Episode 1: Birth

In the vibrant city of Yokohama, there lives a man named Toshimitsu Tanaka. A man whose life was full of experiences, with 20 years of marketing expertise, he had navigated in connecting countless dots of products and consumers while making his way through the bustling corporate offices seeking the perfect solution of supply and demand.

But the story this wishes to tell is not about his past. Instead, it begins when he thinks that life will begin to tick differently as the world approaches the future.

Deciding to retire, he wandered the streets of Yokohama during the day pondering what he should start in a business. It was then that he discovered a new world, where seniors thrived in their own unique ways just by simply seeing them inside a Starbucks cafe, at the sports gym, and a cultural center.

Right then and there, a seed of inspiration seeped into his heart. He contemplated how he could contribute to making the seniors’ days more comfortable while doing the things they love. And by chance, he saw upon a survey: the desire to learn English is what stood out the most.

“It makes sense. I want to go to many different places,” he thought, “but it’s boring when I can’t communicate effectively.”

The seed had been planted. Yet, the mainstream English language schools weren't suited to seniors’ needs. One lesson a week is not enough, leaving them to keep doing things spontaneously for the remaining 6 days which makes it harder to retain English lessons.

Even when online English schools were gaining popularity, he thought, “Technology… isn’t exactly easy to use for seniors.”

With this obstacle in mind, he did not hesitate. Instead, he was filled with hope. With a deep sense of purpose and wanting to make a difference, he spent 3 months, from July to September observing society through marketing.

But Tanaka-san was not an ordinary entrepreneur. He was not focused on sales and profits. His mission was to create a change. That is when he decided that his idea was already settled. He will establish a company. His goal was clear: to create an online English school that welcomed elderly learners who aspired to catch up with the fast-changing modernity of the world.

“Yes! Online English that even seniors can use.” He thought to himself. “Efficiency is important, and many current online schools struggle to meet this demand. But what if I could create something tailored to this generation? What if we could give them the chance to travel, to connect with the world by learning English? That’s it.” He added to himself.

That is where the platform Otona no Eikaiwa was formed. The flicker of hope and excitement in his vision became a fire full of passion. At that moment, this is a mission he would like to take on. And with that decision, the journey to bring the world closer to people who want to learn English began, one English conversation at a time.

But how will he make this possible?

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Note:

Marketing:

“Explore what value you can provide to meet the needs of your target market, create that value, deliver it to your customers, and make a profit from it.”