Abstract

From a university dropout and a listless high school graduate working part-time to the chairman of Yoshinoya Holdings. What is his "reversal" work philosophy? 560 messages that the chairman of Yoshinoya Holdings has been sending to employees for 18 years! A book you'll want to reread again and again when you're lost at work.

■From a university dropout and a listless high school graduate working part-time to the top of a 200 billion yen company
"It's a lie that if you work hard, your dreams will come true" -- The author was a "hopeless young man" who lost hope for the future after experiencing setbacks in his mid-teens and dropped out of university twice. However, after joining Yoshinoya as a full-time employee at the age of 24, he rapidly rose through the ranks, becoming president of Hanamaru, a subsidiary of the udon chain, at the age of 38, and president of Yoshinoya Holdings at the age of 43. How did a "useless part-timer" with no academic background or confidence come to take the helm of a giant group? The answer is summarized in one motto that the author grasped through his failures and trial and error on the job.

■ "Everyone is my teacher"
The author, who describes himself as "not sociable and not good at dealing with people," struggled with relationships with staff and superiors he didn't get along with during his time as a store manager. What he arrived at during that time was the spirit of "turning even unpleasant people and unreasonable events into 'negative examples' to help one grow."

■ A "textbook for the workplace" carefully selected from 560 messages sent over 18 years
This book is compiled by extracting the essence from 560 messages that the author sent to employees during his 18 years as president, including those of the subsidiary Hanamaru. It is not just empty rhetoric, but is full of gritty yet immediately effective methods that can only be told by someone who has been honed on the front lines.

Author’s Information

Born in Osaka City in 1968. Graduated from Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Minami High School in 1987. He enrolled in university twice but dropped out both times. At the age of 19, he started working part-time at Yoshinoya in Osaka. After four and a half years of part-time work, he joined Yoshinoya D&C (now Yoshinoya Holdings) in 1993. In 1997, he was seconded to Saison Research Institute, and in 2004, he became a director to rebuild the management of Hanamaru, a udon chain that is part of the group. In 2007, he became president of the company. In 2012, at the age of 43, he became president of Yoshinoya Holdings. In 2014, he also became president of the operating company, Yoshinoya. Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Osamu Abe, he became the next president to start as a part-time worker. In 2025, he retired to become chairman.