Boise-based startup launches app, Ohana Schedule, aimed at nontraditional appointment booking 

Boise-based start-up tech company Ohana Technology recently soft-launched a new app called Ohana Schedule. The app allows users around the Boise area to search and book automotive repairs or maintenance at a time they choose, eliminating the need to call around to multiple shops to find an appointment. 

The veteran-owned company was founded in late 2021 and has since partnered with a variety of local small- and medium-sized businesses that want to revolutionize and simplify the automotive experience. The company’s team worked through an accelerated product development process in less than eight months to create the app and supporting website. Ohana Technology already has two full-time employees, four part-time employees, and is in the process of hiring an event team with up to 10 more people.  

Arthur Palileo, founder and CEO of the company, said, “We are building a culture modeled after the Ohana Way, a simple set of principles that guide not only what we aspire to be, but also the legacy we want to leave with our employees, customers and the community.” 

The Ohana Schedule app is free to download and free to use for booking an appointment. A small convenience fee is charged only when a service is completed at an Ohana network shop — similar to what people see when using grocery or restaurant delivery apps.  

“We have hundreds of downloads in the Apple App and Google Play Stores already and we’ve achieved that through word of mouth and social media with basically no marketing to consumers,” Palileo explained. “We’re making some additional investments in advertising where we expect our user base to be in the tens of thousands by the end of the year. We did a soft launch starting with three shops to help us learn how to operationalize and support our product and shops.”  

“Since then,” Palileo continued, “we’ve tripled the number of shops in our network in just under two months and are extremely pleased with the enthusiasm we’ve seen from shop owners and consumers. We will be in two states soon, which coincidentally was not part of our short-term strategy, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless and speaks to the strength of our product.” 

Looking ahead, the company stated it believes that the sky’s the limit. It already has other projects in the works.  

Palileo said, “We have another product called Ohana Mobile that we’re extremely excited about that is highly complementary to Ohana Schedule’s product and target customers. We believe it will be the next ‘killer app’ and will completely turn several industries on its head. We’re betting albeit for the better.” 

“Our company philosophy is to design simple solutions to everyday problems. I’m most excited about being laser focused on helping other small- and medium-sized Idaho companies grow and succeed,” Palileo added. “If they are successful, we will be successful. I’ve spent most of my professional career in large, global corporations and I’ve been so humbled and inspired by the small business owners I’ve met since Ohana Technology was launched. Our product is going to help the ‘little guy’ not just compete but win against much larger franchises and corporations headquartered outside of Idaho.”