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Hiroshi Mikitani

Hiroshi Mikitani

CEO, Rakuten Inc.

The Benefit of the Slow Start

December 03, 2013


A slow start is perfectly fine.

This may seem counter intuitive to many. We are in an economy that rewards speed. I consider speed a core principle in my company. So how can I justify a slow start to anything?

It’s not that I reject speed. But speed is not the only thing to consider in launching something new. There are times when a slow start is a reasonable, even profitable, business model. The trick to the slow start is to launch, but keep on making improvements. I call this the Improvement Model.

Rakuten did not gain immediate, explosive popularity. But I told my team: A slow start is perfectly fine. As long as improvement continues, Rakuten is sure to gain public acceptance, and along with growing notoriety will come accelerated growth.

It did. What’s more, the accumulation of gradual improvements also resulted in high quality. This method requires perseverance, but as long as you never give up, it will guarantee success.

Of course, there is always the possibility of a brilliant rival appearing at some point. It happens. At that particular moment, we may succumb to their popularity, but as long as we keep improving, we will ultimately surpass them.

Improvement is a method that promises growth in absolute terms.