I'm just about at the point of pulling the trigger to start my own business here, but of course I'm nervous.
Long story short, I've got a little bit of money, a business plan, motivation and some experience managing businesses. What I'm missing is a bit more money and Japanese skills, or maybe guts.
I'm seriously interested in starting a gym. After some research, I'm under the impression that the style of gym I want to open would be fairly unique to Tokyo, or maybe even Japan. I used to use a gym like this before moving to Japan and haven't found anything similar in the five years I've been here.
Ideally, I would go it alone, but the language barrier seems like a giant hurdle.
Yes, I am learning Japanese and I do speak some. However, I'm not at a level to negotiate, handle legal documents or deal with customer complaints or serious inquiries. I'd also need additional funding to get things going which a partner would hopefully bring on.
I don't really have anyone to speak seriously about this with, so I'm just letting out my thoughts here and hoping for some insights from everyone here.
For those who have started customer-facing businesses in Japan:
- What was your level of Japanese like when you launched?
- Did you have all the necessary funding, or did you need to borrow?
- If you did borrow, what was the process of getting a business loan in Japan like?
- Did you start the business with a partner? If so, how did you find them?
- Do you think I'm way out of my depth here?
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Additionally, I'm on a spouse visa and I'm a US taxpayer.
by golfball509
