Longing for a Porsche as a Salaryman: From Dream to Reality

When I was a salaryman, owning a Porsche was nothing more than a dream.

During my roughly nine years working as an IT engineer, my salary was somewhat above average but nowhere near that of top-tier companies. With an income that was just “above average,” buying a brand-new Porsche was simply out of the question. I remember that the best I could do was take out a loan to buy an Audi TT for about 4.5 million yen a few years after joining the company.

Still, my longing for a Porsche was always somewhere in my heart.

I used to talk with friends about going on a touring trip in a Porsche when we turned 40, vividly imagining that scene. Back then, it was just a fantasy, but after starting my own business and nearly nine years later, I finally managed to get a Porsche.

This time, I want to share lessons from my experience with those who, like I once was, want to own a Porsche while working as a salaryman. This article assumes the goal is to purchase a brand-new Porsche.

Breaking Free from the Illusion of ‘Hard Work Pays Off’

Many Japanese believe that “if you work hard little by little, things will somehow work out.”

Sure, your salary might gradually increase, but in today’s Japanese society, it’s extremely difficult to comfortably afford a Porsche just by that. The reality is close to an almost impossible “unfair game.”

That’s why you should first reconsider the very idea of “enduring hardships and working hard little by little.” There are countless companies with better conditions and jobs with higher pay. If you’re worried about whether you can buy a Porsche at your current company but keep pushing yourself, it’s more efficient to switch jobs and market yourself at a higher level.

Japanese people tend to be bound by the proverb “Three years on a stone,” but to me, it’s more like “Three seconds on a stone.”

If you feel something’s off or uncomfortable, you should move on immediately. In modern Japan, there’s absolutely no need to cling to one environment.

“But I’m worried about changing jobs,” I can hear some say. What’s the root of that anxiety? In many cases, it’s a lack of confidence in one’s own skills and abilities. If you had solid skills, you’d be confident you could survive anywhere.

So how do you build that confidence? The answer is simple: gain experience. To use an RPG analogy, you won’t level up by just defeating slimes. You need to repeatedly challenge yourself with slightly tougher opponents—those that require you to stretch a bit—and overcome them. Only then can you truly grow (level up).

Think Like an RPG: Always Aim to Level Up Your “Market Value”

To achieve the goal of owning a Porsche, it’s important to see yourself as an RPG character and always be conscious of leveling up.

Instead of waiting for “external evaluations” like small annual raises or bonus increases from your company, you need to focus on raising your own “market value.” This isn’t just a technique but a mindset and attitude essential for success.

Everyone feels some anxiety about changing environments, but as mentioned earlier, overcoming that anxiety requires continuously taking on challenges that push you beyond your comfort zone.

Besides specialized skills, acquiring portable skills—such as building relationships, being liked and trusted by others—will help you adapt to any workplace.

For example, in the entertainment industry, some comedians or talents aren’t particularly flashy but continue to work steadily for a long time. They often have an atmosphere that makes staff want to work with them again. The same applies in business: beyond skills and abilities, being someone people want to rely on and work with attracts many opportunities.

Gather your courage, dive into new environments, and keep taking on slightly challenging tasks. This repetition will help you level up yourself.

The First Step Toward a Porsche: Break Free from “Hourly Wage Thinking”

The most important mindset shift for a salaryman aiming to own a Porsche is to escape the idea that “I’m exchanging my time for money.”

This concept may be hard to grasp without experience in self-employment or running a business. But one thing is clear: as long as you think in terms of earning money by time, it’s extremely difficult to build the kind of wealth needed to buy a Porsche.

You need to shift your thinking to earning based on your abilities, the value you provide, or your own qualities—not your time.

If you keep thinking, “I worked overtime and earned an extra 30,000 yen this month,” you won’t reach a Porsche. Even if you do, it will be a very tough road.

Instead, focus on producing “results” in your daily work.

For example, if you’re in sales, put all your energy into improving your sales performance. Don’t worry about working hours or overtime pay. Sometimes, whether it’s weekends or late at night, use your time by your own will and act for results.

By shifting to the mindset that “I’m paid for my abilities and results,” your company may finally start to truly evaluate you. If they don’t, it means they can’t—or won’t—properly recognize your abilities. In that case, you should immediately move to a company that values you more highly.

Whether you’re an engineer contributing to project completion or launching new services, or an office worker reducing costs through process improvements, focusing on being evaluated for “results” is the shortcut to higher income.

A “Results-Oriented” Mindset to Draw Your Porsche Closer

Ultimately, the core to owning a Porsche is the mindset shift from “earning money by time” to “earning money by results,” in other words, adopting a “results-oriented” way of thinking.

Even as a salaryman receiving a paycheck, don’t see it as mere compensation for time but as a reward for the value and results you bring to the company.

Once you adopt this mindset, your approach to work changes, and your evaluation at work is likely to improve. If you feel you’re not fairly evaluated in your current environment, that’s a sign you’re in a place that doesn’t properly recognize your value. In such a case, don’t hesitate to change jobs and move to a place that values your abilities more.

The path to a Porsche begins by breaking free from the shackles of hourly wage thinking and daring to compete based on your own value.

The Importance of Having an “Iron Will” to Never Give Up on Your Dream

Don’t give up on buying a Porsche because it’s “beyond your means” or because your family or partner opposes it.

As I wrote in a previous article, if you’re going to yield to such opposition, you should reconsider those relationships. Of course, this is an extreme example, but it shows the importance of having an “iron will” toward your dreams and goals. Don’t worry too much about others’ opinions; you should hold the reins of your own life.

Nowadays, Porsche prices have soared even higher, and honestly, buying a brand-new one while continuing a typical salaryman lifestyle is quite challenging.

However, there’s no need to give up. With the right mindset and action strategy, it’s not impossible. In fact, I know several salarymen around me who own Porsches.

What I especially want to tell salarymen in their 20s and 30s is to always focus on raising their own value and break free from hourly wage thinking.

This is a lesson drawn from my own experience and may not apply perfectly to everyone, but I hope it serves as one possible path to realizing the dream of owning a Porsche.