Meet Louis Wu: Owner of Ohana Ukuleles

We had the good fortune of connecting with Louis Wu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Louis, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
My favorite affirmation is to “Always Ask Why, and Why Not”.

As an entrepreneur, asking myself the question WHY enables me to continuously be inquisitive about things around me and to explore new opportunities. It helps me seek out alternatives and to find solutions to challenging issues. Asking “why” allows me to learn from others and to understand different people’s perspectives.

Asking the question WHY NOT also helps me seek out alternatives to difficult issues, and encourages myself and others not to give up until a solution is found. It helps me think differently and often unconventionally in order to remain innovative and creative in our business and industry.

I often encourage my staff to ask the same questions to themselves and to others, certainly in a genuine and respectful manner of course. Asking WHY and WHY NOT are essential to our paths to creativity, innovation, excellence, understanding others and personal growth.

What should our readers know about your business?
It was back in 2005 when I first had the thought of starting a small family business. My background was in Biomedical Engineering and for many years I enjoyed doing what I was trained for in the field. But a demanding position that often required out-of-town travels put an extra burden on my wife Alice who was also working at the time along with two young children in the family. So when Alice said she was okay with me starting a business in order to have more time spending with the family and helping out with the kids, I jumped at that opportunity. Of course switching from a technical position as an employee to running a musical instrument business took quite a bit of a learning curve. But music is my passion too, so that made all the hard work seemed worthwhile and endurable.

I focused on just one product at the time, and that was ukulele. Some people might have the notion that it was a novelty, but I recognized that it was a real musical instrument that is easier to learn especially for those who did not have much musical training. Back then you would either find very inexpensive ukuleles in the stores that don’t play well or stay in tune, or ones made by instrument makers that would cost upwards of a thousand dollars. So I decided to bring in mid-range instruments from overseas that are of quality workmanship with excellent instrument tone, and at the same time priced so that most consumers can afford. It was a one-person operation for the first few years, and building customer relationships one dealer at a time. But the unwavering focus on instrument quality and sound over sales volume and market shares actually helped build the foundation of the company to become what it is today.

As the company grew, one thing I learned was to really focus on maintaining the quality of our product offerings. The popularity of ukuleles started to grow a few years after Ohana was founded, and I knew I had to resist the temptation of marketing the Ohana products too quickly while sacrificing on quality control. So one thing that we continue to do till this day is to insist on inspecting and setting up every instrument before it gets shipped out to our dealers.

There have been difficulties and challenges along the way while running Ohana, as any business would. It was holding to our values and beliefs that got us through many of the challenges. We believe in building long-term relationships with our suppliers, distributors, dealers and supporting musicians. We believe in treating each other with dignity and respect. We tell ourselves to remain open, positive, and be the very best we can be. We treat every risk, challenge and disruption as an opportunity to overcome and be better. We believe that in doing the very best we can, the rest will follow.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
You will often see the view of the Downtown Long Beach on local TV weather reports, so that’s where I would start.

* Downtown Long Beach and its famous shoreline – Long Beach has gone through many changes over the years since I called this home, but the changes were all for the better and downtown Long Beach has become a very popular place for locals and tourists to visit and hang out.

* A quick visit to the Long Beach Museum of Art – here you will have a panoramic view of the coast of Long Beach. Soak up the sun and the view while having a relaxing lunch at Claire’s outdoor patio, located right on the premises of the museum.

* Spend an afternoon at Aquarium of the Pacific, where you’ll find over 10,000 marine animals from the world’s largest and deepest ocean. Fun and educational!

* Visit the nearby Shoreline Village where there are a variety of indoor and outdoor restaurants and boutique shops. My favorite place for a meal and drink there: Tequila Jack’s.

* Belmont Shore – located in the southeast corner of the city, Belmont Shore has a rich history and the district is lined with blocks of retail stores, clubs and restaurants. Definitely a place to visit on one of the evenings.

* El Dorado Nature Center and Park – for a bit of nature in the middle of the city, we would spend at least half a day at the El Dorado Nature Center to enjoy the vast surrounding of natural habitat of plant life and animals. Long Beach State University, my alma mater and some impressive landscaping and a distinctive pyramid-shaped sporting complex, is just a mile north of the park.

* Disneyland and the Adventure Park – we need to bring out the child in us once in a while, so Disneyland is definitely a place to spend a day there to just let loose and have fun!!

* Catalina Island – just a little over 20 miles out from Long Beach is the beautiful Santa Catalina Island. The ferry ride on the Catalina Express takes just an hour to reach Avalon where hiking, fishing, kayaking, snorkeling, and other outdoor activities are abound. I would pick hiking and kayaking to enjoy the day with my best friend!

* Venice Beach and Hollywood – where else best to experience a piece of the Southland culture than places like Venice Beach and Hollywood? We would spend a day exploring the cities. people watching along the Boardwalk, and stop at The Wee Chippy to enjoy some tasty fish and chips. After Venice Beach, we would head up to Hollywood and just stroll along Hollywood Boulevard, hang out at the Chinese Theater, find a vintage point to the Hollywood sign, and definitely visit the iconic store Amoeba Music to check out the huge selection of vinyl records and other unique merchandise, and perhaps catch a live show while there.

So here is my itinerary of fun and interesting places to visit around Long Beach, What would yours be? The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am thankful to my family for their support at the time I decided to switch from a corporate position to creating and running a business. It took a number of years of time, risk-taking, and financial sacrifice for the company to start taking shape. Without their support along the way, Ohana would not have become what it is today.

Website: ohana-music.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohanaukuleles/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OhanaUkuleles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohanaukes/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ohanaukuleles

Image Credits
All images are owned by Ohana Music. The photo of the older couple (#6) should be credited to Angel Esparza