“I feel like people on the Westside have pride in their community – pride in culture, pride in entrepreneurship, and pride to be from the Waiʻanae Coast,” said Waiʻanae Economic Development Council (WEDC) Program Director Shavone Lave.
WEDC is a community-based corporation serving Waiʻanae Coast residents. Its mission is to support community members who are passionate about entrepreneurship by offering business and financial services rooted in Hawaiian values.
Founded in 2015, the council is composed primarily of Native Hawaiians, and its leaders and staff are either from the Waiʻanae Moku or have worked within the community for many years.
Lave herself has first-hand experience operating a small business in Waiʻanae. In 2013 she founded The Sugar Hut, a bakery based in Māʻili. She recalled that her first introduction to WEDC happened during the pandemic.
“While I was still operating my business, the [WEDC] CEO and business developer came into my establishment during COVID,” said Lave. “They were kind of going door-to-door on the coast and seeing what the businesses were going through. WEDC is definitely a ʻboots on the ground’ and community-based, community-focused organization.”
Lave shared that after she closed her business in 2021, Westside Stories published an article about how she had transitioned from business onwer to business coaching and consulting for aspiring bakers.
“One of the staff members of WEDC learned about my experience and asked me if I was interested in a job, said Lave. “I actually said ʻno’ multiple times because I didn’t have a traditional job for so long, I didn’t know if I could do that again. But it was perfect because I really do love the business space and serving our community.”
As program director, Lave manages and oversees WEDC business support and financial literacy programs including the Waiʻanae Business Incubator, Hoʻokele Digital, Nonprofit Development, and Waiwai Pathways.
WEDC also works with outside contractors who operate their financial literacy workshops and nonprofit development program.
Lave said that she has seen Waiʻanae residents that go through their cohorts receive a boost of confidence and a feeling of community.
“Oftentimes, business owners feel like they’re going at it alone and maybe their problems are unique to them – but these problems are very common. Every business owner goes through a similar journey. So just knowing that there’s support and guidance along the way and they’re not alone is a big deal,” she said.
“And within the cohorts, it’s nice; we really build each workshop or cohort so that they can talk more together. And the power is in them having conversations amongst each other and realizing that, ʻHey there’s someone just like me who’s going through the same thing and we can do it together.’”
Through WEDC’s six-month-long Waiʻanae Business Incubator, entrepreneurs in their early stages gain skills, resources, and the confidence to take their business concept to market-ready community events.
WEDC also emphasizes incorporating Hawaiian values in all its programming by using ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, sharing different ʻōlelo noʻeau (proverbs), and moʻolelo passed on generationally.
“What we’ve found is that when someone is able to relate to something that is deeply seated within their culture, they’re able to connect to the concept they’re trying to teach,” said Lave. “So, what we’re doing is trying to bridge the connection from culture, or what had happened with their own kūpuna, to today.”
Lave added that when looking at both financial literacy and business development, it is comparable to how we steward our resources today.
On November 8, WEDC and the Pakini Loan Fund will be hosting the first-ever Waiʻanae Moku Made event from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. This free community event will celebrate the entrepreneurship of Native Hawaiians and Waiʻanae-based businesses at the ʻOhana Kākoʻo Resource Center.
Lave said that the event initially started as Small Business Saturday to create awareness around small businesses and entrepreneurship.
“When [planning for] the second year, we knew we needed to make a larger statement which is why we rebranded it,” said Lave. “So it’s more of an opportunity to uplift what [already] exists in the community because there are entrepreneurs everywhere.
“When we go door-to-door and talk story with people in the community, someone always knows another business owner or someone with a side hustle. And I feel like that’s just who we are in Hawaiʻi because of the cost of living. And so it’s truly just a way to see what exists on the Waiʻanae Coast and how we support those businesses.”
The event will highlight small businesses, many of which are just starting out. It will also include a business resource hub for the community so folks can learn about how they, too, can start a small business – or how to support businesses in their community beyond purchasing a product or service.
Lave added that WEDC envisions a eventually exposing Waiʻanae owned small businesses to different opportunities beyond their own community – such as major local events like the annual Made in Hawaiʻi Festival or Merrie Monarch Hawaiian Arts and Crafts Fair.
Find out more information about the Waiʻanae Economic Development Center online or on Instagram. Join WEDC’s email list to receive free to low-cost business and financial resources for the community.
 Program Director Shavone Lave.){kind=link}