JWH Netherlands Journal Vol.12　One Email at 8:30 AM Changed My Plan.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　What I Did After Receiving a Tenant's Termination Notice

Yesterday morning,

after dropping my child off at preschool,

I stopped by the supermarket as part of my usual routine.

Nothing felt unusual.

Then I glanced at my phone.

8:30 AM.

There was an email from the tenant of our ground-floor shop.

For a moment,

I simply thought,

"Wait... what?"

The first reaction is always emotional.

The second should be rational.

So I went home and opened the lease agreement.

According to my understanding,

the lease had already been automatically extended for another year.

If that was correct,

the contract couldn't simply end with one email.

Before making assumptions,

I wanted to confirm the facts.

How This Tenant Came to Be

When we purchased this building,

the shop was vacant.

Our first challenge was finding a tenant.

The problem was,

I had just started my life in the Netherlands.

I didn't know who specialized in commercial leasing.

The real estate agent who helped us buy the property, Jonathan, knew the building better than anyone.

He had been kind and trustworthy throughout the purchase process.

I remember thinking,

"He already knows this property. Why not ask him?"

To be fair,

he also told me from the beginning that commercial leasing wasn't his specialty.

Still,

I decided to ask him.

Looking back,

that decision was mine.

After reviewing the lease,

I asked Jonathan for his opinion.

His answer was surprisingly honest.

In short,

He admitted that the clause had not been revised as intended.

I could have focused on whose fault it was.

Instead,

I chose to focus on what to do next.

There's no value in winning an argument if you lose momentum.

One lesson became very clear.

Choosing the right professional is also part of investing.

Jonathan never claimed to be a leasing specialist.

He was honest about that from the beginning.

Ultimately,

I was the one who decided to rely on him.

That was my decision,

and therefore my responsibility.

Every investment teaches something.

This one certainly did.

Then,

I decided to move.

Fast.

First,

I replied to the tenant.

I wanted to understand how they viewed the situation.

Next,

I contacted four commercial leasing agencies.

No waiting.

No hesitation.

Then,

I created my own leasing brochure.

Because relying on others shouldn't be the only strategy.

Later that afternoon,

my wife and I started talking.

"What if we opened a Daifuku shop?"

Actually,

we had been discussing ideas for months.

Japanese curry.

Onigiri.

Rice bowls.

Traditional sweets.

And only a week before this email,

we had made homemade strawberry cream Daifuku

and shared them with our neighbors.

The response was surprisingly good.

People loved them.

Then we started laughing.

"€3?"

"€5?"

"€8 with coffee?"

"Locals?"

"Tourists?"

"But... we'd be busy."

"Maybe our oldest son can help."

Sometimes,

business ideas begin as family conversations around the dinner table.

Finally,

I opened Excel.

This may have been the most important part of the day.

If the rental income disappeared,

would our life still work?

Income.

Expenses.

Taxes.

Education.

Savings.

Everything went into the spreadsheet.

People sometimes tell me,

"You make bold decisions."

Moving abroad.

Starting businesses.

Buying old buildings.

To some,

it probably looks risky.

But almost every major decision I've made has started with one thing:

Numbers.

I build the financial model first.

Only after I understand the numbers

do I make the decision.

That process gives me confidence.

To be honest,

I had always assumed this tenant wouldn't stay forever.

Even when they moved in,

I expected the tenancy to last no more than two years.

Our financial plan already allowed for that possibility.

The surprise wasn't that the tenant was leaving.

It was when.

Earlier than expected.

So I adjusted the numbers.

Again.

By late afternoon,

everything finally made sense.

And something interesting happened.

As the spreadsheet became clearer,

so did my mind.

When the numbers are in order,

so is the mind.

Now,

I'm actually excited.

Maybe...

The current tenant stays.

Maybe...

A new tenant arrives.

Maybe...

The space becomes a JWH office.

Maybe...

A Daifuku shop.

Or an Onigiri shop.

Or even a Japanese curry shop.

Realistically,

my priority is still growing JWH.

So opening a shop isn't today's goal.

But knowing those possibilities exist

is exciting in itself.

One email changed my plan.

But it also created new possibilities.

Sometimes,

unexpected events don't close doors.

They open different ones.

JWH Concept

A home isn't just a place to live.

It can also become a place to work.

To earn.

To connect.

To create opportunities.

That's exactly what Japan Working Home is about.

Bonus

Yesterday,

I also designed a commercial leasing brochure for the shop.

If you happen to know someone looking for retail space in the heart of Delft,

I'd truly appreciate an introduction.

And even if this space ends up becoming something completely different...

I'm looking forward to seeing where this journey leads.

Next Journal

Will the current tenant stay?

Will a new tenant be found?

Will the Daifuku idea become something real?

Let's see...

How will everything unfold?