President/CEO Nao Tsuruta, his interview posted on The Focus: A Japanese interview media that focuses on “people” who are active in various fields.
Biography
Born in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and raised in the Shonan area. After graduating from high school in Kamakura, I moved to the United States on my own, without being able to speak any English at the time. During my student years, with my natural vitality, I served as the coach of the university’s women’s volleyball team and led them to become the top-ranked team in the United States. I graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.
Although I had an offer from a major Japanese company, I chose not to return to Japan and instead joined a large American crane company as a new graduate. I contributed significantly to the company’s profits and was promoted to the position of Sales and Technical Department Manager for the Asia-Pacific region in a short period of time.
Later, I established a company in the United States that specialized in converting seawater and wastewater into drinking water, and actively participated in numerous overseas projects. I also established and grew related companies in Singapore, the Philippines, and Japan.
As a result of this venture, I gained experience as an advisor to the president of a major Japanese company with annual revenues exceeding 2 trillion yen, and participated in various overseas projects. Notable projects include the large-scale development of Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah (artificial island) and the first desalination facility in Singapore. I also launched services for Aqua Clara and helped a client company win the Global Water Awards. Additionally, in the United States, I was involved in the business management of music artists and fashion designers, as well as the production of Hollywood films. My activities have been diverse and far-reaching.
Path to Current Work
Since graduating from university, my work has always been related to water. While living in the United States, I also established a company in Japan and gained experience in various projects and external advisory roles. In the late 2000s, I began focusing on the development of skincare products based on the healing power of Japan’s wonderful natural resources, with the goal of introducing them to the world.
After several years of developing products, I received overwhelmingly positive feedback from people around the world who used them. Encouraged by this high praise and newfound confidence, in 2010, I changed the company name to Shinso SKIN CARE. The brand has since grown and is now sold in dermatology clinics, luxury department stores, and five-star hotel spas around the world, including in the United States, the UK, and Singapore.
Commitment to Work
I believe that the most important aspect of any business is to offer high-quality products. It’s crucial that the product is not something commonly found anywhere, but rather a niche product. By offering such products, we can create new markets that didn’t exist before. Rather than lowering the quality of products to increase profits, I believe it’s important to maintain or improve the quality of the product from the start. This way, customers will be delighted, and through their satisfaction, we can increase the number of repeat customers, which ultimately drives profits.
I fundamentally do not believe in advertisements. If a product “works instantly” or is “suitable for all customers,” I believe it will succeed globally through word of mouth. Advertising can be done by any company if they spend money, but word-of-mouth cannot be bought with money. Especially affluent customers, who have experienced various high-quality products, will not accept anything that doesn’t meet their standards.
Selling through word-of-mouth takes time, but once customers understand the quality of the product and choose to buy it, I believe this leads to sustainable long-term business.
Message to Young People
I want young people to have passion and dreams for whatever they choose to do. I encourage them to take an interest in various things, not fear failure, and trust themselves as they live their lives.
Dreams are something that definitely come true.
(DREAMS COME TRUE)
Life is only lived once.
It’s not just about living a long life, but about how you live it that matters. Having dreams means having passion, and when you are true to your feelings, setting goals becomes motivation, and many things become possible.
However, never give up no matter what happens. Effort should never be forgotten. When you have passion, even though you work hard, you don’t feel like you’re working because you’re doing what you love. If someone tells you something is impossible, pursue it with the belief that you can make it possible and keep moving forward.
Live life with all your heart, cherishing every second. When you hit rock bottom and have nothing left, that’s when it’s time to push yourself harder. How you deal with pressure is a result of your daily efforts.
Finally, I would like to leave you with these words:
NEVER GIVE UP AND PERSEVERANCE!!
(絶対に諦めないで、不屈の努力!!)
TRYING TO LIVE LIFE AS LAST DATE!!
Here is the link address of the article.
https://thefocus-on.com/tsuruta_naoteru/