Hello! This is Mana from PR department at Olive Union inc. I will interview various members in Olive to deliver the fresh members’ voice. This time, I talked to Nick from the US team !!!
I asked Nick about why he joined our company and about his usual work !!!
■Nick’s Profile■
Born 1992 in San Francisco, CA. Graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz in 2015 with a Bachelors in Language Study. Moved to Japan 3 months after graduating and worked as a High School ALT for 3 years. Moved to Tokyo in 2018 and worked at Berlitz and then after a popular animal cafe. In 2019, joined Olive Union, inc.
■Company Profile■
Currently, there are about 460 million people with hearing loss in the world, and it is said that it will double to more than 900 million in 2030. To solve the social problem of "hearing loss", we are developing and selling an innovative hearable device.
Succeeded in raising more than 100 million yen at INDIEGOGO, a cloud found-raising service in the United States. Obtained FDA certification (medical device certification) in South Korea and the United States. Received the Innovation Award at CES2020 (World Consumer Electronics Trade Fair). The head office was moved to Japan in 2019, and the business is currently expanding in Japan, South Korea and the United States. A total of over 1.2 billion yen has been raised.
About Nick's background
ーTell me about why you came to Japan, and about your first career!
I was interested in Japan and Japanese when I was a student, but I may not have had a particular opportunity to learn Japanese. I thought I should be able to speak Japanese and decided to study because I’m half Japanese and half American. Now I’m going to live in Japan for many years and believe that I should be able to speak business-level Japanese.
My career began after I graduated college and moved to Japan - for the following 4 years I worked in education as an English teacher at both a public high school, a private English conversation school, and a part time lecturer at a junior university.
-What made you decide to join us?
I was looking for a place to both grow as a worker & person while finding a company whose mission and ideals I could support. For me, Olive Union was the perfect choice; I saw a young and growing company filled with the potential to change the world in a meaningful way. In some ways I felt it reflected me as well.
About working at Olive
ーHow about the member composition of Olive? Also, what is the atmosphere like?
As an international company, we have a number of different teams to handle the different regions. Our R&D is in Korea, and the American and Japanese teams currently work in the Tokyo office. As part of the American team, I mainly work together with my 3 other teammates.
Because the team is still small, we have a very open and friendly atmosphere. Communication is very quick and we all must work efficiently together to handle the workload.
ーWhat kind of work is Nick in charge of?
I’m currently managing the Customer Service and SNS for the American market. I also help out with SEO and Marketing as well.
ーWhat is worthwhile about your job?
For me the idea and goal of helping people is my motivation. Rather than spreadsheets, data, and business meetings, I’ve always been more of a people & relationship oriented person. Every sale we make or person I talk to, I feel value and satisfaction from knowing that we’ve helped a person and made a difference in their life.
ーWhat do you want to do at Olive? Tell me about your personal goal at Olive.
Personally, I’d like to continue supporting Olive Union in whatever way I can. There is a lot of work to be done and many opportunities for growth and learning. I want to help Olive Union become a company that truly enriches and helps people's lives all across the world - to extend our Olive Branch to anyone who we can help.
About people
ーTell me about your colleages!
The people around me amaze me everyday - the passion and ability they bring is inspiring. The mixture of Japanese, Korean, and American culture really highlights the international background of all the employees.
ーWhat kind of person do you think is suitable for Olive?
Accountability and growth are key here - if you are someone who enjoys seeing immediate and direct results from your actions then this is the perfect place to be.
Furthermore, if you believe in helping others and making the world a better place, our company's mission and goal is something you can easily get behind and draw motivation from!
ーLastly, anything you would like to say for new colleges?!
Welcome to Olive Union! I’m looking forward to working together with you to help spread hearing around the world to those in need. Let’s do our best!
We are looking for colleagues to work with us!
【 We are looking for people like this 】
・”I want to change the industry and develop a business that solves social issues” --- Those who are interested in social issues and business development.
・”I don't like the same as other people, I want to grow faster than other people”--- Those who can enjoy the challenges and want to improve their skills.
・”I want to do something new, I want to make a company list on the stock market” --- Those who want to try their own potential.
・”I want to work in Japan using English, I want to work outside of japan in the future..” --- Those who want to work globally.
If you are interested, please contact us from the recruitment page below on Wantedly.
If you want to know about us or have any questions, feel free to contact us!