Re: [tlug] Re: [OT] Say _no_ to the Microsoft Office format as an ISO standard

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

Curt Sampson writes:

 > This is certainly not a problem if you understand how and why
 > accounting systems are used, and how and where to integrate them.
 > Our accountant uses Windows software, but we never touch it; we have
 > our own independent accounting system we wrote ourselves for dealing
 > with our financial tracking, forcasting, and invoicing requirements.

Exactly.  In fact, in large companies it's very common for the
finance, invoicing, and planning/MIS systems to be quite separate,
with invoicing producing cash flow reports to input to finance and
material flow reports to input to planning.

 > > I do think this environment would take the initiative out of anyone...
 > 
 > Only if you let it.

Well, the majority of Japanese have let it. :-(  If you look at the
comparison with the U.S. which has similar rates of business formation
and dissolution to Japan, you see that the number of paper companies
and ramen shops founded by retirees is way disproportionate to "real"
businesses.  I'd say about 40% of my MBA students want to start
businesses of their own, and sooner rather than later.  That would be
the Chinese 40%. :-(  The Japanese contingent, though, want to work
for the government or for Keidanren members, although they'll accept
subcontractors and consultants to Keidanren members in a pinch.  And
the undergrads are just as bad (or worse).

It's true that there are always opportunities for someone willing to
hustle.  And as Curt says, there's no reason why you need to suffer
for years when starting a business.  That *is* one way to go, and may
be necessary if your plan is technology-driven and you're going to be
a technology evangelist.  But if you simply want to have an
independent business and are not fussy about the content of that
business, it's a matter of finding a niche and filling it promptly.
If you do that, you can have income from day one, and be comfortably
in the black by your second year.

It seems to be that in general gaijin are quicker to recognize these
opportunities.  (I'm not sure if that applies more to Japan than to
other places; after all, Jews have been cultural outsiders and
talented businessmen wherever they are for millenia, and in the
U.S. disproportionate numbers of immigrants are self-employed and
quite successful at it.)  So we may have an advantage in this area,
even if language and cultural barriers are higher for us at the very
start.