Hub Coworking Hawaii

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Member Spotlight

Member Spotlight: Christina ‘Tippi’ Cogen of Thrive Global

This Member Spotlight features Christina ‘Tippi’ Cogen, the Founder of Thrive Global, a local non-profit that hosts international service trip opportunities for busy professionals. She describes the group as the ‘Forward Thinking Humanitarian Service Travel Team.’

We chatted with Tippi to learn more about her trips, the mission of Thrive Global, and how our members can be a part of these service travel opportunities.

Andrea Bertoli (AB): Tell us more about Thrive Global- it’s such a cool opportunity for busy professionals to take time out to travel and also to GIVE back during their trips.

Tippi Cogen (TC): Yes, I developed Thrive to do exactly that: to become a provider of short term international service trip opportunities. The trips give back to underserved youth, and focus on helping to break generational poverty cycles by broadening their worldviews and helping to build confidence for a great future. It’s great because adults can explore and serve foreign communities while supporting the development of youth here in Hawaii.

AB: Let’s talk more about the term ‘Travelatarian:’ how does this demographic of people come together to make a big difference?

TC: Travel-tarian describes what we were accomplishing in our mission. This is a person who has a passion to travel and serve – a combination of traveler and humanitarian. For our first two years of our organization, we really were trying to find the best word to describe our target audience. We word interchange common descriptors like travelers, volunteers, humanitarians, and others, but they weren’t capturing what we were trying to convey with this new mode of service support.

Our search for the best Traveltarians come through social engagements, referrals, and local supporters. In order to build a team that will function well abroad, we set the groundwork well in advance of taking off. This includes team socials, trainings, and meetings. What begins as a bunch of strangers coming together for a great cause, finishes as a great foundation for lasting friendships.

AB: What’s the next trip and why did you choose this destination?

TC: In November 2019 we are headed to Brazil for the first time to conduct a 3-day Jiu Jitsu Youth Camp for at-risk youth in the favelas, and we’ll be hosting 5-day community support projects repairing homes, working in urban gardens, doing graffiti clean up and mural projects, and supporting women- and youth-focused educational opportunities.

There are so many factors that go into selecting our trip locations. We felt especially moved to serve in Brazil this time because it’s an outstanding location, and more importantly, we felt a great need to serve in the favelas and empower youth. We see the similarities of struggles between Hawaii and Brazil, and feel good about the partnership and friendships that have already been in established in advance of our arrival.

AB: Our Co-Founder Anne Weber has recently started a fun challenge: tell us more about how you’re working with Anne and Impact Hub HNL to raise funds for your group?

Thrive decided to implement monthly challenges that could raise funds for our youth program in a unique and fun way with the community. Partnering with influential business leaders can help share the good work we’re doing and further our mission.

As a long-time Member of Impact Hub HNL, it made sense to partner with Anne (Impact Hub HNL Community Director and Co-Founder). We came up with the idea of “What Costume?” for her challenge – this means she has been wearing random costumes throughout the month of September, while pretending nothing is different. We do eventually let them in on what’s going on so they can donate and help spread the word. The challenge kicks up a notch when donors make a donation of $150 or greater where they get to pick her costume. Anne has raised more than $500 for the organization AND had tons of fun dressing up as a hamburger, a ‘bronie, Rosie the Riveter, and more.

Justine Espiritu of Biki Hawaii hosted her challenge in August. The goal was to raise $500 by entering into her first longboard surf competition at Duke’s Ohanafest. Justine not only raised $645 but also went on to dominate in the competition and placed third as a FIRST-TIME competitor. This has been an amazing start to a great fundraiser. We couldn’t have asked for a better lineup of community to get things started.

AB: There’s another trip coming up Spring 2020: where in the world are you going this time?

TC: We just announced our two returning Spring trips to Bali and Philippines. In March the team will travel to Bali, Indonesia, for a turtle conservation, composting, gardening, recycling and education project. In April, we’ll go to the Philippines to work on a water filtration and youth outreach project. This will be our second time to both Bali and the Philippines and these locations are always interesting and engaging – it’s a great opportunity to give AND both are great places to vacation.

If you’re interested in learning more or traveling with their team, find Tippi and Thrive global on their website or our social media: Instagram and Facebook.

Member Spotlight: Nick Galang of The Creative Co.

Today we’re sharing a Member Spotlight featuring some of our original members, the team of Nick, Chris, Jordan, and Micah of The Creative Co. They run a Honolulu-based digital marketing firm based out of our upstairs offices.

They work with companies in Hawaii and beyond to build beautiful, optimized websites and help with graphic design, photography and videography, and social media. You can find out more about them on their website, The Creative Co.

Andrea Bertoli (AB): Tell us more about the vision of the company.

Nick Galang (NG): As a creative firm, our goal is to create brands that make people’s jaws drop. We want our clients to be the best in every digital marketing sphere possible. It’s why we consider ourselves an all-in-one company. We find that clients prefer talking to one vendor instead of five or six, and that a unified ecosystem of marketing just makes things a lot cleaner, more efficient, and more cost-efficient for people.

AB: What awesome services do you offer?

(NG): We offer a suite of services for startups, non-profits, businesses and more.

  • Web Development – We offer full web development, working primarily with Webflow, WordPress, and Squarespace. We are code designers, meaning that almost anything you can think up, we can do.
  • SEO – No matter how beautiful your website is, it won’t matter if people can’t find you. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the way to point your customers in the right direction online. This may be the most important/overlooked aspect of digital marketing.
  • Social Media management – All of us are millennials. We love our phones, and we love attention. So naturally, coming up with fun content that engages your users is second-nature to us.
  • Videography/Photography – We’ve invested heavily in our digital services and have the right equipment for both photography and video. This investment pays off when we create great intro videos and company portraits – the kind you will actually want to use on LinkedIn.
  • Graphic design – Let us put our extensive Photoshop/Illustrator skills to the test to help you redesign your logo, business cards, marketing collateral, and more. Can we all agree that we won’t use logos created in Microsoft Paint?!

AB: Do companies really need to be online? What’s the value of diversified online presence?

NG: Y-E-S. Think of your online presence like an automobile. Each part of your online presence helps to make the machine run. Without one or the other, there will be faulty functionality. What we’ve seen is that every part of digital marketing is interconnected. That’s why we offer so many services, they all affect one another and can either appreciate or depreciate the value of your company.

AB: What is the number one piece of advice you have for someone who wants to build a new online presence for their brand?

NG: Create a true and in-depth marketing plan. For every new client, we have Discovery meetings to analyze on a granular level how specific services fit into their overall marketing strategy. There needs to be a plan. If you just throw yourself out there on the internet without a thoughtful marketing plan, then you’ll eventually end up having to untangle your chaotic online presence just like you untangle those annoying iPhone cables in your pocket.

AB: How did you find this work (aka: what inspires you to do this work?)

NG: We found this work because we saw a problem in local marketing strategies. Companies have operated a certain way here in Hawaii for YEARS, and now that we’ve arrived in 2019, many local companies are being out-muscled online by companies that have adopted modern marketing strategies. We saw this problem and now offer a solution for local businesses to thrive in today’s market.

AB: Your brother is on your team: what advice do you have for people that want to build a business with family? How do you build a team that includes family + coworkers? Is this an issue for either of you?

NG: I love my brother! I think it’s important to have processes built into your company that rule out any sort of possible nepotism. Everything is based off accountability, ownership, and excellence. That being said, it is imperative for startups and small companies to hire workers who are self-motivated and who are problem solvers. That’s what makes our company successful: everyone here is self-motivated, solves problems independently, and will just make things happen.

AB: What were some of the big wins you had this year and what are the goals for 2020?

NG: We’ve moved into the realm of mid-sized business clients, which has been very encouraging. We’re hoping to create more partnerships, subscription-based services, and high-level marketing strategies for businesses in 2020. An achievable goal in 2020 would be to have five new mid-sized business clients. As we continue to gain more work, we lose more hours in the day. We are looking to make sure we are a good fit for potential clients and vice versa.

Thanks, Nick for taking the time to chat about your cool biz. Be sure to check out the great discounts The Creative Co. offers Impact Hub HNL members. Find them online and on Facebook.

Member Feature: Alex Teece of Dreamhouse Ewa Beach

Today we’re sharing a Member spotlight featuring one of our original members, Alex Teece. Alex is the founder of Dreamhouse ‘Ewa Beach, a public charter school focused on empowering homegrown leaders for our island community.

The mission of DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach is to “[open] doors of opportunity through high expectations, consistent support, and a culture of achievement.” We chatted with Alex, the Chief Education Officer, to learn more about what he’s building and how his school hopes to bend the trajectories of our islands’ most disadvantaged children.

Andrea Bertoli (AB): Tell us more about the vision of the school? What does this charter school offer that’s different than the public schools available in Ewa Beach?

Alex Teece (AT): At the core of the vision is empowerment. We believe that children have incredible potential that can be unlocked through putting them in situations to develop positive practices and leadership skills. Our work is to build a culture and environment where developing unique, individual potential is a focus of every single day.

While we can’t speak to what all public schools in Hawai‘i offer, what we offer is a smaller environment that focuses on leadership and identity development with a core curriculum that is grounded in inquiry and personal growth. Our learning philosophy centers around children making choices, studying those choices, their impacts, and altering their decisions, behaviors, and life based on learning new things every day.

AB: How does this fit into the bigger picture of Hawaii’s school system? 

AT: Our hope is that DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach becomes an example of how leadership and identity development can unlock academic potential in an unprecedented way in public school. We believe that children who are grounded in who they are, and feel like they are in charge of their lives and the trajectory of their lives, can perform better in their classes and schools.

We are small and nimble, and offer an opportunity to try new things in our school; we have the capability to find what works, revise it, share it, and scale. This is where we fit into the larger system and hopefully will be able to share and spread innovative solutions for our islands’ school.

AB: How did you get involved in education? Has this always been your passion?

AT: I joined Teach For America right from college, in 2008. I joined the organization because of my interest in positively affecting the lives of others. I did not see myself as a teacher or an educator really, but over the years I have been able to blend education, business, leadership, and community service into one. This is not only a passion project of mine, but it is my job, my work, my responsibility, and really, it is my calling.

AB:  You’ve just opened your doors for the first year of 6th grade students! Congratulations! What’s enrollment like and what are you goals for attendance?

The founding 6th grade class of DreamHouse Ewa Beach is 100 seats. Our goal is to provide an opportunity to all families who are interested in our school, but per our charter, we only have 100 spaces allocated to us each year. We do keep an active waitlist, and we will let families know if and when they are next up on the list if another student/family decides not to attend.

AB: What are some of the big wins you had this year and what are the goals for 2020? What good things can we expect in the coming years from Dreamhouse?

AT: Our big wins including hiring all of our founding team, finding and renovating a facility to launch, and most importantly – welcome 100 families in our founding class. 2020 will be the first year a class promotes from one grade to the next, and we will add a 7th grade; essentially we double in staff, students, space, and supplies – it is a big growth for the first year!

And there are more good things coming:

  • An innovative partnership with Good Clean Food Hawai‘i (healthy food for the kids!)
  • STAFF POSITIONS OPEN! We will be growing and hiring, so please have a look at our website to consider joining the team!
  • Changing locations – year two will feature us moving to our new space over in the Kalaeloa region of Kapolei – this will be our long-term home.
  • Children creating and leading change in Hawai‘i! Keep an eye on the socials (Facebook + Instagram) to see our keiki growing into impactful leaders across our islands.

Watch our video below to see Alex and the Dreamhouse kids in action:

Member Spotlight: Talking Trash with Nicole Chatterson of Zero Waste Oahu

Today we’re sharing a Member Spotlight featuring Nicole Chatterson. Nicole works for the University of Hawaii Office of Sustainability and she is a co-founder/director of Zero Waste Oahu. ZWO, as the name implies, is focused on a zero waste future for the island, and she’s working to bring awareness to our various waste streams. ZWO advocates for an integrated approach across the island and a move towards the four R’s: reduce, refuse, reuse, recycle.

Right now, Zero Waste Oahu is organizing community members to get their voices heard about the new Honolulu Waste Management Plan, and is advocating for inclusion of more sustainable solutions, like a policies or programs that reduce the amount of waste created in Honolulu, a large-scale composting network system that would serve residents, and better recycling (by creating less items to recycle!). Sign-up for Zero Waste Oʻahuʻs email to stay in tune and check out web feature here.

Andrea Bertoli (AB): Tell us more about the vision of the Zero Waste Oahu: what are your goals and how are you going to get there?

Nicole Chatterson (NC): Zero Waste Oʻahu envisions an equitable, waste-free future. We are achieving this vision this through policy support, community engagement, and demonstration projects that demystify waste reduction actions.

Our work starts here on Oʻahu and we plan for our impact to ripple throughout Hawaiʻi. Our goals include developing a Zero Waste Plan for Honolulu, working with the County on waste reduction policy, and reaching out to a wide range of audiences and businesses so we can help people understand how zero waste is relevant and approachable for everyone!

In the next year, we have a goal to launch a more waste reduction demo projects (like the food waste diversion demo project we are working on with the Impact Hub using Bokashi buckets), and increase our capacity to support the business sector through waste audits that will help them transition to zero waste.

AB: What does a zero-waste future look like?

NC: By definition, zero waste means keeping 90% of the waste stream out of the landfill or incinerator and creating production systems that are not harmful to people or the planet. A zero-waste future would follow the waste hierarchy, meaning we do our very best to reduce waste first. We will realize recycling is a tool to be used in moderation, not an excuse to overconsume. We would stop sending our trash and recycling overseas and into low-income neighborhoods.

We will stop wasting land, water, and energy to produce things that are designed as single-use or designed to become obsolete. We will stop using toxic and fossil fuel-based materials (like plastic) to over-package our food. Our economy would become circular, where any waste that is produced is designed to be a resource. In a circular economy we would compost and turn our food waste into a nutritious resource to grow food, instead of letting it off-gas methane in a landfill or be incinerated at H-POWER.

A zero waste future is a decision to design our society to produce less waste, instead of resigning to engineering our open spaces to become waste repositories.

AB: You were just granted a fellowship through WildGift – tell us more about that organization and how it’s going to help you here.

NC: I am soooo excited about this! Wild Gift is a year long leadership development program for social and environmental entrepreneurs that are in the process of building a social enterprise. Five of us were selected into the cohort and we will kick off our year together with a backpacking trip in the Bould-White Clouds Wilderness in Idaho – the final wilderness area created during the Obama administration.

This 3-week trek is designed to give us the gift of time, of connecting with ourselves, and our cohort away from the grind of daily life. We will then meet virtually over the next year, along with our mentors, and culminate the program in 2020 with a rafting trip.

This program will help me develop Zero Waste Oʻahu through peer-to-peer mentorship with other entrepreneurs that are launching a social venture. I also expect this program will help me become a better leader for Zero Waste Oʻahu by allowing me to unplug – there is nothing like time away from the computer, social media, and other distractions. to recharge and create clarity and direction.

AB: What’s your favorite trashy subject?
NC: Soooo many.

Fruit wrapped in plastic. Why? Why! Why?! The Simply To Go Store at UH Mānoa sells apples and oranges wrapped in plastic. I’ve been told people think itʻs more sanitary, and yet it is well-documented that plastic leaches into/onto our food, so there is really no logic here.

Also, trashy guilt is another topic I could go on about. For me, this the feeling when you end up with plastic regardless of how hard you try to eliminate it from your life. This happens to me at restaurants too often: I forget to say “no straw please” … and then Iʻm stuck with plastic.

AB: If people want to get better about reducing their waste stream, what are three easy steps they can take? 

NC:

1. If you like getting coffee or smoothies out, BYO cup! It makes a huge difference, about 30% of our waste stream is made up of single-use packaging and containers! If you do not want to buy a fancy mug, a mason jar (with a cozy to protect your hands from heat) on works perfectly! Currently, none of the single-use cups are recyclable in Honolulu. Some other cities offer compostable cups, which are a better option because they will cause less damage if they get into our natural environment. Even then, the best thing you can do is AVOID any single-use packaging because they all take a lot of resources to make and transport–which seems ridiculous when you realize that you use the cup for a matter of minutes.

2. Sign-up to opt out of junk mail. Most junk mail cannot be recycled because glossy paper and plastics are mixed in the envelopes. You can opt out of junk mail using these directions:

  • To opt out for five years: Call toll-free 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com. The phone number and website are operated by the major consumer reporting companies. To opt out permanently: You may begin the permanent Opt-Out process online at www.optoutprescreen.com.

3) Buy less packaged food by shopping in bulk bins. Shopping in bulk bins means you get to choose and reuse the packaging. This is made easy by stores like Down to Earth, Kokua Market, and Safeway (the Kapahulu, Piikoi/Beretania, and Mānoa stores) which offer bulk bins for things like snacks, grains, nuts, oats, legumes, and candy. They key is to BYO container. You can tare (which means pre-weigh) plastic or glass containers at the register before shopping, and write the weight with sharpie on a sticker to put on the bin. At the check-out they subtract the weight . The tare process is not necessary if you use the light-weight reusable bags instead.

AB: How can people get involved in the organization?

NC: The best way to get involved right now is by sharing your thoughts with the County of Honolulu on a zero waste future before August 27th: find out the details on our website. Honolulu’s zero waste future needs your voice. You can also stay in touch by signing up for our newsletter on our website and follow us on Instagram, too.

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.

Member Spotlight: Jeffrey Eliasen

Today we’re sharing another member spotlight for one of our long-time members, Jeff Eliasen. You’ve probably seen his smiling face (and bare feet) around the space. Next time you see him be sure to say hello and ask him to chat about coding, technology, puzzles, and/or anything related to pirates.

Jeff is a software engineer, working remotely for companies on the mainland. He’s been ‘enamored’ with computers since he was a little kid, and learned to program before his tenth birthday. He’s passionate about algorithms and data structures, and loves solving data problems. His career choice was easy. He says, “It just seemed natural to spend every day solving problems for pay.” Hard to disagree with that!

I asked him a few questions about how someone new could get into coding. He says that if someone wanted to become a developer or get started with coding, it’s a good idea to start with a coding bootcamp (which didn’t exist when he was learning programming), and determine if you like the kinds of work necessary to complete the course. He also recommends seriously considering a degree in Computer Science or Mathematics if you want to do data work (analysis, machine learning, etc.), or maybe a degree in Design if you want to design and build websites or other digital applications.

Some of the largest changes in the coding world are the availability of powerful tools to people of all skill levels. He believes this democratizes data analysis, e-commerce, and communications (and many other areas). He says that in the next few years we’ll likely see a lot of ‘pulling back the curtains on monolithic business and government entities’ and probably upsetting the current power structure.

In addition to his own coding work, Jeff is a co-founder of the group PyHawaii, the local Python meetup (to be clear, it’s about website coding, not snakes). Python is one of the most-used coding languages in the world right now and is very easy to learn. The meetings typically involve a lesson at a beginner level, a lesson at an intermediate or advanced level, and solving a puzzle as a group to learn problem-solving skills. The group meets the first and third Wednesday of every month and he encourages new and experienced Python users to join!

Jeff loves working at Impact Hub HNL because it’s well-situated around restaurants, coffee shops, and a theater, because it’s near the mall but not so close that traffic is an issue, and (most importantly, we think) because it’s filled with people that make him excited to come to the “office” every day.

Thanks, Jeff, for your time and energy! We’re excited to see you at the office everyday, too!