Success via Humiliation
My Japanese is good, but far from what I consider fluent. Even so, I accept almost all opportunities to speak to an audience in Japanese – provided I have time to prepare. Things usually go well, but...
View ArticleVCs are (Still) Not Your Friends
I’ve written about this before, but the problem persists. Japanese society is unquestionably hierarchical. True peer relationships, either social or business, are rare. Advice and instruction from...
View ArticleCreators & Joiners
I was chatting with a Western manager at Google Japan about the differences between managing Japanese and Western staff. He mentioned that he was baffled by the lack of drive and ambition among some...
View ArticleDream of the Future. Plan for Tomorrow
In the startup teaching and mentoring I do, many-to-many marketplaces are one of the the most common business ideas my students come up with. Whether it is resultant recommendation sites, crowdsourced...
View ArticleFire Walking for Startups
Against my better judgment, I somehow found myself barefoot, looking across 30 feet of burning coal. A tribal drumbeat pounded behind me and fellow participants chanted encouragement. Sweat dripped...
View ArticleWhy Japanese Can’t Name Companies
I’m working on a number of new projects, and most of them have some tie-in to Japan. Naming them always turns out to be harder than you imagine. The problem is that most relevant Japanese words (and...
View ArticleRaising Money vs Earning Money
I’m sitting in the audience of one of the best-run startup events I’ve attended this year. Next up, a procession of startup CEOs will be introducing themselves and their companies to the audience. The...
View ArticleThe Problem With Lawyers
Your quality of life is inversely proportional the number of lawyers you interact with. This is true even when all your interactions are with friendly lawyers like patent attorneys and general council....
View ArticleDo Teams Beat Kings?
I was in Fukuoka the other week speaking with Hashimoto of NuLab, and he explained a perfect metaphor for the transition that is happening among new startups in Japan. Traditionally, Japanese companies...
View ArticleWe Never Really Grow Up
I attended several Tokyo developers meetups last month. I go to as many of these events as my wife and liver will permit. Talking candidly with developers founders over drinks is endlessly fascinating....
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