- Sachiyo Corners, UMUC MBA Graduate
Operations Manager, iCatchIT
MyUMUC Story:
The Corner to Corner Success of Jonathan and Sachiyo Corners
By Chip Cassano
How did an aerospace engineering major from California and an international trading coordinator from Japan manage to meet, get married, enroll in graduate school, move to the Philippines, graduate, start a family, and launch an innovative multinational company—all in the space of about six years?
It’s simple, really; all Jonathan and Sachiyo Corners needed was a little luck, a lot of hard work, a few dozen all-night study sessions, and the anytime, anywhere flexibility of UMUC’s popular online MBA program.
You might say that it all began on the banks of the Kamogawa River in Kyoto, Japan. There, Jonathan Corners, an IT systems engineer for an automobile export company in Japan, was enjoying a barbecue and some all-too-rare time away from the office. Sachiyo Nomura was there, too. An international trading coordinator for a Japanese wine importing company, Sachiyo worked in quality control, negotiating with vendors when the products they supplied were unsatisfactory. A mutual friend introduced the two.
"I had backed into the leadership role and felt that I needed to be more effective if I were to grow in what I was doing," said Jonathan.
Eventually, Jonathan and Sachiyo married, but that was just the first of several big changes that were looming in their lives. Sachiyo realized that she would need to strengthen her academic background and her negotiating skills if she hoped to climb the corporate ladder in Japan. She found UMUC's online MBA program, which turned out to be a perfect fit, helping her develop the skills she needed to launch her own company—an English school for children.
At the same time, Jonathan was coming to realize that he could benefit from additional training in business and management as well. Up to that point, his career had advanced quickly, growing naturally from his lifelong curiosity about the mechanical world.
Soon he was working overseas as a chief information officer (CIO) on the strength of his technical ability. "I had backed into the leadership role and felt that I needed to be more effective if I were to grow in what I was doing," said Jonathan. "I was in an international, multicultural environment, and effective communication was really key to success."
UMUC’s MBA program answered the call again—and it didn’t hurt that Jonathan would have a full-time study partner in Sachiyo. But that doesn’t mean it was easy.
“I went through a bit of a shock getting back into ‘student mode,’” Jonathan admitted. “I had been a CIO for several years and I’d gotten used to being in charge. Not only was I no longer in charge, but my work was getting graded! It was great. I really loved the challenges the professor threw our way.”
“I packed our MBA textbooks in my carry-on luggage and read my assignments on the airplane,” said Sachiyo. “As soon as I arrived, I hooked up my laptop and started to solve the financial problems that were due.”
For Sachiyo, the challenges came on a different level. First, Jonathan moved his IT department from Japan to Cebu, Philippines, and the couple had to relocate—right in the middle of their studies. Sachiyo closed her language school and got ready to move.
“I packed our MBA textbooks in my carry-on luggage and read my assignments on the airplane,” said Sachiyo. “As soon as I arrived, I hooked up my laptop and started to solve the financial problems that were due.”
At least the cultural shift was easy. “I don’t mind tropical weather and being surrounded by coconut trees and huge, beautiful ferns,” said Sachiyo. “In some ways, Cebu reminds me of my childhood, because it has a strong Japanese historical influence, but unlike Japan, the culture is very laid-back and relaxing. I adapted very quickly.”
But there were other adjustments to be made when, two months after the couple arrived in Cebu, Sachiyo learned she was pregnant. While she had been hoping for the pregnancy, she could have done without the morning sickness.
“I remember at one point suffering from morning sickness during a team meeting for an MBA class,” said Sachiyo. But her classmates and teachers were supportive. “I was able to get through class and, even though we were thousands of miles apart, I felt a strong connection with them, and that encouraged me to finish the coursework along with my current classmates.”
Jonathan finished, too, but not without making his own sacrifices.
“I believe running a company is similar to nurturing a family,” Sachiyo said.
“For me, the toughest part was finding the discipline to do the required reading after a long day at work,” he said. “I can push through on a given night, but doing that for four nights a week for two years presented a major challenge. The instructors were flexible with me when I had to work emergencies, but overall the courses required consistent effort.”
But the hard work paid off in the end. As he neared graduation, Jonathan resigned his old position, “recruited” Sachiyo, and together the two established iCatchIT, a business-process outsourcing firm that links accountants and software developers in the Philippines with firms in the United States and overseas.
“Our MBA courses were almost finished and we felt we were well armed for this new venture,” said Sachiyo, “even though it meant some financial insecurity and a lot of hard work for both of us.”
By that time, hard work was something they were both very accustomed to.
Today, they divide their time between running their company and raising their daughter, Seana. Sachiyo sees the two things as more similar than they might first appear.
“I believe running a company is similar to nurturing a family,” Sachiyo said. “Jonathan and I have different personalities and management styles, but we share common values. That’s important, both in the company and in our family. Fortunately, we are able to analyze problems and make decisions based on what we learned in class. We know our strengths and weaknesses and can support each other. There may be a good part and bad part to knowing each other too well! But I strongly believe that taking the MBA program changed our lives, and we are as happy as we can be now.”
