Leverage Needs a Solid Foundation

I spend a great deal of time thinking about leverage. But to me, leverage is not a castle in the sky. My view is "head in the sky, feet on the ground": use leverage to break through, but build the foundation firmly.

What the foundation is

For me, the foundation is not only the company's operating machinery. It is also the inner strength of the person who runs it. So however full the workload, I do not allow myself to stop learning. Every day I add new skills, and for almost a year now I have been studying a Master's in Economic Law, which I am still pursuing.

For my application to a master's program in Vietnam to be accepted, my undergraduate degree in information technology from Japan had to go through several rounds of legalization and verification, and wait for recognition by the Ministry of Education. It reminded me of something simple: only real study earns you this ticket. I study law to understand the rules of the game and to put the company's legal foundation in order.

With a solid foundation and deep inner strength, I dare to use AI and automation boldly to multiply performance.

Replicating the system for others

After building a content channel that passed four million views through an automated system, I shared the process with several people in a business community I belong to. The first reached a million views. This morning another reported that their channel had just reached the same milestone, only two days after assembling the workflow.

My observation has been consistent: those who finish assembling the system, in other words who build the foundation properly, get results. I have come to see that packaging and passing on a system is a skill in its own right, and watching others produce real results with their own hands feels no less rewarding than my own achievements.

A teacher my own age

My thinking about packaging, replication and discipline owes something to a teacher of my own age whom I deeply respect.

I come from a technical background and worked for years as a BrSE in Japan. People like me tend to have a large ego, to be skeptical, to revisit every question, and to judge people harshly before deciding to walk with them. There was a time I looked at him and thought, "I could do that too." Reality showed I was far behind. For me to call someone my own age "teacher," the respect has to be genuine.

Our strongest point of connection is the philosophy of wisdom in business. It is also the compass I set on the first day of the company. I hold to this principle so strictly that every member of our board must share the same view. Without a shared ethical foundation and wisdom, there is no seat on the board.

Working with him, I understood that the gap between "thinking I can" and "actually doing" comes down to one word: discipline. A promise is a commitment, and a commitment is kept. That same inspiration also helps me keep up regular running and physical training.

What I take from this

Intelligence and AI can help you start many times faster, but only endurance and discipline keep the system from collapsing. Putting my ego aside to learn from an excellent person who shares my values is one of the best investment decisions I have made.