KSP #37 - Kevin Aoki's Tips on How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

On today's episode, we have someone who has built a restaurant empire here in Hawaii and in various places around the world. Please join me in welcoming successful restauranteur, and CEO and president of Aoki Group, Kevin Aoki! Kevin is the oldest son out of his seven brothers and sisters. Growing up, their father, Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki, was the founder of the famous restaurant chain, Benihana. Rocky's children all were involved in the restaurant business at some point, however, Kevin was the one who carried on the tradition to becoming a restauranteur. Kevin now has established his own success as a restauranteur with restaurants such as 1938 Indochine, Herringbone Waikiki, Aoki Teppanyaki, and the very popular restaurant chain, Doraku Sushi and Izakaya. We were able to talk a lot about Kevin's life as an entrepreneur and how others can learn from his success. We got to talk about how Kevin got involved in the restaurant business, how Kevin was able to succeed as an entrepreneur after his father's passing, how he was able to bounce back from Doraku Kapolei's unfortunate delay, his love for repurposing materials into the architecture in his current restaurants, his tips on how to become a successful entrepreneur, and much more. Kevin is such an amazing person that is so down-to-Earth, and you can truly see that he loves what he does. "To make good friends with great food,"  was coined by Kevin's grandfather, Yunosuke Aoki, and that phrase still resides with the philosophy behind Aoki Group.HUGE mahalo to Kevin for being an outstanding guest on my podcast! I learned a lot from this podcast, which I think so many business owners can really learn from your experience. Also, don't forget to check out new menu items that are coming to both 1938 Indochine and Herringbone Waikiki at the end of March 2023! Follow Kevin on social media and check out all of his businesses below:Kevin Aoki's IG: @kevaokiAoki Group's Website: https://aokigroup.comDoraku Sushi: @dorakusushiQing Mu Noodle: @qingmunoodle1938 Indochine: @1938indochineAoki Teppanyaki Waikiki: @aokiwaikikiBluetree Juice: @bluetreejuiceHerringbone Waikiki: @herringbonewaikikiAoki Grill: @aokigrillKuru Kuru Pa: @eatkurukurupaRM. 38: @room38kakaakoAlso, follow Steve and Devon Aoki on IG as well. Both incredible individuals that have really hit it off in the entertainment industry:Steve Aoki IG: @steveaokiDevon Aoki IG: @devonaokiEditing by: Kelsey Sugai | @jedi_sugaiMusic By:Sunset Drive - Isaac De La Cruz | IG: @fiddlepino℗ 2021 Isaac De La CruzReleased on: 2021-12-09Artwork By:Sarah Marquez| IG: @trisarahtops_illustrationsInstagram: kampai_sugai_808Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjAXiyRRg5gboZTHRZt7ebQ