Transit General Office Co., Ltd. President and CEO Sadahiro Nakamura　

There's no need to rush to find what you want to do. Whatever you can do can become your "job."

President and CEO of Transit General Office Co., Ltd.　中村貞裕　(Sadahiro Nakamura)

■ Profile

Born in 1971. After graduating from Keio University, he worked at Isetan before founding Transit General Office. He then opened the cafe "Sign" in Gaienmae, and has since worked on a number of popular projects in restaurant management, space production, catering, and more. His publications include "Sadahiro Nakamura's Trendsetting Work Techniques" (Discover 21, 2012). In 2022, he will launch the golf brand "Pacific Golf Club."

Transit General Office Co., Ltd. has been involved in many popular establishments, including "Sign," which pioneered the cafe boom, and the all-day dining establishment "bills." Founder Sadahiro Nakamura, who had aspired to become an entrepreneur since his student days, says, "My trendy personality is the origin of my work." We spoke to Nakamura about some interesting anecdotes from his university life and the secrets to his business success.

Ever since I was a child, I was, to put it nicely, very curious, but to put it bluntly, someone who gets excited easily but loses interest quickly. Nowadays, I can accept my trendy side and be positive about it, but back then I didn't really like that about myself. The only thing I did well in was my university entrance exams, but throughout my student days I started and quit a lot of different things, like basketball, skateboarding, surfing, and bands. However, after a few years, people who persevere and put in effort at one thing consistently start to see results. Seeing them like that, I spent my days frustrated with myself for not being able to stick with anything. However, I had more interests than most people, so looking back, I had a fulfilling university life. I would visit every restaurant listed in restaurant guidebooks with my then-girlfriend, who is now my wife, and host events at cafes and clubs with people.

■Networking is the catalyst for moving on to the next step

I entered university in 1991, the year the bubble burst. Then, when I started job hunting, it was in the middle of the employment ice age. I was a student with no seminars or clubs, and on top of that, there was a risk of repeating a year, so it was quite difficult (laughs). In the end, I was able to join Isetan after graduating, but what started it all was that I had always loved fashion and was interested in working as a buyer.
However, contrary to the glamorous image of a department store, what awaited me after joining the company was nothing but routine assistant work. Even though I knew it was necessary as an undergraduate, it was completely unsuitable for someone like me who easily got bored. Then, one day in my second year, when I was thinking of quitting, I suddenly found myself working under a senior colleague I admired. This senior colleague, Kodai Fujimaki, had become famous overnight for his innovative ideas, unthinkable at the time in department stores, such as the "Kaihoku" project, which aimed to discover and nurture young designers. Working as Fujimaki's assistant was truly a dream come true. From then on, I continued working at Isetan until Fujimaki retired, learning a great deal from him. Furthermore, Fujimaki's enormous influence always surrounded him, so as his subordinate, I had the opportunity to exchange business cards with them, and before I knew it, the number had grown enormously. Seeing this opportunity as a way to make the most of it, I reached out to people I had exchanged business cards with at work and held an event every Friday. The event quickly became a hot topic, and as a result, I was able to get a list of about 10,000 people. Just as I was thinking about what interesting thing I could do with this list, an unprecedented cafe boom was happening in Japan. So, I was lucky enough to come across a good property, and decided to start a cafe. This shop was the start of a series of restaurant openings.

■When it comes to creating a space, "we can do anything, we can do anything"

Our company has developed several businesses based on three pillars: production, operations, and events. While the restaurant business often has a B3C image, more than half of our work has been B1B, with many of our clients being large corporations and listed companies. Therefore, in the creative field, we launch and execute projects from scratch for each client. Unique examples include the production of a university cafeteria and an in-house cafe for a major apparel company. In recent years, we have also frequently been entrusted with overall operations by client companies. The key here is to firmly grasp our client's needs while helping them solve their problems from a fresh perspective. Our experience in a wide range of industries, including international brands, allows us to create new value that has never been seen before. People are often surprised by how we approach each project with an "all-transit" approach. With a team of specialists in design, promotion, marketing, and other fields, we are able to exceed people's expectations. From an employee's perspective, the sheer variety of industries we work in allows us to take on challenges in a variety of areas without leaving the company, which is one of the attractions. Licensing agreements with overseas companies, including "bills," which has helped popularize breakfast culture in Japan, are big challenges that only our company can take on.

■ As a professional in creating "play spaces"

We want our customers to experience something out of the ordinary. If home is a place where you can unplug after work, we want our store to be a place where you can switch on the moment you enter. That's why we offer a wide range of appealing entertainment venues, featuring music, fashion, art, and food. We also deliberately adopt a system that relies on people for our operations. A systemized store where anyone can work is not our ideal. Even if it involves hiring and training costs, we plan to further increase the number of specialists who make customers want to see us again. Our goal is to establish a new culture in Japanese cities and influence people's lifestyles. We hope that what we create will not simply become a passing fad, but will become a wonderful lifestyle for many people.

■Message to university students

I think many students worry about not being able to find what they want to do during their student days. In fact, I was the same way. But then one day I thought, if you need 100 pieces of knowledge to succeed, then if you have 100 small ones, you can compete on equal terms with someone who has just one 100 of something. 1 x 100 and 100 x 1 are the same when you multiply them together. Since then, I've come to accept my own inability to find what I want to do, and have decided to devote myself to being a "super trend-chaser." I encourage all students to pursue the things they love and want to try to the fullest, and live life instinctively without rushing.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on March 12, 2024 by Keio University fourth-year student Miyu Ito

Keio University Graduate School 2nd year student Yoshihiko Yoshi / Tsuda University 1st year student Karin Ishimatsu / Keio University 4th year student Miyu Ito