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Hello there!
This is Yasui, a solo business owner running a company that mainly inspects high-pressure gas facilities.
It’s that time of year again — the year-end party season.
This year, I’m thinking of hosting a small party with some of the partner companies who’ve always supported me.
I can’t drink much, so I’ll be taking it easy… finishing the night with a couple of soft drinks usually keeps things smooth for me. 😄
Lately, I’ve been reading Invent & Wander, a collection of Jeff Bezos’s letters to Amazon shareholders over the years.
Even back in 1997, he was already talking about looking at everything from a long-term perspective.
That first letter was titled “It’s All About the Long Term,” and it really drives home how much he focused on the big picture instead of short-term gains.
He wrote about not getting trapped by what’s right in front of you — the immediate profits — but instead staying grounded in long-term goals and missions that connect to the bigger future.
That’s what keeps a company’s direction from drifting.
What struck me most is how he shared those values not only with Amazon employees but also with shareholders — reminding them that Amazon never forgets what truly matters… and what it fears.
And that fear isn’t of competitors.
It’s of customers — losing their trust, their attention, their choice.
Being continuously chosen by customers is neither easy nor guaranteed.
Losing that trust is terrifying — and it can happen at any time.
That’s why Amazon keeps growing and striving to remain convenient and relevant.
To shareholders demanding immediate profit returns, Bezos explained that the company’s focus was on long-term returns instead.
When you take the long view, it becomes clearer:
What should we be doing now?
Where are we headed?
What kind of company do we want to become?
All those answers start to take shape when you look far enough ahead.
Of course, we can’t ignore what’s right in front of us — the day-to-day tasks.
But if we want to achieve sustainable growth, we need a clear image of the future we’re working toward.
If you know what kind of company you want to be in ten years, you can start setting concrete goals for this year — how far you want to go, what numbers to hit, and what milestones to reach.
That’s why I believe having a long-term perspective is so essential.
Even if we’re overwhelmed by immediate challenges and too busy to think ahead, we must make the time.
Because it’s not optional — it’s necessary.
Let’s all try to think a little more about the future, even if just a bit at a time.
Thanks for reading all the way through!
See you again soon.
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