What keeps great ideas from becoming great outcomes? It’s rarely a lack of creativity. More often, it’s the inability to choose one direction and commit to it. In this Manaʻo Bomb, Heather Aiu’s journey from Wailuā Homesteads to co-founder of Aloha Collection shows us that clarity, not inspiration, is what turns an idea into a movement. A reminder for anyone sitting on ten possibilities but struggling to move on one: sometimes the most powerful decision you can make is to choose the simplest idea and go all-in.

When her mom told her to study radiology, it sounded like a smart plan. Good pay, job security, a stable future. But for Alexis Akiona, stability never sparked joy. She traded X-rays for Aloha shirts, turned risk into runway, and built one of Hawaiʻi’s most recognizable local fashion brands: Lex Breezy Hawaiʻi.