Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo
Featured Member - Mark Saft

Interview - June 2007

Mark Saft - Ingenium Group

Profile:
The Ingenium Group is a leading Asia Pacific executive search firm based in Tokyo, Japan. Ingenium specializes in identifying and attracting bilingual Asian executives for firms in Japan and throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Mark Saft is the President & CEO of The Ingenium Group.  Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Mark has lived in Japan since 1993. He began his career in executive search in 1995 and was a Vice President at one of Japan's largest executive search firms prior to co-founding The Ingenium Group, Inc.
Mark obtained his Masters Degree in Asian Studies from California State University at Long Beach, and graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a Bachelors Degree in English and Philosophy. Prior to coming to Japan, Mark served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 1993 as a Captain.
Mark is an active member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and currently serves as the Chairman of the Membership Committee of the Tokyo American Club. 

1. When did you start your first business? What was it? What lessons did you take away from that experience?
My Partners, Todd Miller and Nick Drochak, and I started The Ingenium Group in 2000. We had all worked at another search firm for several years and the experience and contacts we gained from working in the industry served us well when we started The Ingenium Group.
Also, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to choose your Partners well. If the Partners aren't right then the business won't be right either. I consider myself very fortunate to have the Partners I do.

Although I was happy and comfortable at my previous company I felt that the timing was right and if I was going to start my own company I would rather do it at that point in my life—I was 33 at the time—rather than putting off the opportunity for later and hoping that another, equally good opportunity would present itself at some point in the future. In Japanese there is a kotowaza which captures this pretty well….zen wa isoge, which basically means strike while the iron is hot!

2. What are some of the challenges you have faced in starting your business and how did you overcome them?
The Ingenium Group, established in 2000, is a multi-practice executive search firm which specializes in identifying and attracting bilingual Asian executives for firms in Japan and throughout the Asia Pacific region.
We have faced a number of challenges over the years and, of course, continue to do so.  One of the challenges that I have faced is making the switch from being a consultant to being the President of a consulting firm—two very different things.  
When I started working as a search consultant in 1995 there were around 300 or so licensed recruiting firms in Japan.  Today there are well over 5,000 such firms.  The competition is fierce and unrelenting and it gets more intense every day.  Indeed, one of our biggest challenges has been to differentiate The Ingenium Group from so many of the other search firms in the market. 
Another one of the challenges that we have faced is making sure that the company processes and procedures have kept pace with the company itself.  The skills and processes required to successfully run a company with 10 people are quite different from those that are required to run a company with 50 people.

3. How did you form your business? (Yugen Kaisha, Kabushiki   Kaisha, etc.) How long did the start-up process take?
We formed The Ingenium Group as a K.K. and the whole process took around three to four weeks as I recall.
However, I would add that before we started the business we spent about two and a half months developing a very detailed business plan to make sure we had as many of the angles covered as possible and it was only after we had put a tremendous amount of time and effort (and all night pizza-fueled business planning sessions) into the plan that we were in a position to commit to the business.
In fact, I believe that the intense planning and preparation that we did prior to starting the company was necessary in order to give us the confidence and the strength of conviction to actually take the plunge, quit our jobs and start The Ingenium Group!

4. Where do you see your business in 5 years?
In five years The Ingenium Group will be recognized as one of the leading executive search firms in Japan and throughout the Asia Pacific region. 
This is no small challenge as we are competing with the world's leading search firms, many of which are global, publicly traded companies which have been in business for some decades more than we have.

5. Do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Why?
Yes, I do. I see myself as an entrepreneur because I love what I am doing and I am passionate about my work and The Ingenium Group. And I’m quite certain that I could never work for anyone else at this point in my life. So I guess in a certain sense that makes me an entrepreneur by definition.

6. What is your definition of an entrepreneur?
An entrepreneur is someone who has a clear vision for their business—what it is and where it's going—and who has the determination and tenacity to realize their vision and achieve their goals in spite of all of the obstacles they face along the way.
A successful entrepreneur is also able to communicate and share their vision with others—customers, clients and employees alike—so that they are inspired by the vision and delighted to do business with the company.
Ultimately, a successful entrepreneur offers something which makes the world a better place for everyone.

7. What piece of advice would you give to a person wanting to start his or her own business in Japan?
My advice to those who are thinking about starting their own business is:
Save as much money as you possibly can, so that you have the financial resources to survive in the early days of your business
Choose your Partners well and hire carefully
Invest in your people
Try to have fun along the way—otherwise the final destination is not worth the price of the journey

8. Can you recommend any resources such as books, websites, or support centers for entrepreneurs in Japan?
Here are my top 10:
Michael Gerber's - The E Myth
Michael Gerber’s - The E Myth Mastery
Napoleon Hill's - Think and Grow Rich
Jim Collins’ - From Good to Great
Jim Collins’ - Built to Last
Rodd Wagner’s and James K. Harter’s - 12: The Elements of Great Managing
Robert Greene’s - The 48 Laws of Power
Ayn Rand's - Atlas Shrugged
Roald Dahl’s - My Uncle Oswald
Biography and Autobiography—of business, political and military leaders
The Economist and The International Herald Tribune

9. Who are your mentors in business?
I look to other business executives and entrepreneurs for guidance and support. Thankfully, Tokyo is full of great people so there is no shortage of talented people to learn from. Some of them are my Clients, some are my Candidates and some are my good friends.
Chief among those whose advice and support I most value is my wife, Kanya.

10. What makes you happy?
I love to read and, as of late, I can be found playing Texas Hold'em on my iPod or on my PC at home. Aside from preparing to play in the World Series of Poker I enjoy spending time with my wife, Kanya. She and I are expecting the birth of our first child soon and I'm sure that our baby will be the joy of our lives!