He helps Hawai‘i one ‘ukulele at a time.

‘Āina Racoma, Co-Founder @ Hapa ‘Ukulele and Project Controller @ IntelliBridge

“It started as me making an ‘ukulele for my dad.”

His dad’s birthday was coming up and ‘Āina Racoma wanted to give him something special—a custom ‘ukulele.

At the time (2018), ‘Āina was a freshman at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

He sought the help of two people, his uncle and a nearby luthier (someone who makes stringed instruments), to help him with the task.

They put their heads together and designed a beautiful ‘ukulele.

Guess what? His dad loved it.

The trio decided to make more. They took on a few one-off projects and soon realized there was a demand for their designs.

In a matter of time, Hapa ‘Ukulele was born.

From that initial birthday gift, Hapa is now ‘Āina’s side hustle that allows him to connect his ambition with his love for Hawaiian music.

Here is ‘Āina’s story.

When I asked him to describe himself, ‘Āina gave me the basics. Growing up he would “go beach and play baseball,” describing his upbringing as “typical” for a local boy on O‘ahu.

But then he told me a story—a story about how he learned to appreciate initiative and opportunity:

When ‘Āina was growing up, his mom was a special needs preschool teacher. She dedicated her time to helping kids in the early years of their education.

However, when ‘Āina was in the ninth grade at Kamehameha, his mom decided to make a major life and career change.

She took a leap from education into real estate. Let’s just say, that’s not the typical career path 🎓 ➡️ 🏠

But she boomed. “Into becoming a real estate agent, she just blew up,” ‘Āina shared.

Combine that with the steady dedication of his father who was a fire captain, he saw firsthand how a personal drive to take initiative and pursue opportunities could help him in his journey.

He took that lesson and went on to study finance at Creighton University.

“It was there that it opened my eyes to all the different things you can do in finance,” he said.

Today he is a project controller at a company called IntelliBridge, where he manages different projects. He also takes on work in real estate with his mom and brother.

Grateful to be in a position in the tech and finance world, his goal is “to bring back that opportunity for local people.”

So, where’s the music?

If you haven’t noticed, ‘Āina’s profession has nothing to do with music.

Kind of odd for a co-founder of an ‘ukulele business, no?

Hawaiian music is ‘Āina’s love—he grew up playing ‘ukulele and guitar. When the opportunity arose, he took initiative and turned it into something.

At Hapa, ‘Āina and his two business partners focus on crafting high-end instruments. ‘Āina helps create the vision and network, his uncle provides the business expertise, and Micah (the luthier) provides the craftsmanship.

They use “exotic woods” in their designs. Their instruments start at a base of roughly $4,500 but can increase based on the style and design.

Usually their ‘ukulele sell between $6,000 and $7,000. Most go to local buyers in Hawai‘i, but the business has also attracted foreign buyers from countries like Germany and Japan.

And they are all custom builds. Here is a look at a few.

I was curious, so I asked for the price of his most expensive ‘ukulele.

He quoted me $15,000.

Woah.

It was so expensive because they crafted an ‘ukulele using wood from “The Tree,” a 500-year-old tree from the forests of Belize that is supposedly the perfect material for guitars and ‘ukulele.

But don’t worry, it’s not everyday that they are making $15,000 instruments.

Right now, Hapa is still a business that operates in the background. ‘Āina has his full-time job and other responsibilities.

One of ‘Āina’s goals is to make this a full-fledged business.

“If I could own this business and it could blow up, I would do that,” he told me.

He hopes to get there soon.

2 Takeaways from my conversation with ‘Āina

1. Culture and entrepreneurship can be closely connected.

When ‘Āina dedicates time to Hapa, it is work from the heart. Hawaiian music plays an important role in his life and development. He has found a way to align himself with his entrepreneurial pursuit.

Like other entrepreneurs I have spoken to as part of the Island Innovators newsletter, you can hear the passion and inspiration in ‘Āina’s voice. As an interviewer, it’s a pretty cool sound to hear.

2. Entrepreneurship can be a form of resilience.

Toward the end of our conversation, ‘Āina said something extremely interesting:

“A lot of people don’t want to try,” he said.

Wow, that was pretty blunt.

What he meant was this: there are a lot of people who, overwhelmed by obstacles, don’t put themselves out there.

More importantly, in his view, embracing business and entrepreneurship does not mean one needs to abandon the principles of Hawai‘i.

“We can perpetuate our culture by showing how resilient we are,” he said.

Hapa ‘Ukulele is ‘Āina’s way of showing that resilience.

K 🤙 🤙

John Vierra