Scaling Japan Podcast

In this third episode of the Scaling Japan sales series, we are joined by a wonderful guest, Mari Ono. She is a consultant with over 15 years of experience working with small and large corporations. Mari introduces two different types of structure for sales, route and account sales, that entrepreneurs and business owners can use as a helpful guide to developing your sales process. She also discusses how additional factors, such as having a good pitch and understanding the fiscal year, are needed to make successful sales.  Note: Although we mentioned a sales framework, we will dive into this in round 2 with Mari Ono Links from Guest Appearance LinkedIn Make March Matter  Show Notes (1:20) Mari Ono’s self introduction (1:52) Introduction to sales framework (3:40) Route sales (8:38) Key points for route sales (13:20) Account sales (17:26) How to have the correct mindset for account sales (23:10) Importance of fiscal year timeline in Japan Show Sponsors Matchpoint - Looking for a Certified Japanese Tax Accountant? Reach out to our friends at Matchpoint Japan or Shinpei at s-wakana[@]matchpoints.or.jp and mention code "scalingyourcompany" to receive your first month free. Here is a free seminar by Shinpei and myself on Japanese Taxes Coaching with Tyson Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services. Visit here to learn how he can help.

Beau Becker, the CEO of Reiwa Pharmaceuticals in Japan, joins us in this episode of Scaling Japan to talk about how to improve sales. What makes Beau such a unique guest is that he started from zero in his early 20's and has now built up 10 years of professional experience working in China and Japan on multiple sales teams. He explains the differences between sales culture in Japan vs Western countries as well as the common mistakes foreigners might make. Beau also gives tips on how to manage client relations, specifically with Japanese customers. Links from Guest Appearance LinkedIn Reiwaseiyaku Main Site and Reiwaseiyaku Instagram Show Notes (1:22) Beau Becker’s self introduction (5:52) Sales as a main driver of Japanese corporations (7:13) Differences between sales culture in Japan vs Western countries (13:36) What are sales meetings like in Japan (17:50) How to be liked and respected by traditional Japanese companies (20:39) How to get mentored in a Japanese company (23:15) Common misunderstandings and mistakes foreigners make in sales (26:40) Finding the decision maker is key (30:22) Exaggerating politeness can go a long way (32:08) Importance of printed materials (35:59) How to get credibility when dealing with buyers older than you Show Sponsors Matchpoint - Looking for a Certified Japanese Tax Accountant? Reach out to our friends at Matchpoint Japan or Shinpei at s-wakana[@]matchpoints.or.jp and mention code "scalingyourcompany" to receive your first month free. Here is a free seminar by Shinpei and myself on Japanese Taxes Coaching with Tyson Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services. Visit here to learn how he can help.

In this exciting episode of the Scaling Japan podcast we are joined by Fuminori Gunji, the global alliance manager at Deel Inc. Fuminori is a veteran of business development and sales with over 10 years of experience. He helps explain the cultural complexities in sales culture between Western countries and Japan. Fuminori also gives guidance on how to find the right salesperson and important characteristics that hiring managers should keep an eye out for. Links from Guest Appearance LinkedIn Deel Business Karaoke: Episode 62 Everyone is a Customer but You with Fuminori Gunji How to B2B: IT Sales and Purchase Decision Making in Japan with Fuminori Gunji , CEO of TokyoMate Show Notes (1:08) Fuminori Gunji’s self introduction (3:04) Why foreign companies struggle with sales in Japan (6:07) Decision making and execution in Japan (9:53) Differences between Western and Japanese standpoints (17:13) Sales culture of Japan (18:26) Characteristics of a good salesperson in Japan (21:40) Key points of story telling (29:07) How to find the right salesperson (31:24) Testing a potential salesperson Show Sponsors Matchpoint - Looking for a Certified Japanese Tax Accountant? Reach out to our friends at Matchpoint Japan or Shinpei at s-wakana[@]matchpoints.or.jp and mention code "scalingyourcompany" to receive your first month free. Here is a free seminar by Shinpei and myself on Japanese Taxes Coaching with Tyson Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services. Visit here to learn how he can help.

Haruka Takamori, an early stage investor and venture analyst at Plug and Play, joins us in this episode of Scaling Japan to share her insights from an investor point of view. Haruka details the different stages of early investment in Japan from angel to series A. She also delves into some specifics on what venture capitalists/investors are looking for in a business startup. Links from Guest Appearance LinkedIn Plug and Play  Links to Additional Resources Clubhouse Angel Port  Incubate Fund  Anobaka  East Ventures Show Notes (0:58) Haruka Takamori’s self introduction (2:01) Experience with early stage investing (3:26) Angel investment (7:52) Connecting with angel investors (9:10) Pre-seed and seed (13:00) Amount of company shares to secure (15:12) Shareholding numbers (17:50) What is traction (18:37) Pre-series A (20:42) Proof of concept (28:14) Metrics investors look at Show Sponsors Matchpoint - Looking for a Certified Japanese Tax Accountant? Reach out to our friends at Matchpoint Japan or Shinpei at s-wakana[@]matchpoints.or.jp and mention code "scalingyourcompany" to receive your first month free. Here is a free seminar by Shinpei and myself on Japanese Taxes Coaching with Tyson Looking to take your business to the next level? Let our host Tyson Batino help you scale your business from $100,000 to $10,000,000 dollars with his coaching and advisory services. Visit here to learn how he can help.

We have the wonderful opportunity of being joined by Jordan Fisher, the co-founder and CEO of Zehitomo. Jordan is one of the few westerners who has received large venture capital for his business in Japan. In this episode, he will share his experience of how he successfully raised a seed round, series A and series B investment. Jordan also gives great advice for entrepreneurs looking to raise funds for their business in Japan. Links from Guest Appearance  LinkedIn Zehitomo Links to Additional Resources J-Kiss Episode 1: Angel Investment in Japan with Yuki Shirato Episode 10: Seeking Investment in Japan with Terrie Lloyd Show Notes (1:15) Jordan Fisher’s self introduction (4:26) Seed round explained (6:34) Product market fit explained from a venture point of view (8:20) Experience with seed round for Zehitomo (10:44) Tips for entrepreneurs trying to get a seed round in Japan (12:05) Experience from seed round to series A (15:17) Experience from series A to series B (18:22) Growing after series B (25:03) Advice for common questions people ask (29:58) Tips for better due diligence on offers

Tune in now to our highly-requested talk with serial entrepreneur Terrie Lloyd who, for over 20 years, has been guiding businesses hands on and through his consultancy agency in Japan to navigate these challenges. Terrie has established 20 companies in Japan and has brought his investors 8 successful earn-outs, as well as amassing a large following of like-minded entrepreneurs in Japan via his long-running newsletter on business in Japan: Terrie’s Take. There are a lot of tips for business owners, who are not technology companies on how to go about getting investment for your company. Links From Guest Appearance LinkedIn Japan Inc. Show Summary 5:00 An introduction to investing in Japan - this isn’t West Coast USA 7:35 Japantravel.com: A case study, from crowdfunding to corporate investment 13:30 How to get an audience and earn the trust of investors - ‘showing skin in the game’ 23:00 Fundraising in Japan: the hurdles a company could face when searching for investors and how to overcome them 27:00 Salaries, debt, and liquidity, do not fear the credit card 33:00 Shareholders and contracts = ratchet clauses and making guarantees to early investors 40:40 Japan Inc. holdings - helping to build bridges in Japan…literally!

Pascal Gerbert-Gaillard, Japan managing director for Unabiz and senior advisor for SES-imagotag, joins us this episode to discuss shareholders and big corporations in Japan. Pascal Gerbert-Gaillard shares his experience with scaling Unabiz and the challenges that he has faced. Not only does he cover aspects of B2C in Japan, but he also explains how business culture and recruitment processes can be different in Japan. Links from Guest Appearance  LinkedIn UnaBiz SES-imagotag CCI France Japon Show Summary (1:23) Pascal Gerbert-Gaillard’s self introduction (2:53) Experience with scaling UnaBiz (8:08) Benefit of being a foreigner (11:00) Hacking the Japanese system (20:35) How to get taken seriously by big corporations in Japan (21:43) Consistency when it comes to B2C vs B2B (23:26) Pitfalls of recruitment for tech companies in Japan (25:55) Effective way to present your company in terms of “de-risking” (27:40) Choosing the right country manager

In this episode of Scaling Japan we are joined by Fariza Abidova. She is the founder of Trusted Corporations, a search engine focused on connecting businesses and accelerating innovation. Fariza Abidova talks about her experience of creating Trusted Corporations and explains how partnerships can be utilized to scale companies. She also provides helpful advice for startups, large corporations and country managers on how to establish a successful business partnership. Links from Guest Appearance  LinkedIn Facebook Trusted Corporation Show Summary (0:57) Fariza Abidova’s self introduction (1:36) Experience with Trusted Corporation (5:45) Business partnerships (10:13) Benefits of business partnerships (13:49) How to establish partnerships (16:49) Services offered by Trusted Corporation (21:00) Mistakes when making businesses partnerships with Japanese companies (22:54) Advice for foreign country managers in Japan (27:38) Advice for large corporations seeking partnerships

Miho Tanaka joins us in this episode of Scaling Japan to talk about government financial support in Japan. She is the founder of Startup Work Inc. and the startup visa lead of Shibuya Startup Support. Miho Tanaka explains governement grants and loans that will be useful for business owners from Japan and international founders as well. Other helpful tools for entrepreneurs, such as free office space and business related seminars, are also discussed.  Links from Guest Appearance LinkedIn Startup Work Inc.  SeedS Shibuya Startup Support Additional Resouces  Clubhouse with Jason Ball Japan Finance Corporation  JETRO  NEDO Startup Hub Tokyo (Japanese only) Tokyo Metropolitan Government Startup Support  Show Summary  (1:20) Miho Tanaka’s self introduction (3:43) Government financing strategies after COVID-19 (4:42) New government funds (7:21) Loans for entrepreneurs  (11:07) JFC Loans (11:58) Loans for international founders  (13:47) JETRO office space (15:52) Open innovation tax incentive (17:39) Government provided seminars and services (20:22) Clubhouse  (22:28) SeedS (23:23) Industries government support is targeting

In this episode of Scaling Japan, we are joined by Nathan Hoernig. He is the founder of Humble Bunny, a digital marketing and design company in Tokyo. He shares his experience of what it is like to grow a company from the family stage and the beginning process of employee recruitment. Nathan Hoernig also provides helpful insights into the importance of creating and maintaining company culture. Links from Guest Appearance  LinkedIn Humble Bunny  Show Notes  (1:17) Introduction to Humble Bunny (5:05) Experience with growing company from family stage (1-3 people) (6:22) Hiring first full-time employee (8:26) Risk tolerance during recruitment process (12:58) Experience with growing company from 4-10 people (15:07) Company culture from a leadership perspective (22: 21) Importance of communicating with managers (23:29) Mid level employees (29:37) Nathan Hoernig’s personal learnings of 2021 as a leader