Welcome our global distributor #5 : Haruko MINAMI, Advisor

What is your secret pleasure during the business trip? Enjoying local gourmet cuisines?

When our North American distributor, DMC, came to Tokyo in Japan for one-week training at Sonora’s HQ in Seijo, Setagaya-ward, we had a variety of lunch everyday around our building.

Speaking of typical Tokyoite food from Osakan’s viewpoint, it’s “Soba noodle”, made from buckwheat flour. We also had Tempura, a Japanese-style set meal…and Indian food for some reason.

Lunch time can be a kind of slight relaxing moment between morning and afternoon busy working hours. So wherever you are from, you just get together to enjoy eating and may share any topics you want to have conversation in a laid-back atmosphere.

It was one day before the last-day training.

Sonora’s Founder & Chairman took us to a nice, cozy Indian restaurant near Sonora’s HQ.

Then surprisingly we found Mr. S, DMC’s CEO, and the restaurant owner were originally from the same region in their mother country by chance.

Both of us started being excited to communicate in a local language we never understood. This encounter during a short business trip in Tokyo, in this whole wide world,  might have made a relaxed, loose atmosphere.

Then Sonora’s Founder began to tell his story bit by bit how he had an unbelievably tough, hard time in order to start up Sonora Technology from scratch, while eating curry.

That might have triggered Mr. S’s empathy to share his own experience. He also began to tell his story how he had a hard time going to graduate school in Canada without any financial support at all after having left his hometown. And struggled to have started up his own company facing several risks as well.

This empathically-oriented dialogue reminded me when I was an advisor in one of the confectionery companies.

After tough, long negotiations, the founder and chairman of that confectionery company was granted the license to manufacture and sell one of the European royal warrant holders’ confectioneries, which was never allowed to disclose its unique and secret recipe outside of the country origin up to then.

When the CEO of that European confectionery manufacturer, a grandson of that founder, came to visit Japan, we had lunch together at a hotel in Yokohama, where it is said that the rice gratin, called “doria” in Japan, has first been created.

During that relaxed time, one of the executives of that Japanese confectionery manufacturer asked him why only Japan in the world was granted to use their license.

The European CEO started explaining, “I personally think…”

During my corporate advisor’s career, I coincidently have encountered this moment between founders twice, including this time.

Some office workers said they wanted to start their own business since they didn’t like their current job in companies. However, I personally have never heard such excuses from successful founders who started up companies from scratch.

Their harsh environment and circumstances can only be managed by burning their bridges behind them.

Their great ambition enabled them to overcome all the hardship.

Their amazing foresight.

Their competence to take action and make decisions earlier than anybody else.

Their straightforward leadership without any hesitation.

Our lunchtime was a valuable opportunity for me to catch a glimpse of the founders’ relaxed but fruitful communication.

The next day was the final day of Sonora’s training. The unexpectedly impassioned speech by Sonora’s founder at the very end of the training gave me another glimpse of the extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit and mindset.

< to be continued >