Connecting dots: Interviewing the CEO of Qulii K.K

"I wonder if I can live alone?" "What kind of place is society?" "What kind of work do I want to do?" "What kind of work can I do in the first place?" "I wonder if I’m good enough for my age now?"

These are questions about the future I have felt recently.

Established in July 2019, Qulii K.K. is a company that helps us, school students, to increase and connect "dots" to the future.

'to increase and connect "dots" to the future.' How do they do that?

This time, we interviewed Mr Ou Shou from Qulli K.K! (Hereafter written as Qulli.)

(K.K = Kabushiki-Kaisha)

 Introducing Mr Ou

Mr Ou is the CEO of Qulii.
He delivers interesting and exciting events one after another to high school students every day.

Click here for Twitter
Click here for the home page

What kind of company is Qulli?

Qulli's website opened in December 2018 and started with the gathering of five high school friends (including Mr Ou). After that, Qulli K.K was established in July 2019. (It was officially registered as a company in 2019.)

Qulii introduces events for junior and senior high school students on the website and hosts events.

Also, I am going to talk about what the current junior and senior high school students need, to be interested in events and so on. 

What kind of person was you as a child? 

I came to Japan when I was 10 years old and lived in China until then. Immediately after I came to Japan, I enrolled in Kaiyo Gakuen, which is a boarding school, junior high and high school is incorporated. When I was little, I always minded the what people around me thought of me rather than what I want myself. I didn't have any hobbies until I changed my mind and actions so that my parents and friends would be happy. 

 Why did you change? 

I changed when I was in my second year in high school, which is where I met Harry Potter (the series). There was a time when Harry was able to use Parseltongue (snake language) in the second volume and for a while, Harry was worried that he should be in Slytherin, not Gryffindor because he can use Parseltongue. At that time, Principal Dumbledore said, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." I was moved by that, so I decided to live without being dragged on with the environment. I went to the Sino-Japan Youth Conference and other events such as an Environmental symposium in South Korea, hoping to get involved in places I had never been to before.

Through my various experiences, I became interested in the environment and international issues and wanted to become a bridge between China and Japan in the future. In the summer of my final year at High School, I chose to go to the School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University.

(Until I decided to enter the arts, I intended to go to the medical field as my parents told me.)

(Spoiler alert)  “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry”, is a school that appears in the world of the Harry Potter series. It is a boarding school where you can be admitted at the age of 11. Hogwarts has four dorms. These are the "Gryffindor (lion)", "Hufflepuff", "Ravenclaw", and "Slytherin (snake)" houses. The animals are the symbol of the dormitory. Gryffindor and Slytherin are always hostile to each other, and it was a big deal that Harry (Gryffindor) have the "ability to speak Parseltongue, the language of snakes". Only the true Slytherin's Heir should have that ability. If you are interested, please read:
<Volume 2, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets>.

 What kind of choice did you get here, like Steve Jobs' famous "Connecting dots" speech? 

The faculty that I was in had a rule that anyone had to go and study abroad when they are in the 1st or 2nd year of university, and so I studied in Switzerland. In addition to learning about the environment and the world, I decided to take on a program about Philosophy, thinking "I want to learn something else since I came abroad". I think that my linguistic ability (especially listening to people) improved thanks to learning philosophy here. When I was a child, I had a hard time when I came to Japan due to the language gap so I thought hard about how to convey my opinion to people. When I was in Switzerland, I learned linguistic ability while thinking about how to break down a very difficult concept called philosophy in a way that anyone can understand. In university, I learned about the works of renowned philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche and David Hume. It was a lot of fun! 

(Wikipedia: Friedrich Nietzsche & David Hume)
What kind of people were they and how did they live and think? 

Other than that… 

Kaiyo Gakuen is the school that I went to for junior high school and high school. It is a private school that was built on funds by many large companies. Here, I met some of my current colleagues whom I spent time with for 6 years. Friends are extremely important. When we entered university, we parted ways but later, started Qulii with the same group of five friends from high school. To me, they are not just regular friends, but they are THE friends that went through the rules of the dormitory and school life together, so we get along with each other well. (Sometimes we quarrel, but we are also quick to make up.)

 the current Qulii members

 What was the hardest thing before you started a business? 

The most difficult problem was the question "What do junior and senior high school students need?" I said that "Work is fun!" But I was having a lot of trouble. I was always worried about the problems of "education" and "support" such as "what does education mean in the first place" and "what do junior and senior high school students need?" It didn't take long to decide what to do, but I was scared. The solution I found was to "discuss with you teammates". I thought I didn't know what junior and senior high school students needed, so I went to schools, asked students to come to the office, asked others to have a chat online, and now, I am still looking to provide what they want. 

 What are your challenges now? 

Now I'm focusing on talking to junior and senior high school students and motivating them. I try to get rid of their anxiety by thinking hard with them, considering ideas and questioning their own current values to truly see what they want.

Please tell us your motto! 

"It's important to think about how to make a choice. But you will meet many people so you can relax and make the choice." 

 What kind of person is suitable for entrepreneurship? 

I think entrepreneurs are not about if you are suited to it or not, but whether or not they meet someone that can support them and meet people that they want to support. Enthusiasm is also important. When you start a company, you need "dryness" to absorb various things (like a dry sponge!). When starting a company, there are many things that you don't know, things that just don't make sense. To solve such problems, I often learn not only by books and blogs but also by relying on people. Perhaps entrepreneurship is suited for someone who can be calm when facing a problem.

Please give a message to junior and senior high school students! 

"You will meet a lot of people from now on, so feel free to do what you have decided. The most important thing is to think about how to make your choice."

 A funny story about Qulii! 

When I hold an event, I know pretty much everyone that comes.  
                                                                                                          - Mr Wang 

Qulii Event 

If you are interested, please check out this link! : 

Qulii (キュリー)Qulii (キュリー)

Click here for Facebook & Twitter 

 Summary 

I often get caught up in a situation before making a choice. As Mr Wang said, I should decide how to make reliable choices. Besides, the comment "friends are the most important thing if you want to keep going forward, regardless of what happened" made me think the most. I'll make friends that can think hard, overcome hardships with each other, as a team!