Event Report: Building From Scratch <Kenja Corp. collaboration>
[Event Report: Building From Scratch]
Writer: Nicolas Correa (ENTREP writer/Event Manager)
In ENTREP’s second collaboration event with Kenja, participants had the opportunity to hear the CEO of Kenja, Ted Katagi, discuss his journey in business and share his views on how one can become a successful entrepreneur. The event was held on Airmeets on April 7th, 2021, and welcomed an enthusiastic group of over 35 participants from inside and outside the International Christian University (ICU) community.
Guest speaker, Mr. Katagi.
The event consisted of a presentation by Mr. Katagi about the fundamentals of the entrepreneurial mindset and the first steps of starting one’s own business, a general Q&A session, and a post-event networking session, in which students could move around freely between different virtual tables in order to chat, make new friends, and ask further questions to the guest speaker.
Mr. Katagi, despite being an entrepreneur and CEO, did not start his career as an entrepreneur. His career in business began in Enterprise Sales for IBM, and he subsequently assumed a variety of positions, including Director of Strategy for AirTouch, Chief Marketing Officer for Vodafone Japan, Global Head of Commercial Strategy for Vodafone Japan, and COO of Picsel Software. He has 20 years of experience as an executive.
Yet, at the age of 48, Mr. Katagi returned to fulfilling his childhood dream by starting his own company, Kenja, which was founded in 2011. For Mr. Katagi, starting his own business was his purpose, or “North Star”. He encourages us to follow our own North Stars, which we can achieve through understanding and living out the 5Ps. These include Passion, Purpose, Partners, Plan, and Persistence.
Mr. Katagi explains the 5Ps.
Passion was a core concept in Mr. Katagi’s presentation. He emphasized how it is unfortunate that many people in Japanese society do not find Passion in their work. “If you’re going to spend that much time at work, then shouldn’t you enjoy it?” Mr. Katagi said.
Passion ties into Purpose, which is a more long term goal. “The most important thing about purpose and the 5Ps is that you should have a reason to be here. Everyone has a special thing that they can contribute to the world. Find what that is, and then find a way to express that,” Mr. Katagi said. Mr. Katagi recognizes that Purpose is more difficult to grasp than Passion, and he therefore encourages people to find their Purpose in light of the hints they receive through understanding their Passions first.
Mr. Katagi shared that achieving one’s North Star requires us to seek Partners. He raised a practical approach to seeking Partners when he stated, “I tell my students...Who are the five top people that you want to meet?... If you do that, then the next thing is what can you do for them?” According to Mr. Katagi, it is a good idea to “think of a win-win” when approaching a mentor.
Mr. Katagi also presented on building a successful business.
The fourth principle in the 5Ps is Plan. A key idea that Mr. Katagi highlighted regarding Plan was that a Plan does not have to be perfect from the beginning. He stated, “Most people are going to plan a trip for one week. But they’re not going to plan their life. Isn’t that almost reverse? A longer the trip is don't you have it planned a little bit more? The problem is that people think it's too difficult… The plan is not something that you're going to have correctly the first time. You’re just going to try to do a plan, try to stay loose on it, but have a plan.”
Mr. Katagi also spoke on Persistence throughout his presentation. He spoke of the importance of not only reflecting on one’s passion, but also the power of putting the image of the goal in one’s mind. He stated, “And if you really want to get your purpose done, promise yourself you’ll spend ten minutes a day on your purpose. Which is much better than every three years spending a week on it… If you’re constantly thinking about your purpose everyday...That gets you really on track.”
With a deeper understanding and an implementation of these 5Ps, one has the foundation to start on their entrepreneurial journey. Hopefully, we can be part of the community that chooses to take action by implementing these ideas. Let’s understand our Passions and discern our Purpose. Let’s think about potential Partners. Let’s have a loose Plan and be Persistent. Take 10 minutes reflecting on your 5Ps today!
