This time, we talked about the USA Seiwajuku opening ceremony.
Q: What were the keys that Mr. Inamori* shared with people?
A: The most important thing is considering whether or not the business will be able to achieve the gross margin (gross profit) necessary to make the business viable.
For example, Japanese food is very popular in the United States, so we try to import and sell ingredients from Japan. Some think that due to the scarcity in the United States, I introduce the product to Japan and try to sell it in Japanese market. I think you have to determine and your business model :whole sale or the direct retail business.
If you are a retailer, you have to have a store, so you have to pay for the rent. If you do business with inventory, the interest rate on inventory also comes up. At the same time, the gross margins of each industry and business type have been determined as business practices. There are gross margins that have been implicitly determined. For example, if you want to do a retail business and set up a store and sell it, you will not be able to do business without a gross margin of at least about 30%.
Q: If we know that margin, do our businesses go well?
A: The reason why the business does not go well is that even if you work harder than anyone else, the basic fundamental business structure looks unprofitable, and under such structure, no matter how much effort you make, the management will not work well.
Q: What do you think about this, in terms of real estate investment management?
A: It’s a very important part and I think it’s a place that I can miss. I think that it was necessary to analyze this well even in the real estate investment advisor business. Even if tax accountant, from different industry than Real Estate, you can get a good advice on how much gross margin is needed. It was very important to get advice.
Q: So why you have not asked external advice so far?
A: It’s unconscious mind. Getting advice is an action. I could not act because there are some restrictions in my subconscious. The reason why I couldn’t do that is, perhaps, that if I heard that advice, I would lose my reason to be. I don’t want to have any critics. I don’t want to suffer any more. Those assumptions and prejudices had me stay away from advices.
.
But here I will remove my following restrictions and blocks.
Don’t get looked down by others,
Don’t seek lucrative profit
Be liked by people,
Do not fail,
With such thoughts permeating the subconscious, I thought I couldn’t do what I needed to promote my business.
Q: How did you remove your restrictions?
A: taking out of my metal blocks I started thinking positively:
Someone who gives advice does not try to look down upon me, but gives advice to improve my business.
I have noticed this. Receiving advice is not “blaming” or “reveling my failure”, but “telling me my blind points”, “promoting my breakthrough .”
Q: If you think positively ,what would be the outcome?
A: Then, once I ‘ve got advice, and I can act differently according to those advice. Changing your subconscious changes your behavior. If your behavior changes, the reality changes, and the future changes. I think Mr. Inamori is telling me that
.
The basics of the manufacturing industry are to provide high added value, that is, to use advanced technology, advanced processing, and increase added-value until you make the raw material costs about 10% of the sales. .
I think this point is very important. What I want to do is giving my clients the greatest value that they can never get from any other professionals. I think it is very important to develop my branding.
* Mr. Kazuo Inamori, the founder of Kyocera, KDDI (one of the top tele communication companies in Japan) and the top of revitalization project of JAL. As a well-known Japanese entrepreneur, he has been sharing his experiences and management know-how with managements of small to middle companies in Japan.
