Hi there, I’m Nobuyuki Tanaka, CEO of Early Reflections Inc. Welcome to the first episode of Inside the CEO’s Mind.

Today, I’d like to talk about something I’ve come to believe is essential for business success: corporate design. By this, I don’t mean just visual branding, but the very architecture of how a company is built and managed.

Let me start by sharing a bit of my background.

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My 9 Years as a Director in a Public Tech Firm

After completing my master’s degree, I unexpectedly became a board director at a publicly listed IT company while still in my twenties. This happened when I attended a meeting as a favor to a friend, helping evaluate a company’s technology for potential investment. During the meeting, my technical insights and suggestions on business scalability of the system resonated with the group, leading to in-depth discussions. Although I initially attended to assist with the technical evaluation, my involvement became critical, and my appointment to the board turned into a condition for investment.

At that point, the company had already established a strong technological advantage, having invented a technology similar to Google Maps years before Google’s launch.

Over the next nine years, I helped scale the company from about 60 employees and ¥500 million in revenue to over 1,000 employees generating ¥10 billion.

I managed several M&A initiatives and oversaw a broad portfolio of businesses, including U.S. security software, supercomputing, apparel manufacturing, and dam engineering.

Some of these businesses flourished, achieving record profits. Others, despite having excellent technology and talented teams, struggled to reach their potential.

Eventually, the company faced a serious crisis when the largest shareholder went bankrupt, triggering a loan default. I spent significant time handling legal disputes and crisis management. After I stepped down, the company gradually declined, losing talent and downsizing its most promising ventures. Ultimately, it no longer reflected the vibrant potential it once had.

Leaders and Shareholders Define a Company’s Fat

Through these contrasting experiences, I learned an important lesson:

Even companies with strong competitive advantages in technology, talent, or branding can fail without effective leadership and governance.

During my tenure, I saw many promising businesses fail, including the IT company itself, a leading dam engineering firm in Japan, and a handbag brand with a compelling story and global potential. These failures were caused not by market conditions or lack of talent, but rather poor management and excessive shareholder control.

Though I wasn’t the CEO, I felt a strong sense of responsibility. I came to realize that leadership and shareholder alignment are critical for business success. The future of any business, and the well-being of its people, depend heavily on how the company is structured and governed. This is the essence of corporate design.

From Reflection to Foundation

Early Reflections was legally established while I was still at the public company. Initially, it was created as a placeholder, a shell company that supported small creative projects, such as releasing a friend’s CD or providing a platform for freelance designers to showcase their work. My younger brother, who was studying for his US CPA exam, served as its representative.

After leaving the public company, I worked briefly on a life sciences project in China and then joined an education company to help launch new businesses. Despite its labor-intensive nature, its operational design was remarkably effective. Collaborating with former consultants from top global firms taught me invaluable lessons about management frameworks. Their methods broadened my perspective on management and shaped how I would later build Early Reflections.

Why Corporate Design Matters

Having seen promising ventures collapse,

I became determined to build a place where potential could genuinely thrive.

That’s why I dedicate myself to corporate design—not as a superficial concept, but as the structural foundation needed for long-term success.

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In the next two episodes,

I’ll explain the concept of corporate design and what it means to build a company as a platform. Then, I’ll show how I applied these principles in building Early Reflections.

If you're interested in how thoughtful design can shape a company’s future, please continue to follow this series.