A’s Custom ESL Tutoring L.L.C. Website
I started out volunteering as a tutor for adults from various countries. Word spread that I knew Japanese. Then I started my tutoring company and people who were temporarily in the U.S. from Japan started contacted me. Now almost of my clients are Japanese company employees, their spouses and children. I provide customized services to help them not only improve their communication skill in English but also enhance their experience while living here. The services I provide are in-person tutoring, small group lesson, writing club, group outings and more. For all of my services I give my clients support by providing Japanese translations and interpretations when needed.
What drives you to be a business owner?
That’s a difficult one because my goal was never to become a business owner. What drove me to this path of being an entrepreneur was that after I started volunteering as a tutor I notice a need that needed to be filled. The more I tutored, the more I saw how my skills could help those in ways that other companies were not. It formed into the niche that connects to my big goal in life of bringing our wonderfully diverse community together. This is what drives me to continue my business and to be a business owner.
How has the Entrepreneurship Center at WCC helped with your business goals?
The Entrepreneurship Center at WCC has helped me get the business fundamental business knowledge I needed through the workshops. It also helped me to gain confidence in believing that what I had at the time was already a real business no matter how small it was. The staff gave me great continuous support and encouragement.
If you could offer one piece of advice for fellow entrepreneurs or prospective entrepreneurs, what would it be?
When you have business, the most important thing is filling a need that you’re passionate about. Because passion drives determination and having determination to do something right will lead you towards success. It can be a long and sometimes hard road running a business, but if you’re passionate about it and determined to do it right, it makes that journey to success all worth it.