Rakuten Today: Mickey's Voice

January 8, 2016 < 1 min read

Hiroshi Mikitani at Business Insider IGNITION

UPDATE: Mickey discusses his future plans for Rakuten in a video from Business Insider on the IGNITION 2015 conference. (Please note that clicking on the link will take you to an external site outside of Rakuten.Today.) On December 8, 2015, Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani took to the stage at Business Insider IGNITION 2015 in New York. Check out highlights from Mickey’s comments and ot…

January 7, 2016 2 min read

Disruption: The Economic Growth Driver for 2016

Most people think of disruptors as individuals – perhaps as entrepreneurs coming up with innovations that change the way we do something. But I think if you’re looking for the next disruptor, don’t necessarily watch for an individual. Instead, pay attention to macroeconomics. There are two distinguished theories in the field of macroeconomics. One is Keynesian. The other is Joseph Schumpeter’s inn…

October 30, 2015 2 min read

Dare to Dream

They say that to dream is the privilege of the young. I think this is a beautiful saying, but it could not be more wrong. It’s not that there is anything wrong with having dreams when you are young, but I have always felt that within this expression lies the nuance that once you get out into the “real” world you no longer have time to dream. I’d like to suggest to you that a dream that is swept aw…

October 30, 2015 < 1 min read

Love Your Enemy

Whether your rival is in another company or just in the cubicle beside you, that person is helping you every day in your job — whether you realize it or not. Many make the mistake or trying to ignore those we aren’t fond of. But rivals have plenty to teach us. Rivals challenge your values. It is easy to hear opinions you agree with. It is much more difficult to hear opinions that you don’t l…

October 30, 2015 2 min read

Rules for breaking rules

Successful leaders didn’t become successful by following rules. Steve Jobs broke rules when he introduced an affordable and powerful personal computer to the masses. Sir Richard Branson broke every rule in building Virgin Group because, as he says, “I never learned the rules in the first place.” I’ve broken many rules too. I broke the rule of the salaryman when I quit my fast-track job at Industri…

October 30, 2015 < 1 min read

Shikumika – The entrepreneur’s secret recipe for success

One thing new entrepreneurs often forget is the value of systems. Entrepreneurs work at a fast speed and make hundreds of decisions every day. They’re often learning on the job, finding efficiencies in all aspects of their business. Some entrepreneurs forget to systemize any new process. And in the excitement of a launch, the value of these systems is often overlooked. I overlooked the value of sy…

October 30, 2015 2 min read

Are morning meetings necessary?

In the early days of a business, it may seem unnecessary to hold official “meetings.” After all, everyone in the company may well be jammed into one room, one basement, one garage. Who needs a “meeting” if we are all here? My advice: start your business with a tradition of holding a weekly morning meeting. It’s a habit that will serve you well as you grow. Even when my company was made up of just…

October 30, 2015 2 min read

When a global mindset isn’t enough

I have always found the expression “the world is your oyster” to be an interesting metaphor for opening up a shop on a Rakuten marketplace. In fact, I certainly hope that it is easier to open a shop than to open an oyster, but when dealing with oysters one needs to pay attention and this is certainly true when it comes to taking your online shop to the world. Here are a few tips for how to succeed…

October 30, 2015 2 min read

Memo from the boss: Smile

Why should a boss want to see employees smile? I’m not talking only about customer-facing employees. We’re all familiar with the “service with a smile” rule. I’m talking about all employees: operations, assistants, designers, analysts, any employee. Any boss should care about whether or not their employees smile. I travel a lot, visiting companies around the world. When I visited a company in Sili…

October 30, 2015 2 min read

Think like a leader and change your perspective

To get ahead in any business setting, you must think like a leader – even if you are far from that rank today. In Japan we have the expression, “Salaryman perseverance.” The expression is used to describe people who only think of themselves as employees. They follow their instructions, do only what they’re told and never take initiative. That is not a mindset that will get you ahead at work. To ad…