90% of My Businesses Failed. Then I Started Two in Japan.

80 to 90% of the businesses I started failed. Three years ago I was scared to start a company in Japan, and people told me I couldn't because I don't speak Japanese. I've just closed the books on year three. In Episode 4 of A Day, a Thought, I walk through an autumn morning in Karuizawa and try to explain honestly what running a business in Japan has taught me as a foreigner. Why did my recruiting companies work when my dropshipping shops didn't? I'm not really a successful entrepreneur. I was a successful employee who worked out which parts of the job generated revenue, did the math and went by myself. I also talk about what I still have no clue about, outsourcing the admin, why being self-employed has meant less stress than working in an agency, the time it gives me with my kids, and why I think the real choice is doing it or not doing it. This is my own experience, and it assumes you already have a skill you can take out of your current job. Have you thought about starting a business in Japan? What's stopping you? I'm Axel, a Belgian entrepreneur and father living in Japan. This personal video journal follows everyday life, family, building businesses and the things I'm still figuring out. Chapters: 00:00 90% of my businesses failed 00:15 Closing the books on year three 00:54 Not really an entrepreneur 01:53 I had no clue how to find customers 02:46 Doing the math on my own salary 03:15 The easiest way to start a business 03:50 So scared to start a company in Japan 04:29 What the freedom actually looks like 05:53 What if it failed? 06:23 There's no such thing as failing 06:36 The biggest eye opener 07:23 Visas, Japanese and the admin I outsource 08:05 What you miss if you don't do it Watch Episode 3 — Why I Like Being an Outsider in Japan:    • Why I Like Being an Outsider in Japan   Watch Episode 2 — Japan Isn't Temporary for Me Anymore:    • My Parents Reminded Me Why I Still Live in...   Start with Episode 1 — Why I'm Starting a Video Journal in Japan:    • Life in Japan, Without a Script — My 30-Da...   Watch the series — A Day, a Thought | Japan Vlogs:    • A Day, a Thought — Japan Vlogs   Useful links: Browse ClearPath jobs in Japan: https://go.clearpathrecruitment.com/j... Interested in joining ClearPath as a recruiter: https://join.clearpathrecruitment.com/ Need employer brand or marketing support for your startup in Japan: https://www.innohyve.co.jp/ Connect with me on LinkedIn:   / axel-algoet   #BusinessInJapan #LifeInJapan #Karuizawa