Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kanami Iwasaki, Founder of Japademy, located in Toronto, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business is a Japanese Language school called Japademy. At our school, we offer In-person and Online Japanese Lessons. Our customers are students based worldwide who are deeply interested in living, studying, or working in Japan or Japanese culture in general.

Tell us about yourself

My partner and I started Japademy in 2020 when we were living in Australia. I was working as a Japanese teacher at a local school, but as it temporarily closed due to COVID-19, we decided to start offering Japanese online lessons. My motivation is to help students get to know more about Japanese culture and be able to express themselves using the Japanese language.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

During these three years, we have grown Japademy to have seven native Japanese teachers and students in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. With great effort, we have developed our proprietary teaching material that our students enjoy as it helps them learn the language easily and effectively.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

The hardest is getting started generating income consistently. There is so much work required to get your business ready for launch, and you have to do it without receiving any income for it. After getting our first student, then it became a matter of how we could keep this person happy as our customer for as long as possible and how we could continue getting new students.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Make sure you choose to pursue a business opportunity you are super passionate about, not just now but also in the future. It is harder to finish a business than it is to start it.
  2. Get your financials right from day one. As a bootstrapped business owner, every dollar counts and can make a difference in the future. Make sure you pay enough attention to your CAC (Customer Acquisition Costs), LTV (Long Term Value), Margins, etc.
  3. Stablish simple yet effective processes to operate your business. This way, if things go well, you will be able to start delegating tasks to new team members. By the way, make sure those team members are people with whom you will enjoy working with and who are willing to do a great job for your business.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.japademy.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/japademy/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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