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波乱万丈の生活が始まった
筆者夫妻が日本でビジネスを始めたのは5年前のこと。
企業家精神あふれる家庭に育った筆者は、ビジネスを起こすことの困難さを理解していた。
そして予想通りの、ジェットコースターに乗っているような生活が始まった。
途中で何度もくじけそうになったが、お金のやりくりをきちんとして、何とかビジネスを軌道に乗せることができた。
Rollercoaster ride
About five years ago, my husband, Mike, and I took the plunge to start our own businesses — the rollercoaster ride was about to begin.
Bear in mind, the last thing that Mike wanted to do was to start a business while in Japan. Being the boss of our own new venture sounds great in theory, but coming from an entrepreneurial family, I was acutely aware of the risks and difficulties involved. My parents had also worked together so I knew the strain it could place on a marriage. Raising a young child is difficult enough, but add to that start-ups, no stable income and limited family support and the rollercoaster analogy becomes clear.
So, of course, we climbed on board and started not one, but two separate businesses.
Initially we worked independently but quickly realised competing for the same limited resources would not work in the long run. Two years ago, we made the difficult decision to shift our primary focus on one business, merging our operations. Interestingly enough, this step made life simultaneously more difficult and easier. I was so unsure of how it would work out that I gave Mike a month-to-month lease when he first moved his team into my office! Eventually we figured out how to best combine not only our respective strengths and weaknesses but our entire office infrastructure.
Over the years, I have become much more flexible, tenacious and patient — all important character traits to develop if you have your own business! Sadly, we started our businesses at the same time as three other friends launched their own ventures and today we are the only ones still operating.
Many times it would have been much easier to give up and take a regular job but we chose to continue. Either I am incredibly patient or plain stupid — the jury is still out! As a professional accountant I am naturally conservative, but even I underestimated the cost and time it would take to build our businesses. We funded everything, including our household requirements, with our savings for four years. Despite the very "bumpy" ride, we never once considered outside investment.
I have never worked so hard in my life, nor have I ever faced so many challenges. But I love the fact that I learn something new every day and awake each morning with a clear sense of purpose. More importantly, I know that our efforts are for our son's future. When I finally do leave Japan, I will have helped build a business in the world's second-largest economy. Now that's quite a ride.
- Rollercoaster ride
- 波乱万丈の生活
- took the plunge to 〜
- 思い切って〜した
- Bear in mind
- 言っておくが
- last thing that 〜 wanted to do
- 〜が絶対したくなかったこと
- venture
- 冒険
- in theory
- 理論上は
- entrepreneurial
- 企業家精神にあふれた
- strain it could place on a marriage
- 結婚生活にのしかかるかもしれない重圧
- analogy
- 類似点
- climbed on board
- 事業に着手した
- resources
- 収入源
- primary focus
- 第一の焦点
- merging our operations
- 2人の事業を一体化して
- work out
- 結果が出る
- month-to-month lease
- 1ヵ月ごとの賃貸契約
- respective
- それぞれの
- Over the years
- 年を経るにつれて
- tenacious
- 頑張りの利く
- character traits
- 特性
- Many times
- 何度も
- take a regular job
- 定職に就く
- jury is still out
- 決定は下っていない
- accountant
- 会計士
- conservative
- 控えめな
- underestimated
- 〜を低く見積もりすぎた
- funded
- 〜にお金を使った
- household requirements
- 家庭で必要になるもの
- savings
- 貯蓄
- bumpy
- がたがた揺れる(浮き沈みの激しい)
- outside investment
- 外部からの資金の注入
- challenges
- 困難
- sense of purpose
- 目的意識
- quite a ride
- 素晴らしい経験