This Company Has Limitless Potential | Chihiro Tsuda
Chihiro Tsuda joined StoreHero in 2020 as its very first employee. She shared the story of how she came to join the company, what it has been like since joining, and her vision for the future.
Growth Stops the Moment You Feel Satisfied
— First, could you tell us about your background?
After graduating from university, I joined an independent administrative institution. I then moved to Thailand and found a job at the local branch of a foreign-affiliated staffing company that was considered the Recruit of Thailand at the time. I worked there for about two years before returning to Japan. Back in Japan, I joined the world's largest foreign-affiliated certification body, and later, through interactions with employees at a consulting-related firm, I ended up being recruited and joining them — that covers my career before StoreHero.
— What were you thinking each time you moved to a new company?
I think it was often a sense of urgency that drove me to move on.
When I was in Thailand, it was a period when expats were very well treated, and I was living a stable, comfortable life. When I returned to Japan and started working, I was at the world's largest company in its field, so the compensation was good and I was just as well off as I had been in Thailand. But I sometimes felt uneasy about being in such a fortunate environment. For example, I'd think: my friends are working hard at startups — is it really okay for me to be living so comfortably? Or: if I keep living this stable life in Thailand, will I have lost my competitive edge by the time I go back to Japan? Those feelings were what drove me to move to the next stage.
— Could you tell us a bit more about that sense of "urgency"?
I think success is actually the scariest thing. "Achieving something is what scares me." I always have this feeling that if I become satisfied, my growth will stop. I think this mindset was shaped by playing volleyball from a young age. Back then, after winning a match and celebrating, our coach would often tell us: "Don't assume it'll go the same way next time!" That gradually turned into something close to fear — a feeling that someone gunning for our spot might overtake us next time. That may have been what started it all. It connected to a belief that the more you succeed, the harder you have to work. So I think that's why, even at the foreign-affiliated staffing company and after returning to Japan, I always felt the need to keep pushing harder.
I feel that this mindset fits very well with working in development. In development, there are always multiple approaches to any problem, and it doesn't end at release — continuous improvement is always part of the job, and you have to keep delivering the best possible experience for users. The need to constantly pursue something better suits me very well.
— What led you to transition into engineering?
At the consulting-related company, I first started writing SQL and working with databases, and I found it genuinely interesting. I gradually began studying on my own, and when someone told me, "If you're interested, why not go all in and become an engineer?" I decided to commit to it seriously.
To build a foundation as an engineer, I first thought about attending a coding bootcamp. I took the online test for 42, a French coding bootcamp, passed, and was about to fly to France for the in-person tryout — but just at that moment, the world entered the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, I had to give up on the tryout. However, I happened to visit the Tokyo campus of another bootcamp called Le Wagon, and that led me to join Le Wagon's program. I successfully graduated in June 2020. During the bootcamp, I had been thinking that I wanted to work with Shopify after graduating, so I researched Shopify extensively and landed my first engineering job at a company developing Shopify applications.
Always Asking: "How Can I Contribute to StoreHero?"
— How did you first encounter StoreHero?
My first encounter was when a client I was handling at my previous job had implemented PhotoHero. Through PhotoHero, I learned about StoreHero, and I remember being amazed that just two people — Kurose and Sasaya — had built this app.
— What impressed you about PhotoHero when you first saw it?
Simply put, it was easy to set up and intuitive to use. The product itself was simple, but it was something everyone wanted, and nothing else like it existed. And since it was offered for free, I had vaguely assumed it was released by some large corporation — so I was genuinely shocked to learn that it was built by a two-person team. That got me really curious, and I went to meet them. I had a conversation with Sasaya and remember being even more surprised by how young he was. As we talked, I strongly felt that these people were absorbing an enormous amount of input in a very short time and producing equally impressive output. That's when I thought: StoreHero is no ordinary company.
— How was it after you joined?
It was exactly as I had imagined. Though our CEO Kurose's work ethic exceeded even my expectations (laughs).
It became clear very quickly after joining that Kurose worked harder than anyone else — and yet he never forced that on others. The belief that your own attitude toward learning and self-awareness is what matters most was something I truly respected. He embodied the team culture I had always idealized. StoreHero had, even from the very beginning, a culture where you could feel at ease and keep pushing yourself forward.
— As the company's first employee, how do you see the company?
This company has limitless potential. Working here for about six months, I kept feeling that what was expected of me was constantly changing. StoreHero makes you continually ask yourself: "How can I contribute to StoreHero?" You're always given the opportunity to challenge something new and think about what value you can bring to the company.
That has been hugely significant for me — it made me consciously act in ways that would be a positive contribution to the company. And that keeps changing. It's like being asked, "Who are you, really?" (laughs). Right now, I feel that the more people join, the more of these opportunities will arise. Since joining, 2021 has been a year filled with so many new discoveries.
— What are your aspirations going forward?
On a personal level, I always want to be someone who solves problems. More immediately, I'd like to make internal communication smoother. As the team grows more diverse, there are many challenges: maintaining motivation, figuring out how to keep everyone excited about their work, how to systematically increase development speed, and more. I have a strong desire to keep picking up the challenges that come my way, keep solving them, and help the company grow.