No manufacturing. No inventory. Yet, 20 million yen sold in just 7 days.
The first thing I ever sold in my life was a Mongolian tent.
No money. No track record. Just a student.
I didn't make it myself. Development costs were zero.
I did only one thing.
I negotiated with an overseas manufacturer, saying, "Please let me sell your product in Japan with all my heart."
That resulted in 13 million yen in sales.
I've been doing this business for 7 years and have supported the launch of over 50 companies.
Today, I will write about the whole picture.
Yogibo is not made by a Japanese company.
First, there's a fact I want you to know.
Many people think that "Yogibo," the famous bead sofa, was developed by a Japanese company.
It's not.
https://x.com/columbus_ceo/status/2081922078585040979
Yogibo is a product born in America.
What the Japanese CEO did was obtain the "exclusive right to sell in Japan" from the overseas manufacturer.
This is called an Exclusive Distribution License.
What happens when you have this license?
You become the only person who can sell that product within Japan.
The Yogibo CEO's method is explained below.
You avoid the hell of being undercut by 1,000 yen on Amazon.
You decide the pricing yourself.
All wholesale inquiries go through you.
It's a completely different game from resale or arbitrage.
Why would an overseas manufacturer trust an unknown Japanese person?
You might think, "Only big companies can get those rights."
Imagine this.
You are selling a product in Japan. One day, a company from India contacts you.
"Please let us sell your product in India. We will handle customer support in the local language. We will run ads. We will create sales pages. We will handle all warranty issues."
In this situation, would you go out of your way to set up a subsidiary in India and choose to compete with that company?
You wouldn't.
You'd think, "If you're going to do all that, I'll leave it to you."
This is exactly how Japan looks to overseas manufacturers.
https://x.com/columbus_ceo/status/2080633520758858010
English isn't widely spoken. There are unique business customs. The culture of returns is different.
That's why many manufacturers are willing to say "I'll leave it to you" to a contract that promises to "sell your product in Japan with full commitment."
The size of the company doesn't matter.
In fact, a company that didn't even have its own website until last year has secured exclusive rights for a brand that raised funds in Silicon Valley.
Zero inventory, sales come first.
"But don't you need tens of millions for purchasing?"
This is a common misunderstanding.
This model can start with pre-order sales.
Let me give you a real example.
An AI gadget recently launched by one of our partners.
It sold 20 million yen in 7 days through pre-orders alone.
We didn't stock up beforehand. Sales came first.
And this is the story of that "company that didn't even have a website."
Other examples include:
- Wine gadget: 15 million yen in the first month
- Highball gadget: 20 million yen cumulative
- Coffee gadget: 17 million yen in the first month → nearly 100 million yen in the first year
All with zero development costs. No initial inventory risk.
https://x.com/columbus_ceo/status/2068647931918569843
If it's a good product and you're the only one selling it, customers will wait even two months.
It's the exact opposite of OEM, where you have to order tens of millions of yen from a Chinese factory before you can finally sell.
I don't know of any other physical product business where cash flow improves first.
A 70% gross profit can be made with simple math.
We have only one criterion for product selection.
We only choose items that yield a 70% gross profit before advertising costs.
Gross profit is the profit after subtracting the cost of the product from the selling price.
Let's do the math.
A product with a selling price of 20,000 yen.
The cost is 30%, which is 6,000 yen.
Add shipping and customs duties (import taxes) for a total of 35%, or 7,000 yen.
You are left with 13,000 yen.
Even if you spend 20-30% on advertising, 35% remains at the end.
Every time you sell 20,000 yen, you get 7,000 yen in profit.
With high-performing brands, you might even keep 50%.
Why do these numbers happen?
Because you have the right to determine the pricing.
Whether you sell a product that costs 6,000 yen for 20,000 yen or 30,000 yen is up to you.
Of course, the premise is providing value that makes customers happy.
But the battle is half-won the moment you aren't caught in price competition.
It's all decided by math.
And one more thing.
This business can be "sold" after you grow it.
A license that has grown to 5 million yen in monthly sales and 1-2 million yen in profit can be sold for tens of millions of yen.
In fact, we have experience with business transfers and have received collaboration offers from major companies.
Don't make it, don't stock it, grow it, and finally sell it. This is the complete model.
Don't fight the giants. You win if you hit 1% of the population.
"Where are such products?"
The answer is Niche Top.
You only need to appeal to 1% of the population.
In exchange, you bring a product that those 1% will be passionate about.
What we sell well are:
- Camping x Coffee
- Camping x Alcohol
- Home Drinking x Wine
It's this "multiplication of scenes."
For coffee appliances, there's De'Longhi. For cameras, there's Canon. Big companies are strong.
But De'Longhi won't go out of its way to make a product specifically for "coffee brewed while camping."
That's why you can win without fighting.
Moreover, niche products with a cult following get reviewed by influencers for free.
Since you can narrow down the ad targeting, acquisition costs also drop.
In fact, we launched a gadget that has been selling in Taiwan for 11 years—one that "makes 400-yen wine taste like 20,000-yen wine"—with someone who had no EC experience, and it sold 15 million yen in the first month.
The products already exist overseas.
You just find them and persuade them.
Products are already lying around overseas.
I'll also reveal where to look.
First, Japanese crowdfunding. If you look at Makuake or Green Funding, there are genres where mysterious unknown brands are somehow selling 100 million yen.
Outdoor gear, pets, gadgets.
Look for "products that haven't come to Japan yet" in those genres from the overseas side.
Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Korea's Wadiz, Taiwan's ZecZec.
https://x.com/columbus_ceo/status/2021050760545632337
https://x.com/columbus_ceo/status/2022950964513435796
Also, products that overseas gadget geeks are buzzing about on X.
Products that people want to buy even if they have to endure the fear of putting their credit card through a mysterious overseas site will definitely sell in Japan.
Another criterion is Instagram Reels.
Do you want it in 30 seconds, even if it's still in English?
Products that hit home here will sell in Japan, and that creative can be used directly for advertising.
"I can't speak English" is not an excuse.
Reading this far, you're probably thinking:
"I can't do English" or "Trade business is impossible."
Let me crush those thoughts.
In my experience, 90% of people in this industry don't speak English.
You can hire an interpreter for a business meeting for 5,000 to 10,000 yen per session.
Text communication is handled by AI in this day and age.
What manufacturers are looking at isn't English proficiency.
It's how seriously you will sell it. It's your passion and sales plan.
https://x.com/columbus_ceo/status/2079845595196592284
In fact, some of our partners are solo CEOs.
They are signing exclusive contracts with major overseas manufacturers.
Some started with no experience and exceeded 100 million yen in sales in one year.
For the practical side of trade, you just need to partner with a forwarder (a specialist who handles all shipping arrangements).
However, I'll be honest. Not everything sells.
- Products requiring certification (Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, medical, food-related) are a no-go for the first step.
- Cheap products with a selling price under 20,000 yen are also a no-go (you'll get caught in Amazon's discount wars).
If you don't miss these points, the reproducibility is quite high.
You lose the moment you start negotiations with a discount.
Competitors for exclusive rights are actually often major Japanese trading companies.
But we have won.
One manufacturer received emails from a major trading company and us at the same time.
We were chosen.
The reason is simple: manufacturers aren't looking at the size of the company, but "who will sell most seriously in Japan."
People from the resale world suddenly negotiate to "make the purchase quota zero."
We do the opposite.
We read all the product reviews, explain the sales plan in Japan thoroughly, and build a relationship as a "partner to create the Japanese market together."
For manufacturers we really want to secure, we go to the local site to drink. We do karaoke.
First, we ask for just one sample and start from non-monetary aspects like, "I will make a video with this influencer" or "I will interview the wholesale manager and bring back their reaction."
After trust is built, we use a rational proposal to reduce quotas and carefully negotiate to lower the cost.
Then the contract is secured, quotas are reduced, and costs go down.
By the way, sometimes they say, "Start with regular wholesale, not exclusive, at first."
That's fine. If you produce results with non-exclusive, you can get the exclusive rights later.
This isn't product sales. It's B2B sales.
That's why people with sales experience are actually well-suited for this.
https://x.com/columbus_ceo/status/2019678626908938502
Ironclad Rules
- Don't make it. Don't stock it. Get the rights.
- Don't fight the giants. Capture the enthusiasm of 1% of the population.
- Don't start with discount negotiations. Start with relationship building.
- Don't handle products that don't yield a 70% gross profit from the start.
Finally
It's been 7 years since I started with a Mongolian tent as a student with no money or track record.
Having supported over 50 companies, there is one thing I am certain of.
The biggest bottleneck in this model isn't talent, English skills, or capital.
It's whether you know "how to find products" and "how to enter negotiations."
That's it.
So now, I've started the "Overseas License Exclusive FC" which provides this whole system.
- Sourcing products that sell in Japan (Overseas crowdfunding, SNS, exhibitions, AI utilization)
- We attend exclusive negotiations with manufacturers with you
- Providing a network of forwarders and customs clearance
For example, if you have a customer list for pet products, we find products in the pet domain that haven't come to Japan yet.
If you're an ad agency strong in sleep-related projects, we find overseas sleep brands.
We start by searching for products together from scratch, calculating backward from the assets you currently have.
In other words, it's a shortcut for my 7 years of experience.
For those who want to launch a new business or create the next pillar for their company.
Even those who want to take the first step in overseas business are welcome.
Please send Overseas to my official LINE.
I will send you the 36 white papers I used to instruct my members when they created a 17-million-yen global business in 3 months.
It's a "Complete Roadmap" for launching an overseas EC while reducing risk as much as possible.
Consultations just to brainstorm "what would sell with our assets" are also welcome.
