How to Start a Business in Nagoya, pt. two

By Ray Proper

In the second part of this series profiling entrepreneurs in Nagoya, we will be talking with Chris Zarodkiewicz from Cezars International and Shooters Sports Bar, as well as Steve Brown of Zergsoft. If you are interested in starting your own business in Japan and would like an opportunity to hear four entrepreneurs speak in-depth about their experiences, answer questions, and exchange business cards, do not miss The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan's exciting panel discussion on entrepreneurship in Nagoya. This is being held on February 10th at 18:30 in the Winc Aichi building near Nagoya Station. Participation is ¥4,000 for non-members, and includes a bento dinner and drinks. All are welcome but space is limited, so be sure to reserve your place by noon on February 9th.

Ray Proper: Thank you for joining me today! I think we all really appreciate you and our other panelists taking time out of your busy schedules to share your stories and encourage budding entrepreneurs. To begin, could you tell me how long you have been in business?

Chris Zarodkiewicz: I started my company in September of 1996. 13 years.

Steve Brown: Zergsoft was originally founded in 1997 as Web Art Japan, designing websites, cgi scripting, and web database interfaces, so about 13 years as well.

Ray Proper: What inspired you to start your own business?

Chris Zarodkiewicz: I had always wanted to start a business of some kind. I came to Japan with the intent of using the experience as a stepping stone to starting one when I returned to the U.S. It all worked out except for the part about doing it when I went home.

Steve Brown: I enjoyed building software but couldn't find anywhere that had a development environment I liked. Most places I talked to were very hectic - insane working hours, tight schedules and late nights, and software that looked like it was developed under those conditions. I wanted to take the time to build things right, and to enjoy the craft of building software.

Ray Proper: How did you spot the opportunity your business represents?

Chris Zarodkiewicz: A university student came into the restaurant I was managing and told me that his professor was looking at doing a thesis on how to start a restaurant in Japan. I figured he wasn't just writing a paper so I called him up. Things went from there.

Steve Brown: I knew I could do it better than everybody else was! In addition, once you are running a business, you always have to be on the lookout for new possibilities. Some aspects of our business have been trial and error. For example we own two job sites (www.findjobsinjapan.com and www.shigotopedia.com) which have worked out fairly well. We have also recently been doing consulting on building software development teams for other software companies. I didn't see either of these opportunities when first started.

Ray Proper: How much starting capital did you raise? 

Chris Zarodkiewicz: ¥10,000,000.

Steve Brown: ¥3,000,000.

Ray Proper: Did you find dealing with the Japanese Bureaucracy difficult when you got started?

Chris Zarodkiewicz: It was not that big of an issue as I had a partner who could speak Japanese.

Steve Brown: We paid around ¥200,000 or so to have someone do the incorporation paperwork for us, so it was not that bad. We also found a good accountant, and that helped a lot.

Ray Proper: Was your previous experience good preparation for the challenges you face as an entrepreneur?

Chris Zarodkiewicz: Working for Hilton Hotels gave me great sales and marketing experience, and that has been the key to me staying in business.

Steve Brown: Not as much as I would have liked! The finance background really helped, but there were lots of other areas where I really needed help. Unless you can afford to hire a lot of people when you start, you have to be a jack of all trades when you are starting out. In addition to legal, financial, technical, sales, and marketing issues, you have to learn how to delegate, build teams, lead people and see into the future.

Ray Proper: Thanks again for taking the time to talk with me today.

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