Leatrice Grantham

I attribute my success to being very spiritual - I'm a Christian, so God first. That's just the way I look at it. I contribute my success to him and my hard work that followed. I also had to have a goal in mind, which was to raise my daughter. As a single parent, it was quite difficult, so I had to do whatever it took. She was my mission and she was my goal. Right now we're so close, very, very close, and she's doing absolutely incredible with her career - she's in the military. It's always been God first, family, and then having to work towards whatever mission that was meant for me.

The best career advice I ever received came from one of my mentors, and it was very simple: people first. He always said that to me - Leatrice, no matter what you do in this place, this time, this space that you have, people first. And don't forget that. Never forget where you come from, as far as your roots. Always be humble and ensure that whatever you do, it's people first. We sometimes get confused along the way, but that advice has stayed with me.

The biggest challenge is the economy today. The economy is challenged in so many different ways, and we're trying to look for that silver lining. Because our economy is challenged, our restaurants and hospitality industry is also challenged, and we highly depend on tourism as far as Honolulu is concerned. We're challenged not just in economics, but sometimes in discrimination when our tourists come down and the way they're being treated. Crime is also increasing on Oahu because of the cost of living, and now we have to watch what we wear, what kind of jewelry we wear - it's beginning to be a very small Los Angeles. Although we're trying to maintain our culture in terms of our Hawaiian sovereignty and continue with the aloha here in Oahu, Oahu is beginning to turn a little bit because of the population - 1.2 million on this island. It costs a lot to live here and homelessness is increasing. The challenge is really trying to help restaurants and hospitalities navigate through these tough times and how can it be a winning situation for both of us - me having to represent their business as a consultant and help them while earning a decent wage for me, as well as them having to afford my services. Those are some of the things that I have to weigh very carefully - how much more do I give versus what I need to live on. That is something I'm kind of concerned about at this point.

Really being trustworthy, honest, and having to be absolutely transparent - those are the values that were instilled in me through my family lineage. My grandmother, per se, was always wanting me to share, even down to my last dollar. It was really all about giving back to the community and helping people in need, more importantly. That was her strength, and she delivered that and imposed that on me throughout my learning. I feel like because of that, I'm able to look at things from both sides of the spectrum - having success in some way and earning it through hard work, and people who really want that and don't know how to go about getting it. I empathize with people in need who are homeless. I also love animals - I have 4 dogs of my own which I consider my children. My whole goal, honestly, is to really create a sanctuary for dogs in need this time around, and it's not just a sanctuary, it's going to be a real bougie sanctuary. It would encompass everything from daycare to veterinarian care to even having a coffee shop downstairs where you can dine with your animals and your pets, your babies, your fur babies, and a place that they could play and have fun. I really do love animals and empathize with them a lot, and I think I love them more sometimes than humans.