Let’s start business from your own ‘maai’

When you think about how to start a business, what comes to mind? How to raise money? How to attract customers? You probably have many things to consider. However, there is something else you should think about first. It's a simple, fundamental way of thinking.

That is, "Is the business you are about to launch within your 'maai' (reach)?" Business also requires practice and failure. You can only win by launching services again and again, failing, and yet not giving up and accumulating know-how. By repeating failures and occasionally gaining successful experiences, what you can do expands more and more. We call this range of "what you can do" your "maai."

Will that sword reach the opponent?

For example, let's say there is a master swordsman. They call the range their sword can reach their "maai." Business is the same concept. When you haven't accumulated any successes or failures, you don't know how far your maai extends. How far can your sword reach? Conversely, where does it not reach? These things become clear through the accumulation of many empirical rules.

For example, let's say you need 5 million yen to develop an app. To get this 5 million yen, people look for investors or supporters, or save money. What you should consider here is whether the story of presenting to various people and raising 5 million yen is within your maai.

Gradually, you'll be able to fight in different maai as well.

Perhaps you could raise 5 million yen faster by coming up with ideas and earning money from things you can start with zero capital. Doing something you can start alone right now might bring you closer to achieving your goal. Maai doesn't mean "don't do more than your limits"; rather, it can be said to be about a person's fighting style and aptitudes themselves. Some people are good at fighting in a narrow maai, while others are good at fighting in a wide maai. Everyone has their own maai.

If you keep fighting within your own "maai," you will gradually grasp the tricks of fighting in other maai as well. That's why executing things that are outside your "maai" can sometimes be a good experience. For example, giving presentations to various people or looking for supporters. However, if it doesn't suit your personality, skills, or style, fighting in a different maai suddenly can take an overwhelmingly long time to achieve, or even lead to the project failing without ever starting.

If you're going to end up not starting, start fighting from your own maai.

Certainly, that time is not wasted. However, if you end up not even being able to start, it's more beneficial for your experience to start and operate something smaller, accumulating know-how. And when approaching supporters, there are many cases where they are convinced by the "know-how" you have accumulated.

For example, if you can sell cookies, then sell cookies. If you can offer errand services, then be an errand runner. If you're good at setting up drinking parties, then make that a business. Even so, the fact that you actually met customers face-to-face and provided a service will bring overwhelmingly great experience and learning. And with the learning and experience gained from a small business, you can aim for bigger prey. Your maai will gradually expand.

Repeat successes and failures, and gradually grasp other maai as well.

Business requires many successes and failures. For example, even someone who started a business at a young age and achieved great success may have, surprisingly, been involved in club events or bought and sold products themselves in the past, accumulating small business experiences. It might seem like they suddenly succeeded in a big business precisely because they had an environment where they were constantly initiating something. However, in reality, it can be said that the accumulation of small daily businesses provided them with numerous experiences and allowed them to build know-how and connections.

First, when starting something, begin with a small scope. Try starting within your own immediate reach. Once you've experienced some failures and successes within your scope, you'll notice that your scope has expanded a little.

Furthermore, if there's anyone thinking of starting a business in the future, by all means, start a small business right away. Surely, that experience will expand your future scope. If you're wondering what to do next, or if you have a plan but things aren't progressing, please consider your own scope. You might be surprised by how many discoveries you make.