#194 Not yet mainstream, partnerships with large companies, management issues - should we hire a Professional CEO? (22/02/2026)

About a year ago, around this time, roughly March or April, I was reading a book called "Crossing the Chasm." At that time, I felt that my biggest challenge for 2025 would be entering the mainstream. This was because 2024 was a turning point; the "Re Pillow 3 + Pro Add-On" combination successfully solved many people's pillow problems and started to gain some recognition, and more people were trying our new bed sheets. So, I thought that if 2024 was about acquiring Re Pillow Co.'s core customer base, then in 2025, I wanted to enter the mainstream. I believe that no matter how much you boast or how genuinely great something is, even the most brilliant design won't make a real impact on society if it can't attract the mainstream public, or if it's considered amazing but only used by a few. As I mentioned in last week's weekly log, I believe the sole purpose of starting a business is to bring something to society and the world to improve lives. Improving the lives of others, I believe, is the core of any work, no matter what it is.

Then 2025 passed, and Q1 of 2026 is already half over, and I'm still struggling in the market. Sometimes I wonder what I truly am — what contribution can I make to society, what value can I bring to the world? This is what matters most. Life is short; I don't seek wealth. The most important thing is to be able to contribute, I believe.

Recently, while collaborating with some large companies (we collaborate with many large companies), I've realized that although I often admire large companies and wish my own company were bigger with more resources, they're not as great as I imagined. They have their own unique "big company problems." Often, from my perspective, they "spin their wheels." That is, in my small company, we make a decision and implement it. But in a large company, they need to hold many meetings, different people might have different opinions, and even when it's time to execute, there might be internal disagreements and resistance, making implementation not smooth. Then they have to go back to discuss and understand again. It's like a car with its four-wheel drive suspended in the air, spinning its wheels without actually moving forward on the ground. Of course, this approach has its advantages in terms of stability, ensuring all opinions are fully considered before proceeding. But it can also slow things down, and this is something that inevitably happens once a company reaches a certain size.

So, small companies have small problems, and large companies have large problems.

Furthermore, we also have some internal long-term stockout problems that definitely need to be resolved. In the past, we had fewer product models, so we could manage inventory better. Now, with more models and more physical stores, it's increasingly difficult to keep all items consistently stocked in all stores. Although we've implemented some automated methods, and there's been significant improvement compared to half a year ago, it's still not enough. Because we have many models and many sizes, maintaining good stock levels remains very challenging. But continuing to operate means these issues must be resolved. I also often wonder how to take the next step; there are many detailed aspects that need further resolution, such as administrative management. Because these types of problems are numerous and I don't know how to handle them, a few years ago I considered hiring a professional CEO, perhaps someone who was previously a GM for GAP/Adidas/Airstream in Hong Kong. I would hand over the entire Re Pillow to them to manage, so I could learn from the sidelines how to manage, and I hoped they would manage it better than I could, and develop Re Pillow Co. well. Since I'm not someone who seeks to get rich, I know these professional CEOs would require substantial compensation, which I wouldn't mind because I wouldn't be competing with them for money. The most important thing is that they truly perform well and contribute positively to the overall development of the company. This issue was somewhat set aside in the past few years, but recently I've been thinking about it again, wondering if it's time now, as I genuinely feel increasingly challenged by management. Or should I continue to learn as I go and handle it myself? Would hiring a professional CEO be avoiding the problem and missing a learning opportunity? Or would it be a smart decision because I can let them manage first and then learn from them?

So many problems, which I can't solve for now. Must work hard first.