Naomi Osaka opens up about her entrepreneurial journey and what made her launch her own skincare brand
Earlier this year, Naomi Osaka ventured into the skincare business by launching her own brand called 'Kinlo'. Now in a chat with GoDaddy, Osaka has spoken about her journey as a businesswoman and how she managed to establish her own skincare line.
The four-time Grand Slam champion first gave an insight into the idea behind Kinlo's origins. Osaka recalled how she realized there wasn't any sunscreen specifically for people with darker skin tones, and how the existing products made her skin look unusual.
"I guess everyone was sort of thinking it," Osaka said. "For me the idea came from like being younger and like noticing that there wasn't like a big sunscreen brand for people with melanated skin."
"Like if I went to Australia, the sunscreen would make me really pacey," she added. "And I feel like a lot of people can relate to that - not just in Australia, but here in the States as well; I guess everywhere in the world."
Naomi Osaka later explained what made her name the brand "Kinlo" and why it a representation of her multicultural identity.
"So Kinlo comes from part Japanese and part Haitian Creole language," the 23-year-old said. "So I thought that was really cool because I feel it sort of represents me as well. And kin is Japanese for gold, so I thought that that was cool. But in Japanese, words can also mean several different things, so it was quite interesting trying to choose one specific word."
The World No. 7 then shared a funny story about how she felt like being an entrepreneur for the very first time when she was just a little kid. During 'Cupcake Day' in her school, Osaka's innate competitiveness made her try and outsell the other participants - much like a businessperson would do.
"In my school there used to be a cupcake day," the Japanese said. "So we used to bake our own cupcakes and sell them and I was always really competitive, so I'd want to sell more cupcakes than all the other kids so I'd run around the whole gym."
"So I think in that moment I sort of got a taste of what it might be like to be an entrepreneur," she added. "But I don't think you really know you want to be something until you're sort of a little bit down that path."
Naomi Osaka's advice for budding entrepreneurs
Naomi Osaka's advice to upcoming entrepreneurs is rather simple: she wants them to trust the process and take a leap of faith. According to Osaka, even if it might feel overwhelming to attach your name to a business, it is important to have that conviction.
"I think the first step is always the toughest, because you feel like you know that's your name and you're the one that's mainly responsible, or you always want everything to be perfect," the 23-year-old said. "I feel like everyone does, but just trusting the process, because for sure you spent many months or many years just developing it and trying to make it as amazing as you want it to be, so just I feel like it boils down to trusting yourself."
Naomi Osaka, who is currently on a hiatus from tennis, but might take the court soon. During a recent talk show appearance she stated that she was feeling the "itch" to compete again.