'..Change, and innovation, appear to come naturally to Horie. Not content with cruising to high status with a degree from the University of Tokyo, where, as a 23-year-old student with just 6 million yen (cca 50k USD) capital, he formed a Web site consulting and design firm he called Livin' on the Edge Ltd.
The following year Horie dropped out of the prestigious school, and every single year since then the turnover of his IT business has doubled -- both by providing new services and also through mergers and acquisitions. In 2000, he successfully listed his company on the Mothers market for emerging, high-growth stocks at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
In 2002, Horie acquired the Internet service provider Livedoor, and the following year changed his firm's name to Edge Co. Then, this February, he changed the name again, to Livedoor Co. -- "simply because its name is better known than Edge," he said.
At present, Livedoor's Internet businesses encompass networking, consulting, e-commerce, e-finance and software development. Based in Tokyo's super-swish Roppongi Hills, Livedoor's sales to the year ending this month are expected to reach 25 billion yen -- double the previous year's, naturally, and certainly enough to make Horie one of the most successful young entrepreneurs in Japan. As befits that status, this single divorcee drives a lime-green Ferrari, and though he "lives over the shop" in a Roppongi Hills condominium, it's a sprawling pad that sets him back 2.2 million yen (cca 20k USD) in rent -- per month..
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Q & A:
So is that why, in your recent book "Kasegu ga kachi (The One Who Makes Money Wins)" (Kobunsha, 2004), you are encouraging young people to become entrepreneurs?
Yes, exactly. I believe that the younger the president, the better. Regardless of size, when you launch a business at a young age and keep running it for five years, you are well qualified for top management. After that, I think you are capable of taking charge of a bigger business.
But not everyone can necessarily succeed like you. What would you say to them?
Try again. It's not bad to fail. You just have to go back to zero. Restart from zero. That's where you started anyway. Anyone can open their own business with capital of just 1 yen now. You can start tomorrow, or today if you want. So there's really nothing to teach. You just have to learn it on the job. I always tell everyone who's interested in starting up a business to start tomorrow.
Are you interested in becoming a politician yourself?
No. Japanese politics only influences Japan, which is such a small island country. I think business is a lot more interesting, because you get to do it globally.
As your company makes more profit, are you interested in philanthropy?
I believe that when a company is profitable, that already means that it is contributing to society. People buy because they need that product or service. And when we make profits, we pay tax. I think that it's okay for a company to simply make profits and return part of them to society through tax.
The important thing is to think hard how your commodities will be received in society. You can't force people to buy things. You have to provide products and services that people happily pay for. Companies who market things people don't buy won't make money, and will naturally founder.
Over the years as Japanese society has become richer, there are those who have become more interested in values other than material ones -- for example, living a slow life. How do you regard such values?
You can't live without any money, but then it's true that you don't need much to live. It's true that you have to use time and energy to make lots of money, so there are some sacrifices made. I think it all comes down to what you want in life.
I'm not trying to tell people how to live. If they choose to live a slow life, that's fine. I'm just saying that no matter what you do, you do need money, and if you have more, it makes it easier to do whatever you want. Money isn't something you can escape from.
I think money is nice and simple. It doesn't discriminate among people, and I think all people are equal in the eyes of money. So making money is really about bringing a person's ability into full play.
I believe people's talents and charms can be converted to money. If they don't have talent or charm, I don't think they can make money. And actually, money naturally comes around to those people with talent or charm.
Livedoor has grown this big through mergers and acquisitions. From here on, what will be your investment criteria?
It all depends on whether we can get a return on our investment from a particular company, regardless of its business. For example, if we invest 100 million yen and get more than that in return in two to three years, we'll invest. That's a criterion. We can't wait for five years, because you never know what might happen in five years' time.
How far are you going to take Livedoor from here?
To be the world's number 1. I'm going to make us the best in the world.
When will that be?
As soon as possible. I want to get it done with as fast as I can. Once I've taken this company to the top, that will be the end of my role in this firm.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20040905x1.htm
The following year Horie dropped out of the prestigious school, and every single year since then the turnover of his IT business has doubled -- both by providing new services and also through mergers and acquisitions. In 2000, he successfully listed his company on the Mothers market for emerging, high-growth stocks at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
In 2002, Horie acquired the Internet service provider Livedoor, and the following year changed his firm's name to Edge Co. Then, this February, he changed the name again, to Livedoor Co. -- "simply because its name is better known than Edge," he said.
At present, Livedoor's Internet businesses encompass networking, consulting, e-commerce, e-finance and software development. Based in Tokyo's super-swish Roppongi Hills, Livedoor's sales to the year ending this month are expected to reach 25 billion yen -- double the previous year's, naturally, and certainly enough to make Horie one of the most successful young entrepreneurs in Japan. As befits that status, this single divorcee drives a lime-green Ferrari, and though he "lives over the shop" in a Roppongi Hills condominium, it's a sprawling pad that sets him back 2.2 million yen (cca 20k USD) in rent -- per month..
--
Q & A:
So is that why, in your recent book "Kasegu ga kachi (The One Who Makes Money Wins)" (Kobunsha, 2004), you are encouraging young people to become entrepreneurs?
Yes, exactly. I believe that the younger the president, the better. Regardless of size, when you launch a business at a young age and keep running it for five years, you are well qualified for top management. After that, I think you are capable of taking charge of a bigger business.
But not everyone can necessarily succeed like you. What would you say to them?
Try again. It's not bad to fail. You just have to go back to zero. Restart from zero. That's where you started anyway. Anyone can open their own business with capital of just 1 yen now. You can start tomorrow, or today if you want. So there's really nothing to teach. You just have to learn it on the job. I always tell everyone who's interested in starting up a business to start tomorrow.
Are you interested in becoming a politician yourself?
No. Japanese politics only influences Japan, which is such a small island country. I think business is a lot more interesting, because you get to do it globally.
As your company makes more profit, are you interested in philanthropy?
I believe that when a company is profitable, that already means that it is contributing to society. People buy because they need that product or service. And when we make profits, we pay tax. I think that it's okay for a company to simply make profits and return part of them to society through tax.
The important thing is to think hard how your commodities will be received in society. You can't force people to buy things. You have to provide products and services that people happily pay for. Companies who market things people don't buy won't make money, and will naturally founder.
Over the years as Japanese society has become richer, there are those who have become more interested in values other than material ones -- for example, living a slow life. How do you regard such values?
You can't live without any money, but then it's true that you don't need much to live. It's true that you have to use time and energy to make lots of money, so there are some sacrifices made. I think it all comes down to what you want in life.
I'm not trying to tell people how to live. If they choose to live a slow life, that's fine. I'm just saying that no matter what you do, you do need money, and if you have more, it makes it easier to do whatever you want. Money isn't something you can escape from.
I think money is nice and simple. It doesn't discriminate among people, and I think all people are equal in the eyes of money. So making money is really about bringing a person's ability into full play.
I believe people's talents and charms can be converted to money. If they don't have talent or charm, I don't think they can make money. And actually, money naturally comes around to those people with talent or charm.
Livedoor has grown this big through mergers and acquisitions. From here on, what will be your investment criteria?
It all depends on whether we can get a return on our investment from a particular company, regardless of its business. For example, if we invest 100 million yen and get more than that in return in two to three years, we'll invest. That's a criterion. We can't wait for five years, because you never know what might happen in five years' time.
How far are you going to take Livedoor from here?
To be the world's number 1. I'm going to make us the best in the world.
When will that be?
As soon as possible. I want to get it done with as fast as I can. Once I've taken this company to the top, that will be the end of my role in this firm.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20040905x1.htm
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