Taisuke Yoshimura, President and CEO of Copa Corporation

My encounter with theater during college changed my life!

■ Profile

Born in Niigata Prefecture in 1968. After graduating from the Faculty of Letters at Kokugakuin University, he worked as a sales representative for Nippon Seal Co., Ltd. After going independent, he founded Copa Corporation Ltd. in 1998. The company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market in June 2020, and is contributing to the preservation of the culture of live sales and the development of the industry.

President Yoshimura discovered live sales when he joined a theater club at university, and went on to become a professional. As he continued to do what he loved, he became aware of a problem that led him to start a company, and has expanded his business through a unique format of live sales and wholesale. We spoke to President Yoshimura, who is not swayed by those around him and is pushing forward based on his own experience.

■ During my university days, I practiced acting every day

I took a year off to get into Kokugakuin University. I was thinking of joining either the literature club or the film club, but when I happened to go to check out a food stall, I hit it off with a senior from the drama club who was at the booth next door, so I ended up joining. Even though I was in the drama club, I was so busy practicing and making tents every day that I was probably more athletic than the baseball club. I went to university almost every day, but because I was always doing theater, I only managed to get four credits in my first year. (laughs)　

■ Discovering live sales through part-time work

For my part-time job, I helped out with the live sales held at the Akihabara department store that had been passed down through generations of the Theatre Research Society. I usually did behind-the-scenes work like putting out stock, but when the live sales people took a break and I was asked to look after the store, I thought it would be boring to just stand there and chat in my own way. Sometimes I was criticized by customers, but thinking of it as street theater motivated me, and I became addicted to the fun of live sales.

■ Don't get a job, become a professional in demonstration sales

At the time, the bubble economy was at its peak, and it was a seller's market where students were given generous hospitality by companies before joining the company. I thought it would be more interesting to pursue a career in demonstration sales, since I had already gained experience in acting and demonstration sales at university, and so I didn't look for a job. Demonstration sales professionals were paid on a commission basis, and at the time, if you worked hard, you could earn about your starting salary in two weeks, so I had no qualms about not getting a job. Then the bubble burst, and when I heard stories of the struggles of people who had found employment, I felt glad that I hadn't been swayed by those around me and had become a demonstration sales professional.

■So that actors can make a living while performing on stage

At age 26, I left my job as a sales representative at Nippon Seal Co., Ltd., where I was employed at the time, and started Copa Corporation at age 30. The impetus for starting my own business came when fellow actors I was working with at the time expressed a desire to find employment. I wanted to create an environment where actors could earn a living while performing on stage, so I started the company with two businesses: theater production and wholesale demonstration sales. While we now specialize in wholesale demonstration sales, many of our employees have experience in the entertainment industry, such as acting, comedians, and singers, as a legacy of our past. I also wanted to gain social credibility by operating demonstration sales as a company. In the past, demonstration sales were perceived as being like street vendors and were often looked down upon. People would sometimes say, "You're lying to sell your products," and I felt that unless we could dispel that image, we wouldn't be able to get good products. Now that we've gone public, I hope to increase the demand for demonstration sales in society and create value.

■ A company where "selling" is the keyword

Products are meaningless if they don't sell. We believe that sending out sales demonstrators to promote products plays an important role in ultimately creating value for the product, just like a forward scoring a goal in soccer. That's why we focus on developing demonstration talks. We clarify the problems customers are facing by asking questions like, "Are you worried about the dirt on your ventilation fan?" or "Are you having trouble with your diet?" and then solve them with surprising solutions. Demonstration sales are content creation, so we sometimes choose products to sell based on what we want to talk about. We decide on the cast and stage set to match the story and move the customers. Demonstration sales are not so different from theater.

■The importance of building rapport that becomes clear after entering society

Even if you give a good demonstration talk, it's meaningless if the customer doesn't listen. When you actually go to a demonstration sales site, customers will often be watching from a distance of more than 3 meters. This is because humans have a vigilance instinct for survival, and they want to be ready to escape at any time. Therefore, truly communicating doesn't just mean using Japanese correctly, but speaking after building rapport, or a bridge of trust. I think this isn't limited to demonstration sales, but is something that everyone experiences once they enter society. It starts with the other person being wary, wondering, "Who the hell did you come here from?", so it's important to give them a sense of security, safety, and familiarity from the start.

■ People who like themselves grow

First of all, when it comes to people you want to work with, people who hate themselves are a no-no. No matter how much you praise someone who is drowning in self-loathing, they will just deny themselves, so there's nothing you can do about it. On the other hand, people who love themselves are able to generate their own energy in any environment, so I think they grow faster. It's especially good for sales representatives to be a little narcissistic. There are many situations where you have to work in unfamiliar locations, so it's important to be able to withstand stress and always be able to think positively about yourself.

■Message

I believe that nothing but the "power of young people" can change the world. During your time at university, I hope you will have some kind of dream or goal and work towards it while having fun. It's fine to stick to the same dream, but it's also fine to change it frequently. This isn't limited to students, but I hope that young people will keep trying and going, and become people who can change society for the better.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on August 17, 2021 by Kaisei Tsujiuchi, a fourth-year student at Nihon University