SAIPAN is one of the most beautiful places on Earth — but let’s be real, beauty alone doesn’t build an economy. If it did, every coconut tree would be paying taxes by now.
We’re not just competing with Guam or Palau anymore. We’re up against Bali’s yoga retreats, Thailand’s floating markets, and Japan’s bullet trains. These places don’t just offer beaches — they offer experiences. If Saipan wants to compete, we need to think boldly, act creatively, and maybe — finally — get some Wi-Fi that actually works.
People say Saipan is “in the middle of nowhere.” So are the Maldives. It’s only a weakness if we treat it like one. With just 35,000 people, we should be as nimble as a startup. Instead, trying to open a small business here feels like applying to NASA — too many mysteries and not enough lift-off.
Permits drag. Paperwork vanishes. Processes change depending on who’s behind the counter. And too often, success depends not on what you know, but who you know. That’s not economic development. That’s stagnation.
Meanwhile, we’re watching our brightest leave. According to our own Department of Commerce, 53% of Saipan high school graduates never return. That’s not brain drain. That’s brain evacuation.
What we need is a system based on speed, fairness, and common sense. We need to stop treating every small business idea like a problem and start treating it like a solution.
Here’s a practical plan I call the Saipan Local Economic Growth & Business Access Initiative:
• Small Business Fast Track Task Force – To help small businesses navigate red tape.
• 72-Hour Permit Program – Because no one should wait six months to sell smoothies.
• Entrepreneurs Boot Camp – A youth training program to launch future business leaders before they leave the island.
This is more than policy. It’s a mindset shift. And it won’t work unless we all step up — businesses, government, educators, and citizens. That means speaking up without fear, streamlining processes, and making government less mysterious and more helpful.
Saipan doesn’t need skyscrapers or subways. We just need a system that works — one that rewards innovation, supports our people, and inspires the next generation to build here, not elsewhere.
We don’t have to be the next Bali. We just need to be the best Saipan.
As a wise Englishman once said (probably over a nice steak):
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. And slow improvement is better than delayed perfection.”
So — shall we get started?
Steve Jang is a local business owner and advocate for youth training and entrepreneurship. He owns Plumeria Steakhouse in Saipan — where the steak is real, and the bureaucracy is still medium-well.
