Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo
Featured Member - John Gauntner

Interview - February 2006


John Gauntner - Sake World

1. When did you start your first business? What was it? What lessons did you take away from that experience?
My current business is my first one, really. I kind of edged my way into it being fulltime, committing all my resources to it in 1998. I learned that we all need to do things in accordance with our nature. This includes what we choose to do, and relates to the degree of risk we take on as well. It needs to feel right for it to work.

2. What are some of the challenges you have faced in starting your business and how did you overcome them?
One was keeping income at an appropriate level, of course. Overcoming this was just a matter of patience and courage. And a bit of savings. Others were not knowing if sake (the center of my business) would really take off outside of Japan. This too was just a matter of doing the promotion work in front of me, and doing my best to get the word out to countries outside of Japan about the joys of sake.

3. How did you form your business? (Yugen Kaisha, Kabushiki   Kaisha, etc.) How long did the start-up process take?
I never have formed a company. I work as an independent contractor / consultant / freelancer doing about 20 different things. This has worked well for me.

4. Where do you see your business in 5 years?
As sake has just begun to grow, I am sure it will continue to grow along the same lines. Having said that, if other people do not get to the degree that they, too, can educate about sake, that means I am failing at my tasks. Accordingly, what I educate about will continue to narrow in scope and focus as others are able to educate more generally. Beyond that, as it has always been it will be difficult to predict.

5. Do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Why?
Most definitely not! In fact, I tried to get out of writing this for that reason; I am hardly a good example of an entrepreneur.

6. What is your definition of an entrepreneur?
Someone who has vision, and the courage to follow that vision, regardless of what others around him or her might be thinking, doing or saying.

7. What piece of advice would you give to a person wanting to start his or her own business in Japan?
I think I would advise knowing why you want to do what it is you want to do. In other words, bet behind the business itself and understand your motivations, as well as the perceived needs of the various manifestations of your business.

8. Can you recommend any resources such as books, websites, or support centers for entrepreneurs in Japan?
Unfortunately not really, since as I mentioned above I do not really consider my self an entrepreneur.

9. Who are your mentors in business?
Those that have followed their bliss, have gone with the flow, and have followed the path dictated by fortuitous coincidence, yet balanced that with action and common sense. They are out there!

10. What makes you happy?
Being with my family, enjoying free time, and feeling like I have control over the time in my life.

[Note from EA-Tokyo: We have had the pleasure of listening to one of John’s Sake speeches and we were very impressed with his knowledge and passion for educating others about sake.]