Mr. Sako的社會企業養成術
迫俊亮，現任Motherhouse的國際行銷經理。Motherhouse是來自日本的時尚品牌， 產品以手提包為主，所有產品都由開發中國家的合作夥伴手工製造，目前在日本已開設七間分店、在台灣設有一間旗艦店，並分別在孟加拉和尼泊爾經營「笑顏工廠」，在日本已是相當知名的社會企業。Mr. Sako將在這裡分享自己成為Motherhouse創始團隊成員的經歷，並透過自身經驗分享邁向「社會企業家」之路的成功心法以及具體實踐法則。
專欄文章
（4篇）為社會企業活用你的專業
中文譯稿：張曉翠／英文原稿：迫俊亮
在上一篇文章中，我介紹了Taejun Shin先生所面臨的有趣挑戰，以及他所創立的非營利組織Living in Peace。Taejun先生嘗試透過他的兼職工作來改變世界，證明改變世界並不一定需要辭掉當下的工作。而在本篇文章中，你將發現在維持工作的情況下創立或加入一個兼職組織（part-time organization），並不是改變世界的唯一選擇。如創立於2011，總部位於東京的非營利組織CROSS FIELDS就提供著「留職」或「國際企業志工（international corporate volunteering）」計劃。
「留職」這個由CROSS FIELDS所發想的創新計畫，為企業單位中的年輕專業人員提供了到開發中國家的非政府組織與社會企業工作的機會。在這1至12個月的計劃期間，企業專業人員將運用他們的專業技能和知識，來解決開發中國家的社會議題。這一計劃不僅讓日本商業導向的公司受惠，也幫助了開發中國家的社會性質組織（social-inclined organizations）。商業導向的公司可以利用此計劃為員工提供拓展視野的經驗，以及管理／行銷技巧的訓練機會；同時，社會性質組織則能獲得來自企業部門的技能與知識。
「留職」這項計劃由兩位年輕人創立並妥善管理：Daichi Konuma先生曾在麥肯錫顧問公司工作，Yuka Matsushima先生則曾服務於波士頓顧問公司，兩位創辦人在加入顧問行列前，都在非營利組織工作過。Konuma先生曾在敘利亞的非營利組織服務了兩年，在那段期間裡，他見證了一位專業顧問如何成功地對組織進行管理改革，由此領會到透過外來不同領域的專業技能來幫助非營利組織／社會企業，是支持這些組織解決社會議題的關鍵所在，而後啟發他構想出「留職」這個商業點子。
CROSS FIELDS目前已成功完成許多案例。在第一個個案中，他們將一位來自管理顧問公司的年輕專業人員派到一個位於柬埔寨的非營利組織，這位顧問活用他／她的專業經驗，幫助這個非營利組織進行銷售工作以及品牌建立。CROSS FIELDS也曾將一位來自松下電器公司（Panasonic）的專業人員派到越南的非政府組織。在這兩個個案中，「留職」計劃都為非營利組織的管理／銷售帶來了極大的改善。而今，CROSS FIELDS開始「留職」計劃尚不滿兩年，但許多日本企業已紛紛加入這個計劃。
史蒂芬•賈伯斯曾說：「顯然，世界已變成一個更好的地方。以往需要眾多人才和資金方能做到的事，現在一個人就能完成。」我非常贊成賈伯斯先生的這段話。在我們現今所生活的世界裡，有著無數的機會等著我們去善用我們的知識、技能和勇氣來創造更好的世界。如果，你想為世界付出一點心力，別再等待或讓任何理由阻擋你前進。現在，你就能馬上行動！
Using Your Professional Experience For Social Enterprise
In the last entry, I introduced an interesting challenge of Taejun Shin and his NPO Living in Peace. Taejun tries to change the world through his "part-time" job, proving that you can change the world without giving up your current job. And this entry will show that starting or belonging to a part-time organization is not the only way to change the world while keeping your current job. NPO CROSS FIELDS, headquartered in Tokyo and founded in 2011, provides "留職" or "international corporate volunteering" program.
"留職" is a term innovated by CROSS FIELDS, meaning that providing opportunities for young professionals in business sectors to work at NGOs and social enterprises in developing countries. During this 1-12 months program, corporate professionals can leverage their skills and knowledge to solve social issues in the developing world. This program is mutually beneficial for both business-oriented companies in Japan and social-inclined organizations in developing countries. Business-oriented companies can utilize this program to provide eye-widening experience as well as management/marketing training opportunities to its employees; at the same time, social-inclined organizations can leverage the skills and knowledge from business sectors.
This 留職 program is founded and well-organized by two young founders: Daichi Konuma worked at McKinsey and Yuka Matsushima worked at Boston Consulting Group prior to starting this NPO. And both of them used to work at NPOs prior to their consulting careers. Mr. Konuma recognized that his working experience at a NPO in Syria for two years inspired him to come up with this business idea. Witnessing that a professional consultant successfully reformed the management of the NPO Mr. Konuma worked at, he realized that supporting NPOs / social enterprises through leveraging external professional skills from different fields is a key to solve social issues.
CROSS FIELDS already successfully carried out several cases. In their first case, they sent one young professional from a management consulting firm to a non-profit organization in Cambodia, letting the consultant to utilize one’s professional experience to support marketing and branding for the NPO. They also sent one professional from Panasonic to a NGO in Vietnam. In both cases, "留職" program created tremendous improvements in management / marketing of NPOs. It has been passed less than two years since CROSS FIELDS launched its program, but many corporations in Japan already started to join this program.
Steve Jobs once said, "The world's clearly a better place. Individuals can now do things that only large groups of people with lots of money could do before." I strongly agree with Steve. In the world we now live, there are tremendous opportunities where we can utilize our knowledge, skills, and guts to change the world for the better. If you want to do something for the world, there is no reason to just stand still and wait. You can just act now.
NPO CROSS FIELDS plans to expand its program to other countries as well. If you are interested in their challenge or want further information, you can check out their website (English): http://crossfields.jp/wp/english/.
工作之餘也能發揮正面影響力
中文譯稿：羅荷傑／英文原稿：迫俊亮
人們普遍認為，如果你想實現有意義的事情，你需要100%的專注。因此，如果你想出了一個主意，想要開始著手新的事情，你必需要辭去現在的工作，並且投資100%的時間在這項新的挑戰。然而，要辭去目前的工作是不容易的。有時候，可能會因為家庭的因素或是父母的期待，使得你不能放棄現在的工作，更何況要建立新的事物有著非常高的障礙，甚至有很多人連一開始要從何處下手都沒有頭緒。然而，Living in Peace（LIP）的創始人和社長Taejun先生（後簡稱TJ）卻有著一個完全不同的想法。受到知名經濟學家傑佛瑞賽克斯（Jeffery Sachs） 所著的《貧窮的終結》（The End of Poverty）一書所啟發， TJ成立了LIP，一個總部設在東京的非營利組織。LIP是日本的第一個投資於微型貸款機構（microfinance）的基金。然而，這項計畫卻是TJ利用上班之餘時間所做的兼職工作。
TJ在私募基金工作時開啟了他的兼職工作。LIP由超過60個來自各個不同專業背景的成員組成，包括投資銀行、管理顧問公司、會計師事務所等，這些年輕的專業人士利用他們的技能和經驗，透過LIP，為在柬埔寨和越南的小額信貸機構提供了專業的諮詢和財務審查服務。這群成員在每個星期日都會有定期的聚會，也經常透過電子郵件做溝通聯繫。而令人驚訝的是，在LIP，從領導人到所有成員，大家都是利用工作之餘時間來投入的兼職人員。
當TJ剛開始這個計畫時，它其實只是一個關注於發展中國家社會問題的讀書會。在經過了一年讀書會的交流分享後，成員們意識到，如果他們能運用彼此的專業技能和經驗，可以做出更多的貢獻與發揮影響力。當他們決定在日本成立第一個微型貸款相關的基金時，大多數人認為這是不可行的。然而，在和一間名為Music Securities的金融服務公司合作下，他們成功地在日本成立了第一個微型貸款基金，並在2009年募集了100萬日元。 最近LIP也開始計畫一個叫做Chance Maker的新項目，欲協助日本孤兒院進行募款，而這項計畫也是靠著其兼職成員所發起的。
TJ回憶起，「其實在LIP剛開始成立的階段，經歷了一段艱難的時期，只有少數人參加了例行的會議，但是，我們從來沒有放棄過。如果你想要實現一件創新和有意義的事情，那麼，你應該主動積極的計畫，且永不放棄，不斷相信自我地堅持做下去。」TJ對於LIP的目標是「提供世界最好的財務審查服務給微型貸款機構的投資者，並透過集資的行動，來資助日本的孤兒院。同時，我們也希望自己能夠成為兼職組織（part-time organization）的標竿榜樣。我們希望能創造一個讓每個人都可以參與改變世界的社會。如果這個世界上有越來越多人開始利用閒暇時間進行對社會有益的事，社會，那麼，這個世界一定會成為一個更好的地方。」
我們有時會低估了我們的潛在力量，也會懷疑自己能為這個世界做些什麼。同時，我們有時候也會高估了建立新事物的障礙。然而，TJ卻作為一個我們學習的表率。我們需要相信自己的潛力，並且了解到，其實每一個人都能在這個世界上有所貢獻、和做出不凡的事情。接下來最重要的事情就是準備有所行動和作為。任何人都可以利用自己的閒暇時間成為具影響力的變革者。一旦你開始著手了某件事情，就應該堅持下去，直到成功為止。
Make a Difference Through Your Part-time Job
It is widely believed that if you want to achieve something meaningful, you need to 100% focus on it. Therefore, if you come up with an idea and want to start something new, you need to quit a current job and invest 100% of your time in the new challenge. However, quitting a current job is not easy. Sometimes you cannot give up your current job for your family or parents. Since the hurdle for starting something new is believed very high, many people cannot make a new action at all. However, Taejun Shin, founder and president of NPO Living in Peace (LIP), headquartered in Tokyo, has a totally different idea. Inspired by the book, the End of Poverty, written by a well-known economist Jeffery Sachs, Taejun founded LIP and made the first fund in Japan for investing in micro-finance institutions (MFI), but as his part-time job.
Taejun runs LIP as his part-time job while working as a private equity investor. Not only the leader, surprisingly all the members of LIP are part-time staffs. Over 60 members of LIP are composed of various members including young professionals from investment banks, consulting firms, and accounting firms, leveraging their skills and experiences in LIP to provide monitoring and due-diligence service for MFIs in Cambodia and Vietnam. They have a regular meeting on every Sunday and frequently communicate with each other through e-mails.
When Taejun started this project, it was merely a small study group about social problems in developing countries. After one year running as a study group, they realized that they could do something more if they leverage their skills and experiences. When they decided to make the first MFI fund in Japan, most people did not believe it was possible. However, collaborating with a financial service company, Music Securities, they successfully established the first MFI fund in Japan in 2009 and raised JPY100 million so far. Recently LIP also started its new project, Chance Maker Program, to support fund-raising for orphanages in Japan, and it is also run by part-time members.
Taejun remembers, "In the beginning phase, we experienced a tough period like only a few people attended a meeting. But we never gave up. If you want to achieve something new and meaningful, you should initiate something and never give up. Just keep doing what you believe." Taejun’s goal for LIP is "to provide the world-best due-diligence service for MFI investors and to alleviate the current severe situation for orphanages in Japan through its fund raising initiatives. At the same time doing so, we want to be a role-model for a part-time organization. We want to make a society that everybody can participate in changing the world. If millions of people in the world start using their free-time to change the world for the better, the world will definitely become a better place."
We sometimes underestimate our power; what we can do for the world. At the same time, we sometimes overestimate the hurdle of starting something new. However, as Taejun shows, we need to believe in our potentials to make a difference in this world. If we believe so, we are ready to make an action. Anyone can be a change maker by using one’s free-time. And once you start something, you should keep going until you succeed.
社會性與故事性消費
中文譯稿：金靖恩／英文原稿：迫俊亮
「為了支持日本東北的經濟，有許多原本不喝清酒的人現在也開始嘗試清酒，並逐漸感受到清酒的美好滋味。」Giichiro Yaegashi遞給我一杯溢滿香氣的龍泉八重櫻時，緩緩說道。－日本時代雜誌（The Japan Times）
距離日本東北發生的大地震已經一年了，當時有許多人擔憂著地震、海嘯、和福島核災將重創當地的經濟，然而，在過去一年日本東北的清酒銷售量卻微幅提升，有許多人為了支持當地經濟而去購買清酒。我自己也認識許多這樣的人（包括我父親在內），都是為了援助東北而購買清酒，而讓我難忘的是，我的父親似乎比以前更享受清酒的滋味了。這就是「社會性與故事性消費（social & story consumption）」其中一個明顯的實例。當產品與社會價值（social value）或有意義的故事連結在一起時，消費者往往能從中感受到更高的附加價值。就像我的父親得以更享受東北的清酒，除了清酒本身的滋味以外，也是因為他購買清酒的背後有著支持東北經濟的社會價值。
我們現在正經歷一個重要的消費轉變。為了解釋這種消費的轉變，我想介紹著名的馬斯洛「需求層級」理論。底下這個金字塔圖表顯示了人類需求的不同層級，這表示了人們傾向在滿足基本需求後，才往上追尋更高的需求層級。
這個理論可以完全解釋上文提到的消費轉變。讓我們假設你想要買一個手提包：
Case 1：生理基本需求
若只是為了滿足最基本的生活需求，你可能會直接在菜市場選擇一個最便宜、沒有特殊設計、但卻非常實用的包包。
Case 2：愛與歸屬感需求
為了滿足「愛與歸屬感」的需求，你可能會購買一個在你想歸屬的社群中非常受歡迎的包款。例如：若你想融入愛好戶外運動的社群團體，你可能會購買那些人會喜歡的Patagonia戶外休閒包款。（編按：Patagonia為著名的戶外運動服飾品牌）
Case 3：自尊需求
「自尊需求」是許多奢華品牌試圖實現的需求層級。你可能會為了展現自己經濟上的富裕程度而購買一個LV或GUCCI名牌包。
Case 4：自我實現需求
終於，你來到了馬斯洛需求金字塔中的最頂層—自我實現。這個層級就是前面提到那些為了支持東北經濟而購買清酒的消費者想滿足的需求。藉由購買商品來幫助日本東北的居民，便是一種自我實現的方式。
由於「自我實現」的需求層級位於金字塔的最頂端，追求此需求層級的人在各國都不多，且這類消費者的數量多寡端視當地消費文化的成熟度而定。在日本，如同東北清酒的例子所顯示，已經有愈來愈多的消費者開始嘗試追求自我實現，尋找那些能讓他們實踐自我價值的商品。而Motherhouse品牌也嘗試透過在產品中附加社會價值以及有意義的故事，來滿足消費者對於自我實踐的需求。
Motherhouse相信時尚消費可以成為改變社會、使社會更美好的一種工具，而時尚產品也能成為幫助開發中國家的一種媒介。由於Motherhouse的產品全部在孟加拉的自營工廠製造，並使用當地素材，消費者在購買這些商品的同時，也等於為孟加拉的勞動者提供了工作機會。此外，Motherhouse也致力於和消費者分享產品的生產環節，甚至定期邀請顧客到工廠參觀、直接與生產者溝通，讓他們不只認識商品，也能參與每個產品背後的設計者與生產者故事。
這種在產品中附加社會與故事性價值的作法受到日本市場的肯定和歡迎，而Motherhouse現在也正嘗試在台灣分享這樣的消費哲學。其實，這種消費型態的轉變已經在台灣發生了，這也是為什麼Motherhouse能在台北市最重要的百貨公司之一—忠孝SOGO開設分店。我相信將來會有愈來愈多的台灣消費者接受這種新的消費理念，因為這是人們心中的一種本能。
最後，我想引用一段文字來為本篇文章作結，而這段文字的作者－亞當．史密斯－經常被人們誤解為「冷血」的市場經濟信徒，事實上，他最有名的著作《國富論》，是這段引言出處的延伸讀物。（編按：《道德情操論》於1759年出版，《國富論》於1776年出版。）
同理心，並不完全是從熱情（passion）產生的，而是從當下的情境（situation）產生。有時候我們面對別人的難處時，會感受到強烈的無力感，那是因為我們正站在他的情境和立場設想，此時一股在這種設想中所產生的熱忱便會從我們心中油然而生，然而一旦抽離此情境、回到現實中，這股熱忱可能就不復在了。－《道德情操論》
因此，我們公司試著讓消費者了解產品的生產脈絡或情境，進而引發他們心中的共鳴感與同理心。透過推動故事性消費，我們希望可以透過更永續的方式，將人們的購買力與自我價值觀和同理心緊密地結合。
Social & Story Consumption
"Even people who were not sake drinkers before want to drink sake to support Tohoku, and they are gradually realizing how good the sake is," Giichiro Yaegashi tells me, as he hands me a fragrant cup of Ryusen Yaezakura Junmai Daiginjo to sample.” (The Japan Times)
It has passed one year since the catastrophic earthquake suffered Tohoku region in Japan. While many people had feared that the combined effects of the earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear turmoil in Fukushima would bring disastrous consequences to the industries in Tohoku region. However, the sales for the sake industry in Tohoku increased slightly in the past one year. Many people bought sake from Tohoku to support the producers. I personally know a lot of people, including my dad, who purchased Tohoku sake after the earthquake. The memorable thing about it for me is that when my dad drank the Tohoku sake, he seemed to enjoy it much more than usual. This is one clear example of “social & story consumption” I write about in this entry. Consumers can obtain more values when social value or meaningful story is attached to product. My dad could enjoy the Tohoku sake that much because he enjoyed the social value to support Tohoku, in addition to the taste.
We are now experiencing a significant consumption shift. To explain this consumption shift, I would like to introduce a famous chart below called “the Hierarchy of Needs” made by Abraham Maslow. This pyramid chart shows the level of human needs, suggesting that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to higher needs.
This theory can be perfectly applied to explain the consumption shift. Let’s assume that you want to buy a hand-bag.
Case 1: To fulfill Physiological and Safety need
You would acquire the cheapest bag which has no design but very practical in order to fulfill your minimum need to survive. You would purchase this kind of handbag at a local market.
Case 2: Love / belonging need
To fulfill this need, you would purchase a hand-bag which is popular in a community that you want to belong to. For example, if you want to be a part of outdoor lover community, you would buy a bag of Patagonia.
Case 3: Esteem need
This is the need which luxury brands try to fulfill. You would buy a bag of LOUISVUITTON or GUCCI to show your economic affluence.
Case 4: Self-actualization need
Finally, you reach the need which locates at the top of the pyramid, self-actualization. This is the need what those who bought Tohoku sake try to fulfill. Helping Tohoku people through buying their products can be a way of self-actualization.
Since the need for self-actualization locates at the top of pyramid, those who acquire this need are not many in most countries. The size and percentage of this segment depends on the maturity of its consumption culture. In Japan, as the example of Tohoku sake shows, more and more people start acquiring the need of self-actualization. Many consumers are now looking for a product which can provide them a way to achieve their self-actualization need. And Motherhouse tries to fulfill the need through attaching social value and story to its products.
Motherhouse believes that fashion consumption can be a way to change the society for the better, considering its products as a mean to do good for developing countries. Motherhouse produces all the products at its own factory in Bangladesh and uses local materials, so buying its products results in providing employments to local workers in Bangladesh. Also, Motherhouse shares all the processes of production with its customers, so customers can enjoy not only enjoy a product itself but also stories of producers and designer behind the product. Motherhouse even regularly invites customers to its factory to directly communicate with producers.
This approach to provide social value and story attached to product works well in Japan market so far, and Motherhouse is now challenging to do the same in Taiwan market. This spend shift already began in Taiwan. This is why Motherhouse can open its own shop at Zhongxiao SOGO, one of the top department stores in Taipei. I am very confident that Taiwanese consumers would accept this new consumption style because this is an instinctive need of human beings.
I conclude this entry with a quote from a person who is usually misunderstood as a cold-blood market fundamentalist. Actually, his most famous book, the Wealth of Nations, is merely a side reader of the book I quote below.
“Sympathy... does not arise so much from the view of the passion, as from that of the situation.... We sometimes feel for another, a passion of which he himself seems to be altogether incapable; because, when we put ourselves in his case, that passion arises in our breast from the imagination, though it does not in his from the reality.” — Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
So our company tries to induce people's sympathy by having them understand the background situation / context where our products are made. Through advancing story consumption, we hope to align people's purchasing power with their own personal values, including sympathy, in a more sustainable way.
從社會學家到社會企業家
中文譯稿：林以涵／英文原稿：迫俊亮（Shunsuke Sako）
我將在這個專欄部落格裡分享關於社會企業的觀點，第一篇文章將簡單介紹一下我自己以及我目前就職的社會企業。
我生長於日本南邊九州島上最大的城市福岡，高中畢業後我便前往美國念大學。當時十八歲的我，即使還不是非常確定自己未來想從事何種工作，但在印度的志工經驗帶給我許多省思。
印度是我第一個拜訪的「發展中國家」，當時街上為數眾多的乞丐與流浪漢的景象，對我造成很大的衝擊，也讓我強烈覺得自己應該要為窮人做些什麼。我成為德蕾莎修女（Mother Teresa）在加爾各答垂死之家（the Kalighat Home for the Dying）的志工，提供醫療照護給病人。
但在醫院工作一個月後，我開始對這份工作產生懷疑。收容所只能照顧到一小部分健康問題最嚴重的人，然而當地卻仍還有數以千計的人，因為貧窮而遭遇各種健康以外的問題，像是無法接受教育、水質汙染、營養不良、或失業。我意識到自己身為一個志工的力量有限、能幫助到的人實在太少了，所以我決定回到學校去尋找能降低貧窮的替代方案。
我後來在加州大學洛杉磯分校攻讀社會學，當時的我，想要當一個能透過研究與教學啟發人的學者。為了成為一個很棒的社會學家，我廣泛地修習社會科學相關的課程—從政治學、經濟學、統計學、一直研讀到古典與現代哲學。
社會學是一門研究如何讓社會變得更好的學問，然而我在這領域學得越多，我越意識到一件事—學者提出的想法固然好，若不能被具體、正確地落實成行動也是枉然。也因此，我決定要成為一個能執行好點子的實踐者。「社會企業」的概念也在此時進入我的生活中，我了解到這就是我想努力的方向，而且很巧地，我在報紙上的一個小角落，發現了一間只有執行長、還沒有任何員工的新公司，它的名字叫做Motherhouse。
我馬上連絡並申請了Motherhouse的實習機會。在和當時只有25歲的公司執行長山口繪里子小姐面試的過程中，山口小姐告訴我她想要創造出一個屬於發展中國家的全球流行品牌，而我也立刻被這個創新的概念給打動。從UCLA畢業後，我回到東京，開始在Motherhouse工作，成為當時的創辦團隊成員之一。
在Motherhouse工作了半年後，我改加入三菱商事總部工作。當時的我認為，在一家大公司或小公司工作，各有其優缺點，若要了解自己比較適合哪一種型態的公司，最好的方式就是讓自己在大、小兩種類型的公司都工作過。決定離開Motherhouse的我，便是想要了解自己在像三菱這樣的大公司中可以做些什麼。
當時在三菱擔任分析師的我，負責為公司中年營收超過二十億美金的能源部門建立財務模型去評估相關投資。在三菱的工作經驗很有趣，薪水也很高，但我心中那股想透過商業力量來改善世界的夢想，卻仍持續發酵著。半年後，我辭掉在三菱的工作、回到Motherhouse，去追求並達到我的夢想。
在Motherhouse的這幾年，我管理過幾乎所有公司業務—從行銷、公關、銷售、會計、財務、到店面拓展，而公司每年的業績都比前一年成長至少一倍。目前Motherhouse在日本已經擁有七家店舖，2011年春天也在台灣設立了第一家海外分店，我目前常駐在台北，擔任全球行銷經理，負責台灣分店的業務、也繼續努力將Motherhouse擴展到更多地方。
Motherhouse是一個社會企業，透過製作與販售以孟加拉黃麻為原料的手提包，期望創造出一個能將發展中國家的資源做最佳運用的全球時尚品牌，也同時扭轉一般消費者對於發展中國家只能生產出廉價或劣質商品的印象。關於這間社會企業，我會在下一篇部落格文章中作更詳細地介紹。
From Sociologist To Social Entrepreneur
In this blog, I will write about “Social Enterprise”. As a brief introduction, let me introduce myself and the company I work as a global marketing manager.
In March 1985, I was born in Fukuoka city, the biggest city in Kyushu islands locate at the southern part of Japan. After graduating from a local high school, I went to the United States to study there, but I did not know what I want to do.
The first transformational experience for me is when I visited India when I was 18, the first time to visit so-called “developing country”. Seeing thousands of beggars and homeless people was totally a shocking experience, and I strongly felt that I should do something for those in poverty.
I worked at the hospice, the Kalighat Home for the Dying, founded by Mother Teresa in Kolkata as a volunteer staff. I worked to provide daily cares for patients there, but after working there for a month, I had a strong doubt about what I was doing there. Everyday I stepped outside of the hospice after work, I saw countless number of people suffered from poverty, but I could not do anything for them.
The hospice could only provide last-minute/baseline healthcare services to the most needed, which accounted for such a small proportion of the local poor. There were still thousands of poor people out of the hospice suffering from problems other than health, such as lack of education, contaminated water, malnutrition, or unemployment.
I was overwhelmed that there were too many people need help, but I did not know what to do for them. From my first encounter with poverty, I realized that what I can do as an individual volunteer is very limited. I went back to school to find an alternative way to deal with poverty.
At University of California, Los Angeles, I ended up studying to be a sociologist. For me at that time, to be a scholar and enlighten people from academic field seems a good idea. To be an effective sociologist, I studied almost all subjects in social sciences – from politics, economics, statistics, to ancient Greek and modern philosophy.
Sociology is a subject to study a way to make better society. However, as much I studied it, I realized that even a great idea created by a great scholar does not work if it is not practiced appropriately. And I found from a lot of cases that an idea, which seems excellent, failed because nobody practiced it or it was not practiced precisely.
To overcome this problem, I concluded that I should be the one who practices it precisely and effectively. As soon as I came up with the idea, I encountered with the concept of “Social Entrepreneurship”. I found that the concept is exactly what I want to do, and serendipitously, I also found a brand new social enterprise, with no employee yet but only a founding CEO, on the small corner of a newspaper. The company’s name is Motherhouse.
I took a contact with the company immediately and applied for internship. In the interview, Eriko Yamaguchi, 25 years old CEO at that time, told me about her dream to create a world-wide fashion brand from developing countries. The vision sounds really exciting and innovative for me. After graduating from UCLA, I went back to Tokyo and worked at Motherhouse full-time for half a year as one of the founding members.
After the six months, I joined Mitsubishi Corporation, the headquarter of the Mitsubishi conglomerate. The reason why I did not continue working with Motherhouse and joined Mitsubishi was because I wanted to know what I could do through working at a big company. In my opinion, whether a person works for a big or small company, there are both positive and negative sides. And the best way to find which type of company (big or small) is better for me is to have respective working experience with both.
My job at Mitsubishi was an analyst for their Energy Group (annual revenue above USD20 billion), making a financial model for energy related investments. Working at Mitsubishi was not bad. The work was interesting, and more than that, the salary was quite high. However, I quitted Mitsubishi in a half year and came back to Motherhouse to pursue and achieve my dream to change the world for the better through business.
At Motherhouse, I have been working as a manager for sales, marketing, promotion, accounting, finance, shop development…almost everything. And the sales of Motherhouse have almost doubled every year since I joined. I am now spearheading and directing our first foreign sales operation in Taiwan as a global marketing manager, currently residing in Taipei, trying to expand Motherhouse to the world.
Motherhouse is a fashion brand, which mainly produces and sells hand-bags, aiming to create a global brand through maximizing potentials in developing countries. Motherhouse aims to change the world for the better through changing the idea/mindsets of people toward “made in developing country” products from negative to positive. The goal of Motherhouse is “to create a global brand from developing country”. I will use the next blog entry to introduce this social enterprise in greater details.
