[Held 9/12–11/6] Takahashi River Basin Women Entrepreneurs Support Program “Jibun Entrepreneurship Seminar” 〜 A free four-session seminar to discover your own unique vision

When we think of starting a business, we tend to imagine it’s something only remarkable people with a clear vision do.

Especially in the world of social media, where everything seems so glamorous, it’s easy to think, “I could never do something like that.”

But is starting a business really about becoming someone to admire? It should be one way to bring your own vision of the world to life.

Kurashiki City runs a program for women called the “Jibun Startup Seminar,” which offers an opportunity to reflect on these ideas. This article introduces the “Jibun Startup Seminar,” a four-session program for refining business plans—not a one-off seminar or a networking event.

What is the Takahashi River Basin Women’s Entrepreneurship Support Program, “Jibun Startup Seminar”?

The Takahashi River Basin Women’s Entrepreneurship Support Program, “Jibun Startup Seminar,” is a seminar for women organized by the Kurashiki City Commerce and Industry Division.

The program began in fiscal 2025. While government-run entrepreneurship seminars are often one-off events focused mainly on networking, this program consists of four sessions. It was created with the aim of “providing an opportunity for participants to focus on their own businesses and think things through carefully.”

Ten people took part in the first year, including some who have since started their activities.

• Naito Noriko
  Created a business plan for a prepared-food shop. She now runs cooking classes and sells at events.

The basic concept remains unchanged for fiscal 2026. The seminar will be held over four sessions from Saturday, September 12 to Friday, November 6, 2026. Participation is free. The speakers are as follows:

• DAY 1
  GOB Inc. President and CEO Takao Yasuhito
• DAY 2
  GOB Inc. Director Okuhira Mao
• DAY 3
  GOB Inc. President and CEO Takao Yasuhito

For other details, please see the images below. Information sessions will also be held.

Interview with the program coordinators

We spoke with Matsui Kanako and Ito Hana of the Kurashiki City Commerce and Industry Division, who planned the “Jibun Startup Seminar,” and Kuzuhara Aya of GOB Inc., who is responsible for planning and running the seminar.

This is the second year of the program. Could you tell us what led you to create the “Jibun Startup Seminar” in the first place?

Matsui (honorifics omitted)

Today, women account for more than 30 percent of entrepreneurs nationwide, and that proportion is gradually increasing. However, women entrepreneurs are still relatively uncommon in Kurashiki City and the Takahashi River Basin, and there have been few opportunities to meet nearby role models—women who have already taken the first step.

We started the program because we wanted to help women entrepreneurs across the region thrive, while giving participants the chance to see the example set by those who are already forging ahead.

For many years, we had run seminars focused primarily on networking. But we saw participants exchanging ideas with great enthusiasm, and thought, “We want to offer an opportunity to take things a step further and focus on their own businesses, giving them time to think things through carefully.”

So, starting last year (fiscal 2025), we launched a full-fledged “two-month seminar series” that takes the program to the next phase. This is now our second year. Our main goal is to support women who, for various reasons, have been unable to take the first step, so they can find the courage to do so and establish a firm foundation for what they want to do—one that will help them sustain their businesses over the long term.

What makes the “Jibun Startup Seminar” distinctive?

Kuzuhara (honorifics omitted)

What matters most to us is not simply passing on know-how, but building a business from the starting point of your own vision of the world.

In typical business consultations, people are first asked, “Is it profitable?” or “Is there really a need for it?” Starting from those questions tends to result in a business that is limited in scope.
Instead, we first thoroughly develop your inner motivations and vision of the world by asking, “Why do you want to do this, and what kind of world do you want to create through it?” Then we shape the business around them.

When this foundation—your vision of the world—is firmly established, you can continue running your business in a way that feels true to you, without getting caught up in unnecessary price or location competition, even in crowded fields such as nail salons and cafes.

These days, know-how itself is easy to find online or through AI. But your own “vision of the world,” refined through conversations with other people, should be your greatest strength.

Another highlight of the “Jibun Startup Seminar” is its comprehensive mentoring support, so you can ask for advice whenever you run into difficulties.

I’m one of the mentors, and I live in Okayama. I place great importance on face-to-face communication. During the seminar, we use Slack, a communication tool, and participants can reach out whenever they feel uncertain or have concerns. If needed, we can also arrange an online meeting at short notice.

We also share information closely with the local government (Kurashiki City) and provide attentive, personalized support to each participant. That may be one of the program’s highlights.

Who would you like to see take part?

Kuzuhara

I think many women hear the word “entrepreneurship” and feel that it’s not for someone like them—that the bar is too high.
But this seminar is not a place where you’re required to start a business no matter what.

We especially welcome people who have lots of ideas but don’t know where to begin, or who want to take this opportunity to reflect carefully on what they want to do, or are looking for a reason to make a change.

What kind of feedback did you receive from last year’s participants (fiscal 2025), and what kinds of people took part?

Matsui

Last year, we welcomed a diverse group of women, including some who had already started their own businesses.
For example, one participant who ran cooking classes explored the idea of delivering prepared meals. In the process, she reconsidered “what truly matters to me” and came to pursue her cooking-class business with confidence.

Another participant was a farmer who was unsure about “who to sell my vegetables to and how.” In the end, she settled on the idea of “sharing unusual vegetables I love, along with suggestions for how to eat them,” and is now actively selling at farmers’ markets and other events.

Rather than changing their businesses, many participants experienced a change in which they gained confidence in themselves and learned to talk about their businesses in their own words.

Kuzuhara

The changes in the participants were truly remarkable.
Some began the program hesitantly, saying, “Someone like me…” But over the two-month series, as they met repeatedly with others who shared their aspirations, their expressions grew brighter and they became more positive.

We’ve received lots of heartening feedback about changes in mindset and motivation, such as, “My vague ideas became clearer,” and, “Something I thought I might do someday has turned into something I’m going to do tomorrow.”

Finally, what message would you like to share with people who are unsure about taking part?

Ito

I only took on this role in April, so I haven’t been doing it for long. Even in that short time, though, I’ve heard many people say, “There are lots of things I want to do, but I don’t know where to start.”

I hope people in that situation will join the seminar, find a firm foundation for themselves, and use it to sustain their businesses going forward.
If signing up right away feels like too big a step, please feel free to attend just an information session or individual consultation first.

It should be a wonderful experience, as your initially vague ideas become clearer and more focused through conversation.

Matsui

Last year, someone came to an information session and asked, “Is it really okay for someone like me to come?” They had summoned up the courage to sign up. I still remember how, after meeting the same group of people repeatedly over the two-month course, their expression had become so lively by the final day that they seemed like a different person.

Kurashiki City often holds one-off seminars, but free, ongoing seminars that take this much time, build on a series of workshops, and give participants the chance to carefully explore what they want to do are rare.

There’s no need to feel that you absolutely have to start a business. We hope you’ll join us, even just as a good opportunity to reflect on yourself.

Kuzuhara

When you hear “entrepreneurship” or “building a business,” you might think it’s something only special people do.

But we don’t think building a business is anything special. We want you to think of it more casually—as a “means” of bringing to life the things you love and the ideal world you hope to see.

Of course, if you join, we ask you to commit fully. In return, our warm and supportive team of mentors will welcome you with open arms.

Whether you want to change your current situation or are simply looking for a reason to take a first step, you’re very welcome. Let’s work together to bring your “vision of the world” to life!

From the Writer

I also launched this media outlet, Kurashiki Tocotoco, and later established a corporation to run it. I suppose you could call me an entrepreneur, but I never set out to do anything flashy, and I still don’t want to.

But starting and running a business on your own is lonelier than you might imagine. As circumstances change day by day, there are very few people like “classmates” you can turn to for advice.

What stood out to me during the interview was how well the local government and the program coordinators work together as a team. Whether or not you’re thinking about starting a business in the future, if you feel like you want to do something, I encourage you to come along.

I’m sure the connections and experiences you gain here will come in handy a few years from now.

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