With our guest, venture capitalist Kazutaka Muraguchi, Impact Hub Kyoto facilitator Yukinori Sakurai, and Kenshu Kamura facilitating the event titled “Thoughts on Productive Business,” the second Dojo for Change was held on Sunday, January 26.

☆Mr. Kazutaka Muraguchi☆

Representative of the private venture capital, Nippon Technology Venture Partners http://www.ntvp.com/

Lecture at Keio University Graduate School Management Research (Keio Business School：ＫＢＳ）

Facilitator、Kenshu Kamura ＋Yukinori Sakurai
Speaker 、Kazutaka Muraguchi

They spoke about developing businesses, sharing the fruits of one’s labors, and pursuing happiness. They used the metaphor of a tree growing from a small seed, and, by obtaining water and nutrients, the roots spread, the leaves sprout, and finally the flowers bloom.

In order for you, the seed, to sprout, you need “willpower.” The leaves, which symbolize companionship, bend from the ripening of the fruit, and the flowers, which resemble social activity, are allowed to bloom. The quality of the nectar, or the value of the product, is what attracts the customers, and its quality is then enhanced. Through competition and mutual benefit and trial and error, before long, you receive the fruits of your labor.

Because the talk was fun and easy to understand, it steadily drew me in.

Mr. Muraguchi and participants

I, myself, just started a business this January. The way in which I was blessed with many leaves, fortunate connections, was better than I thought, but I cannot deny that there were doubts about how to establish the roots and stems, i.e. the business’s foundation and structure. You must make an effort not to break under the weight of the leaves; don’t let success go to your head.

You need to think about how you will live within society. Namely, you need to decide your own path and interests. In other words, you need to determine how to find happiness for yourself. According to Muraguchi-san, you can become truly happy by discovering your own conclusions as to what the definition of happiness is.

Dialogues among participants

Written by Impact Hub Kyoto member：Sachiko Matsuyama (monomo Inc. http://jp.monomo.jp/)

Translated by Impact Hub Kyoto interns: Daizhen Zheng & Baylee Williams