On the positive side, it is easier than ever to run a business that deals with people in the mainland and internationally. My company has literally 99.95% of its customers/members outside of Hawaii. The main annoyance for me is that I tend to wake up early because things are already happening in the US mainland/Europe during normal Hawaii sleep hours.</p>
<p>The most important thing is to be flexible in adopting your skills / personality to the somewhat unique benefits and problems that Hawaii brings.</p>
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