Waseda WeeklyWaseda University

“The opposite of success isn’t failure, it’s doing nothing.”

Chen Tianzi, School of Culture, Media and Society, 4th year

As a freshman in university, Chen Tianzi from China devised a service to match foreign tourists withmultilingual photographers and is now working as the CEO of Photogenic Station, which is a company she founded. So far, she has deepened her knowledge and skills about entrepreneurship by participating the Waseda University Business Plan Contest and open subjects. We asked Chen, who is now in her 4th year at Waseda University, about her motivation for starting her own business, her student life, and future plans.

–Please tell us about your motivation for starting your own business. How did you learn about entrepreneurship while you were enrolled in the School of Culture, Media and Society?

I have always loved taking pictures, and I felt that pictures have the power to make people smile, so I wanted to help many people create memories by taking their beautiful pictures. At first, I took pictures of my friends and people who are close to me, but then I was approached by travel agencies and kimono rental shops who saw my photos, and started taking pictures as a part-time job. Then, when I came up with a business plan for a class called “Technology for Entrepreneurship (12 Essentials) 1” (an open subject) at the School of Commerce, I began to think that photography was not only a hobby, but could also lead to entrepreneurship. So I made a business plan, which is a service that matches foreign tourists with photographers who speak the language of the country, and started my own business in December 2018.

Left: During the meeting with the team members of the “Practical Entrepreneur Internship REAL”.
Right: Group photo of the three top-ranking teams in the “Practical Entrepreneur Internship REAL” presentation (Chen is in the second from the left in the front row) (© Business Bank Group.)

After starting my own business, I actively took classes such as the “Practical Entrepreneurshi Internship (REAL)” (an open course) in the School of Commerce, where I could learn about the practical skills of starting a business. I used to take pictures alone, but after taking this class, I learned to work in a team, and I was able to acquire team-building skills. I’m glad I took this class because I was able to learn how to communicate and deal with disagreements through actual experience. I also presented the business plan of Photogenic Station at the 22nd Waseda University Business Plan Contest, and was selected as a finalist.

A scene from the final presentation of “the 22nd Waseda University Business Plan Contest”.

–Are there any activities of Photogenic Station that have left a particular impression on you?

In addition to providing services that match foreign tourists with photographers and handling photography requests, I also plan and organize shooting events. What impressed me especially was the coming-of-age shooting event held around Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo in January 2020. We had three photographers who took portraits of people wearing Furisode for free, and it was very rewarding to see many people pleased with our photography. On the other hand, we had some difficulties; while the event itself was free of charge and there were no sales, there were many expenses, such as compensation for the photographers and printing costs for flyers.. Even so, it was a meaningful event because some people requested work after this event.

Free shooting event at Sensoji Temple in January 2020

–The number of foreign tourists has been decreasing due to the COVID-19, what is the current situation?

The main target of our original business was foreign tourists visiting Japan, so the COVID-19o made things very difficult for us. Then we changed our target to Japanese people and decided to provide services that meet the needs of Japanese people. However, taking photos without masks and in large groups was risky, so we ended up cancelling all the events and canceling most of the requests. However, I thought that there was something I could do with COVID-19, so we started online services such as image editing services and poster design. In addition, professors at Waseda University and my student entrepreneur friends asked us to take their profile photos and edit photos for their websites. We were very grateful for their help, and thanks to them we were able to finish the year and turn a profit.

— What is the good point about starting a business as a student?

It is the ability to acquire a variety of skills at a young age. For example, you can improve your presentation skills, team building skills, and in the case of international students, you can also develop your language skills. You can learn a lot by fully exploiting your abilities and taking on the challenge of starting a business as a student.. In particular, Waseda has many resources and an environment where you can become an entrepreneur, so I think you will regret not taking on the challenge. I heard a phrase in class that left a strong impression on me: “The opposite of success is not failure, but doing nothing.” As this phrase says, you can learn a lot from failures, so I think you should try various things during your school years without fear of failure. Also, just because you start a business doesn’t mean that your career path after graduation will be limited. Even if you choose to find a job, I think you can use your entrepreneurial experience in many ways, such as in choosing a company and in your work.

Received “the Special Jury Award at the Regional Revitalization Innovation Camp Yamagata”, which I participated in through the WASEDA-EDGE Human Resource Development Program in 2019.

–By the way, what is your reason for entering the School of Cultural and Creative Studies at Waseda University? Also, please tell us about your current student life.

I have always liked Japanese culture such as anime, TV dramas, and movies, and I studied Japanese on my own in high school before coming to Japan. When I was attending a language school in Japan, I learned about the School of Cultural and Creative Studies at Waseda University and decided to study there because I thought I could study what I was interested in.

After enrolling, I found that there are many interesting classes in the Department of Media and Representational Studies in the School of Cultural and Creative Studies. For example, I was interested in film, so I was able to deepen my knowledge of film production through classes such as “Masters of Cinema: All About Film” offered by the School of Fundamental Science and Engineering. I also belonged to a photography circle and a film circle. In the film circle, I made a film about international students living in Japan with COVID-19 and submitted it to the “Waseda Film Festival”.

I am currently studying Makoto Shinkai’s animation films in a seminar with Associate Professor Ryoji Ishioka (Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences). I would like to make use of Makoto Shinkai’s use of color and expression in my own photography.

Group photo of the Photography Club (recognized circle) at Waseda Festival 2018 (Mr. Chen is in the back row, far left)

–Please tell us about the future of Photogenic Station and about your dreams and goals. Also, what would you like to say to the aspiring entrepreneurial students at Waseda?

I would like to incorporate Photogenic Station and focus on B to B business. And we’re going to make our current matching service into an app to make it more convenient. For example, we will develop an automatic matching function system that can find a photographer nearby by GPS. We are also planning to train our own photographers. We would like to train as many photographers as possible, teaching them the techniques of photography.

Waseda is an environment where you can challenge what you want to do. Also, as I was selected as a finalist in a business plan contest as an international student, there are many opportunities for not only Japanese students but also international students to be active. It’s hard work with the COVID-19, but there are many things you can do online, so I hope you will use the various resources available during your time as a student to take on a variety of challenges. Failures lead to learning, so don’t be afraid to fail and work towards your goals!

Episode 792

Interview and text: Waseda Weekly Reporter (SJC student staff)
Faculty of Social Sciences, 3rd year, Katsube Chiho