Current Situation

I finished a 1-year Japanese Language program from 2020-2021, and am currently starting a business in Fukuoka.

My company’s vision is to help the world become more connected with Japan, and Japan more connected with the world. Meaningful connections can be made when we can communicate through languages. Therefore, my company is developing online courses and applications for English speakers to learn and improve Japanese, and for Japanese speakers to learn and improve English.

Resume (background and work experience):

2011 – I graduated from Indiana University in the United States. I received 2 degrees – Bachelor of Science in Finance, and Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics.

2012 – I worked at AIA for 3 months as an actuary, but soon realized corporate life isn’t for me and left that job.

2012-2015 – After leaving my job as an actuary, I worked in a web design and online marketing company.

2015-2016 – Afterward I briefly worked as a web programmer for 6 months, and started my own business in 2016.

2016 – 2021 – The business I started in 2016 is called MarketingTips HK, which focus on teaching small business owners in Hong Kong how to do online marketing. I sell online courses such as Facebook Advertising Course. I’ve generated over ¥50,000,000 sales from my company’s online courses.

MarketingTips HK Website: https://www.marketingtips.hk/

Facebook page (with over 40,000 followers): https://www.facebook.com/marketingtipshk

2018-2020 – I also started another business called Stelix Marketing & Tech. Ltd., that partner with teachers to create and sell courses online. That company have successfully partnered with teachers from different fields such as Japanese Language, Real Estate Investment, Sales Training, and Online Business Training to create and sell their online courses. Online courses sold via that company have generated over ¥100,000,000 in sales. I exited this company in 2020 because I wanted to focus on my Japanese studies.

2020-2021 – I studied at a Japanese Language School in their 1-year program. I graduated in June 2021 and also passed the JLPT N2 exam in July 2021.

2021-now – I am currently on the business manager visa in Fukuoka and am building a business with main focus on online language education and application development.

Business Plans

I plan to develop multiple “online multi-media learning platforms” for Language Learners in Japan and over the world.

Currently I am developing an online conversation class that can help Japanese Learners from anywhere in the world to learn Japanese. I will also plan to hire native Japanese Language Teachers to teach these courses. Students can access lessons, exercises, and resources online to improve their Japanese. They can also be matched with professional, certified native Japanese Teachers to improve their speaking abilities.

In the future, I will also to develop courses, tools, and resources for English Learners in Japan, and in the world. I plan to hire native English speakers and develop courses and materials that will help Japanese become able to speak English. Same concept as the Japanese course but for English learners.

In addition, I’d also like to develop other courses for the Japanese market, such as online marketing and online business.

I also plan to develop online language exchange platform, so that language learners, especially those who are learning Japanese and English, can easily find partners to practice with.

I might also like to explore opportunities in offering consulting and services to companies in Japan, such as helping them promote products and services online.

Mission and Vision

I’ve been in the online marketing field since 2012, and the online education field since 2016.

With the advances of high-speed internet, smartphone, and online platforms such as Youtube and Facebook, learning has really become something that isn’t just done in school or in a classroom, but rather anytime and anywhere in the world. Especially in light of the recent Covid-19 situation, the needs and advantages of online learning has become even clearer.

With that said, I’d like to use my skills and experiences in online marketing and education, to help the world connect with Japan, and help Japan connect with the world. Many people in the world are very interested in learning Japanese, myself included; and I know many Japanese are very interested in learning English and expand their world.

However, with traditional schools and educational methods, there are many inefficiencies and as a result, many people learn Japanese for years and still aren’t able to speak. Likewise, Japanese learn English for many years but those who are able to speak are few. I think I have the solution to the problem and can use online tools and resources to bring quality education to Japanese and people around the world.

Beyond language education, I feel like there are a lot of areas and fields where educators are still lacking behind and not effectively using online resources to reach and educate more people. I want to develop more courses in the Japanese market such as online marketing and online business related courses, which is my specialty. I also would like to be able to help other teachers and educator become familiar how to put online tools and resources into practical uses in education field.

Beside that, I might also like to explore the opportunities in offering online marketing expertise to various companies in Japan to help them promote within Japan and also to other markets in the world.

Why Language Education?

Having studied both English and Japanese as my second and third language, I understand very well the immense difficulties and hurdles of learning a language. However with a new language comes many opportunities that just wouldn’t be available otherwise, therefore I have a huge passion to help other language learners.

Of course there are many traditional education institutions such as schools and learning centers that teach languages including English and Japanese, but I feel like there are a few things that are quite lacking.

From personal experience, the biggest problem I encountered is “not being able to speak”. I studied 9 years of English in primary and secondary school, and I wasn’t able to speak much English. I also studied 5 years of Japanese by attending courses and studying on my own.

And the problem is that traditional education focus on “learning”, not “applying”. Learning lots of grammar and rules and vocabularies will help you score well on a test, but it might not help you become better at speaking a language at all. And from personal experience I can know this very well.

However speaking a language is a “skill” rather than some “knowledge”, and traditional language education does not help the students turn language into a skill very well.

My plan is to develop systems and programs that not just help students “learn” the language, but rather “practice” and “live” the language. That include videos where native teachers teach them how to speak, practical exercises that they can output what they learned, and also of course getting practice with real native speakers as well.

My goals is to help language learners not just be able to pass some tests, but to help them become immersed and connected to the language and the speakers of that language. Getting to a conversational level so one can make friends and truly experience the culture and people is the key.

From experience I know doing that alone is extremely difficult, so I want to offer tools and resources and guide the students.

Business Timeline

2021 –

• setup company
• develop “basic” Japanese learning program for Hong Kong market
• develop “basic” English learning program for Hong Kong market

2022 – 2023

• develop “advanced” Japanese learning resources
• expand Japanese learning program to English speaking market in the world
• expand English learning program for Japanese market
• develop in-house software and apps for language exchange matching platform