Hub Coworking Hawaii

Hawai‘i's Best Coworking Space

Blog

Highlights from our Impact Hub Global Takeover

You may know that Impact Hub HNL is part of a larger network of Impact Hubs around the world- there are currently more than 100 Impact Hubs in diverse locations like Mexico, Germany, Rwanda and Japan.

To highlight the collective impact of these coworking spaces, the Global team allowed us to ‘takeover’ their social media accounts. This gave us an opportunity to share what we think is most important to us here in Honolulu – our great members that are doing awesome things in our community.

Read more in this feature blog about how we envision Impact Hub HNL as part of the global Impact Hub community.

We were so excited to highlight the members and organizations that make up our community – both the individuals and the companies that are making impact across the islands. Click the images below (or here) to learn more about the changemakers that call Impact Hub HNL home.

The Global team also wanted to meet the team behind Impact Hub HNL, so we shared some pics of our team doing awesome stuff: George & Anne adventuring in New Zealand, Nam grabbing keys for our new Hawaii Kai location, Meeta sitting on her throne, Andrea cuddling goats on Maui, Josh with his pup, and Prerna enjoying Hawaii adventures. Learn more about our team here.

It was important to us to highlight the physical space, too! We love our rad location in Kakaako and the local amenities we can take advantage of, but also well as the interesting and functional spaces we offer within our Kaka’ako location.

 

Making Impact Every Day: Our Commitment to Social Impact

Impact Hub locations around the world are focused on making an impact, and the Impact Hub network uses the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding framework for how we define impact. If you not familiar with the goals, check out our article here to learn why we think the SDGs are pretty awesome.

sustainable development goals

Our social impact focus areas here at Impact Hub HNL include sustainability and education, and we work hard to create events for the general public, opportunities for members, and recurring programming that allows our members and community to create impact and build awareness.

As a company focused on impact, we give back. Each of our large events has a direct financial benefit for organizations that we are committed to supporting:

  • Our Grand Opening, in January 2018, was a benefit for Aloha Harvest, and our most recent Bollywood Night was a benefit for Pu’uhonua O Waianae and the Aloha Lives Here campaign.
  • Each of our ImpactART Gallery openings supports a local organization of the artist’s choosing.
  • We teach others how to do well and do good. For our keiki marketplace, student entrepreneurs vote with their dollars to support a local non-profit. We also partner with organizations for coworking and event ImpactMaker scholarships for those doing good in the world.

We offer scholarships to increase access to innovation for everyone:

  • Last year we gave over $10,800 in ImpactMaker scholarships and we are projected to give at least $15,000 in 2019!
  • We started the ImpactSCHOLAR program in an effort to support local university and college students. We offer 5 unlimited memberships to every accredited college program in the state annually – that’s over $75,000/year in scholarships to grow entrepreneurship here in the islands. As we grow, we look forward to having students on neighboring islands and other communities join us in impact.

When our space made its Magnum P.I. debut before the holidays, we gave the proceeds back to our members and spent the rest on Holiday BBQ for Ka Po’e O Kaka’ako (KPOK, The People of Kaka’ako), the local houseless community in Kaka’ako. After the initial BBQ, we were so inspired by their community-building efforts, we started participating in weekly park clean-up efforts to beautify the area surrounding the Children’s Discovery Center and surrounding streets; many on our team volunteer regularly at the KPOK weekly neighborhood cleanups- and you can join too!

We are also home to a variety of sustainability-focused member organizations that make a huge difference in our local and global community, like Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, Surfrider Foundation, Conservation International, Zero-Waste Oahu, Kanu Hawaii and more.

Providing inspiring spaces for collaboration between local social impact organizations is what we do at a basic level; making introductions, seeking out like-minded organizations and seeing what they do together lifts the whole community.

Here’s a highlight of some of the recent sustainability-focused programming and  events:

We also focus our efforts to support educators, students, and policymakers and empower the community with a range of business and personal educational opportunities.

Some of the education-focused events we host include:

  • A free, monthly Freelancer & Entrepreneur event to help support small businesses;
  • A free, bi-monthly Women’s Finance event, to educate and empower women to learn more about business & personal finance;
  • We are a community partner with Hawaii Women in Filmmaking and PBS Hawaii for the Indie Lens Pop-Up Film Series, which highlights important social justice issues across the US;
  • Our annual Keiki Marketplace, which supports over 25 student entrepreneurs to develop sustainable businesses with social impact in mind.
  • Education policy events: we provide space free of charge for educators, parents, students, and administrators to discuss education policy that improves public education. We have hosted Hope Street Group, Teach For America, Hawaii KidsCAN,  and a new group of inspiring educators who support each other in writing real stories about education in Hawaii, WRITE with #Educate808

In these ways and many others, we demonstrate our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, and as a company we hope to inspire other individuals and organizations to continue to do well, and do good in our community. This mission of helping businesses do well and do good, will continue to guide our programming and offerings, and we look forward to growing our impact together.

Host Spotlight: Ruby Menon of BrainSmart HR

Today we’re sharing a Host spotlight featuring Ruby Menon. You have likely seen her smiling face at our evening events and coworking during the day, or hosting her own events focused on building better habits – a key foundation for a life and business. In addition to leading events here, Ruby has a full-time day job and runs another very cool project – so I’m grateful she had the time to share her story with us.

What is your background and history – how did you get into your current role?

I am what you call a polymath – I am very curious and love learning new things. When I lived in San Francisco, I went to art school, was a musician, and worked in the health food industry as a cashier, bookkeeper, and a buyer. When I moved to Hawaii I branched out as a trainer, event planner, project manager, and worked in HR management in the non-profit, healthcare, and technology industries. I recently made a career transition from HR and am now working in the startup technology world as a software development product/project manager. I also have my own business, BrainSmart Behavior Design, to teach people how to achieve their goals by building better habits.

I have several side interests in human behavior, social justice, workforce development, art, and technology that have led me to many interesting projects. I used my workforce development background to co-design a vocational profile for people who were transitioning from prison to the community. I hired a developer to transition the profile from a pen and paper format to its current online version. To handle my learning curve, I took a deep dive into software development and product design. That’s when I realized I really enjoyed the process of taking an idea and bringing it to life through software development. I took classes in coding, UX design, design thinking, agile and lean methodology. Through trial by fire, I learned how to work with developers to get the product to market. That experience brought me to my current role as a product/project manager for an early stage startup.

What is the focus on your side project Inmate Art CARE Project and what was your most recent big win?

The Correctional Arts ReEntry (CARE) Project is an inmate art social enterprise program designed by WorkNet, a non-profit that provides reentry services for inmates transitioning to the community. The CARE project markets and sells the artwork of incarcerated artists so they can earn money for their reentry to the community.

In January 2016, we launched the CARE Project at the Women’s prison in Kailua (WCCC). The program is still active today and has become very popular with the WCCC women because they can earn money and have a therapeutic outlet. When their art sells, proceeds are split between the inmate artist and WorkNet to help us continue the program. We also developed a partnership with the Nā Mea Gallery at Ward Center that sells original cards designed by one of our community artists on consignment.

Most recently we were accepted in the Purple Prize accelerator and received a $1000 grant from the Awesome Foundation.

How does this work speak to you/how did you get involved with this?

I became interested in inmate art because my husband is WorkNet’s Executive Director, the non-profit that is sponsoring the CARE project. WorkNet provides inmates community reentry services such as helping them find a job, getting their identification documents, getting a driver’s license, and finding housing.

In his prison work, he discovered that there are many talented artists that are incarcerated. One day at the kitchen table, we hatched an idea to help these artists market and sell their art so they can earn money for their transition to the community. We came up with a name for the program and secured seed funding so that I could prototype the program. With that funding, I was able to launch the pilot project at the women’s prison, WCCC. That program is still active today. Although I am not involved in the daily operations, I still work on partnerships, grant writing, and marketing the project.

What we found with the CARE project is that inmate art is a vehicle that can help to break down biases and stereotypes about people in prison. People who buy the artwork see an artist instead of an inmate locked up in prison. We enhance this experience by having each artist write a short bio about themselves and their artwork so that their stories of resilience, redemption, and hope can be heard. The ultimate goal is to create an understanding and awareness that those in prison are worthy of our compassion and should not be discarded by society. Doing so is a waste of human potential and talent as these artists fully demonstrate.

You’ve facilitated multiple events here focused on Tiny Habits, a habit-building structure that you’ve been specifically trained to do. Why does this habit-building work for you and how can it benefit other members?

I love studying human behavior. This interest has led me to delve into the fields of behavioral science, behavioral economics, neuroscience, and psychology. Last year, I started studying with Stanford professor, Dr. BJ Fogg, a behavior scientist and founder of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford. I became certified in his Tiny Habits® methodology. BJ also lives 6 months out of the year in Maui so he and I started collaborating on ways he could become a resource for our innovation community in Hawaii. Fast forward to today, I became the community manager for our online Tiny Habits coaching community and absolutely love supporting all our awesome coaches. BJ just finished writing his book on Tiny Habits® which will be released in early 2020.

I don’t think people realize how habits form such a critical part of our daily lives. The first book I read called the “Power of Habits” by Charles Duhigg inspired me to learn more about the topic. What I found lacking in the literature was practical “how” steps to changing habits. My AHA moment came when I discovered BJ’s work with Tiny Habits. After I learned his method, I saw tremendous results in my productivity and ability to accomplish my goals. Now I have been teaching the method in my Habit design classes at the Hub for the general public and our members.

My next master class will be on June 11 at 6:30 pm. I will be teaching the Tiny Habits method, which teaches you a 3-step process that you will be able to implement right away to build new habits and make progress in any area of your life.

Why Should I Pay for Coworking?

By Nam Vu

Believe me, I know the value of a dollar. My wife and I have been working independently for 20 years. We know what building a business in your garage is like and we know what it is like to operate on a shoestring budget.

So why would we help start a coworking space, and why do we think it is a good idea for people to pay to cowork? Why would anyone pay to cowork? The bottom line? It is in your best interest.

If you think I’m full of it and just trying to sell you something, then feel free to stop reading. BUT, if you follow me on this short journey, I think you will be surprised in the end.

I don’t need coworking – I can work from home and coffee shops

Sure, I’ve been there, done that.  Working at home is great… for the most part. And for the occasional meetings, a coffee shop does just fine.  Or does it?  Maybe five years ago, it was still OK.  But lately, trying to get a table at a coffee shop is just plain frustrating.  And then there’s the Wi-Fi which often does not work, or hobbles along when it does work.  And the fighting for power outlets….UGH!  More often, I have to reschedule meetings because of issues at the coffee shop  – think of the loss in productivity and the opportunity costs.

Working from home is great and we’ve done well for a long time.  The biggest challenge with working from home, especially if you are an independent worker, is stagnation.  There’s no one to share ideas with, no surprise conversations to spark new ideas, and no one to challenge those really bad ideas that you thought would be your lottery ticket.  The lack of collaboration and idea flow can eventually put you into a rut that could cost you a lot in the long run from missed opportunities.

The best way to grow a business is not cutting costs, but increasing revenues.  Keep your eye on the opportunities!

The Real Reasons to Cowork: It’s all about the community and the opportunities

Sure, there are a host of amenities and benefits to coworking at Impact Hub Honolulu:

  • Free organic coffee and tea
  • Fastest publicly available Internet in the state of Hawaii
  • Different seating for different workers (bean bags, couch, cafe table, etc.)
  • Showers (yes, we have showers)
  • More events than you have time to attend
  • Member pau hanas with free beer
  • and so much more! See our full list of amenities here.

When you come and check it out, you will find that we’ve spent hours and hours working on creating a space that is cool, inspiring, and uplifting.

But here’s a secret:  that’s not what we are building.  What we are building is not what you can see when you walk around the space.  Not the cooling blue concrete floor, not the beautiful murals on the walls and ceilings, and not the things that we provide. Although a lot of time and effort and resources have been used on these things, in the end, these are just part of the facilities.

What we are building is a community… an ecosystem and a place where serendipitous collaboration creates opportunities.  And it is not only about business and money.  It’s about ideas, wellness, and balance.  It’s about collaboration to make this world a better place, and sometimes starting first with ourselves.

As someone recently said to me, “I want to do well, by doing good.”  That stuck in my mind and now I use it all the time, and it’s become a focus for our company: Doing well, by doing good.

But, anyways, why would anyone pay for coworking?

It depends on what you are looking for.

For people who are new to coworking its about the facilities: Wi-Fi, desks, chairs, printer, meeting rooms, tea, coffee, toilets, etc.

Once you have coworked for a while, its about the community and the atmosphere and what it can do for you: an inspiring environment, events, introductions, collaboration, sense of belonging, friends, partnerships

Once you become a part of the coworking community, its about the community itself and what you can contribute: platform for events, sharing your expertise, mentoring, collaboration, sense of fulfillment

There is so much that still needs to be done, but I am so excited to be a part of this community.

Drop by and say hi and check out the space: you can schedule a tour here. 

Member Spotlight: Meghdad Abbaszadegan of Startup Grind

Today we’re sharing a Member spotlight featuring Meghdad Abbaszadegan. He’s the local Director for Startup Grind sponsored by Google for Startups. He’s coordinating an event next week featuring Jiwon Moon from Wefunder (the company we chose for our campaign). We chatted with Meghdad about his work with Startup Grind, his entrepreneurial background and about the coming event.

Click here to register for the event: Impact Hub HNL Members get a $5 discount with code: impacthubmember

What is your background and history – how did you get into your current role as a director for Startup Grind?

Back in 2014 I built a company in Phoenix, Arizona with a mission to create connected, collaborative communities; the project failed due to co-founder conflict, however, I got in contact with amazing organizations such as Startup Grind Phoenix. The local chapter helped us feel like we were part of a family. I was able to meet like minded people who are still to this day some of my closest friends. When I moved to Honolulu, I was surprised that there was no active Startup Grind chapter. So I decided to start one and give back to a community that gave so much to me.

Tell us more about Startup Grind: this organization promotes itself as ‘We are the community for the world’s entrepreneurs.’ – What does that mean for you as the director, for the Honolulu chapter, and for the global movement?

Startup Grind is the largest independent startup community with over 500 chapters across the world. We have hosted amazing speakers like Clayton Christensen (Innovators Dilemma), Scott Cook (Intuit), Jessica Livingston (Y Combinator), Ben Horowitz (Andreessen Horowitz) and more.

We believe our values have brought us this far. Relying on these values, I want to create a community where new ideas are generated and people are inspired to build meaningful projects together.

Tell us more about the events you’ve hosted here in Honolulu and the coming event with Jiwon. What are the goals and ideas we’re focused on and what can people expect from this event?

This chapter was inactive for two years, so this will be our first event. We want to document the process of entrepreneurship and highlight those who are active in the community. We love good stories that will inspire positive action in others. Our goal is to educate people on what it takes to build successful companies; ultimately spreading the entrepreneurship bug around leading to more inspiring stories.

We couldn’t have asked for a better speaker than Jiwon Moon for our first event. She is the Head of Community at Wefunder, running Workaway here in Hawaii! She has has hosted fireside chat with likes Nate Blecharczyk (Airbnb), Holly Liu (Kabam), Siri Srinivas (Draper Associates) and more via her accelerator XX.

We will be hosting Jules Sukhabut on July 18th. Jules Sukhabut is the Founder & Management Consultant of TeraVault, a boutique software development firm operating in Honolulu and Cebu. He has had multiple successful technology exits. He was a co-founder of OrderDynamics, an e-commerce SaaS platform and order management system. On May 2013 the company was acquired by eCommera, and acquired a second time in 2018 for $13.4 million by Tecsys.

Thanks, Meghdad, for sharing your thoughts! We’re looking forward to these coming events! 

Stories from the Raise: A Crowdfunding Showcase

Raising funds for your project, business, or launch is an exciting way to gather community support and bring in funds needed for your work. Crowdfunding allows everyone to support projects they love – promoting good work and democratizing investment for the 99%.

A few weeks ago we hosted a Crowdfunding Showcase to share some of the stories from local companies and organizations that have raised funds (or are currently raising funds) for their projects. There were brief presentations from the participating organizations, a panel discussion, and a time for Q&A.

Here are some takeaways from the presenters and their projects:

It takes a village, says Jim Murphy of Honolulu Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit housing developer committed to improving communities by increasing homeownership opportunities. They work with families and communities to build and repair homes and provides a zero interest mortgage. In addition, they work with the communities they serve to provide volunteer opportunities supporting the mission’s work. Their goal is to build 40 single family homes in the next 5 years. They have tried crowdfunding unsuccessfully in the past, and are looking forward to more strategic campaigns in the future. Jim said some of his crowdfunding efforts were ‘cautionary tales.’

Keep momentum going through the whole campaign. Plan ahead.

Mia Moore, is a local student that was just accepted into the Interlochen Arts Academy starting Fall 2019. This prestigious school has high tuition costs, and she’s raising funds on Go Fund Me to cover her school fees. She is currently at ~$4300 of her $28,000 goal.

Crowdfunding builds community, not just funds.

James Koshiba is volunteer co-founder of Hui Aloha and the Aloha Lives Here Campaign, which has been created to give Puuhonua O Waianae a permanent home. The campaign combines crowdfunding, major donors, and in-kind contributions to enable POW to acquire land and add permanent structures to what is already a model village community. Funding will also allow the village to test innovative technologies in housing, water, waste management, and agriculture. It will also enable the village to continue their outreach to other houseless communities, and provide lessons in modern-day village-building across Hawaii and beyond.

Innovate, but you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel.

David Aquino, is Blue Planet Foundation’s Creative Director, and has helped to grow their unique energy efficiency loan program called WeEfficiency. The program raises funds from the community for non-profits or schools to cover energy efficiency upgrades. These upgrades can be costly at the offset, but energy savings can be huge. With the money they save, they can pay back their donors and do more good work for their communities.

Don’t be afraid to get started.

Sarah “Mili” Milianta-Laffin is a 7th grade teacher at the STEM Lab at Ilima Intermediate in Ewa Beach, Campbell/Kapolei Complex. Prior to teaching in Ewa Beach, she taught for 11 years in Houston, Texas. Sarah is a DonorsChoose Ambassador, personally earning over $15,000 in supplies for her students from DonorsChoose since 2007. She talked about how amazing the program is, and how it makes it easy for her to fund the things she needs to make her classroom a great place for her students and student groups.

Give back to your supporters.

We also heard from Nam Vu, co-founder of Impact Hub and ‘chief geeky officer.’ Nam talked about our experience with Wefunder, and why we chose this program for our investment campaign. Nam says that, “We chose Wefunder because it aligns with our community building focus and enables our community to invest in our success was well as benefit from our success.”

Thanks to all of those that presented at the event!