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    An eye on the times!

    Akira Tsuchiya(en)
    Akira Tsuchiya(en)

    An eye on the times!

    When did I start?

    When did people start carrying around bottled mineral water?

    This is a phenomenon that did not exist at least 25 years ago. Nowadays, fewer people drink tap water outside.

    Japanese water is safe. Every time I go abroad, I think that water in Japan is safe.

    I can get safe water for free anywhere I want to drink it, even in hotels and when I am out and about.

    Even in toilets. Even though they know that Japanese water is safe for drinking, Japanese people still buy water.

    Why?

    A long time ago, we were taught that water, safety, and oxygen were free. Now, both water and safety have become chargeable.

    The same is true for oxygen. Oxygen bars are popular, and people are demanding paid oxygen for beauty and health.

    Free air is good enough to live on, though. Customers are demanding higher quality, paid-for products.

    There is a company in Shikoku that has taken advantage of this trend and expanded its business at once. This is a company that invested in my former company for a period of time.

    They had a keen eye for the times, and when water became available, they quickly built a factory at the foot of a mountain in a certain area. It was very profitable.

    Changes in lifestyles and lifestyles are equivalent to deregulation in a country. The deregulation of life and lifestyle is equivalent to the deregulation of a country, and the industry that has undergone a major change will create a business opportunity.

    The same was true for Gulliver, a car-buying specialty store I assisted at the time. The deregulation of gas stations brought about major changes.

    Most of Gulliver's first franchisees were either gas stations or franchisees of a certain franchise.

    The ability to read the trends of the times is very important in business.

    Last week, I met with the president of a company that operates a chain of about 300 low-priced Chinese restaurants in Japan.

    He is not going to enter the uniform izakaya (Japanese style pub) market, which is where all the current restaurant operators are entering. He knows what will happen a year from now.

    He was able to decipher the future of the restaurant industry, and he was able to separate the businesses he is developing in Japan from those he is developing overseas.

    Excellent.

    For me, it is a very instructive time.

    How to read the times and ride the escalator upward. It is a shortcut to business success!

    Assentia Holdings Inc

    Akira
    Akira Tsuchiya(en)

    Akira Tsuchiya(en)

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    Our background In 1991, we started the business that was not yet found in Japan, or even in the world. That business was to become an agency who provides franchise store-development service. We came up with the idea to persuade companies to join a franchise as their new business; our target was not individuals, but the small and medium-sized enterprises who already established with their businesses. With that as a start, we managed to expand over 30 franchise brands including various restaurant brands i.e. Bakery Restaurant St.Marc(650 uint in Japan, BBQ “Gyu-kaku”(850 unit in Japan), Katsudon “Katsuya”(350 unit in Japan), Sushi delivery “Gin-no Sara”(730 unit in Japan), and from other hospitality business categories i.e. Second-hand automobile dealer “Gulliver”(450 unit in Japan), Second-hand golf club dealer “Golf Partner”(350 unit in Japan), Women’s fitness club “Curves” (2,000 unit in Japan as a master franchisor of the American brand), by selling new businesses to small to medium-sized enterprises in Japan. Number of the stores we successfully opened are over 8000 ! During this time, in 1996, Akira has established a company, Prime Link Co.Ltd., to start a business that we become franchisee ourselves to grow the business. In 2001, Prime Link Co, Ltd., became the very first franchise business company that is listed on the stock market(Nasdaq Japan). In 2006, Akira left Prime Link and started our company, Assentia Holdings, Inc. In 2010, Akira has established Assentia Holdings PTE. Ltd. in Singapore, and started the business to connect Japan and the world. During the last 5 years, our client’s franchise stores have spread in 19 countries（180 unit) in the world. Japanese food business and Japanese-style service are catching a great deal of attention from the world. Our work is spreading out from Asia to Oceania, Middle Eastern, Europe and North, Central and South America. Published a business book "Gain F&B franchise business opportunities in Asia"