The President and CEO of LavaNet Speaks on Entrepreneurship

HONOLULU— On May 18th, Yuka Nagashima, President and CEO of LavaNet, Inc., paid a visit to JAIMS to speak about her experiences as a successful entrepreneur in Hawaii.

In the early nineties, dial-up access to the Internet was not as widely available as it is today in Hawaii. Even then, when others considered the Internet to be just a fad, Nagashima recognized that there was a great market for a quality local Internet service provider in Hawaii. So, in 1994 she launched LavaNet, an ISP priding itself on quality customer-focused internet access.

Today, LavaNet is HawaiiÕs largest locally owned Internet service provider. LavaNet sells high speed and traditional Internet services to the general public, including businesses, State offices, and schools.

With the experience of building LavaNet up for seven years, Nagashima discovered that there are two myths about starting a business. One myth says that to start a business, you need a lot of money. ÒThere are always people who have money they want to invest,Ó she said. ÒItÕs not that hard.Ó

The other myth is that you need to have a brilliant new idea for a business. ÒYour idea doesnÕt have to be new,Ó Nagashima explained, Óit doesnÕt necessarily have to be brilliant. You just have to have good implementation.Ó

ÒWhat you need for any business is good implementation and good people.Ó

LavaNet, although successful in the continuously changing high-tech industry, has always adhered to what may be considered as non-traditional business practices. Influenced by the local Hawaiian and her own Japanese culture, Nagashima encourages staff participation in many levels of decision making and building the feeling of Ohana, or family, within the company.

An example of this would be LavaNetÕs hiring practices where applicants are screened by a staff group interview and where applicantsÕ references are given more weight than even educational degrees.

ÒWe at LavaNet, look more at an applicantÕs experience and potential more than anything else,Ó said Nagashima, who, with a degree in physics rather than business, is a prime example of just that.

For anyone who finds themselves at a disadvantage in business due to education, gender, or anything else, Nagashima offered these words, ÒBeing an entrepreneur means that when you encounter a problem, you donÕt see a problem, but you see an opportunity. If you are faced with a disadvantage turn it around and see what you can do and use that to your advantage.Ó

To the aspiring entrepreneurs in the audience, Nagashima also advised that money should not be the reason to start a business.

ÒIf youÕre going to start a business, youÕve got to love what you do and that in itself should be a reward. ItÕs a lot of hard work, but you do it because you consider it funÑif you donÕt consider it fun, I donÕt advise that you get into it.Ó

Nagashima, herself, was named a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Award in 1999 and has been featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles, such as Women Who Mean Business and 40 under Forty (an award celebrating the accomplishments of young business people).