#143 The risks of "being proactive", "stopping breathing" (01/03/2025)

Photo: We've recently been testing some retail shopping bags made from environmentally friendly materials. New bags coming soon…

Welcome to this week's journal. It's time to share some work-related stories from the week. I have a penchant for studying the rise and fall of other companies to learn from their mistakes and avoid repeating them. Also, reading about different companies' stories gives me a more "perspective" in my work. I've discovered that the rise and fall of companies is normal; even the biggest companies can go bankrupt one day. So, in my smaller company, I'm more accepting of difficulties. Although I try my best, I know how to take things in stride.

Sometimes, when a young boss takes the helm at a company, their youth often fuels their willingness to try new things and their high level of motivation. This often injects fresh ideas and innovative approaches into the company – what I call "achievement" today. For example, Elon Musk recently established the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), specifically employing a group of young people to accomplish this task. This indirectly confirms that these newer, more innovative ideas, requiring strong execution, truly need young people to succeed. In a company, this newfound "youthfulness" and "achievement," this drive to make a big impact, certainly seems like a good thing at first glance, but caution is still necessary. This is something I'm writing to remind myself of.

In many companies, the problem often arises when these young and promising newcomers, with their lofty ideals, implement changes that may be commendable or even correct. However, these changes, implemented all at once, can easily become overwhelming, leading to a situation where the company struggles to stay afloat, cash flow fails to keep up, and ultimately the company collapses.

These situations occur frequently. Examples abound throughout history and across the world.

Therefore, returning to the situation at Re Pillow Co., I am aware that there are many changes our company can make to improve. However, while developing, I must avoid implementing changes too rapidly, which could lead to stagnation. Therefore, I need to implement changes gradually. The primary task of company management is to ensure the company's survival; only by surviving can there be a future. Therefore, under this premise, changes must be carried out step by step.