Scaling Japan Podcast

Join co-founders Erika Iwai and Allen Wong as they dive deep into their innovative platform, Sollective, designed to transform the freelance industry in Japan. They discuss the unique challenges freelancers face, the importance of building trust in business relationships, and how their strategic approach has led to successful recruitment. The duo also shares invaluable tips for navigating the Japanese market and adapting sales strategies for local culture. With insights on fostering a thriving freelance community, their journey reveals the future of work in Japan.

Welcome to another episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast. Today, we are joined by Aya Murota, who, since October 2023, has been the manager of global startups in the innovation promotion division of Yokohama City, with her department being part of the Economic Affairs Bureau. Aya brings a wealth of experience and passion to her role, having previously worked at a global startup company where she played a key role in building the business from scratch in Yokohama. Join in as Aya shares about the startup scene in Yokohama, as well as the long history and the many innovations she's been involved in both within and beyond the vast multicultural port city of Japan. --- Show Notes 0:00 Introduction 3:07 More About Yokohama City 5:09 The Industries or Business Types Sought in Yokohama 7:13 The Type of Support Offered for Entrepenurs 8:41  What Types of Companies Approve a Start Up Visa? 9:30 Definition of Start Up for Yokohama 11:18 The Subsidiaries Offered 12:13 Types of Support and Programs for the Stages of a Company 13:58 The Management Program 14:40  Success Cases of a Foreign Company in Yokohama 15:27  Rising Stars Coming Out of Yokohama   18:00 More History and the Open Nature about Yokohama City 20:56 The Business Cultural Differences 21:41 The City’s Plans Moving Forward for the Next Three Years + Final Thoughts --- Reach out to Aya Murota and Yokohama's official account YOXO on LinkedIn.For more information on Startup Visa click here To learn more about Yokohama's startup ecosystem, click here --- Exciting News for Getting More Sales in Japan !! We are thrilled to launch our live cohort course: "Mastering Sales Decks for the Japanese Market" hosted by Tyson Batino. This online program is for CEOs and sales professionals eager to enhance their sales pitches and improve their chances of securing meetings with Japanese corporate decision-makers. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://scalingyourcompany.com/salespamphlet/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to the ninth episode of our new series Japan Scalers. In this series, we will only interview guests who have surpassed 100 million yen in revenue annually. In this ninth episode, we are joined by Paul Kraft, the Founder and President of JapanIQ, who guides multinational corporations enter and succeed well in the Japanese market. He has helped launch and scaled brands already well known around the world in Japan, including Starbucks, Nespresso and the main subject of this interview, Haribo. Join us as Paul shares how he made the world famous gummy candy brand go from #8 to #1 in the Japanese market in the span of four years, helping it go from a niche imported brand to a worthy mainstream contender. --- TimeStamps : 0:00 Introduction3:25 Initiatives4:29  About Haribo’s History in Japan7:40 The Communication of the Packages to the Customer11:45 Further Communication with Haribo with Television Advertising14:28 Advantages and Experiences as a Leader for Growth26:32 About the Competitive Nature of Convenience Stores30:18 Convincing the Internal Business Team and the Likely Obstacles that Comes40:10 Further Likely Obstacles Between the Japanese partners and Headquarters45:10 “The Death of Thinking” and Inventory50:00  “Walk the Talk”  and “Doing Things that Don’t scale”55:32 European Customer Support Time Zone Obstacles56:38 Advice before Starting Sale in Japan59:13 Consumer Understanding1:05:40 Where to find Paul and Final Thoughts --- Links from Guest Appearance : LinkedIn | YouTube | JapanIQ ---The Japan Scalers Podcast is produced by our companies Scaling Your Company & SmartStart Japan Scaling Your Company : 1 on 1 advisory on sales, marketing, management Scaling Your Sales : Courses to increase your sales in Japan. Scaling Your Marketing : Creating websites in English or Japanese + SEO + MEO SmartStart Japan : Japan Incorporation Services Discover how SmartStart can simplify your journey and fuel your growth in Japan : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://smartstartjapan.com/⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to another episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast. In this episode, we are delighted to welcome back Robert Purss for the third time. He is the founder and managing director of McLaren Group, a Tokyo-based bilingual marketing consultancy offering comprehensive services, including marketing strategy, consumer research, and business development. In Part 3, he will delve into essential tools and methodologies for conducting effective research that sets the stage for achieving future success.  Join us as Robert shares valuable insights into market research and growth strategies in Japan, addressing why companies need market research, affordable research alternatives for businesses with limited budgets, and the advantages of consulting market research professionals.  Link to Part 1: https://scalingyourcompany.com/marketing-agencies-in-japan-part-1-with-robert-purss/  Link to Part 2: https://scalingyourcompany.com/marketing-agencies-in-japan-part-2-with-robert-purss/  Links from Guest Appearance: LinkedIn | McLaren Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction 2:34 What is Market Research? 3:24 Why Would a Company Need Market Research?  8:11 Existing Product Growth Strategy and New Product Growth Strategy  13:47 Research Tools for SME’s 16:20 Managing Data 19:37 What Research Can a Company with No Budget Do? 22:34 Leading Questions and Online Data Sources 27:14 Comprehensive Research: Quantitative and Qualitative 31:59 How Much Do Brands/Businesses Spend on Market Research? 34:15 80/20 Principle, Market Landscape Understanding, and Concept Testing  36:49 Talking to an Expert 39:12 In Which Departments or Budget Categories is Market Research Held? 40:27 Where Can I Find Japanese People To Do Micro-research? 42:20 Why Should Someone Use the Services of a Market Research Professional?44:04 Tips for Interviewing Japanese People  46:00 Final Comments --- Exciting News for Getting More Sales in Japan !! We are thrilled to launch our live cohort course: "Mastering Sales Decks for the Japanese Market" hosted by Tyson Batino. This online program is for CEOs and sales professionals eager to enhance their sales pitches and improve their chances of securing meetings with Japanese corporate decision-makers. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://scalingyourcompany.com/salespamphlet/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to the eighth episode of our new series Japan Scalers. In this series, we will only interview guests who have surpassed 100 million yen in revenue annually. We have many interesting guests lined up for the upcoming episodes so make sure to follow us on social media and stay up to date with the podcast.  In this eighth episode, we are joined by Alex Zoboli, the Co-Founder and Managing Director at Cornerstone Recruitment Japan K.K, which is a Tokyo based recruitment firm focused on placing bilingual professionals in a wide range of market leading companies. He has successfully scaled the renowned recruitment agency RGF in Japan and has since launched his own firm. Join us as Alex shares his insights on recruitment, effective leadership, and the importance of being actively involved in the recruitment process. Show notes: 00:00: Introduction5:17 Having Your Own Business10:22 What Does a Recruitment Agency Do?11:33 Twelve Industries in the Agency14:21 Scaling the Company During Stage 120:10 Ideal People to Work With and Maintaining Them27:15 Three Elements in Recruitment29:20 Adapting Through the Stages32:35 How Did You Adapt Your Personality and Business Style?37:52 The Company's Advantage and Competitive Edge42:35 Have You Had Employees Come Back?43:19 Transitioning Style and Personality46:44 Unique Strength for Japan49:47 The Founder Doing the Interview/Recruitment53:13 Bringing in Key People55:31 Effective Qualities of a Leader58:28 Challenges1:00:41 About the Guest --- Links from Guest Appearance : Linkedin | Cornerstone | Youtube Channel --- The Japan Scalers Podcast is produced by our companies Scaling Your Company & SmartStart Japan Scaling Your Company : 1 on 1 advisory on sales, marketing, management Scaling Your Sales : Courses to increase your sales in Japan. Scaling Your Marketing : Creating websites in English or Japanese + SEO + MEO SmartStart : Japan Incorporation Services Discover how SmartStart can simplify your incorporation journey and fuel your growth in Japan : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://smartstartjapan.com/⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to another episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast. In this episode, we welcome Milosz Bugajski, a partner and advertising lead at Humble Bunny, a Tokyo-based digital marketing agency renowned for its enterprise-level performance marketing services tailored to ambitious brands. The company excels in web design, coding, SEO, pay-per-click ads, and other services aimed at optimizing website and digital presence to drive growth in Japan. Join us as Milosz dives into paid advertising in Japan, exploring how it works, why it matters, and sharing effective advertising strategies, along with other insightful topics. Link to Nathan Hoernig's Episode: https://scalingyourcompany.com/episode-6-how-to-grow-from-1-10-employees-with-nathan-hoernig/ --- This Episode is brought to you by Hashi Media, your agency for doing influencer marketing in Japan. They have helped major brands like Asus, Subway, and Alibaba, but they have also helped smaller companies with their social media and influencer marketing in Japan for both the foreign population and the Japanese market. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠hashimedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Links from Guest Appearance: Linkedin | Humble Bunny ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠--- Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction  2:51 Paid Online Ads: How They Work and Importance  6:45 What Would Be a High Quality Ad? 9:36 How Can an Agency Help Someone with Paid Ads? 13:33 Unique Characteristics of Japanese Online Advertising Market 18:52 Line Advertising in Japan 20:52 Good Target Market for Line Ads 21:54 First Steps in Starting Online Advertising  25:42 Cultural Nuances that Impacted an Ad Campaign 28:19 Common Mistakes that Foreign Businesses Make in Online Japanese Advertising 32:25 Differences Between Hiring A Specialist or Freelancer vs Agency 37:35 Strategies for Scaling Up Advertising 39:52 Good Return on Ad Spend 40:50 Trends in Japanese Online Advertising 44:28 About the Guest 45:09 Ideal Client 45:37 Brands the Company is Working With --- Exciting News for Getting More Sales in Japan !! We are thrilled to launch our live cohort course: "Mastering Sales Decks for the Japanese Market" hosted by Tyson Batino. This online program is for CEOs and sales professionals eager to enhance their sales pitches and improve their chances of securing meetings with Japanese corporate decision-makers. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://scalingyourcompany.com/salespamphlet/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to the seventh episode of our new series Japan Scalers. In this series, we will only interview guests who have surpassed 100 million yen in revenue annually. We have many interesting guests lined up for the upcoming episodes so make sure to follow us on social media and stay up to date with the podcast.  In this seventh episode, we are joined by Tracey Northcott, the founder of Tokyo Family Stays, which provides short-term rentals for those looking for an apartment and authentic home in Japan. She has successfully scaled her business to more than 25 listings and has been able to scale a solid business with two full-time staff and freelancers. Join us as Tracey shares her inspiring journey of scaling her company to its current success, all the while maintaining her unwavering commitment to ethical business practices that prioritize the welfare of both staff and customers. Show notes: 00:00 Introduction  3:19 Tokyo Family Stays and How It Began 8:01 Part-Time Residence 8:55 Target Market and Ideal Customer 15:58 Stage 1 18:23 Meeting the Demands 22:07 Challenges Faced in Stage 1 24:12 Building a Relationship with Local Communities 26:15 Debunking Myths about Living in Japan 27:27 Taking More Foreign Customers  29:33 What Would Define The 2nd Stage? 37:12 Creating A Brand  41:10 Being An Ethical Business Owner 43:15 Stage 3: Challenges and The Pandemic 46:34  How Did You Overcome This Challenge? 50:23 Why is Automation Important in The Next Stage? 57:26 Global Best Practices 1:05:01 What’s Next? --- Links from Guest Appearance : Linkedin | Tokyo Family Stays --- The Japan Scalers Podcast is produced by our companies Scaling Your Company & SmartStart Scaling Your Company : 1 on 1 advisory on sales, marketing, management Scaling Your Sales : Courses to increase your sales in Japan. Scaling Your Marketing : Creating websites in English or Japanese + SEO + MEO SmartStart : Japan Incorporation Services Discover how SmartStart can simplify your incorporation journey and fuel your growth in Japan : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://smartstartjapan.com/⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message⁠⁠⁠

Experienced APAC Group Product Manager, Michael Stobo, shares insights on scaling Tripadvisor in Japan, emphasizing teamwork, communication, and decision-making. Topics include SEO management, collaborating with headquarters, and navigating Japanese market intricacies.

Welcome to another episode of the Scaling Japan Podcast. In this episode, we are joined by Steve Heller, the Chief Operating Officer of Hashi Media, a rapidly rising social media and influencer marketing agency based in Tokyo. The company specializes in tech, gaming, and lifestyle brands, serving a wide range of clients from small businesses to industry giants like Alibaba, MSI, and Dell. Join us as Steve shares his expertise on influencer marketing in Japan, covering topics such as brand awareness, choosing the right platform, and more. --- This Episode is brought to you by Hashi Media, your agency for doing influencer marketing in Japan. They have helped major brands like Asus, Subway, and Alibaba, but they have also helped smaller companies with their social media and influencer marketing in Japan for both the foreign population and the Japanese market. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠hashimedia.com⁠⁠⁠ --- Links from Guest Appearance: Linkedin⁠⁠ | Hashi Media ⁠⁠⁠--- Show Notes: 00:00 Introducion 1:59 Influencer Marketing 5:01 What is an Influencer? 07:37 Unique Influencers in Japan 8:57 What is a Talento? 11:09 Tiers of Influencers 13:19 Media Platforms Influencers Use in Japan 15:12 Twitter as an Influencer Marketing Channel 17:29 Reaching Out to Influencers and Content Creators 20:43 Differences Between the Tiers 23:31 Advantages of Working With Hashi Media 25:43 Conflict Between Influencers and Agencies 28:57 Tips For a Company Doing Effective Influencer Marketing in Japan 32:27 Measuring the Success of a Campaign  36:39 Foreign Influencer Market in Japan 43:33 Trends in Influencer Marketing in Japan 44:42 Tips for Corporations Who Would Like to Work With Influencer Marketing Agencies 47:18 More Information about Hashi Media --- Exciting News for Getting More Sales in Japan !! We are thrilled to launch our live cohort course: "Mastering Sales Decks for the Japanese Market" hosted by Tyson Batino. This online program is for CEOs and sales professionals eager to enhance their sales pitches and improve their chances of securing meetings with Japanese corporate decision-makers. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://scalingyourcompany.com/salespamphlet/⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message⁠⁠⁠⁠

This is the fifth episode of our new series Japan Scalers. In this series, we will only interview guests who have surpassed 100 million yen in revenue annually. We have many interesting guests lined up for the upcoming episodes so make sure to follow us on social media and stay up to date with the podcast.  In this fifth episode, we are thrilled to welcome Yan Fan, Co-founder of Code Chrysalis, as she shares her expertise in guiding individuals aspiring to establish careers in Japan's software engineering and tech sectors. This insightful discussion will delve into the importance of soft skills and a growth mindset in navigating the Japanese business landscape. Join us as Yan recounts the journey of nurturing Code Chrysalis, overcoming challenges, and ultimately achieving the remarkable success it has today. --- This Episode is brought to you by Hashi Media, your agency for doing influencer marketing in Japan. They have helped major brands like Asus, Subway, and Alibaba, but they have also helped smaller companies with their social media and influencer marketing in Japan for both the foreign population and the Japanese market. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠hashimedia.com⁠⁠⁠ --- Show notes: 00:00 Introduction  3:48 Competitive Advantage: Work Experience and Growth Mindset 7:36 Career Direction and Mindset  9:43 Overcoming Challenges in Communicating Unique Selling Point  12:54 Stage 1  17:18 How Did You Communicate Success?  21:50 Community Building and Innovation 27:29 Personality and Business Style  30:02 Stage 2 32:00 Catalyst for Team Building 35:55 Other Challenges and “Grandiolarity Switching” 40:20 Unique Insights on Stage 2 45:24 Stage 3: Pivoting to Corporate Training  50:44 Challenges in Stage 3 1:02:47 Adapting to Evolve --- Links from Guest Appearance : Linkedin⁠⁠ | Code Chrysalis --- Exciting News for Getting More Sales in Japan !! We are thrilled to launch our live cohort course: "Mastering Sales Decks for the Japanese Market" hosted by Tyson Batino. This online program is for CEOs and sales professionals eager to enhance their sales pitches and improve their chances of securing meetings with Japanese corporate decision-makers. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://scalingyourcompany.com/salespamphlet/⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scalingjapanpodcast/message⁠⁠⁠