International Business Successor Forum

Message

Hello, I’m Takeshi Nijo, running a company that provide supports for business successors, named International Business Successor Forum.

When my father died at the young age of 52 because of liver cancer, I had to succeeded his company immediately. And I became the president of my father’s company when I was only 23. All employees were older than me, so I always struggled to figure out how to show my leadership and run the company smoothly.
I had worked so hard and done my best to be a good second president for 16 years, but I let my company go bankrupt due to my inadequacy. In addition, I had joint liability with my company’s debt, so I had to gone personal bankruptcy and lost all of my personal assets. It was when I was 39.
Then I thought about how I could restart my life again seriously. And I reached the conclusion that… “I’m sure that there are surely other business successors who are struggling and worrying, like I was. I wonder if I can give them any help or support?”

And it was beginning of my new journey to advise business successors, with my 16 years experiences as the second president and my license of national-certificated management consultant for small and medium enterprises.
I met a lot of business successors not only in Japan but also 12 countries around the world and talk with them. Then I realized that the worries and problems that business successors have are the same regardless of country.
In fact, many business successors all over world are struggling and worrying just like you. So I want to say that “Don’t struggle alone, and get the outside world! Connect with other business successors who have the same worries and anxieties, and you will surely feel easier and find the hope for tomorrow! It would be a weight off your mind if everyone share experiences and worries each other! It’s business successors who are in the same situation as you that always supports you!”

My strengths are actual experiences that manage the company as a business successor and skills of consultation and advice that I’ve given from experiences meeting many business successors around the world, so that I can empathize deeply with business successors and can advise them accurately.
I surely think business successors need understanding that 1) NOT to make their companies LARGE, but to have their companies survive for a LONG time, and 2) Changing the thing that already exists slowly, rather than creating from nothing. And I will guide you to the future need to attain as best as I can, so that many business successors won’t make any mistakes.

“Bring Smiles, Dreams, and Confidence for All Business Successors!”
I’m looking forward to meeting you I’ve yet to meet.

Takeshi Nijo: International Business Successor Forum
Management School CEO; Nationally Certified - Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant, Industry Counselor, and Career Development Advisor

What isthe International Business Successor Forum?

In 2003, We desired to help business successors be more cheerful. And also, there were business successors who had high awareness and wanted to learn more and more. Finally, we began the International Business Successor Forum.

Now, our company is like as a management school that provides various programs including: the Business Successor Academy / the Business Successor Academy Graduate School, where students learn about knowledge and resourcefulness required as a business successor; the Training Academy for High-Powered Executives, which provides knowledge and attitude for a top manager to be act on a president’s behalf; the Training of New Recruit and Mid-career Employees, as requested by small and medium enterprises; the Overseas Study Camp, provides management hints from international business successors; and more.

All programs have our warming spirit for business successors: Learn together with others, improved together through friendly rivalry, and become strong presidents and strong companies.

International exchange

“We develop full-fledged business successors who can go anywhere with confidence”

Based on this mission, we visited 12 countries and expanded our insights on business successors through visiting and talking with international business successors and studying management knowledge and skills at some global business schools, like NYC, UCI and University of Portsmouth .

The purpose of our Overseas Study Camp is the international exchange. And that is different from other educational company and organization supporting business successors and executives.

What We Can Do

I can offer practical and specific lectures on business succession to future presidents and both parties involved in business succession based on the many examples I have experienced.

I believe that there are 6 abilities required by managers: the ability to mentally prepare, the ability of vision, financial ability, marketing ability, communication ability, and risk management ability. I can offer creative lectures on these 6 abilities, based on my own actual experiences, psychology, etc.

Please contact me if you are interested in what I do. I look forward to meeting those of you I ’ve yet to meet.

Providing seminar programs (school-styled)

Management School for Business Successors and Executives

For predecessors, successors, the candidates of the successor, managerial executives and regular employees, we provide

mindsets (attitude) and skillsets (theory, knowledge, skills and how-to) that required for each position through group training, distance learning, and on the web.

Opportunities improving together through friendly rivalry and getting high humanity

We provide opportunities for business successors to learn and support each other.

In addition, we provide training programs for executives so that they can better support their presidents.

Lectures (singly)

Takeshi Nijo talks about what he has learned and you need to know from his successes and failures over 16 years.

Private consulting to settle the issue of business succession

We listen to your struggles and worries deeply and privately, and design custom solutions for your business and circumstances.

Takeshi Nijo’s Personal History

1961	Born in Tokyo
1984	Started working at a record company after graduating from Chuo University
1985	Took over a chain of women’s clothing stores upon death of father (Capital: 54 million JPY, Yearly Sales: 2 billion, Number of Stores: 23, Employees: 85 including 80 female employees)
2000	Liquated company and ended to be as a president Began studying for certification(SME management consultant)
2001	Independently started Alfalfa Consulting
2003	Established Jungle , a nonprofit support organization for entrepreneurs and managers, and assumed the role of Representative Director
2005	Established International Business Successor Forum Co., Ltd. , and assumed the role of Representative Director.

Profile and History

Became the second president of a chain of women’s clothing stores (9 stores at the time) at the age of 23, and has experience managing for 16 years and establishing an apparel manufacturer. Liquidated the company in 2000, and ended tenure as president. Currently active in a wide range of activities, including consulting, lectures, seminars, writing, etc., based on past experience.

Many successors, presidents, and entrepreneurs are moved by the impressive lectures that stem from having experienced both corporate and personal bankruptcy and the actual experience of rising up from rock bottom with no money or influence. Praised has been given for lectures and seminars for successors given by the former second president and seminars for founding presidents that directly pinpoint the blind spots of business succession in particular. Additionally, his lectures and seminars are taught not just through hearing about experiences, but also through easy-to-understand explanations of hints for success based on psychology. He excels at practical advice that understands the minds of managers and has received high praise for his emotional support given to managers who tend to be isolated from others. He established International Business Successor Forum Co., Ltd. to support business successors in 2005, based on the mission of “Bring Smiles, Dreams, and Confidence for All Business Successors!”. And he has provided supports for business successors with many worries from now on.

Lectures and Seminars

Urban banks, regional banks, credit unions, various industry groups, various industry associations, chambers of commerce and industry, commercial and industrial associations, junior chambers, corporation associations, federations of small business associations, corporations listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, foreign-owned corporations, financial organization thinktanks, institutes for small and medium enterprises, contracted in-house training for small and medium enterprises all over Japan, and many more all over Japan.

Number of Business Successors and Executives Who Have Attended Our Lectures: More than13,482*As of May 2023

Number of Countries We Visited as the Oversea Study Camp So Far: 12countriesWe visit companies run by successors (like family company) all over the world, and acquire broad insights that are required by presidents and managers.