Solve the problems that are "your own problem",
I want to make everyone happy

College of Business Management 4th Grade

Haruna Obata

Main content

I've never had my hair dyed the color I wanted.

I am currently aiming to start a business through an automated hair color recipe generation service tailored to individual hair types. I love going to hair salons, especially getting my hair colored, but one day I realized that even though I was going to a professional hairdresser, I had never had my hair dyed the same color as in a photo. I was paying a considerable amount of money, but my hair never turned out the way I wanted. Starting from my own frustration, I decided to create a service that collects hair color formula recipes.

Scenes from the off-campus Events hosted by Mr. Obata as executive committee chair

My worries resonated with the other seminar students.

Originally, I had no intention of "starting a business in the future." I went to College of Business Management J. F. Oberlin University because I vaguely wanted to be involved in the tourism industry. Because I enjoy talking with people, I admired being a tour planner or bus guide at a travel agency.

Until my second year of university, I mainly studied tourism, but I wanted to learn about business from a broader perspective. It was during this time that I came across Professor Katsuhiro Suzuki 's seminar. The main theme is "Startup and New Business Creation Research," and the type of business Area you handle depends on the students. If you want to learn about tourism, consider the tourism business. Looking back now, I feel like I joined Suzuki's seminar without thinking too deeply.

Soon after joining the seminar, I was given the assignment to "come up with a business idea." I was struggling to come up with a good idea when Professor Suzuki advised me to "start by solving a problem that is 'personal' to you." That's how I came up with the idea of a hair color recipe. When I presented it to the other seminar students, they all resonated with it. The professor also gave it his seal of approval, and we started creating a prototype at an early stage.

Learning the importance of listening

In March 2022, I participated in the practical business plan contest "Japan Business Model Competition" and made it to the final round. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the world competition, but one of the judges offered to support me, and they are still helping me refine my business plan.

Through my work, I've identified a personal challenge: relying too much on my own intuition and experience. Professor Suzuki advised me to "listen to your customers," and when I actually went to talk to them, I found a significant difference between my assumptions and their needs. I realized there was room for rethinking both my target customer base and pricing. Since then, I've made an effort to listen to the voices of various people.

My goal is to make everyone happy through stylish hair color. My belief hasn't changed since I first conceived the idea. In the future, I want to work with hairdressers and experiment to create an even better service. I will continue to tackle challenges that are "personal" to me, so that I can live my one and only life without regrets.

Haruna Obata

Profile
At College of Business Management, I belong to Professor Katsuhiro Suzuki 's seminar, conducting research on startups and new business creation. Currently, he aims to start his own business through an automatic hair color recipe generation service. He also belongs to external organizations and is actively involved in planning and managing Events.

Interview date:
This took place in August 2023.

Solve the problems that are "your own problem",I want to make everyone happy

Main content

I've never had my hair dyed the color I wanted.

My worries resonated with the other seminar students.

Learning the importance of listening

Related content

Solve the problems that are "your own problem",
I want to make everyone happy