How are the things learned in Japan being utilized? (Kyrgyz version) ‘I want to increase the number of Kyrgyz business women!’ Launching a brand for women’s wear and maternity wear- PREX Island
Ex-participants Messages
How are the things learned in Japan being utilized? (Kyrgyz version) ‘I want to increase the number of Kyrgyz business women!’ Launching a brand for women’s wear and maternity wear
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Kyrgyz |
From a staff member at an international institution, to giving birth and launching a company
Before starting my company, I studied international politics at university and then worked in the Kyrgyz office of an international organization. But I decided to begin clothes manufacturing, not wanting to abandon an idea I had from long ago of making garments. After giving birth to two children, I struggled from a scarcity of nursing and maternity clothing in Kyrgyz at the time. Seeing this as a business chance, I launched my brand. Before starting my company, I saw the business course program offered by the Japan Center, which made me believe I could acquire the kind of knowledge needed in business. So I attended lectures there. In the seminar in Japan, I learned about factory construction, building ties with employees, Kaizen, corporate philosophy and other topics. My own attitudes and understanding of business were drastically altered.
Elgiza workshop is busy at work even on Sundays.
Raising quality is an issue for all employees
An issue during the seminar was “raising quality.” This issue was something that me, a business owner, had thought about, but through the seminar in Japan I realized it was also an issue for the employees who make the products. If quality rises, then so will sales. If sales rise then so will salaries, explained to the staff members, and so all of the staff started to think that quality improvements were an issue for all of the employees. Previously, I had issues over relations with staff members and communication, while the staff retention rate was low. However, I studied the attitudes of people working at Japanese companies and initiatives to improve ties, especially among employers and between workers and managers, and I placed importance on communication in the same way ties within families are built. The retention rate is now rising.
Japanese management leaves deep impression
During the visits for the seminar, Mo-House (a manufacturer and retailer of nursing clothes) left a special impression. With the concept of supporting women’s movement and freedom and supporting social advancement through clothing left me deeply impressed. After returning home, I managed to broaden my company’s marketing even wider, and I decided not just to make clothes but aim for increasing numbers of business women. Also, when I visited a long-established business in Japan called Ooue (a wholesaler of “washi” paper), I was really surprised by its long history. Kyrgyz is a young country, having been founded 30 years ago. There are no companies like Ooue, which have kept on doing business for dozens of years. I think it would be great if my company could be one with a long continuous history. My sales grew after I had finished the seminar, I got really busy and my responsibilities grew. For the future, I am aiming to take my brand not just to Kyrgyz but also the Kazakhstan and Russian markets.
- Date : March 10, 2016
- Name : Elgiza Bekenova san
- Seminar : Participated in the Fiscal 2014 Business Course Seminar for Central Asia (B)
- job name : President
