“When you think of creating a company, you should just go right into it instead of trying to save up money. “ Tatsuro Sugiyama offers advices to young entrepreneurs in Japan wishing to start their first business. Having the advantage of growing up from international background, Tatsuro founded Flaxio Japan, aiming to help Japanese companies globalize their products and services. Tune in to learn more about his experiences as young entrepreneur and how to build credibility and create business relationships in this Tokyo Insiders program.

Tatsuro received his earlier education at an international school in Tokyo, making him bilingual at an early age. He moved to the United States at the age of 15 to attend a boarding school in Connecticut. After spending a year at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in New York, Tatsuro decided to continue his undergraduate studies in France, where he majored in cognitive psychology.

Although Tatsuro is an experienced IT engineer having worked at several multinational companies including Google, Cable&Wireless, and General Electric, he did not pursue his career as a professional engineer. Instead, Tatsuro decided to use his understanding of foreign business cultures to help small to med-sized Japanese companies enter the global market. With the company slogan of Globalizing Japan., Tatsuro founded Flaxio Japan with his friend since kindergarten, who currently is the COO.

Today, Tatsuro is in charge of tailoring global marketing plans for his company’s clients; from creating websites, contacting potential partners in foreign countries, to attending trade shows overseas to negotiate and close deals on his clients’ behalf.

Tatsuro lives with his wife in Tokyo, Japan.