Osaka Investment Promotion and Support Site

“Eliminate disparities in access to business knowledge”
Interview with Tsunagu Studio Co., Ltd.

 

  

 

Please tell us about your company’s history and the services you provide.

Thank you for your interest in Tsunagu Studio Co., Ltd. I am Kazuki Sakuma, the company representative. Under our vision to “eliminate disparities in access to business knowledge,” we operate two main businesses.
 

  

First is LOCAL Growth Studio, our marketing agency service. Starting from JPY 40,000 a month, experts who have experience as business managers, CxOs or VPs at startups provide hands-on support for our clients’ businesses. Our pricing is designed based on my own experience as a marketing director and business manager at a startup. Back then, the proposals I received from major advertising agencies often far exceeded the business budgets; for example, JPY 500,000 per month just for consultation, or a minimum order of JPY 1 million with at least a six-month contract period. Even though I wanted to work with them, I couldn’t do so due to those high prices. This is the story behind our affordable pricing models. Another challenge I faced back then was that I could rarely meet specialists in individual fields like SEO or advertising with whom I could also consult on business budget management, such as how much budget should be allocated to which initiative when viewing the business as a whole. This challenge is another reason we offer comprehensive support, from business understanding and problem analysis to planning at an affordable rate starting from JPY 40,000 a month. In this way, we provide flexible marketing agency services where our clients can handle individual initiatives in-house or outsource them as one-off orders.
 

  

Second is TALENT Growth Studio, our recruitment agency service specialized in regional, or non-metropolitan area, companies and local talents. For professionals considering a career change from regional areas and those thinking about relocating or returning to regional areas, our consultants, who have deep insight into startups, major corporations, and regional businesses alike, help translate job seekers’ careers and experiences into language that hiring companies can relate to. For hiring companies, we provide the opportunity to tap into new talent pools and meet specialists in metropolitan areas that they otherwise could not have reached, thereby increasing hiring success rates.

Personally, I spent nine years at Recruit gaining experience in sales and management. After moving back to my hometown of Fukui to start my first business, I went on to serve as an executive officer, director, and board member at Uzabase and various other startups to learn cutting-edge business practices. Ever since I left my hometown when I was a university student, I have felt the disparities in access to knowledge and opportunities, and I have built my career driven by a desire to solve this very issue. With our expansion into the Kansai region, we look forward to expanding our on-the-ground support locally in Kansai in addition to broadening our online support for companies and talents across the nation.

 

Please tell us what you prioritize when offering support to startups and regional companies.

What I keep in mind most is that “the meaning may be the same, but the words people use can be different.” That is why I always try to serve as a bridge between regional companies and startups.
For example, startups often adopt cutting-edge business practices from leading companies, mainly in the United States. These practices are often accompanied by job titles and tools that sound highly specialized. However, the concepts themselves are not necessarily difficult. When properly translated into familiar terms, many of these ideas can be readily applied by regional companies as well.
The same thing happens in recruitment. When companies look for talent, they need to communicate their strengths in a way that resonates with their local hiring market. Likewise, job seekers need to translate their experience and career achievements into terms that employers can readily recognize and value.
When supporting regional companies and professionals, I always strive to translate specialized terminology and advanced business methods into language that is meaningful and accessible to each organization and individual. Simply making ideas easier to understand can help connect companies and talent that may never have met otherwise, while also enabling regional companies to adopt approaches that genuinely fit their needs. I hope to continue building those bridges carefully, one step at a time.
 

Please tell us why you established an office in Osaka.

Since our establishment last September, we have provided support and conducted sales activities for regional companies nationwide. After launching our recruitment agency service this February, we saw a surge in inquiries from companies in the Kansai region, signaling a high demand. Most of them are university-born startups in Kansai and Kansai branches of startups headquartered in Kyushu. While these companies have geographical constraints, such as having development bases within university laboratories, we realized they face a challenging reality: the local talent pool of professionals capable of driving startup growth is much smaller compared to Tokyo, making hiring a major struggle. This made us realize that providing not only nationwide online support but also on-the-ground support and sales activities locally in Kansai would increase opportunities to be of service to clients. This is what led to our decision to expand into Osaka.

 

I heard you now live in Osaka after establishing an office here. How are you finding Osaka?

Though it has been only a few weeks since I started living in Osaka, I feel good about the environment. The city is compact and I can easily access to many places. I have already signed up for more than five networking events taking place in the Kansai region. Moving forward, I hope to get to know local entrepreneurs, startups, and venture capital providers, and increase opportunities to be of service to clients.

 

Upon establishing an office, what kind of support did you receive from INVEST OSAKA (Osaka City, IBPC Osaka, etc.)?

They introduced me to events and facilities in the Kansai region that were tailored specifically to the nature of our business. They also provided information regarding housing and the local environment, which eased my anxieties about relocating. While I spent my university years in Kyoto and worked as a corporate employee in Osaka and Hyogo until about ten years ago, this is my first time moving to Osaka and the Kansai region as an independent entrepreneur without the safety net of an organization that I belong to. Their consultation was incredibly helpful to me. What I appreciated most was that they listened to my ideas and hypotheses, validating my assumptions and identifying where my perspective was misaligned.

 

Please tell us about your future vision and goals for your operations at the Osaka office.

Currently, I am the only full-time employee, and I work with independent contractors on a project-by-project basis. Over the next few years, I would like to grow the company, hire employees to build a team, and establish a foundation that allows us to provide larger-scale support.

 

Could you give a message for companies considering expanding into Osaka?

Osaka offers many advantages, particularly in terms of its living environment and cost efficiency. I would love to work with you here in Osaka and the Kansai region to build a society that is thriving with cutting-edge business knowledge, enabling many companies and talents to make better choices.