Status Report. Opening a business on our wedding anniversary.

33.7 million yen has been deposited into my account.
5 million yen has been deposited into another account.
An additional 8 million yen or so has been deposited.

But... the balance will be gone soon.

This is "3106", a 🍓strawberry farmer🍓.

Please let me give you a status report for the first time in a while.

Lately, I've been busy. My mind is really busy.
But I'm having fun. From the bottom of my heart. Truly.
Construction of the greenhouse has begun. And a large amount of money was transferred into my account... and then, it almost immediately disappeared from one hand to the other.
Since I only saw the numbers on the screen, I honestly don't really feel it. I thought about withdrawing it all at once to look at the cash, but I decided against it because it would be a nuisance to the financial institution. Even though I really wanted to do it.

But the money definitely moved, and it took shape.
A wasteland that was overgrown with weeds until now. It's being leveled, and a greenhouse is being built. A warehouse is being placed. A shed is being placed. Electricity is being connected. Water is running.

The equipment is now standing by, waiting to recover the invested capital and generate further profits.

And the other day, on March 5th, I submitted my business opening notification to coincide with our wedding anniversary.

I decided on the trade name "SKKY FARM".

It is pronounced Sky Farm.

...Yes.
I wrote one extra K. Hehe.

A name that everyone has heard of, but doesn't exist anywhere.
That's the kind of name I wanted.

First, I had my wife give me some ideas, and then I was inspired by them, wrote a mind map, and added my own wishes and feelings to think it through.
And then, before I knew it, the letters SKKY FARM came to me, and it was decided naturally. As if it had already been decided beforehand. Just like that. It's a mysterious thing.

When you start a business, it's a series of things like this. You feel mysterious connections, encounters, and a kind of special atmosphere.

I wonder if this is what it means to build something from scratch.

For example, digging a hole at the entrance and burying concrete fence panels. Leveling it, and putting the soil back. I also do that kind of manual DIY work.

On the other hand, I also tap away at my PC to create documents and think about designs. I can also play the part of a somewhat intelligent businessman.

It's a lot of fun to be able to build everything like this. It's tough, but I'm fulfilled.

By the way, I put several thoughts into the extra K I added to the name.

Happiness, Emotion, Gratitude, Hope, Improvement, Reform, Innovation, Health, Family—I want to increase those wonderful "K"s.

And I have also secretly poured my feelings for the people who are important to me, the places I love, and everyone I have been involved with into this.

…Because I am the type of person who thinks about things like this, I am sometimes misunderstood.

When I say I am going to do farming, people around me say things like this.

“Relaxed in nature,” “A healthy and wonderful life,” “Pesticide-free and safe food,” “Sparkling at a tourist farm.”

Of course, there are those aspects as well.

But there is usually a continuation after those words. “But it sounds tough, doesn't it?” “You won't make money, right?” “You can't take any time off, right?”

And somewhere, I also feel a nuance like,
“You chose a way of life that isn't about money, didn't you?”

I'm sorry.
I don't have even a millimeter of that intention.

First and foremost is
“profit.”
Money over style.

Because it is a business.

Of course, there is a possibility that in the future, I will head in a direction that looks good, such as a tourist farm, branding, overseas expansion, or scaling up.
But first, I must make it work as a business. And without any special branding, using the general method of shipping 100% to the JA (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives).
Even then, I will make a profit, take a reasonable amount of time off, and live a comfortable life.

Do you think, wouldn't another industry be better? That is because it is almost a settled theory that farming is not profitable.

Then, why did I go out of my way to choose farming, which is not profitable?
This is truly just by chance. A coincidence.

To be honest, a curry shop would have been fine. A trading company, a cram school, a transport company, a fruit drink food truck, anything.
As long as it was profitable, anything was fine.

There is only one thing I have decided since I was in my teens. “I will run my own business.” That is the only thing I decided. Although I took a long detour.

I wanted freedom more than a stable salary. That is such a naive reason.

However. The freedom I speak of does not mean doing whatever I want without restraint.

It is “freedom accompanied by responsibility.”

Decide for yourself. Do it yourself. Take responsibility yourself. Do not do things you cannot take responsibility for. That is the kind of freedom it is.

This was the same for raising my children. Whether my child skips school, leaves their studies alone, dyes their hair, or gets a tattoo, I told them they could do as they liked.
That is the stance I intended to take.
In exchange, take responsibility for it yourself. How will people around you feel if you dye your hair? How will you be evaluated? As a result, what will happen and what will become of it? Everything comes back to you. Both good and bad.
If you are going to dye your hair anyway, I want you to dye it in a way that makes you look good. In that case, you are actually welcome.

And I think the essence of business is the same. For better or worse, everything comes back to you.

If it goes well, it's your own achievement. If it fails, that's on you too. You can't blame anyone else.

Everything depends on me. That is what I believe.

Right now, the greenhouse is not yet finished. The strawberries haven't been planted yet either. But we are definitely moving forward.

This challenge started from unemployment. No, since I'm in my 40s, it's not something as glamorous as a challenge.
This is a business started with resolve. That is what I was taught.

Taking it all on my shoulders, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next myself.

I will report back when there is more progress.

See you later.