i-genius: What difficulties did you experience setting up Hub Tokyo?
Shino Tsuchiya: Japanese culture itself is sometimes anti-entrepreneural. We love our culture which value harmony and empathy, but at the same time, we have a big resistance from the cultural habit, like people have tendency to avoid confrontation. This culture delays the serious discussion and the solution towards social problems.
Shino: Yes and No. I was a business producer and worked with many social entrepreneurs in developing countries to build capacity of entrepreneurs there. My knowledge about the toughness of building real social business, and my empathic character actually works really well with HUB Tokyo’s work right now, but most of the struggles had been the first time experience for me.
i-genius: What makes a good CEO?
Shino: We are a for-profit social enterprise, clearly not charity organization. Our main focus is empowerment, to provide necessary paths and equipments for the change makers in Tokyo who want to create systematic changes. We provide not only spaces for co-work, but also learning experiences with team-learning, knowledge sharing, community, and many programs.
i-genius: What are the most crucial things you have done to grow Hub Tokyo?
Shino: Narrowing down the value, and focus on what we really should do. We analyzed again and again customer/ beneficiaries and values of our services and products. And we made sure that all of those should be aligned with our vision. And we have full-time CFO, which was really important addition to HUB Tokyo.
i-genius: What has been the biggest sacrifice/toughest decision you have made for Hub Tokyo?
Shino: Telling the people who is not necessary to the project or business to leave or be replaced. I love all the people who worked with me, but sometime the whole budget cannot allow me to keep them all. I had to choose business to survive for longer term goal.
i-genius: Have partnerships/collaborations helped or hindered Hub Tokyo?
Shino: Partnerships are always great. But collaboration only happens when trust is there. I always try to create the relationship of deep trust first before going to the concrete step of collaboration. Time is required.
i-genius: How do you detox from Hub Tokyo work?
Shino: Watching movies. Especially, science fiction is sometime my source of ideas. As Muhammad Yunus once said, “We have science fiction, and science follows it. We imagine it, and it comes true. Yet we don’t have social fiction, so nothing changes.” and I think movies which envision future society will create a great impact.
i-genius: What advice would you give to those starting up a social business/project?
Shino: Be honest to yourself, and listen to your heart about who you should really serve for. That will answer your questions at any time.
i-genius: What’s the future for Hub Tokyo?
Shino Tsuchiya: We produce more change makers as entrepreneurs or intra-preneurs. We connect these ideas and entrepreneurs to necessary resources like funds, investments, opportunities, mentors, and early adaptors. We will create a fund soon, and expand our network throughout Japan.
This interview was conducted as part of the i-genius Getting Started interview series. If you would like to learn how to get started in your social business, then why not take our ‘Getting Started – Social Business Start Up’ online course with i-genius Academy. To find out more, click here!
