Editing The Pen Addict 619/transcript (section)

== Making Japanese stationery accessible and affordable ==

* I felt like they're just – of course, people knew that there were very expensive things out there, like fountain pens and, you know, status symbol kinds of products. What I felt was lacking is the knowledge that they're regular items that you can use in your daily lives without bringing the bank and bringing joy and, you know, efficiency. What I like to say was how, you know, in America, you have Apple coming out with new iPhones every year, and, you know, everybody's waiting with beta breath of, you know, what are the new features? There's kind of a similar culture in a much smaller scale, but in Japan, there are these companies that keep coming out with new features. And most of the time, they're gimmicks. You know they're desperate, and you know they're making this desperate attempt to convince people that they have something cool. But now and then, they're like true gems that come out of that effort, and the fact that they keep trying to innovate, I felt like really spoke to people who are really passionate about their tools, want something new, want an edge. And it was just such a fascinating field that just wasn't well represented in the States. So my focus was definitely on those, you know, sub $10, not sub $100. I'm talking sub $10, some $15. And I thought there was so much potential in that field. Yeah, yeah. And I think there still is. That's still my favorite category of discovery. It's just slower moving, you know, just in general, even though it's bigger sales, like bottom line, if you look at the big companies, right? Your big pilots and unis and stuff. That's going to be their big bottom line, chunks of money. But as far as like, you know, a lot of the conversation in our stationery spaces around the higher-end items, fountain pens, and we'll talk about some of this stuff later as we get in the show. But I still, and I talk about it, and people are tired of hearing me say it, but I just love talking about a $3 gel pen. Like, I just, like, I get so much joy from that. And a lot of that, you know, comes from your help back in the day. So I definitely appreciate that. Goes both ways. Yeah, yeah. And speaking of going both ways, your fluency in Japanese has to have played a massive role in this. Like, it's like a lightning striking situation, right? To have, like, this perfect upbringing to, you know, take you on this path in IT, but then to be able to circle back into doing something stationery-based that's really like the epicenters in Japan, as far as I'm concerned. I'll probably get some emails on that one. But, yeah, I think, like, tell me what that's been like. Are people surprised, you know, when you go into meetings in Japan that, you know, this guy is so passionate about the products we make? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And the fact that I could speak Japanese was huge. Yeah. And not to brag, but I was fortunate to learn it as a child. Not, you know, I'm so impressed by people who pick up another language, especially Japanese, after their 20s and stuff. You know, props to them because I learned it as a kid. So, you know, I watched all the same TV shows they grew up watching. So, I have that kind of cultural affinity and they accept me immediately. And it was especially a big deal because this may sound condescending and I don't mean it that way at all. I say this with full passion. But in Japan, where you work or, you know, where you belong is a big part of kind of your social pecking order. Like, if you want social respect, you work for the big banks, the big Toyotas and, you know, the Sonys and the well-known companies. Belonging is big. So, if you're smart, if you're out to make the big bucks, you probably don't work for a stationery company. Which means, you know, I haven't met any jerks. They're all just in it for the passion or, for lack of a better word, not very ambitious. They kind of, they're happy with what they do. They love it. There's no rivalry. They're all good friends because, you know, the pie is only so big. And it's not like, you know, you're going to ride a Mercedes if you're in the stationery industry. So, a lot of humble people, friendly people. They've, you know, they've embraced me wholeheartedly. And to be honest, if you could speak good English, why would you work for a stationery company? So, there's a language barrier there. Yeah. And business-wise, you know, you might, I think a lot of people are dismayed how hard it is to kind of buy things from Japan or reach out to small makers. It's not like they're trying to keep it to themselves. They're just scared.
* Sure. You know, having to deal with the language. You know, you have websites that haven't changed since, you know, CompuServe kind of times. That's true. It's just kind of pathetic, but with no malice. It's just pure, you know, they're scared of reaching out, of being ambitious, they'd rather stay in their comfort zone. So, coming back to your question, for somebody like me who did not have that language barrier, who, you know, is from America, which, you know, they want to know more about. They don't know where to turn to. So, that was, you know, I was totally grateful for how, you know, I'd reach out to somebody and then introduce me to other people. And it just is like a chain reaction. And within a couple of years, I feel like I had the pleasure of meeting almost, you know, everybody in the industry of, you know. Yeah. So, the language was huge. And I think they've come a long way. They're seeing how much international interest there is in Japanese stationery. So, they're being bolder. But just the kind of people in the industry, we're not, not the people with real strategic minds. They're just doing what they love, trying to keep turning out a better product every year. And that's where I happen to come in and they truly embrace me. Yeah. That's super cool. And you can see it. And, like, that just overall feel, like, translates through the community as a whole. Just, you know, the kind of the things we believe in as a community and why we use these products and why we're all passionate about these things. And that definitely plays in. So, this kind of leads into, like, one of the big topics I want to talk about today, which is the Tokyo International Pen Show.
* And that's a big, broad topic. So, before we do that, let me talk about our first sponsor this week. And that is our good friends over at Squarespace. This episode of The Pen Addict is brought to you by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one web platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just starting out or managing a growing brand, you can stand out with a beautiful website, engage with your audience, and sell anything. Your products, services, and even the content you create. Squarespace has got everything you need, all in one place, all on your terms. Their Blueprint AI and SEO tools make it easy to get started. You can start a completely personalized website with their new guided design system, Squarespace Blueprint. Choose from professionally curated layout and styling options to build a unique online presence from the ground up, tailored to your brand or business, and optimized for every device. And then easily launch your website to get discovered fast with integrated, optimized SEO tools so you show up more often to more people and grow the way you want. You can also integrate flexible payments. To make checkout seamless for your customers with simple but powerful payment tools, you can accept credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay. And in eligible countries, offer customers the option to buy now and pay later with Afterpay and ClearPay. So one of the things I use Squarespace for is to sell. I sell products at the Pen Addict shop. And this year, I've been working on kind of a refresh of the shop with new collaborations that I'm working on. All of those will be coming, I don't know, probably starting in July and throughout the rest of the year. And Squarespace allows me to just build up those products, build up the imagery, set the pricing, set the shipping. And all of that stuff is really, really made simple by Squarespace because they have all the tools you need to sell the content on your site. And you can even do a membership program on Squarespace by adding a paywall to sell content or courses or sell files your customers can download like PDFs, music, or e-books. So I've been using them for a long time. I highly recommend them. I think I've been using them as long as I know Bruce. So head over to squarespace.com and sign up for a free trial. When you're ready to launch, go to squarespace.com slash penaddict to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com slash penaddict when you decide to sign up to get 10% off your first purchase and show your support for the penact. Our thanks to Squarespace for their support of this show and all of RelayFM. And I want to make a shout out to the Penaddict merch site because when I was visiting Japan, Japan's very much a gift culture and you cannot visit people empty-handed. And there is no stationery I can bring over as merch from America, you know, to impress people. So I was hitting that penaddict merch shop, you know, buying things because it was stationery and American and I buy t-shirts, I buy pins, I buy a whole bunch of things. So thanks for supplying me with my trading goods. Well, I have to thank you back because you helped me create one of the greatest items I've ever created in the shop. And it's the Kokuyo sketchbook with the penact full stamp. So those who don't know, and it's been years since I've had that, we did a short run. Bruce helped me out with that. The only reason I was able to get these notebooks is because of his translation services. So that is still one of the coolest things I've ever done. And I have you to thank for that. Oh, no, thank you. I was so excited because it's not a glamorous product, but it's so solid. It's the coolest. If you're in the know, that's the pocket notebook to have. It's a 10 out of 10 S-tier item. Like it is one of the greatest stationery products ever made. Absolutely. One of the greatest pen shows on the planet is the Tokyo International Pen Show, apparently. And I need you to tell me all about it, please. Sure. So, well, let me start on my journey because I was not into fountain pens at all. This is a big deal. Yes. So, yeah. How did I go from not caring about fountain pens to one of the organizers of, I like to say, some of the top shows in the world? Yes.