There are quite a few things that I do in order to make the company run even though I am new to starting a business and don’t want to do them. As a small company, it is often hard to assign certain tasks to someone else, so there is no way out in many cases. For example, I often have to just bow down and ask for help. Or set up some ad tags by myself. So whether at work or in your personal life, if you feel like “I should try this,” just do it. I’d like to write about my “just-do-it”s.

Just do it-1: I want to work at McDonald’s, so I do it.
I’ve been wanting to work there for the three reasons I mentioned before, and I’ve been working there since May this year. I came to a great realization that my ability to make quick judgments, adapt to things I’ve never done before, and multitask were all lower than I thought. It’s like feeling some muscle pain and fatigue for some muscles you haven’t used in years:) Also, I think it’s becoming a nice reminder to myself that I should be a little more gentle with people outside the digital marketing industry who have no experience in the industry.

Just do it-2: Join EO for co-learning with fellow entrepreneurs
When I expressed this idea to Mr.Todo, CEO of AZ in Osaka, he told me about an organization called EO (Entrepreneur Organization). I actually contacted several chapters (EO organizations in each region), and the organization that responded to my requests was EO Nagoya. There are still many things I don’t know about EO because I just joined a few months ago, and there are many parts of EO that are veiled because of its strict confidentiality policy, but I feel that the more I learn, the more opportunities for awareness and learning are prepared for me. Anyway, I’m glad I took the plunge.

Just do it-3: If you find a book that looks interesting, try reading it.
A long time ago, I used to read business books and self-help books because it was a must thing for someone like me. Now, I only read books recommended by CEOs and entrepreneurs in Japan and abroad that I think “This looks interesting! When I actually buy a book, read it for a while, and think, “This is boring, and it might be a little painful to continue reading,” I don’t read it anymore. It’s a bit of a waste of my money, but after starting my own business, I focus on reading what I really want to read and make it my own blood. By the way, the book I’m reading right now that I find really interesting is “BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0),” which was recommended by the CEO of a SaaS company overseas. This is definitely a book I’ll read all the way through, and I’ll blog more about it when I’m done!

Just do it-4: There were three marketing tools that I wanted to try in Japan, so I’ll bring all three at the same time.
Considering the current company resources, until now, I’ve been 100% committed to overseas tech startups/venture products, which is about one a year. However, there were times when the management and investors of our global tech partners would suddenly and drastically change the product and marketing strategies. Consequently, I began to think, “Maybe we should expand our product portfolio a little more.

In the midst of this, three products came out at the same time that I thought, “These all sound really interesting, I’d love to try them out! All at once!” Of course, I cannot commit myself to all of them, so I passed one of them to Kaori, who has little experience in the industry but can definitely bring it to our market with a great commitment.

2021 is going to be a year of many challenges for the company, but with the spirit of “just do it,” I will do my best to grow both as a company and as an individual while taking on all sorts of challenges.

Masaki “Mark” Iino
Founder & CEO
SOPHOLA, Inc
P.S. I had a great time at the first SUP of my life!