A Brand Operations Approach for a World That Never Stops Changing

Roy, it is a pleasure to meet you. I would like to start by asking you to briefly introduce yourself.

I am the founder of Rare Standard. I am Canadian, but I have been living in Japan for over 10 years now. I split my time between Karuizawa, in Nagano, and Tokyo. Our office is near Toranomon. I spend about half of my time working from home, and half in Tokyo. It is actually very convenient because Karuizawa is only one hour by train. Outside of work, I’m always building something.DIY projects, 3D printing and whatever seems interesting. I like planning creative projects and figuring out how things are made.

That is a very cool lifestyle. Since you are the founder of your company, Rare Standard, do you have a personal motto as a CEO or simply as an individual?

The motto for the company is “Make the brand work”. As for myself, I do not know what my personal motto would be. I do not think anyone has ever asked me that. It is not really a motto, more like a way of life. I like to build things, and I like other people who like to build things.

So you are clearly a creative person, and I understand the connection a bit more now. Let us get into the discussion about your business. Could you describe your business and how you would describe your strengths as a company?

The one liner is that Rare Standard is a brand operations partner for global companies in Japan. To describe it a little more, the work involves how a brand stays consistent and organized in relation to the actual operations of the business in Japan, day to day, across different departments and different people. We also help these global brands stay grounded in the Japanese market. I think the big theme of what we try to do is to approach it like gardening. It is not something you can rush or do in a short amount of time. It is about building healthy habits, tending to them through different seasons, and thinking long term. Our mindset is not about doing something once, but planting something, nurturing it, and shaping it so that it can grow into something bigger in the future.

I also believe consistency is important in a brand, especially in competitive sectors. It is great to hear that perspective. You mentioned your perspective is like gardening a brand and thinking about consistency and growth. How do people describe your company?

Our clients tend to value our reliability. Despite being a smaller team, we show up consistently and are fairly strategic in our approach. We believe that being a partner who understands brand as an investment and not just to ‘make things pretty’ really matters to the brands we work with. Then there are people in the broader community who have different opinions. when they visit our office or come hang out with use, they usually say we’re warm, curious, and probably a little nerdy. We like to chat, eat ramen and have fun.

It sounds like a comfortable environment where people can express themselves. At the same time, as it is a fast paced environment, how would you describe your typical day? What does it look like?

When I am in Tokyo, I usually start the morning by walking up to a temple called Atago Jinja. It is on a high hill and the stairs are quite steep, so it helps get my blood flowing and gives me a boost of nature. Once I get into the office, I check what my tasks are. I have learned that I need to write down only two to three things, no more, because otherwise it becomes too much. Then I have my regular syncs with people on my team to make sure we are aligned. Most afternoons I am either focused on internal documents or in meetings with clients. In the evening, I usually go out for dinner with someone, such as a colleague in the creative industry or a client, or I might attend an industry event. That is a typical Tokyo day for me.

It is a very rich schedule. How does your office look? Since everyone seems to work from home, how is it arranged?

It is a shared office, and we share the space with other creative companies that are set up there. Physically, the environment is cozy. It is not huge, but it’s calming. There is a lot of light, and we have many plants which is nice. We work in a hybrid situation. There is no strict requirement to come to the office, but people like to go because it is often more effective to work together in person. We do come to the office once a month as a work from office day for the whole team. When we do that, we try to go out for lunch together or hold some kind of workshop session. One fun thing about the office is that we have lots of snacks, really great coffee, and even our own barbershop. People are always surprised about the barbershop,lol. I guess it is pretty unusual.

You have come a long way to build your company, whether on your own or together with partners. I would love to hear more about that journey. How did Rare Standard first begin, and how has it grown into what it is today?

In the beginning, and probably along the way, many fortunate and lucky things happened. When I first started working in Japan, I got an opportunity to talk about and consult on UX very early on. I had opportunities to work with startups as well as global companies on UX practices and methodologies. In the West, this was already considered valuable, and companies invested a lot of time into it. Being able to take part in that movement and help make it a more common practice in Japan was exciting in those early days. During that time, I found an opportunity in localization through UX. Localization had traditionally been more closely aligned with creative agencies when it came to copywriting and creative work. But bringing UX systems and methodologies into that process helped us see the value of doing something new. Through using UX methodologies in localization, our company was able to produce very high quality localized work. We pushed this further, and eventually it evolved into brand operations. Brand operations involved creating localized guidelines, localizing toolkits, template systems, and moving from one off projects to building long term impact for our clients in the local market. There have been many trial and errors, but we were fortunate to have clients who trusted us throughout this journey. Brand operations is still not a very widely known concept, and we strive to continue to develop it. To sum it up, we began with UX consulting, then brand localization, and now brand operations.

Did you always want to build your own company, or did it naturally grow from what you were doing in the beginning.

Honestly, I had the idea of starting a company since I was a kid. I had a 10 year plan after graduating college which would have me start my own company by the end of it. Looking back, it feels a bit strange that it actually more or less happened the way I had planned it. Get a job, work different roles, learn about how business works, and build connections. Of course a lot of things did not go as planned, but for the most part, things worked out.

That is very impressive, starting from a high school dream and realizing it after many years. How did you come up with the name of your company? What is the story behind it?

Our old company name was Rival Schools, so the initials R S were important to keep. I wanted something that would feel familiar both for our clients and for our own team. Rare Standard appealed to me because it contains two opposite meanings, rare and standard. The concept of Rare Standard is tied to the idea that every company should have its own standards for what makes it unique and what makes it strong. Being able to define what makes you rare and repeatable can make your company valuable. We want to build the standards that companies intentionally choose, rather than letting things happen by accident. That is what Rare Standard represents.

It is wonderful to hear the deeper meaning behind your company name. I would like to ask about your experience next. Was there a turning point in your journey, a moment when you felt it was time to start a business and build a company.

Originally, I incorporated mostly for practical reasons, as a Canadian in Japan, I believed it was necessary to make managing taxes simpler. So for a while, the company was just there for the structure. To be honest, I was avoiding becoming a real company. I wanted to do only what felt necessary and nothing more. That worked for a while, but eventually I hit a wall. I didn’t have a clear mission, and without people who really believed in what we were trying to build, there was a limit on what I could accomplish. That was the realization, that I needed a real company, a team, and not just an incorporation. The shift was real.

Coming to Japan must have already been a big experience, but bringing a business from Japan to overseas can be challenging because the culture and market are different. What are the challenges you often face? Do you have any recurring challenges in your business?

Oh yes, definitely. If you are a business owner, you face many challenges, and you only truly understand them once you actually create a business. It is similar to being a parent. You cannot fully understand the experience or challenges unless you become one. Being a business owner is challenging because you have to keep your eye on multiple levels and dimensions of challenges. You are not only responsible for your own stability, growth, and security. You must also think about these things for the people around you. One of the biggest challenges for me has been how to expand and scale the trust that clients have toward me, and shift that trust from an individual level to the company level. A company can only scale properly when clients trust the organization rather than a single person. I believe you can only accomplish this when everyone in the company is truly aligned.

Despite the challenges involved in building your company, do you remember the experiences that brought you joy or moments that made you truly excited?

Watching someone on the team take on something difficult and come out stronger. That honestly never gets old. Being a part of that brings me so much pride and joy. And every once in a while, a client will say something like ‘there’s no company like yours or ‘I wish there were more companies like yours.’ It really stays with me. The creative industry is genuinely hard. Every problem is different from the last one and comes with layers. Multiple possible solutions, no obvious right answer. It’s what makes this work so interesting. It’s what makes everyone in this industry a little crazy.

Despite the many challenges you face or will face in the future, what motivates you to keep going?

Most people think the projects as the work itself. For me, the real project is the company itself. The people, the relationships, what we’re building together. That is the work of art I am trying to create. It is very difficult, and it takes a toll not only financially but also on relationships and mental health. At the same time, I cannot always be open about those things. As the founder, I need to be the one who stays solid. Building this company, making it successful, and putting together a team that can grow into something great is what motivates me. That is why having a clear vision is very important. It shows you what you are working toward.

With all these experiences, do you have any lessons learned from mistakes or situations you have gone through?

There have been many mistakes. One major lesson, especially working in a culture and country that is not my own, is that we operate on assumptions. So many situations were more complicated than they needed to be. If I had simply asked instead of assuming, things would have been easier. The big learning is not to make so many assumptions, and if you are not sure, communicate. For a long time, I worried that over-communicating would come across as uncertain or unprofessional. Now I think if someone can’t handle direct, honest conversation, I have to question if that is a relationship I want. This applies to clients as well. Maybe it is because I am older now, but I feel that time is limited. I have family, work, and many responsibilities. I’d rather move forward with clarity than waste energy on ambiguity.

In Japan, companies tend to be quite hierarchical, and people often avoid speaking directly. That is why your straightforward approach feels refreshing and seems to be a real driver for your company. With that in mind, what changes or developments would you like to see in your industry going forward?

The industry changes constantly, which is exciting why I have stayed. There are always creative developments across cultures and communities. Design and art are like siblings of human creativity, but the way each is approached varies in different parts of the world. If I could change one thing– and this is not limited to our industry– I want more empathy for each other. Between vendors and clients, and between managers and coworkers. One of our company values is ‘Remix Without Borders’, and you cannot remix without understanding other people’s perspectives. Seeing things from different points is where unexpected work comes from. Another thing is speed. Everything is becoming too fast. I want people to think more long term. The current speed makes things feel shallow. I want deeper, more organic thinking that is not only about attention and numbers. Maybe this is because we work in brand operations, but I believe it also reflects my personality and character.

I definitely feel that these are values you cherish, and they are beautiful values for any industry. With those values in mind, what challenges or goals do you want to accomplish as a company? Do you have any goals you are working toward?

I want to make an excellent company, with people I’m proud to be a part of this journey. Right now, this means to start scale the company. This means building systems that allow us to become a stronger team and to develop the systems that make our company unique and valuable. This especially relates to brand operations and defining what that truly means, then building the processes, tools, and systems around it. The other part of the challenge is that I want people who work at our company to grow into leaders in their own way, whether within the company, in the broader community, or among the people around them. That matters as much as the work itself.

What is the first step you want to take to move your company forward?

The first thing we are tackling is building our company operating system, the system in which we work, communicate, and collaborate. You would think something like this would already exist since we have been around for several years, but it doesn’t happen on its own. You have to be intentional about it. We need to speak the same language and understand the same things. The way I think about it: everyone needs to row in the same direction. When that's clear, a small team can cover a lot of ground.

Earlier you mentioned ideas like meaning and empathy. With that in mind, what does work mean to you personally?

This is an interesting question. For most people, work has a negative impression, like something you “have to do” because that is what society expects.. For me, to be able to work means I have found something I love doing. I can create things I care about. Earlier you asked me about my motto. I said it was more like a mindset, which is that I really love building things, and I feel connected to people who also love building things. Work for me is really about building and creating. It is exciting and fun to shape the world around me. I also think what you do for work shows other people what kind of person you are. It may sound like I am all work or all business, but it is not because I feel obligated. It is because I genuinely love it. It is not exhausting for me. It is energizing. Every time I think of something new that might be interesting or fun to try, I get motivated. Work is fun. Work is living. I know that’s not how everyone sees it, but it’s what I feel.

Work makes up such a large part of our lives, so it is truly inspiring to hear you speak about it in such a positive way. Thank you for sharing that. Since you also spoke about your team and the people you work with, what do team and community mean to you?

Our company value: “Remix Without Borders.” A team is a group of people with different backgrounds, personalities, perspectives, and experiences. Each person brings their own colors and strengths. When these are combined, we can create something wonderful and new. Shared values can create a community and a bond that allows us to make the place better together. Community is the expanded version of that idea. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to meet people who shaped how I think and work, often without realizing it. The things they said or did stayed with me even now. Community is about helping each other and lifting each other up. It’s not something you can measure financially, but it is one of the most valuable things there is.. We should foster and appreciate it.

Great, thank you. As the last question, do you have any message you would like to share with the readers?

There is a lot of uncertainty in the world right now. With AI, the economy, job markets, and politics, it can all feel overwhelming. Everything funnels in and hits you at once, creating stress. I think the important thing to remember is that we are all going through it together. We are all in the same situation. That is why thinking about values and community is so important. These are the things that will help everyone and help us move forward. I’m not going to tell people not to worry. Everyone has the right to feel stressed or worried. I simply want to say that I understand. I am going through it too.