Tokyo Executives would like to thank everyone who attended our “Young Executives Networking Party” on May 1 at Legato Shibuya.
With over 60 young executives in attendance, we were delighted to work with the YCN (Young Chamber Network), a sister group of Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Japan, for the first time and we hope to work together again.
Below are some photos from the event, we hope that next time all of our “young executives” will be able to join again!
Author Archives: admin
Tokyo Executives & Servcorp
Tokyo Executives would like to thank everyone who attended our event titled “’Creating a Sustainable Business Model‘” with special presentation by Ray Bemner OBE, CEO of Unilever Japan last week. With over 40 executives in attendance, this was one of our most interesting events ever. Working with our host sponsor, Servcorp Japan, for the first time was a delight, and we were so honored to welcome Mr Bremner, as our special guest speaker. His presentation was both entertaining and informative, using video and Unilever’s “Sustainable Living Plan” to illustrate how “small actions can make a BIG difference”.
Video and photos from the event can be found here:
Innovations at Google Review
Tokyo Executives would like to thank everyone who attended our “Innovations at Google” event. Working with the BCCJ for the first time was a delight and we hope to work together again.
Masumi Reynder`s presentation was found to be both informative and entertaining, using video of Bill Nye the Science guy to illustrate her points, and referring to previous Google projects and ideas to explain how the many Google tools we use today are the way they are.
Tokyo Executives Golf Day
Tokyo Executives would like to thank all of the participated in the Tokyo Executives Golf Day.
We would especially like to thank Bennett Galloway for communicating on behalf of Tokyo Executives with Camel Golf Resort to host the event there.
It was a good time had by all, many people experienced some of their personal best scores, and the weather coincided perfectly with our schedule, raining only when getting back to the clubhouse for lunch and then clearing up right as the tee times for the back nine holes started!
Below are some other pictures from the event, we hope that next year everyone will be able to join again!
![photo[4]](http://tokyoexecutives.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/photo4-e1348450811908-150x150.jpg "photo[4]")
![photo[3]](http://tokyoexecutives.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/photo3-e1348450799828-150x150.jpg "photo[3]")
![photo[2]](http://tokyoexecutives.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/photo2-150x150.jpg "photo[2]")
![photo[1]](http://tokyoexecutives.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/photo1-150x150.jpg "photo[1]")
Self-Awareness Will Save You
Self-Awareness for the Entrepreneur is an over-looked and yet very critical part of running a small businesses. 
Karen E. Klein, who is also a VC and has experience dealing with Entrepreneurs said to have classic ADHD-like tendencies, draws a very good comparison in his post about self awareness;
They keep lighting fires, and everybody else chases them all day. The question is, can you get them in a controlled environment and get them to understand the damage they’re doing and maximize their success?…
…we give them a very high fence in that sandbox so they can’t jump out and hurt themselves. The VC will tell them if they don’t get focused they’ll be replaced. It shocks the hell out of them because no one’s ever told them that before.
One of the top reasons many entrepreneurs fail, according to Martin Zwilling, is that Entrepreneurs often fail to execute. Again going back to being self-aware of yourself in your action plan and following through instead of keeping all of the hypothetical great results replaying in your head is critical!
One way to do this is to MAKE LISTS. It has been shown that simply writing things down has. Whether it be changing a light bulb or writing a proposal for your next big client, writing down lists is an incredibly effective way to get ideas through the planning stages and into reality!
SOURCES:
Why Self-Awareness Is Crucial
Top Ten Reasons Why First-Time Entrepreneurs Fail
Ecentral Presents “AFTER 7″ Event
This Thursday!
Join major companies and a host of VIPs for informal and relaxed networking at LEG.A Roppongi (opposite Tokyo Midtown).
DATE: September 13, 2012
PLACE: LEG.A Roppongi (opposite Tokyo Midtown)
TIME: 19:00 ~ 23:00
After 7 is a networking event where managers, executives and CEOs come together for an informal and relaxed party to swap contacts and explore relationships.
Held once a year, the 4 previous events encountered a tremendous success with over 400 participants at each.
Organized by the Ecentral career and networking website and co-promoted by 12 Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Tokyo, high-profile people and companies are anticipating this occasion to build new relationships and expand their network.
Achieve Mobillity with Virtual Offices
The keyword of today`s business moving forward seems to be Mobile, not only the idea of creating and utilizing mobile apps but also obtaining the ability to be on the move and yet operate as if you were sitting at your desk with an assistant taking your calls.
Luckily, such companies that operate in Tokyo have been working on making this mobility easier to realize. Here are some of the features in particular that Servcorp, a well-known serviced and virtual office provider offers.
1. 5 Star CBD Address
- You can select your Central Business District address from over 140 locations worldwide.
2. Local number answered in your company name
- For Tokyo that means a 03-####-#### telephone number.
3. No Call Centers used
- This means that you do not need to worry about your representation via telephone – a dedicated receptionist will professionally answer incoming calls in your company name.
4. Online Meeting Hosting and Video Conferencing
- On top of online hosting and conferencing you also receive access to boardrooms, meeting rooms, and day offices on a daily basis. You can use them hourly or for as little as ten minutes.
5. Month to month payment plans available
- You do not have to pay in lump sums. Sign up for a plan and pay monthly from as low as 6,000 yen
6. 24 hour interactive voicemail.
- Around the clock voicemail services so you do not have to waste your time worrying about separating out your messages.
Click here for more information
Virtual Office is everything but the office. Meaning, you have all the functionality that a business requires without the physical office space. However, many companies offer business lounges, day offices and even meeting rooms that are available to you on an as-needed basis, allowing you to run your business cost-effectively. Virtual Office package would include a set amount of hours for you to use some of these facilities, but if you require more time, you can always use more at an extra cost.
As time goes on virtual offices are becoming more developed, more streamlined, and better managed. If you would like to try one out Servcorp offers a FREE 30 DAY trial at the moment. Why not try it out?
Business Travel: Big Changes on the Horizon
There are some big things happening in the world of air travel at the moment, and it may affect how you get to your next big overseas meeting and who you are flying with.
Since the September 11th tragedy, many airlines have vanished or have seen nothing but steep declines year after year. Mishaps like Southwest charging customers multiple times when they ordered on a Friday to receive a 50% discount have not helped to improve the public`s outlook on the situation. In Asia, HK Airlines has stopped taking reservations past September 3rd for the Hong Kong to Gatwick route that only just started running on March 8th. 
Climate related issues will also now start to take a big role in how airlines work together and start to effect routes between certain countries. The EU`S Emissions Trading Plan has raised some opposition, China and India have raised the strongest disdain for the idea saying that they may not allow for their airlines to participate, and in the U.S. the House of Representatives passed a bill that orders U.S. carriers not to take part in the program.
However, for some companies in Asia like All Nippon Airways, things are beginning to look up. ANA has been doing much better recently, posting a net profit of 668 million yen for the first fiscal quarter this year. This could be attributed to the rise in the value of the Japanese yen, which has given people earning in Japanese yen spending power when it comes to air travel, but ANA says they do not see any reason why they cannot maintain this positive trend.
Keep up on Air Travel News at ExecutiveTravelNews.com
SOURCES:
Japan`s ANA posts Y668 Million 1st Quarter Net Profit
IAG Chief Eyes Stake in American Airlines
MSNBC : Southwest Pays Refunds After Computer Glitch
Uncertainty Over HK Airlines Gatwick Route
The Four People You Need For Your Business
If you are running a small to medium size business, there are four people reccomended that you should always have on your team in order to maximize your chances for success.
Finding IT Staff With Confidence
If you are running a business right now you are probably in need, or soon to be in need of some IT assistance. Whether it be software engineering, data management, administration, or security needs you will have to do some hunting to find the right IT Staff.
If you have the time, money and energy, one of the best ways to find such IT Staff as programmers, coders, or software engineers is to host a Hackathon. In order to host a hackathon, arrange a big party full of junk food, pizza, and heavily caffeinated beverages, then make sure your wifi and LAN networks are working. Now send out the invites and promote it through Social Networking Sites and pages. Make sure you announce what the goal of the Hackathon is, some can be targeted development while others are less focused. For more tips on how to put on a Hackathon click here
3 things to watch out for when hiring new IT Staff :
1. Bad Business Sense – Techies with a lot of in-depth knowledge sometimes lack the critical thinking/research skills necessary to make good choices and investments. As we all know, investing in the wrong technology or buying from the wrong vendor can cause significant losses in terms of money and opportunity.
2. Poor Social Skills – IT people without soft skills can alienate their colleagues, souring them on everything to do with technology. Or they may get along with colleagues on a day-to-day basis, but lack the ability to communicate new ideas and build consensus around them.
3. No End User Sympathy – Some tech geniuses out there don’t understand that the rest of us have limitations. These folks sometimes want to invest in complicated, powerful technology that their colleagues won’t understand. Or they’ll customize a piece of software to the point that no one else in the organization can use it or maintain it.
If you are hiring in Tokyo, it may be best to use a Recruiting Service to do this work for you. As long as your willing to pay a minimal fee, you can have someone else sift through all the applicants and find you somebody that is both a techy, but can also be a good fit for your office. Such companies as Vision Consulting provide this service for IT Staff in Tokyo.
Sources:
Tips for Hiring IT Staff: Balancing Skills and Communication
Hackathon Hiring: How to Scout for Coders with Confidence
