Do We Start Apart or Together? How a Simple Hello Sparked KBM’s Virtual Office

As an entrepreneur who runs a business with members that are remote, I’ve wrestled with this question for years: Should we open an office one day or keep working from home?

This has become a more common question among business owners, creatives, and consultants since remote work became the norm. What I didn’t expect was to find an alternative question to ask myself at a local distillery, sparked by a simple hello.

I met Daniel Kosh, a Chief Product Officer at a tech company, as he was about to fly to New York to meet up with his business partner. Before he left, I asked what he did, and he introduced me to Katmai, new way to connect using immersive video in 3D spaces.

Now, when I hear the words connect and tech in the same sentence, I pay attention. Those who know me, know I’m a curious creature when it comes to technology, lol. My first initial thought was “do we really need another video meeting tool?” But, to my surprise that’s NOT what Katmai is, it’s much more.

Later Daniel helped reframe my earlier question.

“The real question isn’t where we work, but how we start — apart or together.“

Why “Where We Work” Isn’t the Only Question Anymore

For years, the debate around remote work has been about logistics: commute vs. convenience, in-person vs. online, office culture vs. flexibility. After spending the last few years working fully remote with our team and customers I realized something was missing. It wasn’t productivity, not efficiency, but presence

When you think about it, one key element that makes great teams thrive is connection.

Zoom and Teams helped us meet, but they didn’t help us feel together. We’ve experimented with VR headsets for the past 3 years, enjoyed the virtual office in Horizon Workrooms, but couldn’t imagine working with those bulky headsets all day. When I started testing out Katmai, my thought was, “Wow, I wish Katmai was available a couple of years ago!”

Why We Decided to Launch a Virtual Office on Katmai

Fast forward a few conversations later, and the Katmai team began building a fully customized enterprise Virtual Office for Killer Bee Marketing.

It’s more than a digital meeting space, it’s a 3D office where you can see, move, and connect like you’re actually in the same room. No avatars. No headsets. Just you, your team, and clients coming together in a whole new way.

Ding-dong. Someone’s in your virtual lobby — ready to drop in for a quick hello. (You decide when and where they arrive.)

Not Just Another Shiny Tool

For us, this shift wasn’t about chasing the next shiny tool, it was about rebuilding the human side of digital work, something I’ve been passionate about since the beginning of my journey as an entrepreneur. Too often, digital tools and platforms pull us further apart. Katmai offers a new way forward. One that helps us feel more connected, even across screens. Whether it’s brainstorming strategy, hosting client sessions, or running our new Virtual Office Hours where clients can drop in for quick, meaningful conversations, this space is already sparking the kind of connection we’ve always valued most.

What We’ve Learned So Far

Here’s what’s surprised us most since moving into our virtual office:

• Conversations flow faster. What might’ve been a 30-minute meeting on Zoom becomes a 5-minute walk-in chat.
• Team energy feels different. There’s something about walking into a shared space, even a virtual one, that reminds you you’re not doing this alone.
• Clients love the experience. It’s not another meeting link to join in on, it’s a place to show up and feel connected again.

What This Means for Businesses Like Yours

If you’re a business owner, coach, or consultant who lives on Zoom, Teams, or Meets, this might be something to explore. Below are some stats on how Katmai is different:

The reality is, we’re all looking for ways to reconnect without burnout. For some, that means in-person events. For others, it means tools like Katmai that blend the best of both worlds, without adding another scheduled meeting to the books. At the end of the day, your location matters less than your connection.

Connection Over Location: A New Way to Work

At Killer Bee Marketing, we believe the future of work isn’t about going fully remote or fully in-person. It’s about being intentional, choosing connection over location.

That’s what our virtual office represents:
A place to meet, collaborate, and build relationships that feel real, even when we’re miles apart.

If you’d like to experience it firsthand, visit our Virtual Office page to learn more and drop in during our Open Virtual Office Hours for a quick tour.

Sometimes, all it takes is being open enough to say hello and see where it leads.

The digital world will continue to change, but one thing will always matter more than the tools we use: how we connect.

Written by Brian Curee, CEO of Killer Bee Marketing
Helping businesses grow with clarity, connection, and confidence.

Visit katmaitech.com to start a free trial today!

This article is grounded in our own experiences, reflections, and insights. AI tools were used to assist with writing and refined by a real human.