It’s been about 4 months since I moved here in May this year. Both my home and factory still have room for refinement, but in what might be my final season of life, things are gradually coming together.
In the midst of all this, I’m filled with gratitude as our second crowdfunding campaign continues to grow day by day. The wet blasting equipment has started operating, and I want to gradually improve the quality of our work. With 14 days remaining, I look forward to your continued support! (*´ω｀*)
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Thank you for your support from Kumamoto, Pokidam!
When you support us, I’d be happy if you left a nice comment. Thank you for pushing us forward during these difficult times of high prices and abnormal weather changes.
The relocation and business restructuring can be called a great success
The quiet environment has made my work concentration extraordinary. There’s almost no need to stop work due to people coming and going or phone calls.
I really feel how much external factors in Tokyo were stopping my work. A year passes in a flash, but surprisingly, it’s quite routine.
When you try to do something, you can only sacrifice yourself. In the worst case, you even have to sacrifice yourself in your work.
Some people say that’s just how the world is, but those people are those people, and I am me.
If you feel some discomfort with your work or way of life, it might be good to steer in the direction you want to go. What if things don’t work out? What if I fail? Not everything moves in a positive direction all at once. I think it’s fine as long as the overall picture is positive.
A life with no future in sight without doing anything, or a life full of dreams where you do what you want, even a little. “Are you choosing, or can’t you choose?” “Are you flowing, or are you being swept along?” The more I think about it, the deeper life seems.
When you do something unexpected, others tend to oppose it. It’s important not to “consult with a large group” when you have an idea. Usually, your heart breaks when opposed by the majority and it’s all over.
“I wish my life had turned out this way.” I think it’s good to make choices with high satisfaction like that. However, if it becomes a life of pinching pennies, that’s something to think about.
What’s a good location for a motorcycle shop?
I’m pretty sure it’s not in urban areas.
“Test rides are impossible; the roads are congested beyond a joke.”
Troubleshooting strange symptoms or unusual noises during test rides in urban areas is extremely difficult and risky. The possibility of accidents or problems occurring is very high. *By the way, motorcycle voluntary insurance and other driver special clauses cannot be used for test rides during business. You need to have insurance for contract work.
“Even loading and unloading bikes is unrealistic.”
I think there are fewer shops with an entrance (like a parking lot) than before. Either you load and unload near the contracted parking lot, or along the roadside. Either way, you have to be mindful of your surroundings. It’s a common story to get a parking violation if you leave your car parked leisurely along the road.
“The number of pedestrians, e-bikes, and loops is extraordinary.”
Not only are there many, but everyone is in a hurry, so it’s become quite a dangerous situation. You see accidents between bicycles and between loops quite often. Everyone seems to be in a real rush with no time, and there’s a sense of urgency. There’s a sense of urgency that’s quite intense. In other words, the possibility of getting hit by a stray accident is very high.
“Urban rent is high and space is limited.”
Honestly, with rent alone, you could build a factory in 10 or 15 years. I’ve already paid over 100 million so it’s extraordinary… When you think about it that way, luxury apartments are amazing~
With a tenant space, starting and leaving are easy, so you naturally end up choosing it. I think that’s fine for the beginning. Now I think I should have built a factory instead of moving to the second location (Himonya → Kakikizaka). With a tenant space, it’s hard to invest in equipment, and it’s also difficult to settle down firmly afterward. Since there are many heavy items, it’s hard to casually relocate a shop. For example, if I get sick, rent still accrues, and if I become disabled or pass away, my family would have to remove everything from the shop and cancel the lease, a risk that increases year by year. And I don’t think I can maintain the same work pace as I age. Considering the decline of the motorcycle industry in 5, 10, or 15 years, it’s realistic to reduce fixed cost risks.
“The advantage of urban areas is public transportation and the number of clients.”
When customers leave their bikes and come pick them up, convenient public transportation access is helpful. High public transportation accessibility simply increases the number of potential clients. If you want to do a large volume of work, large or small, this seems fine, but it becomes unrealistic over a long life.
Ultimately, you have to do a large volume of work to pay the tenant rent. You can’t even take your own salary. With large fixed rent costs, you can’t spend time on substantial work. Of course, if there are many advance payments, it becomes quite risky. If cash flow isn’t smooth, you can’t manage. What’s common is “clearing someone else’s past with someone’s advance payment.” If you imagine a shop’s monthly cash flow, you can roughly tell if it’s precarious or stable.
Creating a shop where people feel comfortable
Recently, there are people who visit every week and we talk about various things. As a basic premise, it’s not just about money transactions—that’s the advantage of a personal shop. If you just want to earn a lot of money, a different approach would be better.
Going forward, I’d like to propose solid services to a small number of customers and build a shop around that. In 5 years, I’ll be 5 years older, and in 15 years, 15 years older. So what about someone who’s 60 now in 15 years? The number of motorcycle riders and motorcycle shops themselves will definitely decrease. If you change course after the world becomes difficult, it’s already too late. It’s important to imagine future changes and prepare an approach for them.
Carburetors have disappeared and fuel injection is now 100%, but other components haven’t changed much. I think there are few industries with so little change.
I’ve talked at length, but I imagine a time of great change ahead. However, for better or worse, the speed of information dissemination and the abundance of information available are definitely becoming weapons. We need to use these things well and take different approaches, not just motorcycles.
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