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JUMPSTART
JUMPSTART
Coffee Shop Connections
COFFEE SHOPS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A GO-TO DESTINATION FOR FREELANCERS, CREATIVES AND ENTREPRENEURS
LOOKING FOR A CHANGE OF SCENE. WITH HONG KONG’S HIGH RENTS AND A PLETHORA OF COFFEE HAUNTS ON OFFER,
THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WORKING AWAY OVER A CUP OF JOE. WE TOOK A PEEK INTO SOME OF OUR LOCAL
COFFEE JOINTS TO FIND OUT WHAT MAKES WORKING IN CAFES SO POPULAR.
“I do design and product development for a
number of clothing brands, including Zara.
I’m based in Hong Kong but travel a lot to
Bangladesh to find new collections, and then
to Spain to meet with buyers. My company
has an office in Cheung Sha Wan but it’s
pretty depressing, so when I’m in town I
normally work out of a coffee shop. I like the
environment, it’s stimulating and I find it a good
place to draw. My work is creative- focused, so I
prefer to work by my own schedule”.
THE ARCHITECT
Name: Aden Chan
Company: Day Dreamers’ Design
Favourite coffee: Mocha
THE FASHION DESIGNER
Name: Maria Aragonas
Company: Beximco
Favourite drink: Black tea in the
morning, green tea in the evening
THE GRAPHIC DESIGNER/
TEACHER
Name: Sasha O
Company: osasha.com
Coffee of choice:
Flat white or macchiato
“I’m a graphic designer and a
Mandarin language teacher. I
do illustrations and videos for a
few clients and find most of my
work through referrals. I work
from coffee shops pretty much
every day. I usually work on my
own, so it’s nice to have human
interactions and see people whilst
you’re doing your own thing. I
save a lot of money compared to
coworking spaces, where I get
bored staying in one place. Hong
Kong’s rent is really high, so a lot
of people choose coffee shops as
an affordable alternative”.
THE PROGRAMMER
Name: Jack Chen
Company: Jagarr.com
Coffee of choice:
Soymilk latte
“I started my company about six months
ago and I mainly work with clients in
Hong Kong and Malaysia. As an architect I
work on houses and installations but also
sculptures. I work from home and have a
small studio but come into town a lot for
meetings. I find I’m much more productive
in coffee shops and that they’re a good
place to go in between client meetings.
Today I’ll spend about two hours here
then go to a client’s office for a meeting.
Sometimes you meet important contacts in
unlikely places, and that’s the added bonus
“I run a web and mobile software
company with my partner. We’ve
been in business for about six
months. I work in coffee shops
a few times a month. I’ll stay
for about half a day and grab
some food. I don’t like working
from home and we don’t have a
permanent office yet; I find that
coffee shops have an enjoyable
working environment. I used to
work from a coworking space but
the prices are going up. Some now
want half a year’s deposit upfront,
which is pretty steep.”
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