Chel Hydroponics - Customer Story

Meet Justin Hire, the owner of Porky’s Kauai. In 2013, Justin began his business on the island of Kauai after leaving a job he disliked. His new idea? Selling hot dogs from a cart on the beach. What started with a hot dog cart on the beach transformed into a food trailer, then a food truck, and finally, multiple brick-and-mortar locations. Watch his story and find out how Lendio helped Porky’s Kauai thrive in the midst of the COVID-19 shutdown and beyond.

Porky’s Story

Justin Hire has no formal culinary experience, but he credits the school of hard knocks for his success. In 2013, he bought a hot dog cart from Craigslist and had it shipped to the island with the vision of selling hot dogs by the beach. If it was a success, he and his family would stay in Kauai. If not, they would move back to the mainland.

The hot dog success story was rocky at first. The first night Porky’s opened, sales totaled to about $37. Luckily, a close friend made a suggestion that unlocked the secret to success: add Kalua pork to the hot dogs.

Sales took off, carrying Porky’s Kauai from a humble hot dog cart, to a food truck, a first restaurant location in Waimea before a final relocation to Koloa Village. Each evolution of the business gave Justin more and more confidence, inspiring his move in 2019 to Utah to open a store location in Lehi. On March 7th, Porky’s Kauai opened in Lehi, Utah. On March 13, the governor ordered all restaurants to do takeout only in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s where Lendio came in.

Justin admits he has trouble asking for help, but he approached Lendio to find out his options. The financing assistance he was able to get through Lendio meant Porky’s Kauai was able to keep their doors open, keep supplies stocked, and serve the food they loved. 

“Without that money, we would have been out of luck,” Justin admits.

Meet Misha Anuhea Laney, the owner of Aloha Aina Juice Cafe and E Ala Cafe on Kaua’i, Hawaii. 

Born and raised in Hanalei on the island of Kaua’i, Misha initially took the risk to open Aloha Aina Juice in the back of a market, with only a single blender and a countertop. A young, single mother, she had no way to envision what the future held: outgrowing her first location in 2 years, and expanding her business to four locations with her eye on another. Watch her story and find out how Lendio helped Misha expand and establish E Ala Cafe.

E Ala Cafe’s Story

Where Aloha Aina Juice Cafe’s model includes smoothies, bowls, and to-go wraps, Misha saw the opportunity for a slower experience, and found herself with the opportunity to buy a choice location in Kapa’a.

Even with a high credit score, Misha was denied for a traditional bank loan. Looking around for options, she came across Lendio. 

Rather than drawing from her savings, Misha obtained financing through Lendio to cover the working capital costs and purchase of her new location. In April 2025, the doors to E Ala Cafe opened, serving happy patrons with coffee, smoothies, and seasonal breakfast and lunch menu items made with locally-sourced ingredients. 

"Lendio was right there with me, helping me every single step of the way," said Misha. “I would not have been able to buy this location without that.”

E Ala E is a call to awaken both literally and figuratively. The phrase can be used to greet the sun, encourage self reflection, or inspire action, and Misha has successfully created a space where her community can do just that.

Meet Anna Richey and Zach Fackrell, the founders of Zaana Jewelry, a husband-and-wife team who launched their business the same month they found out they were expecting twins. What started in a condo bedroom quickly outgrew its walls, went viral, and turned into a full-scale retail operation. Watch their story and find out how Lendio helped them take the leap from basement to brick-and-mortar.

Zaana Jewelry's Story

Zaana Jewelry was built on a simple idea: jewelry is an expression of who you are. Every piece is designed to be the finishing touch — what Anna describes as "the cherry on top of your outfit." From day one, the brand was a true family operation. She handles the design and creative vision. He handles the strategy and site. Together, they turned a bedroom side hustle into a nationally recognized jewelry brand.

They launched entirely online, shipping orders from a condo while navigating a pregnancy. As the business grew, so did their ambitions. A viral video with 1.5 million views in the first 24 hours made clear that demand was real, and that a basement wasn't built to handle it.

The couple knew in-person shopping would be a major draw for their customers. But opening a retail storefront meant one thing: they needed capital, without disrupting the cash flow that kept operations running.

That's where Lendio came in. Rather than dipping into their reserves, Anna and Zach leveraged financing through Lendio to cover the costs of their new location while continuing to run payroll and fulfill inventory orders. The result was a business that didn't just survive the leap — it accelerated through it.

"Lendio and funding has really helped with the foundational side of Zaana," said Anna, "and helped me focus on what's so important and what I'm best at."

The new storefront represents more than a business milestone. It's a place designed for community. Customers can come in, be with friends, feel at home, and feel confident. And for the founders' twins, now growing up watching their parents build something from nothing, it's proof that anything is possible.

Meet Heather Beck, Owner and Founder of K9 Lifeline and Heather's Heroes. Like many small business owners, the businesses had to shut down when the global pandemic hit, but Heather knew her community needed her. Watch Heather's story and find out how Lendio helped her small business.

"Having funds from Lendio really helped us be able to push out our dog product line."

K9 Lifeline's Story

Heather Beck first started K9 Lifeline to provide a safe place for dogs to socialize and to help their owners create better relationships with their dogs so fewer dogs end up in shelters.

She came to Lendio looking for funds during the pandemic. Business had slowed dramatically, but she knew her community needed the services she offered.

Heather said the process of getting funding through Lendio was really easy with clear communication every step of the process.

"If I could describe Lendio with one word, it would be supportive.... Having those funds available really impacted how big that company is now," said Heather.