Japan as Only 1

 I understand that some of you may find it hard to believe, but it's true that when humans have a strong desire for something, they can attract it into their lives. Have you ever had the experience where you were thinking about contacting someone, and suddenly, that person reached out to you? I've had even more remarkable experiences like this multiple times in my life. When I've wished for someone to be there in a pinch, I've ended up meeting just the right person. When I've wanted to seize certain opportunities, those opportunities have come my way. I have experiences like this a few times a year. Of course, there are times when, even though you think you're wishing strongly, nothing seems to happen. That usually means your desire isn't strong enough. When you truly have a strong desire, it changes your actions. When your actions change, it creates ripples, and somehow, those opportunities start coming your way. I think those who have experienced this can...

  As a fifth-generation family business owner, I've been contemplating how we, as family business owners, should perceive our businesses and families. The Three-Circle Model of the Family Business System, developed at Harvard Business School by Professors Renato Tagiuri and John A. Davis in the 1970s, offers a simple yet beneficial framework to understand the complexity of family businesses.  Typically, non-family-owned businesses only need to consider two circles—ownership and business. However, this model illustrates that family businesses are at least three times more complex than non-family businesses. If multiple owners and families are involved, the complexity increases further. One potential solution is to reduce the number of family members directly related to the business or ownership—a challenging but often necessary step. To focus on the business itself, these three circles need to share the same goal that benefits each one. Managing a family business is no easy tas...

I've been working as a CEO for seven years, but at the beginning of my career, I wasn't entirely sure about the responsibilities that come with being a CEO. Initially, I was making decisions in reaction to things as they happened. There's no one-size-fits-all answer to what a CEO does because there are various types of CEOs. However, in my opinion, there are at least five common, important factors in managing a company. I use the word SMART as an acronym: S: Strategy M: Managing people A: Action R: Resilience T: Building Trust To be honest, these factors, while important, are not the entire picture. What truly matters is finding your own path as a CEO or founder. There's no single right way to be a CEO, but there should be your right way, regardless of what others say. This is your life, your company. You must define your direction clearly so that you don't lose your way when faced with challenges. The only thing you can fully trust is yourself. You have tremendous ...