Q: Why did you decide to take an MBA course and why did you choose WBS?

Kentaro Takahashi, COO, Mirror Fit, Inc.

Takahashi: I was interested in business management because I have a relative who is running a company. After graduating I was working as a medical representative for a pharmaceutical company. But I had few opportunities to get involved in management and I became frustrated and uncertain about my future. I decided on the MBA to boost my chances of getting involved in management.

Masunaga: My story is similar to his. After graduating, I worked as a retail sales rep at major electronics maker Fujitsu Ltd. The job gave me many opportunities to think about corporate mergers and management. I gradually became uncertain and unhappy about my career as a sales rep. I decided to take an MBA course to expand the scope of my business-related knowledge and experience.

Yasunaga: I took the step out of necessity. I was responsible for lobbying and developing business strategy at Uber Japan Co., Ltd. The job involved frequent communications with business development teams at Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco and other overseas units. Almost all members of these teams had gotten their MBA from overseas schools like Harvard Business School. I was the only one without an MBA. I felt the need to learn the common business language and knowledge they had mastered at business schools as well as lobbying. That was why I decided on the MBA course. I chose WBS because I was acquainted with Professor Tatsuyuki Negoro^[*1], who studies business platforms through Uber’s operations, and I wanted to study under him.

Takahashi: I researched a number of business schools and my decision to enroll at WBS was based on a comprehensive evaluation. WBS has a top-level faculty and offers courses to acquire highly practical and immediately useful knowledge about business administration. When I visited WBS and attended a trial lesson by Professor Tomoko Kawakami^[*2], I was overwhelmed by the level and quality of the class. Another factor that made WBS particularly attractive for me was that there were 300 students in the same year, which meant I would have many opportunities to meet people and build a large network of personal connections.

Masunaga: I had a younger friend from my university who had already earned an MBA from WBS and he strongly recommended the school, saying, “You should absolutely go to WBS.” My friend recommended WBS for the same reasons Takahashi mentioned. He stressed that WBS had a better faculty and offered more opportunities to build a network than any other business school in Japan. I had mixed feelings about following the path of a younger university friend, but my decision turned out to be a right one.

Q: How did you meet and become co-founders of Mirror Fit?

Yasunaga: We all enrolled in the Evening MBA Program (General) along with about 100 other students. We attended different seminars, but we often met in classes. We became close while taking Professor Kawakami’s “Marketing and New market creation” course together. It was a winter semester class in second year.

Masunaga: We already knew each other since we often did group work together. Both Takahashi and Yasunaga stood out among classmates from the beginning. Yasunaga attracted a lot of attention when he made a speech in fluent English at a welcoming party. Takahashi was always popular as he cut a dashing figure. Both were star students.

Takahashi: I remember Yasunaga's presentation about Uber in group work immediately after we entered the school. He came across as a person who was good at public speaking. As I came to know more about him through group work and eating together, I found him to be a person of integrity. Masunaga struck me as a thoughtful and compassionate person. He is also meticulous and smart.

Yasunaga: First impressions aside, we got to understand each other more deeply through the classes, especially group work. Group work reveals your personality. As adults, we seldom have serious arguments with colleagues and friends. But we always had really serious debates during group work because we had to produce results within a limited time. Masunaga always kept his cool even during heated discussions. He is also adept at analyzing data and helped others calm down with his cool-headed, data-based opinions. I thought he was a very reliable person.

Q: So Prof. Kawakami’s “Marketing and New market creation” course inspired you three to start the company.
What kind of course was it?

Nobuaki Yasunaga, CMO, Mirror Fit, Inc.

Takahashi: We were required to propose new businesses to existing companies. We were three members of a group of five students and we developed and proposed a new business plan for Mirror Roid Inc., which manufactures smart mirrors and provides related services.

Masunaga: Smart mirrors are devices that double as a mirror and a display. Mirror Roid mainly operates hair salons featuring such smart mirrors but the company asked us to propose ideas for new businesses, whether they were related or unrelated to its existing business. So we came up with a variety of business ideas.

Takahashi: We got to know smart mirrors in the first class of the course and our first idea was to visualize the tacit knowledge of the best dancer in the world by mimicking the dancer’s movements. But the company thought it was difficult to translate the idea into an actual business, so we discussed various ideas from multiple angles.

Yasunaga: We finally decided to propose a fitness service based on smart mirror technology. I was surprised to find that Masunaga had researched the specs of the device and meticulously analyzed and assessed the feasibility of our idea.

Masunaga: We evaluated the feasibility of the idea from the viewpoints of presentation logic, business logic, financing and other factors and crafted a detailed business plan. The course demanded that we apply all of what we had learned to accomplish the mission.

Yasunaga: We presented our business proposal in about 100 PowerPoint pages, including ideas for the business model, branding strategy, marketing plans and pricing strategy.

Takahashi: We used the PowerPoint presentation material as a basis for launching our business.

Yasunaga: We even still use the material in our business presentations.

Takahashi: In the end, we presented our fitness business proposal to Mirror Roid’s chief technology officer and received a highly positive response. In our after-class drinking sessions, which we held regularly, we discussed our fitness service business proposal and thought it was an interesting idea. So we decided to give it a try.

Yasunaga: Mirror Roid’s CEO proposed to turn the idea into an actual business with us. It really encouraged us and boosted our confidence in the proposal.

Takahashi: We founded Mirror Fit in July 2020. Its president, Haung Hao, is a friend of mine, and he is involved in fitness gym management and other businesses. We sought his advice for our fitness business and he became intrigued by our business plan and joined us to launch the company together.

Q: How are the knowledge and experience you gained from WBS helping you with your current business?

Noriaki Masunaga,
CFO, Mirror Fit, Inc.

Takahashi: The knowledge about human resources organization, marketing, finance and accounting, financing, and management strategy we learned through the seven required courses is vital for business operations. I attended Professor Akie Iriyama’s^[*3] seminar on cutting-edge management theories from around the world. The seminar places great weight on presentations since it is a venue for open reviews of MBA theses. It really helped me develop my presentation skills, which have proved valuable in my current work.

Masunaga: I’m in charge of finance, so the practical knowledge of accounting and finance I learned at the school is useful in my work. At WBS, I learned all the basic knowledge I needed for developing business plans, which involves techniques such as debt factoring. But the most important thing I learned at WBS was entrepreneurship. I learned the spirit of creating new business plans, which has been very important in my career.

Yasunaga: The knowledge and skills I acquired at the school are invaluable, of course. But the biggest asset I gained in the two years is the network of personal connections I built up at WBS. A number of people and companies are supporting our business, and many of our supporters and partners are people we got to know at WBS, such as classmates, seniors and professors. For instance, we are manufacturing smart mirror devices in China. A Chinese businessman who studied at WBS with us is acting as a coordinator between us and the Chinese manufacturer. We also found the company that created our initial visual content through a WBS graduate who is now a film producer. The network of contacts we developed at WBS is really helpful and valuable for our business.

Masunaga: From this point of view, WBS is a perfect business school for people seeking to start new businesses. You can launch a business immediately if you build up your knowledge and human network at WBS. We are the proof.

Takahashi: Before I enrolled in WBS I heard that the ratio of WBS graduates who start up new businesses is higher than at other business schools. WBS’s programs are suitable for training future entrepreneurs, such as Start-up Factory, where students learn everything they need to be an entrepreneur, from business ideas to cash flow.

Q: If one of your juniors at WBS starts up a new business, would you support it?

Takahashi: After we launched our business we have come into contact with many WBS graduates in various areas. We are receiving really strong, generous and genuine support from WBS people. Because we are getting so much support from WBS graduates, we are, of course, happy to support businesses founded by WBS juniors.

Masunaga: Human networks vary widely in quality and usefulness. A network built at WBS is not simply a nexus of connections -- it’s a reliable network of people you can trust. That’s what sets WBS apart.

Yasunaga: Exactly. Human relations built on businesses are not necessarily genuine, honest relationships because they usually involve profits on both sides. Trying to outsmart others is probably part of doing business, but is seldom an element in WBS alumni networks. A network built on such genuine and honest relationships without regard to profits is really valuable.

Takahashi: In addition, WBS alumni networks are global and helpful for overseas business expansion.

Yasunaga: Because we attended the evening MBA program, our class was not as multinational as the daytime international MBA program, which starts in September. Still, about 20% of our classmates were from abroad, mainly Chinese and South Koreans. We have connected to Asian networks through them. When we farmed out production of our device to a Chinese manufacturer, one of our classmates, a Chinese guy, helped us with the tough negotiations. He has told us that since he is one of the people who studied at WBS like us he is willing to support us without regard to profits. The high dependability of the WBS alumni community is one of the things other business schools cannot offer.

Masunaga: This is why we are also ready to provide support to members of the WBS alumni community and network. I’m convinced that people planning to start businesses in Japan or other parts of Asia would benefit greatly from studying at WBS.

Yasunaga: For people seeking to operate a business based in Japan, WBS offers great advantages because it helps them build a reliable and trustworthy network of connections here.

Takahashi: Mirror Fit would not have been possible without the personal connections and knowledge we acquired there. Now, we are operating the business with support from a dependable network of connections built at the school. WBS offers huge benefits to people planning to start up businesses based in Asia.