What You Need in Life: “Adaptability” and “Trial and Error”! Words from the Founder of Women’s Self-Care Brand “WRAY” for Women Living Today [Part 2]

Continuing from Part 1, we bring you a conversation between Ms. Taniuchi, founder of the women’s self-care brand “WRAY,” which is attracting attention, and Ms. Tanimura from our Group President’s Office. Part 1 is available here.

――How do you feel about your partner, SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP?
Taniuchi:
President Tsugihara’s (President and Representative Director of SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP Inc.) presence as a female executive is extremely valuable. The fact that we were able to work together with everyone is significant. Additionally, I believe that having a large corporate group supporting us is encouraging for women considering entrepreneurship.

At WRAY Inc., we value the spirit of “sisterhood,” where women in various positions—supervisors, subordinates, and peers—support one another. We had hoped to form a partnership with a group company led by a female executive, so we are delighted to be working with SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP.

Furthermore, as we develop WRAY as a lifestyle brand, the power of PR is essential for building brand recognition. We look forward to leveraging your expertise.

Tanimura:
One reason our group supports you is that Ms. Taniuchi had clearly defined her business concept. I also felt great respect for Ms. Taniuchi’s “spirit of challenge.”

Executives constantly need to make judgments and decisions, and regardless of gender, I sense “strength” in that role. I believe Ms. Taniuchi’s appeal as both an executive and a woman was a major reason we were able to establish such a deep relationship through capital participation.

――Please share your perspectives on career.
Taniuchi:
I have changed jobs several times and have always been a bundle of curiosity, thinking “I want to try everything” (laughs). However, I’m not particularly interested in career titles; I’m more interested in “how much scope they’ll entrust to me.” As I continued to expand the range of challenges I could take on, I arrived at where I am today.

Tanimura:
Many women, including myself, struggle with balancing family and work. As children grow and move through different stages, the concerns change accordingly.

Having to manage both a life plan from a broader perspective and the immediate tasks of work and household duties is one of the challenging aspects.

Even when work is demanding, you must always keep an eye on your children. I think many people empathize with and are drawn to Ms. Taniuchi’s ability to manage all of this.

Taniuchi:
Thank you. One of the challenges I’ve experienced is “multitasking,” and this concern is very common among the voices we hear.

Women often have to think about four or five things simultaneously for extended periods, and of course, career considerations are part of that. These tasks change with life stages, and sometimes the most demanding periods overlap.

However, these are experiences that others have gone through as well. Going forward, I want to create a platform where we can share information, help each other, and learn from one another.

Tanimura:
Ultimately, balancing means “obtaining everything you want.” Perhaps what’s important is maintaining that kind of ambition and curiosity without giving it up.

Hearing the powerful voices of women like Ms. Taniuchi encourages others. Through that repetition, I believe we can create the next new era.

――What do you feel when you look at each other? What similarities do you see?
Taniuchi:
I do feel there are similarities! Ms. Tanimura is devoted to her work while also raising children. I think she’s fundamentally greedy by nature (laughs). We’re similar in that we don’t want to compromise on anything. Like going for three things when one would suffice.

Tanimura:
Basically, we’re both greedy (laughs).

Taniuchi:
Also, the ability to learn through trial and error that comes from taking on various challenges. There have been failures and things that didn’t go well, but we’ve always adapted in those moments. The fact that we’ve been able to continue because of that is something we have in common.

Tanimura:
Even on days when you feel like you can’t take it anymore, I think it’s important to figure out how to reset each day.

Taniuchi:
I think we’re constantly resetting about 360 days out of the year (laughs).

――It’s wonderful that you made the decision to start a business while balancing so many things and navigating various challenges.
Taniuchi:
Since starting the business, while maintaining my usual lifestyle, work has been on my mind 24 hours a day. I’ve shifted from being employed to managing a business, and everything is a new experience—I’m glad I took on the challenge. There are many things I’ve never experienced before, and I feel like I’ve suddenly become a young professional again (laughs).

Tanimura:
Being an executive is a position you cannot escape from, whether asleep or awake. The fact that you deliberately chose that position is what I respect most about Ms. Taniuchi.

To value everything requires the ability to handle things boldly, and I can relate to that and draw power from it. I think positive women are the most inspiring.

――Please share your future vision.
Taniuchi:
Product development capability and speed are our brand’s strengths. Even now, we have multiple new product projects in progress, and I want to leverage this sense of speed as our advantage. Normally, it’s quite difficult for a newly launched company to proceed with product development at such a pace.

Also, everyone working on the WRAY project is a mother. I want to communicate that adaptability and flexibility in working styles going forward.

Flexible working is one of society’s challenges, so I’d like to share methodologies for balancing work and family, such as techniques for delivering 100% effort in small increments.

Tanimura:
Ms. Taniuchi as an executive driving the business, and Ms. Taniuchi as an individual communicating lifestyle and women’s ways of living. I feel that WRAY will grow as a brand through Ms. Taniuchi “wearing both hats.”

Taniuchi:
That’s right. As an individual, I want to actively engage in B2C activities through social media and seminars. As an executive, I want to proceed with product development at a fast pace and develop WRAY into a lifestyle brand that can solve various physical challenges women face.

――Finally, do you have a message for women working hard every day?
Taniuchi:
I feel that women often tend to hold back, think “maybe I can’t do it,” and have a lower threshold for giving up. But often, these concerns can be resolved by hearing from someone who has experienced the same thing.

There may be many things to think about—balancing work and childcare, fertility treatment, your own health—but I hope you won’t compromise or give up. I want to support you in “just trying to move forward.”

Tanimura:
I myself try to choose the best path among various options, but the truth is, I sometimes cannot make decisions, feel uncertain, or become anxious.

While holding various emotions simultaneously, one thing is certain: the desire to “move forward, even if just one step.”

Even without a clear goal, by continuing to challenge yourself to overcome the hurdles that appear along the way, paths will open through the people and things you encounter and the values you develop.

Taniuchi:
Even when you can’t see anything ahead, overcoming one thing builds confidence, and women should have the wisdom to overcome challenges together. I hope we can overcome things one by one together without giving up.

■After the Interview
Every word spoken by these two during the interview was refreshing, and by the end, I felt encouraged myself!

The following words Ms. Taniuchi shared at the end of the interview left a strong impression:

“I tell this to men as well, but it’s important to overcome many hurdles, even small ones! Once you’ve experienced or failed at something, the next time you challenge it, it becomes ‘something you already know,’ so it’s not scary. When you try, the second hurdle is definitely lower.”

The person creating the brand. And the person supporting and promoting it. Their challenges are far from over.