2004年度（2004.4～2005.3）　ワークショップ講演

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Entrepreneurship Workshop I
(October 7, 2004)

Guest Speaker: Mr. Yasufumi Kanemaru, President and CEO, Future System Consulting Corporation, and Vice Chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai)

Mr. Kanemaru started his own business when he was thirty-five years old; he is fifty now. He started twelve years later than Bill Gates, and people told him he was already too old at thirty-five.
He chose November 28 as his company’s founding date to mirror the uniform numbers of his favorite Hanshin Tigers baseball players, Murayama (11) and Enatsu (28). “It’s better to choose a specific founding date for a company,” says Mr. Kanemaru. Current sales are approximately 10 billion yen, or 20 million yen per consultant (sales in IT service industries generally average about 10 million yen per person).
The Committee on Creation of New Businesses (chaired by Mr. Kanemaru) of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives ran a Survey of Company Executives and Business People for Creation of New Businesses in June 2004. Since Japanese business people do not have a history of being forthcoming about their experiences starting a business, especially their failures, he wanted to publish those experiences for the sake of people who intend to start a business. The survey showed that about 90 percent of business people intend to start a business sometime in the future, but what really matters is whether or not they actually do it. The Japan Association of Corporate Executives does not just give encouraging advice to entrepreneur-minded young people, but has just started a program to assist them.

Below are Kanemaru’s philosophies about business from his lecture and Q&A session that left a deep impression on the students.

Kanemaru Philosophies:
A company needs ups and downs. Bad times are a chance to trim the flab, if you look at them as opportunities.
You can do without knowledge of finances and accounting, although it is better to have some than none at all. It is enough that your merchandise or services satisfy the market. Financial savvy is not essential for starting a business.
When I set up my business, I looked for a model that stayed in areas big companies were not likely to bother with. In my twenties, I led projects and task forces that I myself had developed. I was developing plans, producing and selling. Eventually I realized that selling was more important, even though personally I was more interested in producing. The pains you suffer in the workplace may prove illuminating in a different context.
I was interested first in people and then in business management. Everything starts with people. My father and my younger brother are also entrepreneurs. I am a hybrid of many talents.
The three principal resources are not people, goods, and money. Relating your dreams, taking risks, and facing challenges, those are the real resources.”
I hated drinking with my bosses who were complaining about the company. There are not many jobs in a big company that only graduates of elite universities can do. Self-confident people should start their own businesses and provide those who are not as confident with jobs at mature companies.
There is no right age to start a business. You should try a new project that carries some risk in your twenties.
It is important to start out with some kind of business specialty. Find a partner who complements your weaknesses, avoid duplication, and start out with a minimum head-count.
I did everything except manufacturing myself. You are responsible for everything at the start.
Defense is also important early on. David rarely beats Goliath in the real world, and the chance to play on a level playing field with the big companies does not come around too often. Therefore, if you do get that kind of chance, don’t hesitate to jump in. The only weapon venture companies have against big companies is speed.
In this country, the smart people who should start a business are working in public offices and big companies, so if you do start your own firm, you will have less competition. And when all is said and done, there is no country easier to go public in than Japan.

Finally, Mr. Kanemaru’s most memorable words:
Entrepreneurship is the mission of the competent person.

Reported by: Kunji Aoki
Graduate student in charge of minutes

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