“For society” = “For oneself”. Is the obvious lack that corporate “visions” are based on “money”?

Recently, I overheard a conversation like this on the train.

'If you're going to talk about a vision for society or for others, then companies and business owners should provide services for free. Aren't you just trying to make money for yourselves anyway?'

I see, so there's that perspective too.

For example, I believe many company representatives and business owners talk about 'for the sake of society' or 'for the world.' They manage their businesses with a vision. Of course, as you say, creating a company, to a greater or lesser extent, benefits the world. As long as it's not a scam.

However, the fact that creating and managing a company is also 'for oneself' is generally not discussed. People try not to reveal their own desires behind their vision. They talk about visions like 'it's for society' or 'we're doing it to make the world a better place' publicly.

Nevertheless, it's obvious to everyone that any vision, company launch, or business management is also for oneself. Because any business fulfills one's own desire to 'do that.' Since one is driven by their own desire to 'live that kind of life,' ultimately, the essential motivation lies within oneself.

Basically, people who manage or build companies have two motivations. Today, I'd like to consider these two motivations as a standard.

First, the motivation to fulfill a vision.

I share know-how, knowledge, and methods that I've accumulated through successes and failures with many people, both for a fee and for free. This is because I have a simple desire to 'create an infrastructure that enables people to protect their own happiness.' I will also uphold the same content as a company vision.

If you ask 'Why?', it's because I wish for people to live freely, expressing their true selves. Why endure so much? Being forced to endure one hardship after another, only to gain a raise of a few thousand yen. Working desperately until late every night, unable to spend time with truly important people. Is such a society truly sound?

Even for companies, I believe there should be more companies that support the human lives of their employees.

However, if you are truly spending your time on work you want to do, that's fine. If you are genuinely willing to dedicate your life to your current job, and you find it incredibly enjoyable, then I think such people should spend as much time as they want on their work. Because the work itself is their life's vision.

But not everyone living in the world has fully found their vision. They have hopes of 'wanting to do this,' but they continue to endure without achieving them. This is because navigating life is truly difficult.

Even after much thought, one's ideas cannot reach things they don't know or experiences they haven't had. Because they don't know them. I don't think people who have somehow pushed forward by following their beliefs or being blessed with circumstances would understand. There must be many people who don't even know how to find a vision.

In fact, I was on the side that didn't have one. I thought and thought about how to break through from the very bottom, and somehow I've made it this far. Even then, it was a series of small coincidences and luck that allowed me to learn and get to this point. In that sense, perhaps I should say I 'had' it.

That's why I can't stand it. There are steps and means that could be called turning points in life everywhere, and many people know about them. Those who know must convey them.

Because I want a society where everyone can think for themselves, create businesses, protect important people with their own hands, and earn money 'with their own hands,' without relying on organizations or companies.

It's based on my own experience from a time when I couldn't earn money, and I want people to know that 'you can truly rise up from zero, from having nothing, possessing nothing, or even from a negative situation,' and to acquire the means to do so. These are also words I want to tell my past self.

That is my vision, and it's also what I want to do: create and manage an organizational system called a company, and take on challenges. That's why I continue my activities.

That concludes the first reason. The second reason is to earn money.

If I say that, it might be misunderstood. (laughs)

I myself intend to dedicate the rest of my life to this field. I will build the system with all my heart and soul.

At the same time, if I'm going to commit with all my effort, of course I want to earn money. Fairly, in exchange for providing something truly valuable. To realize my vision and also fulfill my own ideal vision of 'life.' Above all, to provide a better life for the people who care about me.

Asking for money from someone becomes a pain for that person. Ideally, everything would be provided for free, a situation where anyone could obtain it without pain.

However, that is impossible.

Providing services in exchange for pain. It might seem to contradict the vision and impulse I just mentioned, but this very contradiction is like the truth of the world.

Contradiction, that is overwhelmingly important in society. Without contradiction, society cannot function. If we were to object to every single contradiction, society would not maintain its current form. The world is full of contradictions.

If you're going to dedicate your life to something, you'll die if it's volunteer work. That's obvious. Therefore, volunteer work is always half-hearted. It's a patchwork of efforts, like Frankenstein's monster. No matter how grand a vision one has, it is always achieved by companies and entrepreneurs, not volunteers. It is their vision.

Furthermore, it's not just about business. It's also true for individuals.

No matter how strong your feelings are, if you don't gain something yourself by doing it, it 'won't last.' Personally, I also need to have my own comfort and happiness there. And entrepreneurs and business owners alike have a duty to make the people they cherish, those close to them, happy. They want to protect their important families.

I dedicate everything to my work, but I absolutely don't want to see my family, friends, or partner, who believed in me, saddened by thinking, 'He's always just working.' If I can't even make those close to me happy, I think, 'What kind of vision is that?'

This is my personal way of thinking, but don't you all feel the same way?

To do that, I must weigh what I want to protect, consider continuing the business, and comprehensively receive an appropriate amount of money.

That's precisely why we should be able to give back new value to society.

If taking action like this leads to complete self-sacrifice and a state of continuously giving to others, no one will move. No, they can't move. Because they will die. Because everyone around them will become unhappy. And if you try to earn revenue elsewhere, what you set out as your vision will become half-hearted.

To create something, you must have peace of mind. If you don't have peace of mind, ultimately, you can't create anything. I want to keep pushing forward in life, leading the way and providing a lot of knowledge and means. Everyone thinks that way.

And peace of mind is born from a certain amount of money or more. If someone says they're fine without money, they probably haven't encountered a 'truly moneyless situation.'

It's already miserable. Like living by scavenging for scraps.

In such a situation, even if you want to try something, or make someone happy, it's impossible. Even if you want to do something creative, your movements are blocked.

By the way, when you create a company, become a manager, and learn various things, you understand how money moves and how to acquire it. Therefore, by combining all that knowledge, you can say, 'It's okay even without money.'

However, grasping the opportunity to learn is surprisingly difficult.

I think everyone has gone through a period of financial hardship at least once, but in a situation with no time and no money, truly productive work cannot be done. If you also lack knowledge, you won't know how to make money.

That is precisely why, if you manage a company and dedicate yourself with a vision to the next field, you must protect the people who believe in you, the important people you must protect, and your own freedom, pride, dignity, and livelihood.

Paying for a service means, in other words, mutual support between people.

I have launched various businesses and received money. For customers, it's an investment opportunity to consider who to pay to get a significant return for themselves. The world is made up of investments and returns on those investments. Everything is like that.

Customers are investors. You must think about how much you will gain by paying someone, and then spend your money. And entrepreneurs and managers must return greater value for the investment they received. They must fully realize what they articulated in their vision. That is one of the essences of society. At the same time, it is also an important thing that you must always be conscious of within yourself.

In other words, paying money is usually likened to pain, and often discussed in the context of taking from someone, but in reality, for the customer, it is an investment based purely on their own judgment, where they decide 'I can bet on this.' Therefore, the service provider must also prove that 'investing in me will make you the best.' That is also one truth.

Companies and management are built upon a balance between the vision of 'we want to create this kind of society' and the necessity of 'money must be paid.' Even global corporations like apple, amazon, google, and other major companies with incredibly wonderful visions, cannot provide the essential parts of their services without an exchange of money.

I felt that there was a lack of understanding regarding this obvious and acceptable contradiction.

If you say something, people will complain, 'Oh, that's just idealism,' or 'You just want to make money.' But contradiction is natural. That contradiction is what society is now, and it is a system that must naturally be protected. To argue about it is to understand nothing, or simply to be overly naive. Such people will never win in life. Without even touching upon it, you must know that it is natural.

People talk about visions. They talk about wanting to realize such a society. However, that is something happening on the stage of society. If you are serious about it, you should understand much more that commensurate revenue is necessary. Otherwise, no one will be happy, and society will not evolve. Even maintaining the status quo will be impossible.

If good services are provided, revenue will be generated. As revenue steadily increases, the quality of services will also improve. And society will be revitalized, allowing people to live more freely and with excitement. Creating such a cycle based on a grand vision is the work of companies, managers, and all people living in society.