Break through with something you truly believe in.

Mr. Naganuma was born in Hokkaido in 1986. After graduating from Keio University, he worked in Marubeni's Confectionery and Food Division. In 2011, he left the company and joined his father's Western-style confectionery shop, "Kinotoya." In 2012, he became manager of the New Chitose Airport store and developed the "Freshly Baked Cheese Tart." In 2013, he founded BAKE and became its CEO. Here are Naganuma's three principles for moving forward decisively, featured in the "Extra Edition" of my book , "Waiting Won't Get You Started: Move Forward Decisively" (Kobundo).

Believe in yourself and break through at one point.

"I was in the baseball club all through elementary, middle, and high school. My life revolved entirely around baseball. After retiring in July of my senior year, I started studying seriously and chose a university based solely on where I could get in. The Keio University Faculty of Commerce entrance exam only required three subjects. I decided to focus solely on the Commerce Faculty, skipping the National Center Test and other faculties or universities. So, I studied those three subjects intensely. It was a strategic win."

What kind of teenage years did Naganuma-san have? Hearing about that revealed his unique way of thinking. Accurately grasp the current situation. Then, decide where to aim. Choose and concentrate. Believe in yourself, pour all your energy into one point, and break through the wall. Behind actions that might seem gambler-like lies a solid strategy.

I was struck. It connected directly to BAKE's current business model: "One Brand, One Product." Rather than offering multiple items in stores, they compete with a single product. This strategy originated from Mr. Naganuma's massive success with freshly baked cheese tarts at the New Chitose Airport store.

"After becoming store manager, I started thinking 'only cheese tarts.' While I personally liked them, I also surveyed employees: 'If you were a customer, which of our 15 products would you buy?' Everyone chose the cheese tart. From then on, we focused solely on the cheese tart, brainstorming ideas to improve it. We installed an oven in the store to serve them fresh, created two sample versions for repeated A/B testing, and kept refining. As a result, sales jumped from 50 per day to selling 3,000."

Why proceed with such unwavering conviction? Mr. Naganuma also shared this insight:

"We all shared the same desire: to recommend something we truly believed was exceptional to our customers."

Strong conviction makes breakthroughs possible. And I realized that when you believe not just in yourself, but in your teammates too, you can achieve a future beyond imagination.

 

Turn your personality into a strength.

Mr. Naganuma succeeded in developing the freshly baked cheese tart and revitalizing the New Chitose Airport store. One might expect him to rest on his laurels and settle down for a while after such a success story. Instead, he immediately moved to Tokyo to take on the challenge of launching BAKE. Why?

"I tend to get bored easily. Precisely because I achieved results with the cheese tart and gained confidence, I wanted to move on to the next thing.I heard thata friend from universityhad succeeded selling digital cameras through e-commerce. I thought, 'The internet is amazing! I should combine sweets with the internet.' With that in mind, I started 'Click on Cake,' a nationwide online store for decorated cakes."

"Restless." Mr. Naganuma used this word several times during our conversation. It's precisely because he's restless that he has a keen sense for untapped potential and can keep taking action, one step after another. Recognizing his own personality and turning it into a strength. Mr. Naganuma leveraged that very strength to steer "Click on Cake," which initially struggled, toward success.

"I came to Tokyo on a whim, but back then, sales weren't happening. So, I rented out my Ura-Harajuku office on Airbnb to travelers for 3,000 to 4,000 yen per night. Then, an engineer who had worked in Silicon Valley came to stay. At that time, I had my eye on 'photo cakes'. Most services were made using a very analog method: you had to call the cake shop to decide the photo placement when ordering. 'We could handle this entirely online, right?' With the engineer's help, we built and launched the site in a week. It sold out in three seconds. That's today's 'PICTCAKE'."

"I'm really lucky." Naganuma repeated this phrase often. Precisely because he gets bored easily, he takes many shots. The actions he takes create connections and attract luck. Thinking about it this way, it didn't feel like mere chance or coincidence. Recognizing his own personality and consistently taking action—perhaps that itself becomes a talent.