Letter From The Editor

Some Friday nights, I am so exhausted from the work week that all I want to do is go home and commence binge-watching some brainless TV show. I never feel great about it — and I’ve never felt worse about it than this week, when I talked to participants and organizers of Startup Weekend Honolulu (SWHNL).

These hardworking people dedicate a full 54 hours to executing a business idea. The next one is coming up June 19-21. If you go, you may miss out on some sleep that weekend, sure, but there have been a slew of pretty impressive success stories to come out of the event.

And even for participants who find out that entrepreneurship isn’t their forte, there’s still a takeaway: “The top skill, I think, is to start honing that ability to be a problem solver,” says organizer Bryan Butteling. “(At SWHNL), you have to be the expert, you have to find the solution, no matter what it takes.” For the full story, see Page 10.

Speaking of a little (friendly?) competition, Jaimie Kim held her own this week in what she’s dubbed Battle of the Breads. She visited Manoa Marketplace bakery Fendu Boulangerie, as well as Breadbox Hawaii, which recently popped up near it, and compared their goods. See the results on Page 14. (Fair warning, don’t read this while hungry. It will make you want doughnuts, and you may end up buying a dozen just for yourself.)

And if you need a little motivation this week, Nicole Kato gives us an inside look into how Flash Hansen — the man behind BAMP Project and The Republik — works.