Building Your Visual Brand System to Communicate, Connect, and Succeed with Wai‘anae Economic Development Council & Ka‘ānani‘au Studio

Have you ever been confused about what it takes to build a visual brand that actually works for you? You’re not alone! WEDC invited Ka‘ānani‘au Studio to share about exactly that with their Business Incubator participants!

On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, Malia of Ka‘ānani‘au Studio shared a 30-minute presentation with 26 WEDC participants over the workshop zoom call. The presentation was intended to empower Wai’anae small business participants to succeed in their business long term by providing knowledge to help them more effectively connect with their ideal audience, build community trust, and save hours of ineffective labor every week.

In the Q&A after, participants shared how much they connected with the information shared. One participant shared “I’ve been to many classes, but what you shared, I feel it… I want a brand like what you just said… You made a very great impact on me and I’m very inspired and I’m excited!” Shavone Lave, WEDC’s Program Director who generously invited us to share, said later, “We received feedback saying that this was the BEST workshop! The participants loved everything you had to say and felt empowered and equipped with knowledge.”

Wow, what a huge honor this has been! There’s so much to be grateful for. I reflect on this experience from two vantage points: as someone who has been in pilina with WEDC for the past hand full of years, and as a young founder who was just invited to share their first workshop presentation!

I have had the privilege of witnessing WEDC’s programs grow in the last handful of years. There’s more supporting staff, more participants, and the future is looking very exciting! WEDC even went through a rebrand earlier this year, which is reflective of their organization’s growth! Both the program and the community are experiencing the rippling impacts of all the love that WEDC’s team pours into this community.

Preparing and sharing the studio’s first workshop presentation was a lot of fun! From Shavone’s intro through the participant Q&A, it was clear that what I had to share was important, valued, and empowering. Though 30 minutes felt like such a short time to connect, it was a wonderful experience to meet some of WEDC’s program participants and to see some familiar faces in the hui!

As a whole, the experience was incredibly affirming to our mission of strengthening our local businesses and community economy. We can’t wait for the next opportunity to share and grow with our broader community!

If you’re excited about supporting Wai‘anae community, lāhui Hawai‘i, and aloha ‘āina businesses, too, let’s keep connecting! You can reach us through the contact page here on our website, or by sending an email to aloha@kaananiaustudio.com.

E mālama pono. Aloha!