Business Casual – Weekly Event on Tuesdays
Introduction
Business Casual is a weekly gathering in Tenjin, the heart of Fukuoka. It takes place at “Off Broadway” just off of the famous Oyafukudori Street by the Nagahama Police Box.
Entrepreneurs, business owners, consultants, freelancers and other members of Fukuoka’s international business community gather to discuss business ideas, give advice to (future) business owners and much more!
The weekly sessions have given birth to new businesses, have launched companies, and set the stage for success stories. No reservation needed, just drop by!
Business Casual is co-hosted by Fukuoka+.
About Business Casual
Business Casual was created online on the platform www.meetup.com by a local Fukuoka expat entrepreneur. It was inherited by Luis Matos, moved to Off Broadway in 2017 and has been meeting weekly with few interruptions ever since. Bruce Haendel a c0-organizer and shares hosting at the event.
The meeting has shown true resilience throughout its inception. Living up to the mandate on Meetup.com, the event encourages members to meet offline. Suggesting that the more you engage in activities you love, the more enjoyable your life will be and the more like-minded friends you will make.
Why participate?
Business Casual offers its participants, members of the greater international business community, the opportunity to give breath to their entrepreneurial aspirations, to use us all as a sounding board for ideas and challenges, offering in return “Answers to business, life, and dreams”
True to our “Casual” title we welcome all guests. We count on input from seasoned expats, Japanese business veterans, and bright-eyed entrepreneurs or would be startup founders. We encourage openness and trust so we can best critique (never criticize) ideas and tackle real problems. Our format encourages open conversation and attentive listening before moving on to acute Q&A sessions. Our questioning is the most important part of the agenda. Giving the speaker the opportunity to defend their ideas aloud to the group and to themselves for the first time. This exercise pays immediate dividends to all parties.
Our sessions have given birth to new businesses, have launched companies, and set the stage for success stories across many industries. We are proud of the ripples of positive hearsay and professional gossip that continues to draw guests to Business Casual all over the world and around the corner.
A network of over 600 members
The members themselves are our greatest source of promotion, boasting over 500 members online and hundreds of business “meishi” that we openly share with guests who need that all important contact!
For all our success in tackling problems and challenges; for all our hand holding, encouraging, incentivizing and tough love, we are basically a circle of like-minded friends choosing to share our ideas and a part of our lives weekly over burgers and beers.
The value we get from simply speaking openly and honestly to strangers and future close friends and potential colleagues is in itself extremely rewarding. The meetup oscillates between 6 regular members and 2-3 guests, but on any given Tuesday can swell to standing room only at Off Broadway Burger+Bar. We don’t put a limit but as energy and attendance rise the quality of conversation can suffer as members splinter off to engage with their most interested parties.
Our most basic service and contribution to society is community building.
As Fukuoka continues to grow and promote startup activities and draw international talent to settle and set up businesses the more valuable our ongoing conversation becomes.
We encourage the inspired and the bewildered alike to come share their dreams, successes and challenges. We await with insight, ideas, and critique in a casual atmosphere where answers to business, life, and dreams reside.
Special thanks go out to the guest author of this article: Mister Luis Matos, who is also a good friend and partner of Fukuoka+. Thank you, Luis!
