Letter From The Editor

When I met with Rechung Fujihira, the co-founder of co-working space The Box Jelly in Kakaako, we talked about how the trend of working remotely and freelancing has been increasing in recent years.

His take on why more people are doing it? Because they can. Technology has enabled a lot of workers to do a lot of different kinds of jobs — from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi connection. But it turns out that many people also have discovered working from home or from a coffee shop is not really as glamorous as it sounds. Coffee shops can be loud and full of distractions; home can be full of even more distractions — like chores that need to be done and beds that need to be napped in.

That’s where co-working spaces like Box Jelly come in.

“There is something nice about having a separation, being able to turn it off — whereas if you’re working from home, it’s a little bit harder to do,” Fujihira says.

Following modest beginnings (we’re talking really modest: It all started behind a sheet in the back of a furniture shop), Box Jelly now is home to dozens of workers from a range of industries and has become a hub for community events. With an underlying mission of supporting local entrepreneurs, Box Jelly — which celebrated its fifth anniversary earlier this moth — has grown into a successful business venture of its own.

We chatted with Fujihira to discuss how it all began and where it’s going. Read more here.