Hi everyone — Gloria S from Honolulu, HI. Just received my CUBA certification this month. Background in hotel operations — managed several resort properties on Oahu for 15 years. HECO territory. The certification course was great but now I'm wondering where to begin. How did you all land your first client? And is Hawaii a viable market?
Just certified - now what?
Congratulations, Gloria! Hawaii is one of the BEST markets — HECO's commercial rates run $0.25-0.35/kWh. Even small percentage errors translate to big dollars. You're sitting on a goldmine. — Randy D
Gloria, I'm jealous. Hawaii's rates make errors worth 2-3x what the same error would be on the mainland. And if you're the only auditor on the islands, zero competition. — Mike D
The hotel background is massive too. You know how resort properties operate — HVAC, kitchen equipment, laundry, pool systems. You can walk into any hotel and immediately understand their consumption profile. — Derek O
Thanks for the encouragement! The rates are high but I wasn't sure if the local business community would be receptive. Hawaii has a small-town feel.
In tight-knit business communities, referrals spread fast. Land one good client, do excellent work, and word of mouth does the rest. Similar small-market dynamic in Mobile. — Zach H
Practical first step: reach out to the hotel GMs and finance directors you know. Offer a free preliminary review on one property as a demonstration. When you find savings — and you will — the rest of the pitch writes itself. — Marcus T
I second the free review approach. Did a free review for a restaurant owner I knew, found $6,800 in annual overcharges, and he referred me to three others that same week. — Sarah M
One thing with HECO — they have unique rate structures around renewable energy credits and demand response. Hawaii is way ahead on distributed solar. The billing interactions between solar generation and commercial rates can be incredibly complex. That's an opportunity. — Frank E
Frank makes a great point. Almost every large commercial property in Hawaii is dealing with solar, battery storage, or both. The billing for those systems is where errors hide. — Walt D
Several hotels I managed had solar installations and the owners were always confused by the bills. Never thought of it as an auditing opportunity until now.
There's your niche — hotels and resorts with solar in Hawaii. I don't think there's anyone else specializing in exactly that. You own that market from day one. — Nancy P
Nancy's right. When you can say \"I specialize in auditing utility bills for Hawaiian resort properties with solar installations,\" that's a compelling value proposition no generalist can match. — Randy D
Getting pumped up now. One more question — contingency percentages. What should I charge? Given the high rates, even small errors are worth a lot.
Standard contingency is 40-50%. Don't underprice yourself. If your errors are worth more because of high rates, great — you're adding more value. — Rachel K
Start at 50% and negotiate down only for very large accounts or portfolio clients. You're the only game in town. — Mike D
One adjustment for Hawaii — consider whether travel costs between islands would eat into margins. Factor that in or limit to Oahu initially. — Jim W
Starting with Oahu where I know the market. Neighbor islands are a later phase once I have cash flow to support the travel.
Smart approach. Build the Oahu practice first, prove the model, then expand. Hotel chains with properties on multiple islands will ask you to audit all their locations once you prove yourself on one. — Terry M
That's exactly what happened with me and a restaurant chain in the Southeast. Did one location, they loved it, suddenly I had 12 properties. — Sarah M