Hiroyuki Kato

When I was a student, I never thought I’d start my own business. I spent my university days absorbed in my band activities—which I’d continued since high school—while studying in the Department of Applied Chemistry in the Faculty of Engineering.

However, there was one important event that led me to the present. During the summer break of my sophomore year, I went to Oregon on a short-term study abroad program. One day, I happened to meet a guy where I was waiting for someone. We hit it off and became pen pals. The following year, I tagged along with some of his acquaintances on a trip across the United States. I stayed at the homes of people I’d never met before and competed in—and won—arm wrestling tournaments. While there, I experienced a lot of things that were new to me, such as racial discrimination and the disparities between the wealthy and the poor. I also learned the importance of taking action on my own. Even in a time without the Internet, seemingly insignificant encounters and exchanges of letters expanded my world.

So, in my work, I have basically thought about things in the order of people, goods, and money. I think dealing with people squarely is the most important thing.

When I first started working for a chemical materials manufacturer, the word processor had just arrived. I was involved in the development of ink ribbons, and I applied myself to this task with cooperation from people in the manufacturing department.

Then I went to a network equipment manufacturer. I was a zealous salesman. Because of my efforts, I became the top salesperson within a year of joining the company, and in three years, my former boss had become my subordinate. I was promoted to head of the sales department and to sales manager. My company was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Second Section during my time as sales manager. It was hard work, but it was also so much fun. When I entered my 30s, I received offers from a number of companies and eventually moved to a venture company, where I was appointed as a director.

Around that time, the Internet began spreading rapidly. Multi-vendor systems that connect equipment and software from various manufacturers—rather than systems built by a single major manufacturer—became the mainstream. And as this happened, companies began having operation and security troubles. I sensed that a new business was emerging. However, the company I worked for did not have the will to move, so I decided to start my own company.

I thought that if I did what was required of me exactly and delivered results in a professional manner, I could succeed. After my company got off the ground, we developed homegrown software to monitor the performance and operational status of systems and networks in a multi-vendor environment. The software analyzes products from hundreds of manufacturers and visualizes what is happening in hidden areas of the Internet.

We continued to make improvements to address companies’ needs, with the result being that the product is now growing into our core business under the name System Answer®. Our business is also expanding to encompass various other product types and consulting services, including information management, security management, and quality control.

Our path to where we are today was not without hardships, of course. There were times when I threw away all of my assets and nearly went bankrupt. But someone was always there to lend a helping hand. I am continually grateful for the human ties I have made and the breadth of those ties.

Although one feels a sense of responsibility when starting a business, entrepreneurship cannot succeed based on desire alone. Nor can it succeed based on technology alone. It is important to properly ascertain what is required. In our case, the fact that we created something no one had ever made before from scratch was advantageous. It’s fun to create something that has never been made before and that is useful to people.

There’s always some who is better than you, so there is no point in comparing yourself with others. And starting a business need not be overwhelming. It is enough if you are satisfied with your efforts and win 51 to 49. That little difference is huge. If you’re thinking about starting a business, do your best to succeed.