In My Husband’s Case

“It’s often said that building connections is key to success in business.” When I first started my business, I carried a business card holder stuffed full and eagerly attended various networking events, exchanging cards enthusiastically.

On the other hand, my husband isn’t fond of networking events or groups, so he never goes to those kinds of gatherings. Apparently, last year he didn’t attend a single business-related dinner meeting at night (though he does barely make it to company welcome parties and events).

Thanks to that, he has trustworthy advisors and colleagues around him, so I feel reassured. But since he comes straight home every day, I once asked him, “Hey, don’t you think you should go to some networking events or business owner meetings?”

His simple reply was,

Nope (-_-)

When I asked, “But you do have a position and various relationships, right?” he said,

I’m not good at or fond of “business dinners just for the sake of networking,” so I don’t do them at all. If others like that, that’s fine, but it’s just not for me. When I first started my business, I did join some business owner groups and went to social gatherings, but that was really just for a short while.
I’m naturally skeptical of common wisdom. People say, “When you start a business, you have to expand your network and get your name out there,” but I first question if that’s really true.
Then I realized, “You can get business without doing all that,” so I stopped going to those events. And in fact, I was able to get business.

I see… I tend to get swept up by common wisdom, but my husband really isn’t like that.

I asked, “But even though you don’t socialize much, you have reliable professionals around you. Did you intentionally create that environment?”

He replied,

No, not intentionally…
But I have avoided meeting people who casually say, “Let’s exchange information!” Usually, those people don’t have good information.
Their info is often scarce or outdated, and sometimes I actually have newer or better info, so I end up just giving them info and feeling disappointed.
So I’ve avoided people who say “Let’s exchange information.” Also, I avoid people who brag about “I know so-and-so (famous person)” or “I used to work at such-and-such company” lol.
To meet talented people, you have to honestly follow the rule of “birds of a feather flock together.” I try to imitate or adopt the mindset of people who are more successful or active than me, to get closer to them.
Before I knew it, I was only meeting truly talented people active at the forefront, and I ended up with several trustworthy “generals” by my side, and that’s how things run smoothly.

My husband loves stories about the Three Kingdoms and the Warring States period, so he often uses the term “generals” (laughs).

When I said, “True, so-and-so is like Zhao Yun, and so-and-so is like Guan Yu lol,”

Yeah lol.
Well, since I only have 24 hours a day, I can’t just socialize with anyone. It’s a bit tricky to explain, but I think it’s important to have the mindset of “associating with people who have the qualities of heroes.”
Somehow… I think having one general worthy of 100,000 troops is better than having 100,000 troops. Of course, for that, I have to keep improving and studying myself.

I said, “That makes sense… Watching you, I see that if something happens, the generals introduce information and people accurately, creating an environment where you can shortcut toward your goals. That’s really important.”

He said,

Since I was little, I hated being told, “Study three times as much as others, work three times as hard.” Sure, getting three times the results by doing three times the work is impressive, but I think that’s just “average” on a scale of low to high.
If you do three times the amount, it’s natural to get three times the results. Also, just doing more doesn’t encourage innovation or improvement.
I want to aim for “getting three times the results with one-third the effort.” To do that, you have to think, be creative, and explore new methods, which is tough but more enjoyable and valuable.
Basically, I’m a weirdo lol.

I see… I tend to think “work three times as hard,” and since I have some physical and mental stamina, I can do it, but I end up overdoing it and hurting my health (laughs).

Connecting with Fellow Porsche Owners

That said, my husband does go out for dinner or tours with his car friends.

When I asked, “You say you don’t socialize much, but you do go to these things, huh?,”

Well, cars are a hobby, not work, so I go because I want to. I just don’t like “going to dinners just for business” or “going golfing” for work.
Also, I don’t like large groups for tours, so I prefer a few cars, just enough so we don’t get separated lol.

Though I speak so confidently about my husband, I’m actually not great at socializing either. I prefer one-on-one deep conversations rather than big gatherings.

However, we’re both somewhat used to speaking in public, so for example, talking on Clubhouse is totally fine for us (We chat leisurely every Saturday at 10 pm), and we’re often not seen as “people who are bad at socializing.”

Thinking about it, we’re quite a quirky couple (laughs).

Well, going forward, even though we’re very different types, I hope we can enjoy our car life and life in our own way.