Desiring to be an investor that watches over management growth rather than butting in

―You have a lot of business experience through starting multiple businesses. Is there anything you keep in mind when engaging in investing and consulting services?

It depends on the client’s business, but when the manager is still young, in a positive sense, I want them to gain experience with failures early on. In order for the manager of a venture company to achieve independence, it is necessary for them to acquire sound knowledge and polish their human qualities at the same time. For that reason, I try to get them to make various decisions on their own in the process of creating services and developing an organization, and when those decisions don’t turn out well, I try to get them to thoroughly reflect on why they failed. I provide support to the managers in the form of coaching, helping them to gain objectivity regarding their own capabilities, sense the need for personal growth, and stay grounded as they grow their businesses. I think my role is to provide that kind of support. Of course, if there is a possibility that it may lead to heavy losses like taking on large debt, I offer assistance to prevent those things before they occur.

Basically, I feel that if you provide opportunities to thoroughly reflect, both in good times and bad, it will produce the seeds for their growth. For that reason, I emphasize a stance in which I keep my mouth shut for the most part and simply watch over them.

―Stereotypically, investors offer their opinions along with their money, but you take the exact opposite stance. Is this approach related to your management philosophy?

Yes, it is. Our management philosophy is to “make everyone involved happy.” Basically, I conduct my business with only a small number of people, so our relationship with our business partners is often like that of family. We don’t just interact on a business level but also share non-work related stories and actively engage in private interactions as well. It’s as a result of that, I think, that we are able to build relationships of trust. Another thing that’s always on my mind is the finite nature of our lives. If I have 80 years on this earth, what can I do in the remainder of my life? I try to prioritize things as I make my life plan. I communicate those thoughts to our business partners and hope to live fulfilling lives together with them.

―In closing, what is your outlook for the future?

I think the important thing whether you’re talking about in Japan or overseas is whether or not the business can become No. 1 in that country. At the very least, I have no interest in rolling out businesses that are going to be No. 2, so I want to support businesses that have the potential to vie for the No. 1 position. I also want to go after not only Asian markets but also markets in the United States and Europe that are more advanced than Japan’s.