Hub Coworking Hawaii

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Events

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! 

Death or Taxes?! How You can Plan for a Successful 2019 Tax Season

You’re probably familiar with the saying, attributed to Benjamin Franklin in 1789, that ‘nothing can be certain besides death and taxes.’

We are in the shadow of 2018’s tax season now, and based on conversations with friends and members, it certainly seems like most people still seem to treat taxes akin to death: something to be avoided and even ignored!

Yet, of course, paying our Federal, State, and for small business owners and freelancers, GET taxes in Hawaii, is something that we simply must do – even if many of us take to the task at the last minute, kicking and screaming.

Lucky for us, we have a tax expert at Impact Hub HNL that can help individuals, freelancers, and small businesses make sense of taxes and – gasp – even make it enjoyable (yes, really)!

Milton Drageset, who has been a guest speaker twice previously at Impact Hub HNL events, is coming back as the guest expert for our May Freelancer’s Network meeting. At this event, held Wednesday, May 22 from 12pm-1:30pm, Milton will offer a tax season roundup, a discussion about how to make your 2019 taxes more organized, and help you create better and more effective financial management strategies.

What else will Milton talk about during this Freelancer’s Meeting?

  • 2018 tax code changes: How did the 2018 changes affect both individuals and businesses?
  • How to plan ahead for 2019: How can you better strategize and organize your expenses. Tips to help you pay estimated taxes on time, organize your Hawaii GET filings, and better manage money so that you’re ahead of the game next tax season.
  • How many extensions he filed this year – and why. How late is too late to do your taxes? Many people wait until the very last minute to file – what is the psychology behind this type of procrastination, and what habits can you build to be more timely?
  • What’s behind money behaviors: Why are taxes are so scary, why we avoid them, and how you can cultivate a better relationship with money generally.

Miton has been working in the financial services industry for almost three decades. He currently works with self-employed individuals and small business owners for the preparation of their income taxes, and offers tax and business strategy services during the year to help individuals and businesses reduce their tax liability; he also offers financial coaching services to those looking to dig deeper into their money story.

Give Back to the Community During Volunteer Week

The second week in April is Volunteer Week. This is a national-level program led locally by member organization Kanu Hawaii.

Volunteer Week Hawaii 2019 aims to incorporate the UN SDGs, the framework for global sustainable development. These principles set forth by the United Nations are also the guiding foundation for Impact Hubs the world over, and we are so excited to be partnering with Kanu for one of 100+ statewide events.

On Friday, April 12, the Impact Hub team has partnered with Kanu Hawaiʻi, Blue Zones Project, Honolulu Civil Beat, and HPR Generation Listen to host a cleanup at Old Stadium Park, an historic community gathering space in Honolulu. This event is free to the public- if you’d like to join, please register your interest here. After the cleanup, join us at Pint & Jigger to mingle and enjoy special cocktails made for the occasion.

Volunteer Week events are diverse in time, location, and theme. Not sure what organization you’d like to support? You can see the full Oahu volunteer event calendar here to browse events during the week that include everything from beach cleanups across the island, charity walks, Biki-based Meals on Wheels, bike path cleanups, food drives, forest plantings, splashing around in lo’i, and/or helping the newest (and only) animal sanctuary on Oahu. Regardless of your location or conservation passion, there is an event for you!

The 2019 Volunteer Week is focused on organizations and actions that help encourage or city and state communities to move towards our sustainability goals, guided by the Aloha+ Challenge. Kanu Hawaii Executive Director, Keone Kealoha, explains on their website, “We hope to link each volunteer event throughout the Week to the appropriate UN SDGs and Aloha+ Challenge goals. Involvement in local volunteerism translates to positive impact, not only on your immediate community, but also our islandwide and global communities.”

If you are a local non-profit or community group, you can sign up to host an event here. If you’d like to volunteer your time (as an individual or a group), learn more here. Browse all the available events on your island (it’s a statewide event!) and recommend to friends on neighbor islands.

ImpactART 2019: Interview with Visual Artist Boz Schurr

We are so excited to announce our second ImpactART event featuring local artist Boz Schurr.

Boz is a Honolulu local artist, muralist, and teacher known for her brightly colored large murals throughout the city. This event will be held March 15, from 6pm-8pm. It’s a free reception with pupu and drinks provided. Learn more about the event here.

We got to chat with Boz ahead of the event to learn more about her history…. and her future!

Andrea B, Impact Hub HNL (AB): Tell us a little bit more about yourself and your work, both as a prominent local artist and as a teacher at Kamehameha Schools.

Boz Schurr (Boz): I feel so very lucky to be able to not only share art with the community but with these amazing kids I get to teach. It really keeps me busy, and when you see that “ah-ha” moment when a kid tries something new or gets to express themselves in a new way, it’s the ultimate reward. I really enjoy getting to teach the “fun” subject (except, like probably every teacher, I hate grading, no one told me about the grading!).

As far as art in the community goes I am so happy to finally be in a position where I can give back when I want to. I do have less time than I’d like (but who doesn’t?) and now, when there is a passion project, I can focus on what’s important and how it makes me feel, rather than how much it will cost. I still charge fees – I am still running a business – but it’s more about beautifying spaces and building relationships and figuring out how we can come together and make an idea a reality.

It’s tough having two jobs, but at the end of the day it’s the best problem to have.

First large mural commission for Island Distillers in Hawaii Kai in 2016

AB: This event features new works that are pretty different from your other body of work, which tends towards colorful, bright, and whimsical. Can you talk more about the shift that you felt happening that is allowing us to see this other aspect of your capabilities?

Boz: The look, feel, and concept of my work has been in transition for a while. When I was younger I felt very strongly that I would not allow anyone, myself included, to see my mental difference as a weakness, or as something I was “overcoming.” It was really important to me that I was seen as not being successful “in spite of” my situation. In fact, I would go so far as to say that how I think and feel has really been a helpful influence and inspiration on my process. So in previous work, that is really what I tried to focus on, the fact that differences are challenging but also beautiful and necessary. I would often refer to myself and other individuals as falling anywhere and everywhere on the spectrum (referring to the visible color spectrum). You can’t pinpoint an exact greens, or reds, or purples and say yes, THAT’S purple, when there is a perfectly good purple right next to it. It’s all one shifting, overlapping and subtle color gradation. How could you say your green is healthy (right) and mine is sick (wrong)? They are both okay, just different.

So my older work has often included bright colors, fun creatures, and rainbows to highlight what I believe are the benefits of living with mental difference. However, in the summer of 2017 I was at an artist residency in Iceland and I experienced a severe depression and had frequent and severe anxiety attacks with I had not experienced since college. But it was also the first time I really understood what was happening. It was a completely surreal, almost out-of-body experience to be aware of what you’re going through and still be completely unable to change your feelings in the moment.

So the current work is addressing that experience – the ebb and flow of our mental stability and how it really affects everyone. The earlier work was celebrating the sunrise – the rainbows and the joy of the experience. This new work is learning to embrace the sunset side and to acknowledge that both are equally necessary.

“(Ísland to Island) Korpúlfsstaðir and The 23hr Sunset” in 2018 at the Honolulu Museum of art Spalding House, was the first exhibition that started to address the sunrise to sunset experience of living with mental difference.

AB: What are you most excited about for this event?

Boz: I am excited and nervous to talk about some personal things that I haven’t addressed before. In the last few years I realized that while I might have reached a healthy understanding of myself and how I operate, it’s not enough. While we’ve made great strides in de-stigmatizing the conversation surrounding mental health there are still gaps in the dialogue. So while I have a fear of speaking honestly about my experience I also know it’s necessary because someone else might need to hear it in order to find the courage to speak for themselves. I can only speak for me, but if my voice can cause a tiny ripple or encourage someone else or shift the preconceived notions, then it’s worth it.

I’m also very excited to make new connections and hopefully continue to build my community. There are good people out there and I want to meet them!

AB: Tell us a little bit more about the partnerships you have for this event – why are these important to you?

Boz: The collaboration I am most excited for is the live mural! I’ll have set up a station with a wall that’s ready for audience participation. The colors, brushstrokes, how you paint – the choice is yours. I’m hopeful for this project (which is the first time I’ve tried anything like this) because it’ll be a fun bridge to chat about our own experiences. Plus you get to color stuff and I don’t have to grade it, how great is that?

AB: What other big events are on your horizon for the year? 

Boz: There is a lot going on! I’ll be doing a mural for Aloha Beer Co, a mural in Kailua, Ewa Beach, and Kaimuki! Plus upcoming collabs with Beanabouttown, Pena People, Friends of Haiku Stairs, UHU Conservancy, and AXIS Chinatown. Also, I am going to be a speaker for Civil Beat’s Storytellers series all about mental health February 22 at Ka Wai Wai (currently sold out). And I have a hope for a new coloring book I’d like to put out before the beginning of summer. Whew! It’s a lot but at the same time, I get to make work with amazing people and talk about art and design all day long. Like I said earlier, it really is the best problem to have.

If you want to keep up with what I am doing please sign up for my mailing list HERE or follow me on instagram HERE. I am always ready to find time for coffee and a collaboration chat. Cheers!

What is ImpactART?

ImpactART supports Hawaii’s artists by creating an equal exchange of artwork for studio and exhibition space. Co-created by Impact Hub HNL and Honolulu Biennial Foundation in 2017 to address the need for art studios and the proper valuation of artists’ work. Last year we hosted our first ImpactART event with Lauren Hana Chai.

Anne Weber, Impact Hub HNL Community Manager, explains, “The idea for ImpactART was inspired by our commitment to creating community impact. When we opened in August 2017, we had huge blank walls and wanted to figure out a way to beautify the space, support local up and coming artists, inspire a new audience of art lovers, and show the business community how they too can support local arts in a creative way. It is a win-win.”

To inquire about art space or to learn more about Impact Hub HNL, email us.

 

Meet the Women’s Personal Finance Group

Do you have a retirement plan? How do you manage your holiday spending? Does your budget and balance sheet align with your core values?

No doubt, these are really big questions, and something that many people – especially women – don’t talk about often enough. Our Women’s Personal Finance workgroup is a casual bi-monthly meetup for any woman that wants to learn more about finances, better understand their own financial habits and needs, and get more comfortable asking questions and learning about this big subject.

The group started in mid-2018 with a few financial professionals as an expert-led session, but has shifted into a workgroup format: using books and worksheets from popular finance books, apps, and blogs, the group together discusses ideas about and solutions to common finance issues. All are chosen to help attendees on their own financial learning journey, wherever they might be starting!

The group is facilitated by our Marketing Coordinator Andrea, who’s passionate about learning everything about finance. We are lucky to have Tania Fukuda as a member of the group. Tania is a professional financial planner who brings years of personal insight and passion to the group.

Some of the books, worksheets, and tools that we’ve used previously in workshops include:

  • The Art of Money: The Life-Changing Guide to Financial Happiness by Bari Tessler
  • You are a Bad** at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero
  • The Heart of Money: A Couple’s guide to Creating True Financial Intimacy by Deborah Price
  • Overcoming Underearning: A Five-Step Plan to a Richer Life by Barbara Stanny
  • The Compound Effect: Jumpstart your Income, your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy
  • … along with various tools, videos, worksheets, and excerpts from these books and others.

We are always open to additional books, websites, apps, tools, and ideas for future groups.

And in case you’re wondering why this group is just for women, there are lots of good reasons! Women are traditionally excluded from many investment and finance opportunities, both as professionals and personally. Added to that, women historically (and currently) make much less money than men, and they take more time off caring for families– risking their jobs and losing out on income in vital growth years.

This means that women are in a very different financial situation than men at almost all stages of their lifetime, which means that women have very different financial needs. This necessitates a space where women can learn from their peers as they become more comfortable talking about finances – and we think our Personal Finance workgroup is the perfect place to start!

If you want to join the conversation, please join us on the second Tuesday, every-other month. The next event is February 12, from 12pm-1pm. Check out the Facebook group and join the conversation!

What is Mindfulness & How Can You Begin a Regular Practice?

You might know that meditation can help bring calm and clarity into your mind and body, but have you been able to put these principles into practice?

Mindfulness expert Noah Pomeroy is hosting a 4-part series starting February 5 that allows attendees to experience the expansive benefits of mindfulness for themselves. The series (which can be attended as one class or a series) will help you learn the basics mindfulness training and develop your own practice over the month.

Noah is a certified professional mindfulness teacher by the International Mindfulness Teacher Association and he completed his training in mindfulness facilitation at UCLA. Noah draws on mindfulness teaching experience from a variety of contexts working with individuals and groups, including teaching this practice at the University of Hawaii, UCLA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Halawa State Prison. The classes will be a combination of lecture, discussion, and guided meditation exercises.

I chatted with Noah about his coming workshop so that we could learn more about this practice, his background, and the upcoming classes.

Andrea B. (AB): What’s the quickest way to describe mindfulness to someone that has never heard of this concept before?

Noah Pomeroy (NP): Mindfulness means directing your attention to the present moment experience with openness and curiosity. It sounds simple enough, but it’s not easy. We all have the capacity to do this to some degree, but we can get much better at it by practicing mindfulness meditation.

AB: What originally (or continues) to keep you excited about mindfulness?

NP: Mindfulness is simply the best tool I have come across to actually engage with each moment of life, rather than being passively carried along on auto-pilot as we are so prone to do. This is why mindfulness is such a game-changer for both our personal and professional lives. As we practice, focus improves and what matters to us and our work becomes clearer. We’ve known for decades that training the body is good for our health – we now know that training our minds is critical as well.

AB: Tell me a bit more about your certification? How long have you been teaching?

NP: After 10 years of a personal practice and 2 years of guiding mindfulness sessions at work, I decided to complete a year long training in mindfulness facilitation at UCLA. As mindfulness has become a wellness buzzword, “2-day teacher certifications” are popping up; the UCLA program grew out of a need to thoroughly train teachers to meet the growing demand for mindfulness training. The program is rooted in the growing body of science that supports the benefits of mindfulness and proven techniques for working with different communities. I’ve worked as a meditation guide at the University of Hawaii for the last 2 years, coaching individuals and groups and delivering lectures for UH’s popular mindfulness classes.

AB: What can people expect in the workshop? What if they are totally new to mindfulness, meditation, and other practices like this?

NP: These classes are designed for people who are new to mindfulness practice, and over the 4-week class series, students will have the opportunity to develop their own daily practice with the support of my guidance and fellow participants. While anyone can take each individual class to learn about a particular aspect of mindfulness practice, participants that choose to do all four will get the most out of the series. Beginning any new daily habit (even for 10 minutes) a day sounds easy, but we all know it is not. In order to experience the benefits of mindfulness, you must practice regularly. I want people to actually start a daily practice that will serve them the rest of their lives. I welcome people who think mindfulness is “woo-woo” or “soft–” through this practice one learns quickly that this practice takes courage, discipline, and the spirit of adventure to meet your experience of life exactly as it is… and those who bring these elements to the practice will be rewarded accordingly.

AB: What is the goal of the workshop – after the workshop, participants should be able do what?

NP: After each class, participants will takeaway their firsthand experience with guided mindfulness practice and an understanding of a particular aspect of practice. Participants that are able to commit to 2-4 weeks of the series will have the best chance to establish a daily mindfulness meditation practice that will allow them to experience the benefits of mindfulness in their lives, work, and relationships. They will have a grasp the fundamentals of practice and how to overcome common obstacles. They will have a taste of the freedom and joy that comes from regular practice that will fuel the momentum of practice they have built through the course.

Thanks Noah for sharing your thoughts! Register for the classes here; members can use discount code MEMBER to get 15% of ticket prices for either the full series or individual classes.