It’s been a few months since I started developing a new business. (I plan to make it public around next spring.)
At first, I was worried whether an idea alone could really take shape, but little by little it has started to do so—and that makes me excited.

Life is short, so I’ve always wanted to work on things that excite me, and I feel that since starting my own company, I’ve finally been able to do what I truly want. Back in my days as a salaryman, I mostly had to follow my boss’s or the company’s policies, even if it wasn’t what I wanted to do. That period felt more like a “training era.” Now, as an entrepreneur, I feel I’ve entered the “era of turning what I want to do into reality.”

This applies not only to the new business I’m working on—where I’m involved in the entire process from product/service concept to commercialization—but also to our digital marketing consulting and outsourcing business. By consciously choosing to only work with companies and people I want to collaborate with, and only for companies and people I want to serve, I avoid unnecessary stress. And it’s truly fun and exciting to shape technology solutions that fit the Japanese market together with tech partners and domestic companies through dialogue.

Two-thirds of this year is already over. In the remaining months, I’ll continue working to bring more of these ideas into shape, and next year I’ll do my best to deliver value to even more companies and people in Japan!

Masaki “Mark” Iino
Founder & CEO
SOPHOLA, Inc