Business like mashrooms

 Recently, I've been fortunate to form new connections with various people.

This includes the president of a traditionally sake brewery, the owner of a Japanese fireworks factory, an entrepreneur of a micro-hotel, a female chef who worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and applicants for the Vision55 project. Just this week alone, one connection has led to another in a rapid succession.

These opportunities were always there; it's just that we hadn't encountered them yet. To put it negatively, we just hadn't tried to meet them. But taking that first step creates ripples.

Even the smallest ripple in a pond can bring about change, and these small ripples can create more, growing larger and larger.

Of course, I'm not yet certain what value these encounters will bring to our group and myself. However, so many ideas have been came up from these meetings, bringing new value to our existing business ventures.

Most ideas may not work out, and many may not even get off the ground. But like mushrooms popping up, ideas keep emerging, and some of them grow.

Even though many of these growing mushrooms will eventually die, some will thrive and become notably strong and sturdy.

I think new businesses and ideas are similar in this way.

I too believe that work isn't fundamentally fun.

But the new collaborations that arise, the smiles they bring to our customers, and the reliable team members they bring us, which pop up and disappear like mushrooms only to emerge again, are incredibly fascinating and fulfilling to me.

Unlike school, there's no single correct answer in the business world.

That's why we must keep moving forward, one step at a time, believing in our path.

I aim to make my group business like a mushroom, involving more people from various backgrounds in its mycelial network. I'm eagerly looking forward to the diverse mushrooms that will emerge.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No Regrets Later: Start Today

Image
 As more mid-career employees join our company, I’ve started to notice that many of them are now younger than me. I became the president at 30 years old, and for a long time, people called me a "young president." But now, I feel I’m entering a new phase—somewhere between mid-career and veteran. It’s the stage where energy and experience combine to create the best opportunities to make an impact. At this age, it’s common to reflect and think, “If only I had done that back then…” or “What would have happened if I had tried?” Of course, we can’t change the past. But we can use our past experiences to shape the future. Maybe you didn’t try something before because you were afraid of failure. Or maybe you didn’t have the confidence. But it’s never too late to take action. What matters is starting now—so we don’t look back two or three years from now with the same regrets. If you feel regret but don’t take action, you only create a habit of inaction. On the other hand, the so...
Read more

Facing Fear and Seeking Growth

Image
 Some of you may already know this, but I make it a habit to read 10 to 15 books every month. It’s not so much a hobby—rather, I feel uneasy if I’m not constantly exposing myself to new ideas, disciplining my mind, and learning with hunger and intention. It might sound unpleasant to some, but in reality, having a strict boss or senior colleague who constantly tells you, “This is not good enough!” is a privilege. I don’t have that in my current position. No one tells me what’s right or wrong. And even if someone did, their “right” isn’t necessarily my right. So, I’m always on a journey to find my own answers—that’s what life is for me. In a book I read last week, there was a line that really struck me: “Success lies on the opposite side of fear.” It doesn’t just refer to financial success. True success—real achievement—exists only beyond what we fear the most. This reminds me of what we often say at Hattori Way: “Step outside your comfort zone!” But this quote is even sha...
Read more

What is the "Kinoko Management" style for Hattori??

Image
 As the season for warm, hearty meals approaches, mushrooms— kinoko in Japanese—frequently appear in dishes like hot pots. I personally love maitake mushrooms, although “mushroom” is how we refer to them in English. Interestingly, we intentionally call our management style Kinoko Management in English as well, keeping the unique essence of this concept. Mushrooms are not vegetables but fungi. Their defining role is in promoting decomposition, enabling the cycle of life to continue. What we see above ground—the mushrooms themselves—is just the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface lies the expansive mycelium network , an intricate web that connects mushrooms and plants, instantly sharing information and nutrients. Without fungi, the world would be overwhelmed by dead plants and animals. Thanks to their work, living organisms return to the earth, becoming nutrients that sustain new life. Mushrooms come in countless varieties. They differ in size, shape, and color—some are vibrant ...
Read more