Book 45. 230. I have many experiences that I would call successes, but the key to success lies in resetting and finding a new way to win. Updated 2026.08.21

Hello. This is Watanabe Ten from α and Hakubi's Super Simple World Blog. Today's theme is about letting go of past successes. When we talk about past successes, we can imagine billionaires and millionaires with vast fortunes who reign supreme in the world.

Letting go of past successes is extremely difficult. This is because it's hard to discard an experience that went well once, and we tend to cling to those past successes. For example, let's say there's someone who successfully started a business and amassed a large fortune. If that method is reproducible, they can acquire wealth using the same method two or even three times.

The readers I'm currently addressing when I talk about letting go of past successes are those who have achieved great success, amassed substantial wealth, or hold important positions. You might point out that such people wouldn't be reading Watanabe Ten's blog, but I want these amazing people to recreate that success from the beginning, but in a different way.

To all you geniuses who have created something from nothing, and to all you talented individuals who have created something from something already impressive—let's join forces. Geniuses, try crossing that line once again by creating something from nothing. Bureaucrats, let's think of a different way to replicate that creation from something already impressive.

This shows that you are creating something new, something that goes from zero to one and then to ten. Those of you who have been successful so far should take some time to articulate and analyze your winning strategy once again.

Few people take the time to think about new ways to win, rather than dwelling on a single victory. Even just one or two hours a week dedicated to this kind of thinking can allow that victory to generate new ones. It's difficult to let go of past successes.

It's probably unusual for someone who has succeeded in sports to suddenly abandon sports and enter the field of research. When you win in sports, you naturally start thinking about new ways to win in sports.

One suggestion I'd like to make is to simply verbalize your winning strategy, whether in your head or written down on paper—in other words, to make it explicit knowledge. In fact, this blog is a compilation of things that I, Watanabe, have tried and succeeded at.

In terms of sports, I've even trained using my own modified weight training methods until I had a pro-wrestler physique, and as for studying, I've probably accumulated around 80,000 or 90,000 hours of self-study by my late 30s. That being said, whether I've achieved social success is questionable; I might just be at the stage where I'm about to take on the real challenge.

I'm still in my 30s. That's right. This blog is my first challenge in that new phase. Now, are you open with others about the methods you've used to succeed? I'm very generous in sharing the methods that have worked for me, so much so that it might be embarrassing to reveal all my secrets, but what about you?

Of course, I set various challenges and think about how to overcome them, but I can figure out how to overcome them in a relatively short period of time. My current challenge is the problem of oversleeping; even if I wake up once, I fall back asleep and almost end up being late for something. Currently, the solution to the oversleeping problem is to yawn loudly before going to sleep. By opening my mouth wide and yawning five or six times, I can reduce my sleep time to three hours.

However, I'm also considering a method of sleeping while sitting up in a reclining chair. This involves tilting the chair at a 45-degree angle and sleeping while sitting in it. Ultimately, sleep problems have been a major issue that has troubled humankind since ancient times, and it can be said that it is a worthwhile topic to research.

I used to be passionate about drinking black coffee as soon as I woke up in order to overcome the problem of oversleeping. It's true that having black coffee readily available on the table next to my bed made my life better. I would wake up at 2 AM and study until almost 7 AM.

If you're wondering what I have so much to study, well, I have the ambition to master a wide range of subjects, from mathematics and physics to medicine and law, to the point where I can call myself a reasonably qualified expert. I study various fields in a casual manner, but my knowledge is a bit biased, and I sometimes fail to understand things that experts in those fields would consider to be the very basics.

However, I am definitely making progress little by little, and I find my studies rewarding every day. Surprisingly, even at work, people who have a reputation for diligently studying tend to receive special treatment, so I have no intention of giving up. However, that special treatment is not because I am being treated specially, but rather because other people are being given preferential treatment for studying outside of working hours, which is an objective fact.

It doesn't matter if it's studying for a qualification or a promotion exam. The world is a funny place; if you know the tricks of the trade, you can receive various kinds of preferential treatment, just like special treatment for studying. Perhaps the company treats its diligent employees well on the premise that these diligent people will save the company in times of need.

Returning to the initial theme, I have had many experiences that I would call successes, but I believe the key to success lies in resetting those successes and tackling things anew. Today's topic was about letting go of past successes. That's all. Thank you for your continued support. This is Watanabe Ten. See you again, Alpha.

Book 44.231 The world of the future. What will we seek? Perhaps having just one thing missing is what allows us to maintain our motivation and thrive in the long run. Updated 2026.07.31

Hello. This is Hakubi from α and Hakubi's Super Simple World Blog. Today's theme is "Everything becomes boring when you have everything."

Our society has a mission to engage in work and academic pursuits. We work tirelessly, we study tirelessly, and if we're left with nothing after all that, we don't want to live a life of utter despair. What do we possess? However, surprisingly, a life with nothing, like that of a digital nomad, isn't so bad either.

From here on, this is all based on the fact that I don't have everything yet. In other words, because I don't have much myself, this will involve some speculation. For example, if we won the lottery jackpot of 500 million yen, would we give up something? We might give up our daily lives, quit our jobs, or quit school. Many things come to mind.

Was that enormous sum of 500 million yen a gift from heaven, or was it due to the good fortune passed down through generations of ancestors? When you think about it, it's hard to imagine money just falling from the sky. Normally, if we want to earn money, we have to work hard and sweat for it, and I think this life is designed so that we don't get rich quick.

However, and this is purely speculation, there are times when I think it might actually be possible to earn 500 million yen. 500 million yen is what you'd earn if you worked incredibly hard. Realistically speaking, lifetime earnings in Japan are around 300 million yen, so if you work twice as much, a simple calculation shows that earning 600 million yen in lifetime earnings is not impossible.

Now, I apologize for talking about myself, but I won't be discussing how much money I currently have saved. There's no point in doing so. That being said, I aim to work 4000 hours a year. This blog is part of that goal, but what will happen if I work 4000 hours for 10 years? It's a very interesting topic.

I often talk about the benefits of studying for three hours a day. I know that it's not easy to study for three hours a day while working full-time. This is a bit of a digression, but if you think about it carefully, I'd like to consider what we mean by "studying."

A clear example of studying is studying for a qualification. You study for a qualification, take the exam, get a passing score, and then happily start looking for a new job. It's a straightforward example. On the other hand, there are avid readers who read aimlessly. Driven by intellectual curiosity, they immerse themselves in reading. Whether it's novels or textbooks, reading is a form of mental training, and this is another clear example of studying.

Here, I'd like to make a suggestion: reverse engineering. In other words, develop the ability to think in the same way as the author. That's where the meaning of studying lies. I'll write about this in other articles as well, but it's about recreating the author's thought process within yourself. It's about recreating and creating the same thing as the author.

If the creator is a first-class craftsman, they can create the same thing with first-class hands. This is where I realize something: studying is about reproduction. Recreating something that has already been made requires a great deal of effort and skill. Studying that skill is one of the purposes of learning.

However, one thing is certain: simply copying something completely constitutes plagiarism. That's where adaptation comes in. Originality is essential. Because creating something new is the act of generating new value.

Now, going back to the beginning of the discussion, I'm talking about how life isn't interesting if you have everything. I don't think you need to have everything. For the average person, I think it's enough to advance in their career and acquire a reasonable amount of things.

A typical life path involves graduating from high school or university, joining a reasonably large company, buying a car and a house, and finding a spouse. Until recently, this career path was commonplace. However, with the drastic changes in the economy, life models now reflect a much greater diversity.

Having everything. Not so long ago, if you joined a reasonably large company and worked a normal job, you could have it all. I know that this "normal" life was incredibly difficult. Family matters, eight hours of work a day plus overtime. There are all kinds of people, and I think that many different kinds of lives existed not so long ago as well.

I currently aspire to work 4000 hours. I don't have much to offer at the moment. If I simply work 4000 hours, will I acquire twice as much as the average worker? It's an interesting thought. However, I myself hesitate to acquire everything. I still have a long life ahead of me, and if I acquire everything in my mid-thirties, I might lose my motivation.

A hungry spirit when you have nothing is incredibly important. It's precisely because you're hungry that you boldly take on new challenges and acquire new things. The more new things you acquire, the more new skills and assets you gain.

Personally, I believe that if you work twice as hard as the average person, becoming a millionaire isn't that difficult. Of course, the path to success will differ depending on the era and circumstances, but I absolutely refuse to give up on working 4,000 hours a day. When you think about it, quantity, quality, and environment—many factors combine to shape a person's life.

We are entering a new world. Technology will advance dramatically, and new products and services will proliferate. What will we seek in this new world? Perhaps having just one thing missing is what will help us maintain our motivation and thrive in the long run.

That's all. Thank you for your growth. It was outstanding. See you again, Alpha.

Book 43. 232.In my 20s, my schedule had almost no breaks, but now in my mid-30s, I've learned to cut corners. (Updated 2026.07.31)

Hello. This is Watanabe Ten from α and Hakubi's Super Simple World Blog. This time, I'll be rewriting an article titled "Even if you achieve 60% of your schedule, it's still not enough; you won't be evaluated unless you achieve 100%!? The Seven Wonders of the World."

Making a schedule. Hmm. That's a common topic for working adults. When we talk about schedules, the question arises: do we really need to achieve 100% of them? If you get 60 points on a test out of 100, you technically pass. But when it comes to scheduling, we try to aim for a perfect score of 100.

The reason I aim for a perfect score is because I have a fixed idea that schedules must be completed. Therefore, when I create a schedule, it ends up being extremely tight. It becomes a hellish death march with no breaks.

Perhaps other people, when they talk about schedules, are imagining intense work schedules with 15-minute intervals. They probably try to take frequent breaks and still get decent results. However, if I were to complete 100% of my intense schedule, I think I would faint.

That's all for now, but the discussion about schedules is from a year and a half ago. Why do we make schedules? Here, "schedule" doesn't refer to a schedule as part of work, but rather to a daily to-do list.

What time do you eat breakfast, what time do you start work, what time do you take breaks, and what time do you go home? For most working adults, this kind of schedule is something they do every day, so perhaps it doesn't even need to be scheduled. However, on weekends and during private time, how long do you read? How long do you write your blog? I think a variety of values ​​are scattered throughout these things.

If you have a day off, I highly recommend starting a blog. Even just writing once a week is enough. Looking up and summarizing small everyday questions using books or the internet is also a good way to learn. As I mentioned earlier, I try to manage a tight schedule and handle a heavy workload.

In my twenties, I could effortlessly handle a schedule with almost no breaks, but now in my mid-thirties, I think it's okay to do things moderately. I've lost that seriousness about achieving 100% and learned to cut corners to a reasonable extent. I'm not sure if it's really okay to cut corners, but I've started taking proper breaks.

However, even without a schedule, my days are packed with activities. I'm doing something all day long. However, as I mentioned earlier, I take breaks as needed and make sure to include reading, which is essentially input, to see if it's truly necessary. To digress for a moment, my current interest is in blood pressure. I understand that blood pressure is a very useful medical indicator.

I've only recently started learning about medicine, but I personally don't have high or low blood pressure; my blood pressure is healthy. While a systolic blood pressure of 90-130 is considered ideal, when I measure my blood pressure in the morning, it's sometimes in the 90s and sometimes in the 120s.

When my blood pressure is in the 90s, close to low, I have a hard time getting up and it's quite a struggle. When it's in the 120s, I wake up instantly, but it's too early in the morning, so I end up going back to sleep. I want to know why my blood pressure fluctuates so much.

One hypothesis is related to the amount of food consumed. I currently believe that if you don't eat for a long time, you'll lack energy and your blood pressure will tend to be low, while if you feel full after eating, your blood pressure will tend to be high. It's also possible that blood pressure rises after eating, just as we often hear the phrase, "blood sugar levels rise after eating."

As the saying goes, "Our bodies are made of what we eat," so our daily eating habits are extremely important. Returning to the topic of schedules, if you want to get your daily schedule done, I think that if you schedule it in the morning, even if you're not a morning person, you'll be able to get up to some extent.

Having a drink in the morning can also help get your gut moving, making it easier to wake up.

Now, regarding the schedule, lately I've been having trouble getting up in the mornings, perhaps because my blood pressure is low. Therefore, I'm thinking it might be better to create a schedule to force myself to wake up early. Getting up early. If I create a schedule of what to do after waking up, it shouldn't be so difficult to get up in the morning.

That's all. Thank you for your growth. It was outstanding. See you again, Alpha.

Book 42. 233. To bridge the gap in academic performance among students, one should adopt the learning methods of higher-achieving students and address environmental factors. (Updated 2026.07.25)

Hello. This is Watanabe Ten from the α and Hakubi Super Simple World Blog. Today's theme is a rewritten article about wanting to establish an education-related NPO. It will be in the form of an interview where I answer questions.

Q: Ten-san, education is a hot topic right now.

A: Yes. This is Watanabe Ten. Until recently, education meant simply education focused on standardized test scores. Students' main role was to solve problems in textbooks and go to universities with higher test scores. Speaking from my own experience as someone who received this standardized test-based education, I would say it was a passive form of education where you listened to lectures and took notes.

A. Of course, it can be said that prestigious universities have functioned as a stepping stone to producing outstanding members of society, guaranteeing a certain level of academic ability. Having seen many cases in the field of education, I myself have felt that if students were to shift from a passive attitude to a more active learning approach, the effectiveness of education would increase.

Q: In reality, it could be said that students haven't been taking traditional classes seriously, such as taking neat notes or listening to music during lectures. What do you think should be done about this, Ms. Ten?

A. If traditional university education was not very appealing, the reason could be said to be that it consisted of self-contained, individualized lessons taught by school teachers. The reason might be that teachers took the lead in conducting lectures, preventing students from actively participating in them.

Q: You mentioned that students were not actively participating in lectures. What kind of initiatives can be taken to encourage students to participate more actively in lectures?

A. First, one approach would be to have students read the textbook. Having students independently read the lecture textbook as preparation or review is one way to encourage more active participation in lectures. Alternatively, instructors may need to assign homework such as encouraging students to read the textbook or instructing them to solve practice problems.

Q: In terms of student initiatives, various methods such as group discussions and active learning are being implemented as part of proactive learning in classes. In that regard, what kind of classes do you think are appropriate for the current learning environment?

A: I think that students need to take ownership or be proactive in participating in the lecture. Lectures should be like the old-fashioned private schools, where students open their textbooks and read aloud at the same time, creating a situation where they feel they are shaping the lecture together. If students just copy what's written on the board into their notebooks and that's it, the content of the lecture won't stick in their memory.

Q: Students themselves don't know how they should study. While they can ask teachers for help, I think it would be good to have experiential lectures that teach various learning methods as part of the coursework. What are your thoughts on this?

A: From my personal perspective, regarding the question of talent versus environment, one thing I can say is that environment is a far greater growth factor than talent. Even when it comes to learning methods, knowing or not knowing those methods can drastically change test scores. I think all high-achieving students have their own unique learning methods. It's fascinating how much a student's performance can change depending on their learning method.

Q: From what I've heard so far, one thing I can say is that simply being taught how to study can make a big difference in grades. It seems that the difference in grades among students is due to how they study at home, separate from what they learn in school lectures. Ms. Ten, how do you think we can best bridge this gap created by studying at home?

A. As mentioned earlier, I believe that the significant educational disparities among students are due to differences in environment, not differences in talent. In other words, to bridge the gap between students, it is necessary to address the environmental differences by adopting the learning methods of students who achieve higher grades. Forming groups together and having them teach each other their areas of expertise, thereby reducing the distance between students and promoting communication, would be an effective measure.

Q: There are still many things I'd like to ask, but our time is almost up. If you had to pick one key point from this discussion, what would it be?

A. Environmental factors play a significant role in differences in student performance. How about incorporating new and trendy learning methods? In fact, talent factors that contribute to differences in performance are crucial when they are built upon that foundation.

Q: Thank you very much. We will conclude the interview here for today. We hope to have another opportunity to work with you in the future.

So, actively participating in lectures can lead to improved academic performance, right? That's all. Thank you for your continued growth. This is Watanabe Ten. See you again, Alpha.

Book 41. 234. My current interest lies in whether taking calcium can heal cavities and regenerate teeth and tooth nerves. (Updated 2026.07.18)

Hello. This is Watanabe Ten from α and Hakubi's Super Simple World Blog. Today's theme is about personal rules. As the proverb says, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," rules exist everywhere in human society.

We can see that while we abide by the rules of our region and country, we can also have our own personal rules for daily life. These personal rules are what we call "my rules." Speaking of my rules, for me, it would be something like dedicating three hours a day to studying; these are rules that are specific to each individual.

I personally set myself the goal of studying for three hours a day, and I believe such rules are very important. My personal rules are a compilation of my own winning strategies based on my past experiences. You could say they are my formula for victory, my philosophy of victory.

When individuals live in society, they inevitably encounter a vast number of rules. From national laws to work manuals, they face an unimaginable collection of rules. The reason these rules exist is because they have enabled society and business to function smoothly up until now.

We live our lives following an unimaginable number of rules, one by one. And for today's theme, I'd like to talk about the importance of cherishing our own personal rules—our own know-how and lessons learned.

For example, besides my three-hour study rule, what else comes to mind? Milk. Milk is a complete food, containing a lot of calcium and other nutrients. Just as infants can grow and develop on milk alone, it's clear that milk is a very promising food.

Looking back, most people probably drank milk as children. When you were a child, there was almost always a one-liter carton of milk in the refrigerator, wasn't there? It's not uncommon for people to drink a lot of milk as children, but then stop drinking it once they become adults and enter the workforce.

I try to drink 500ml of milk a day. Drinking milk makes your bones stronger. My current interest lies in the topic of whether calcium intake can heal cavities and regenerate teeth and tooth nerves. My biggest concern these days is whether permanent teeth can regenerate through calcium intake, just like fractures in other parts of the body.

In fact, I personally believe that when elderly people age, their spines curve and they suffer fractures due to osteoporosis, which is often caused by insufficient calcium intake. This is just my personal opinion, but I, a non-medical professional, think that drinking milk is very healthy.

However, I want to emphasize that these personal rules, such as studying for three hours a day or drinking 500ml of milk a day, do not violate any laws. Such personal rules are deeply rooted in my life and are a collection of positive rules that go beyond ambition and maintaining the status quo.

Realistically speaking, having more personal rules isn't always better, but if you've tried something through trial and error and it works, it's very worthwhile to articulate that success formula as explicit knowledge so that you can reproduce it anytime.

Such personal rules may not guarantee eternal success in any era, but gradually improving them can ensure long-term stability. Ultimately, human daily life can be decribed as a collection of techniques and know-how disguised as a vast number of rules.

In the previous article, before it was rewritten, I mentioned one of my personal rules at the beginning: that I always drink a cup of coffee when I wake up in the morning. Drinking coffee in the morning used to be a must for me, but lately it's become rare for me to drink coffee when I wake up.

Just as laws and rules are revised and updated to meet the demands of the times, we realize that our own personal rules also need to be gradually modified as our age and living circumstances change. I'm sure the readers of this article also have many personal rules of their own.

I think it's perfectly fine to constantly create new personal rules. Keep the rules that have worked well in the past and are likely to be useful in the future, and replace everything else with new ones. Just one rule can greatly change your living environment.

I've reaffirmed that my morning coffee, a rule I'd like to continue using if needed, is something I'll always keep in mind. What kind of rules do you have? That's all. Thank you for your continued support. This is Watanabe Ten. See you again, Alpha.

Book 40. 235. We will approach the nine practices, which are performed with enjoyment, not as personal training, but as a form of training in cooperation with others to serve many people. (Update in progress: 2027.07.17)

Hello. This is Watanabe Ten from the α and Hakubi Super Simple World Blog. Today's theme is not asceticism, but the Nine Practices. I know that asceticism is the practice of walking, sitting in meditation, and other rigorous training. Above all, it is because there is a belief that by performing ascetic practices, one can get closer to the path of God. Certainly, asceticism can be said to be a special ritual performed to gain personal merit.

I believe that if one continues this kind of training as an individual until they leave the monastic life, it is possible to achieve a certain level of spiritual and physical transformation. As long as one is training as an individual, the rewards of that ascetic practice will only come to that person themselves.

Personally, I would like to change this religious ascetic practice to the "Nine Practices," which have the same pronunciation. The Nine Practices would be a form of training that allows for enjoyable growth, rather than a painful one. First, let me introduce three of the nine practices.

First and foremost, it's about survival. If you want to live a long life, you must train yourself accordingly and be in an environment where you can always obtain food, clothing, and shelter. To live requires a great deal of vitality, and the longer you want to live, the more trials you will face, the more you will need to think about what it means to live as a human being, not as an animal, such as how to procure food.

Secondly, there's walking. As bipedal humans, we're constantly walking around in our daily lives. Walking is a very important verb, as many people know that walking 10,000 steps a day is good for your health. Walking a lot strengthens your body and makes your legs and hips stronger. The skin on your feet also thickens, helping you maintain your physique. Basically, you can maintain your muscles just by walking with your arms and legs. First, I recommend doing some light muscle training.

Thirdly, there's eating. Eating is very important. If we can eat delicious and healthy meals every day, our level of happiness will surely increase. Sure, we might forget what we ate yesterday or the day before, but I think that delicious food is an important part of a better life.

Up to this point, the training has focused on three things: ① living, ② walking, and ③ eating. It's clear that these nine practices are not necessarily difficult or painful. If these nine practices are enjoyable, help you improve yourself, and promote your health, then I think many people will be interested in them.

So, I've introduced three of my own personal interpretations of the nine principles. These are fundamental things related to human survival, but by consciously practicing the three principles of ① living, ② walking, and ③ eating, you can gain a lot of insight.

Even something as simple as walking can be enjoyable, rather than a grueling ordeal, if you research ways to walk faster and less tiring. Similarly, when eating, if you put your hands together in gratitude for the meal you've received, and then put your hands together again before leaving the last bite, saying "Thank you for the bite," you'll feel your intense hunger gradually disappear.

Ultimately, these three practices are self-contained. Of course, I understand that the presence of others is indirectly necessary as part of life in society. This is because, without other people besides oneself, the acts of ① living, ② walking, and ③ eating suddenly become very difficult.

I believe that for the remaining six of the nine practices, you can customize them to your liking. Sleeping, singing, meditating—anything is fine, as long as it helps you grow. Furthermore, I think that practices that include gratitude towards others are also valid forms of practice. In fact, I see them as ideal forms of practice.

For example, one of the nine principles could be making a fixed donation from your monthly income, or participating in volunteer activities. Alternatively, if you have many possessions, making it a habit to give them away to others free of charge could also be considered a principle that involves others.

If I were to introduce three more of my own personal nine lines as an example, they would be ④ sleeping, ⑤ singing, and ⑥ studying. Or, if there were ⑦, ⑧, or ⑨, I would choose nine lines that involve connections with others, such as donating or volunteering.

As is the case with religion, while it is important to pursue personal gain—for example, in religion, seeking eternal life, or in the case of a monk, diligently engaging in personal training—I believe that training that helps many people is what truly brings one closer to what religion means by eternal life. It is unlikely that one's name will be remembered forever in history, but I think it would be good to continue training as a role model for future generations.

In summary, if we had a philosophy like the Nine Practices instead of asceticism, our lives might be richer and we might find greater happiness. To achieve this, one approach would be to aim for a form of practice that involves communicating with and serving others, rather than dedicating the enjoyable Nine Practices to personal training.

That's all for now. I hope we can aim for a form of training where many people can have fun and help each other grow. That's all. Thank you for your growth. This is Watanabe Ten. See you again, Alpha.

Book 39. 236.There's a saying, "Fortune comes to those who have left over." Ultimately, this suggests that profit is simply the surplus of products. This surplus can be used for dividends to shareholders, compensation for inventory and waste, investments, and emergency reserves.

Hello. This is Watanabe Ten from the α and Hakubi Super Simple World Blog. Today's topic is a rewritten version of a previous article I wrote titled "A New Rule: Delivering 80%?? If You Predict 100 Units Will Sell, Deliver 90 Units!!" The previous article explained how delivering 80% of the stock to sell out can result in lower prices, but this time we'll go a step further and discuss the theme of "What is profit?"

What is profit? In the previous article, we showed that the reason costs are high is because of excess inventory and the disposal of unsold goods. To summarize the previous article, we proposed reducing total production costs by supplying 80% of the stable sales volume as inventory, thereby reducing inventory and disposal costs.

I explained that reducing costs in this way would lead to lower product prices and improved price competitiveness, enabling us to sell more products. In other words, my proposal was to increase sales volume and thus overall profit through a low-margin, high-volume sales strategy, rather than simply lowering prices.

This time, I'd like to change things up a bit and talk about what profit is. Normally, prices are set based on experience, whether it's a supermarket or a retail store. This is because prices are determined by combining various factors, such as price competition with other stores.

I've always believed that when setting a compelling price, it's easiest to determine a reasonable price by first deciding on the profit, and then adding the costs on top of that. This profit, when determining a reasonable price, is a fixed profit margin called a markup, which is determined upfront. However, this markup is also determined based on empirical rules.

The markup rate is based on the empirical rule that large, reputable companies typically have a profit margin of 23%. In fact, once the profit margin is determined, the cost is known during manufacturing, making it easy to calculate the price. In other words, if you first determine a profit margin of 23%, then for a product costing 1000 yen, the profit would be 1000 x 0.23 = 230 yen, giving you a reasonable price of 1230 yen.

However, if you truly want to find evidence, you need to look for a profit margin that is based on solid evidence, rather than simply using a 23% markup rate, where a good profit margin varies depending on the product category. In reality, I haven't fully identified the factors that underlie this profit margin.

The factors cited as the basis for profit in economics include the following: First, dividends paid to shareholders, costs to compensate for losses from inventory and disposal, and cash flow (investment funds) for the company's investments in new things.

To explain each of these factors, since shareholders own a company, dividends paid to shareholders are considered income gains and serve as compensation for the investment costs incurred by shareholders. Therefore, it can be said that companies must make a profit. Also, as mentioned earlier regarding the 80% delivery rate, inventory and waste are expenses, so if a company does not generate profits that exceed inventory and waste, it will incur losses and operate at a deficit.

Finally, there is the existence of contingency funds, which cover investments and emergency expenses.

I've listed several reasons for profit so far, but the simplest reason is surplus production. In other words, profit is what's left over after production has resulted in a surplus. I'd like to delve a little deeper into this point, but ultimately, I think profit is what's left over.

There's good fortune in leftovers. Next time, I'd like to delve deeper into this concept of surplus in relation to profit. That's all for now. Thank you for your continued support. This is Watanabe Ten. See you again.