Te Whare Hukahuka 2021 Highest Earner Award: How Indigenous ECommerce Businesses Can Use Stories To Connect The Win

Wednesday, 13 April 2022, 1:19 pm
Press Release: Te Whare Hukahuka

The largest Indigenous eCommerce training company in the world - Ka Hao i te Ao - proudly announces that Julia Meriana Wikeepa was named the second-place winner of the Highest Earner Award (with business experience). Attesting to the principles Ka Hao instils in its students, and the unwavering application of them in order to attain success.

A major issue for businesses is identifying a target audience. Many new entrepreneurs imagine themselves as their ideal customer, and this often leads to crickets on Grand Opening day.

When Julia, affiliated with the Ngati Awa tribe (iwi), started Hā Habit, she wanted to incorporate Māori vibes with a product proven to reduce stress and anxiety. She worked with her brother, a graphic designer, to develop its iconic design, and from there, the Hā (breath) pendant was born.

She knew there was a need for her product because she came to the idea out of a personal need. The problem, however, is that like most business owners she wasn’t sure how to find customers or communicate its story and benefits in a way that resonated with others.

“Hā means ‘to breathe’ in Māori; Hā is [our] life force. Hā is energy. The breathing tool helps people slow down their breath through self-regulation. Whenever a person is experiencing a trigger, they take a deep inhalation and exhale into the Hā pendant signalling a calming sensation throughout the mind and body,” Julia explained.

With so many people needing products and tools like Julia’s it can often be hard for entrepreneurs to narrow things down to a single ideal customer which can lead to mixed messaging or a lack of focus.

This is where Ka Hao’s expertise shines; guiding its students through a discovery process to understand ‘what are the pain points or challenges’ the customer has that the product will solve as well as helps to craft a story that connects with that ideal customer.

Over a 12-week period, Ka Hao's successful online business system, of 32 modules, works towards the step by step growth of its students. For Julia, the customer avatar module was the most impactful in helping to remove her sticking points.

Julia shared a bit of what her customer avatar looks like, “Her name is Amy. She is 40 years old, has a husband and 3 children. She enjoys looking at House & Garden magazine to get new decoration ideas. She also works a full-time corporate role; trying to juggle all this, she finds herself anxious and stressed. She aspires to get on top of her work-life balance, so follows health blogs regarding meditation and ways to cope with daily life [...] This is where my product comes in!”

With a clearly defined target audience in mind, Ka Hao then has its students take a look at their product/service offer. This module’s goal is to build trust and value with the potential customer by taking what they are providing already, and through small tweaks - here and there - create an irresistible offer.

“What I think is important is the story you [Ka Hao] taught us to tell. Through these two modules alone, I learned how to communicate ‘what my product is, and how it can really help’. Once I communicated it through my own personal story, it connected with people - I am now able to reach my target audience!”

While there is no doubt that understanding how best to bundle your offer or who your ideal customer even is, is important - the work put into interacting with the customer is invaluable.

“We commend Julia for putting in the effort and creating an offer that wins!” Ka Hao’s CEO, Travis O’Keefe, added to express the importance of this distinction, “Effort is paramount. It determines our success. Ka Hao wants you to decide on a business idea while we provide the foundation on which to implement it - Julia understood that the idea is to learn these simple principles and execute them relentlessly.”

You can check out the website https://www.hahabitnz.com/

Be sure to head over to the Ka Hao I te Ao website for further information on applications and the programme itself, visit: www.twh.co.nz

The application for the Ka Hao i te Ao Programme is really simple. You must be of Māori or Pasifika descent and be able, and willing to commit at least 8-10 hours a week over 18 weeks. Eligibility for a scholarship is based on completing the application form, and all five of the ‘Comfort Challenges designed to stretch and grow participants’.

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