Business Karaoke Podcast with Brittany Arthur

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we are joined by Fuminori Gunji. Gunji was a founding team member of Softbank Robotics from 2013 to 2016, leading Softbank's domestic B2B businesses and overseas expansion efforts. In 2017, Fuminori Gunji headed business development for MakeLeaps. By the end of 2018, Gunji had successfully closed MakeLeaps’ M&A deal with Ricoh and went on to lead MakeLeaps in 2019 as COO until resigning in 2021. Fuminori is an adviser at Blue Circle and a mentor for 500 Startups, a global VC firm.In this episode we do something different. Rather than having an English and a Japanese episode we are promoting a new model and mixing it all up in the one episode. The first half is in English and we dive in Gunji-san's journey of being raised in German, Japanese and English and how he leveraged his unique background to ever be creating new opportunities and value for his customers and then we switch to Japanese and talk about everything from reverse culture shock to the challenges surrounding the Japanese model of 'copy paste' when it comes to global expansion and about the mindset shift that happens when you think of every single person around you as a customer.I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. I'd invite you to go ahead and share this episode with anyone in your network who might benefit from it.Key conversations🇬🇧  04:35  | Gunji-san's Journey 🇬🇧 16:00   |  Lessons applicable from big corporations that served Gunji-san well in his startups🇯🇵 35:55  |  Reverse culture shock🇯🇵 46:40  |  Reflections on Japanese management practice To learn more about Gunji-san, connect with him here:LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fuminori-gunji-38a22589/Blue Circle | https://www.bluecircle.co.jp/

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we are joined by Takuma Iwasa. Iwasa-san is the founder and CEO of IOT consumer electronics company, Shiftall Inc. I first met Iwasa-san when I visited his Tokyo offices with a mural friend. I say office but it really is more like a buzzing lab. Each person uniquely designed their own workplace with things that inspire them and it's not uncommon to see people walking around wearing prototypes. When Facebook changed their named and unveiled the concept of the Metaverse and VR as the next phase of the internet, I thought who better to talk to about all this than someone who already lives there.In this episode, Iwasa-san shares his journey from being a curious student of computers to his role as the founder and CEO of Shiftall. We explore the gaps in expectation of VR, the Metaverse as the internet 2.0 and the kinds of contributions Iwasa-san sees his company making to build that reality.I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did and moreover, I hope it brings you value and is worth your time. Let's begin!Key Conversations05:45  |  When did you fall in love with computers & Intro to Iwasa17:05  |  Shiftall current team and how they come up with new products23:40  |  Gaps; Localization and exhibition and end user 31:43  |  Metaverse as Internet 2.036:05  |  Halitrax and preparing for the Metaverse45:48  |  Metaverse use cases53:35  |  What's the Japanese pulse on privacy and Iwasa's hope looking forwardThis episode is also available on YouTube ⬇️https://youtu.be/2cTqyIkD1OIFind out more about Iwasa-san here:Website | https://ja.shiftall.netTwitter | https://twitter.com/warenosyoLinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/warenosyo/

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we are joined by the Co-Founder and CEO of LUMA Institute, Chris Pacione. Chris leads a highly-skilled, multidisciplinary team of designers and practitioners located around the world who are passionate about fostering the practice of design thinking among individuals, within teams, and across entire organizations. He is co-author of the LUMA System and the book “Innovating for People” and has been awarded numerous US and EU patents for his work.This episode is quite special for me for a few reasons; as I referenced on the podcast but maybe not gone into too much detail, Human Centered Design, or HCD and Design Thinking, is a cornerstone of my work igniting the change I wish to see in the world. And I use the LUMA System, which Chris as part of developing, to do it. This episode is the beautiful collisions of my Business Karaoke World, Human Centered Design World and Design Thinking Japan World and I couldn't be happier to share it with you.We'll define Human Centered Design and make the case that everyone is a Designer. We'll explore how that Design literacy may become as important as Math literacy for the modern knowledge worker. We'll talk about the innovation environment leadership will need to build in order to see a return on investment of up-skilling their people to a basic level of Design literacy. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did and moreover, I hope it brings you value and is worth your time. Let's begin!💡Key Conversations05:00  |  With the definition of Design, everyone is a Designer.15:30  |  The role of Design literacy in the economy may become as important as Math literacy in the industrial revolution23:30  |  The evolving dialogue and misconceptions between Business & Design 32:35  |  What does change look like in organizations with long and richer histories42:25  |  Is there a HCD metric we can look to?46: 55 |  The Karaoke Innovation Mindset51:00  |  How Leadership can create an environment for innovation57:35  |  The daily business of creating extraordinary things----To know more about Chris or the LUMA System, have a look here:LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-pacione-ceo-luma/Website | https://www.lumaworkplace.com

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we are joined by Jayne Nakata. Jayne is the creator of PodLaunch with Jayne and the host of the Transformations with Jayne Podcast.  Jayne story's  one day noticing that there was no voice of other women like herself: foreign, a mother and living outside of the major cities in Japan, feeling isolated and alone in their daily lives to not only publishing over 100 episodes but empowering other women in Japan to overcome the challenges of bringing their voices to the podcasting world. I wanted to share the lessons of; curiosity, listening and overcoming perceived circumstance to create something new and become an industry thought leader in the process, with the Business Karaoke community as even if you're not building a podcast, I'm sure' you're facing similar situations in your businesses, teams or departments. We dive into what it means to lead by listening, the difference between those who do and those who don't after having a "I should have a podcast moment," the opportunity for women to name and claim a niche dialogue and if the best tools result in the best podcasts. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Please go ahead and share your thoughts with me on your favorite social media platform. Also, I have some news for you, the Business Karaoke Podcast is now also on Instagram. Follow us over at @BusinessKaraokePodcast to be the first to see our memorable moments from each episode.Let's begin!Key Conversations 💡05:40  |  Leading by listening 10:55  |  Beyond the "I should have a podcast moment"23:25  |  Where are the women in podcasting?33:55  |  Do the best tools make the best podcasts?41:45  |  Moving from downloads to KPIs with contextThis episode is also available on YouTube ⬇️https://youtu.be/tix4W9biFc0To know about out more about Jayne, follow these links ⬇️Website  | https://www.jaynenakata.com/podcastconsultingFacebook  |  https://www.facebook.com/transformationswithjayneInstagram  | https://www.instagram.com/transformationswithjayne/LinkedIn  | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynenakata/ 

Send us Fan Mailこのエピソードで堀江愛利さんあ来ていただきました。堀江愛利さんはWomen's Startup Lab（WSUL）の創設者兼CEO。 WSULはシリコンバレーにあるアクセラレーターです。 WSULは、イノベーションとコラボレーションを通じて女性の成功に取り組んでいます。堀江愛利さんは情熱、結果、そして人前で話すことで国際的に有名です。 さらに、堀江愛利さん最近、アントレプレナー誌によって2020年の100人のPowerful Woman の1人desu。この会話では、色々な面白いテーマについて話します。例えば、なぜ堀江愛利さんは大企業から起業家精神に移動したのか、どうやって堀江愛利さんはシリコンバレーの風景を影響しているのか、堀江愛利さんとWSULのチームは、どうやって女性のスタートアップ創業者が成功するために独自にサポートしているか。10代の留学生の経験でも、現在のシリコンバレーの成功でも、やっぱり同じ一生懸命を頑張っている、笑っている、堀江愛利さんのですね。この会話を楽しんでいただければ幸いです。 InstagramやLinkedInでみなさまの考えやコメントを是非是非共有してください。愛利さんをもっと知りたい方へ、以下のリンクをご覧ください。LinkedIn  |  https://www.linkedin.com/in/arihorie/WSUL  |  https://womenstartuplab.com

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we are joined by Ari Horie. Ari-san is the Founder and CEO of Women's Startup Lab (WSUL). A Silicon Valley based accelerator dedicated to creating a world where women thrive and succeed through innovation and collaboration. Ari is internationally recognized for her passion, results and public speaking prowess and was recently listed as one of the 100 Powerful Women of 2020 by Entrepreneur magazine. In this conversation we dive into Ari's unique reason to move from corporate to entrepreneurship, why Ari is working so tirelessly to change the landscape of Silicon Valley and how she and her team at WSUL create opportunities for female startup founders to accelerate their path to success and funding. What I found so interesting about the decision to focus on female founders was not that Ari was deeply passionate  about women's issues, rather she saw a target group suffering under an unmet need, and in the true spirit of an entrepreneur, she flew in solved it.Listening to Ari's share her story, whether it's the formative experience of her time as an student exchange or the impact she's created with WSUL; it's all been done with the same can-do, laugh so before we attitude. Ari-san really is the image of how we do one thing is how we do everything. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Please share you thoughts or comments with me over on Instagram or LinkedIn.💡 Key Conversations04:25  |  The courage to share when it's not going well07:35  |  Ari's move from corporate to entrepreneurship 12:50  |  The pushback from old systems on new businesses 22:40  |  Balancing structure and uncertainty31:40  |  The business of investing in women To know more about Ari or WSUL follow the links below:LinkedIn  |  https://www.linkedin.com/in/arihorie/WSUL  |  https://womenstartuplab.com

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we have the rare pleasure of welcoming back a guest and its all the more special as its close friend of the Business Karaoke Podcast, Evan Burkosky. Evan is a Digital Transformation (DX) expert in Japan helping  businesses adopt new technologies and improve productivity via AI, automation, eCommerce, and retail logistics. He has worked both agency-side and vendor-side selling to Japan’s Fortune 500, co-founded several startups, and is a Senior Advisor to several others. Currently he is the Country Manager for Dynamic Yield, Board Director at TELL, and Senior Advisor at Fast Track Asia.If you haven't yet had the pleasure of hearing Evan's first episode, I'd recommend you do. As to understand where we are and where we are going, which is the focus of this episode, it's valuable to understand the factors that brought us here in the first place. For example; Evan's theory that Japan's reluctance to move completely to the cloud has more to do with the fear of natural disasters than immaturity of digital transformation. In this episode we dive into Japan's digital scorecard, the pandemic and other accelerators to change, the 2025 Digital cliff and Evan's personal predictions about what's ahead. I love this episode because its full of the kind of actionable ideas and information that get you focused and excited on a challenge, not confused overwhelmed. Also, the day this episode is live is Evan's birthday so feel free to head over to LinkedIn and say happy birthday!I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did and don’t forget to share your feedback with me on your favorite social platform. Let's begin!💡 Key Conversations  02:55  |  Intro to Evan and why DX is important to him personally07:53  |  Japan’s Digital Scorecard14:05  |  If the benefit of investment is obvious, what's the hold up? 27:55  |  Pandemic and other accelerators52:30  |  Recommendations and projections to jump the 2025 "Digital Cliff" 1:20:35  |  The role Design Thinking may playHere are some places for you to learn more about Evan and his work:Evan's first Business Karaoke episode | https://www.buzzsprout.com/1009438/5248537LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanburkosky/

Send us Fan Mailこのエピソードで And Assistの德丸佳世さんが来ていただきました。佳世さんは東京にあるバイリンガルのバーチャルアシスタント会社の創設者です。佳世さんからどうのようにAnd Assistを始めたとか、女性が離職する一般的な理由とか、将来への希望についてなとを聞きます。この会話を楽しんでいただければ幸いです。お気に入りのソーシャルプラットフォームでフィードバックを共有することを忘れないでください。じゃ、始めましょう！💡 Key Conversations 03:20  |  And Assistのストーリー10:45  |  女性が離職する一般的な「もったいない」理由18:30  |  AndAssistの思い出に残る瞬間23:20  |  働く母親に対する認識と「訳わからないルール」を変える30:30  |  働く母親を支援するための行動德丸さんについてもっと知りたい方へ以下のリンクをご覧ください ⬇️LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayo-tokumaru-239612187/Website | https://andassist.jp

Send us Fan MailIn this episode we are joined by Kayo Tokumaru. Kayo-san is the founder of AndAssist, a Tokyo-based bilingual virtual assistant company. Like all inspirational businesses, the reason WHY they exist outshines WHAT they do to exist. It became quite clear to Kayo-san that there simply weren't enough hours in the day to invest in both an, at times rigid, corporate career and a new growing family. So she moved from the corporate world to started her own business to give both herself and other working mothers the flexibility the need to thrive in both work and life.This episode is what we call in Design Thinking, the problem space of the double diamond. We are not yet in the solution space; we're simply trying to map the territory and understand the issue better before we jump into how we can solve it. Now we, as a society, are moving past the "working from home due to COVID restrictions" to rethinking, redesigning and reorganization new ways to collaborate, I am personally committed to investing more time and energy to creating conversations around work-life balance for working families. I hope you'll find some value in it.Kayo-san shares with us the founding story of AndAssist, we explore  the historical image of a strong Japanese woman and learn about some memorable moments along Kayo-san entrepreneurial journey. I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did!💡 Key Conversations 00:45  |  AndAssist founding story03:20  |  Working with working mothers and what actions can corporations take to support re-entry07:40  |  The image of a strong Japanese female - Queen Himiko and the current underutilized female workforce.  12:05  |  Changing traditions and 5 years from now16:00  |  Standout AndAssist story Here are some places for you to learn more about Kayo-san or AndAssist;LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayo-tokumaru-239612187/Website | https://andassist.jp

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the Business Karaoke podcast, we have the pleasure welcoming back Ryan Hart. Ryan first joined us in episode 34 to talk about Customer Experience and today he joins us to dive deeper into solving Japan’s Customer Experience Dilemma and why better Research, leads to better Design and better CX. Ryan currently empowers a team of talented creative and strategic doers to help accelerate experience, digital, and cultural transformations for organizations in Japan at the PwC Experience Center in Tokyo.In this episode Ryan leads us on a journey to explore the importance of elevating Research and Design to have an earlier seat at the decision making table, the consequences of improving user research to progress from design for functionality to design for emotion (or not) and most exciting Ryan shares with us a string of stories from the field. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Please leave your feedback with me on you favorite social media platform. It absolutely makes my day to know what you enjoyed and more importantly, WHY, so that I can bring you more of what you'd like to see in future episodes.Let's begin!Key Conversations 💡 02:08  |  How Ryan got started in CX and his personal mission in Japan10:08  |  Elevating Research and Design to have an earlier seat at the decision making table20:40  |  Redesigning from form follows function to function follows feeling and the current state of user research 28:58  |  A surprising piece of data a skin care company uncovered through research 31:25  |  How to small with research and the 5 persona guide37:20  |  A memorable research success story and the power of agile communication in the design process45:40  |  The consequences of product and service design in Japan lacking both meaningful human centered research and designHere's a few more places you can learn more about Ryan ⬇️Ryan's previous BKP episode  |  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1009438/6567415LinkedIn |  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-hart-a9254b4/