My name is Masashi (Matt) Takeuchi and I am the Managing Director of iDEAL.

The year 2020 has become a year in which the world is forced to fight a uniform, invisible enemy. 

It has changed the way we work, 
the way we look at society, 
and even the way we live, 
which we used to believe was "natural". 

The economic impact has been huge, 
and we as individuals and as a company are increasingly concerned about the future.

At the same time, however, it was a year in which we saw with our own eyes how strong human beings are. To all the medical professionals battling with infectious diseases at the scene, and to those engaged in logistics and distribution that support the foundation of our lives. More than anything else, I continue to be overwhelmed by the “WISDOM” of people in the face of adversity.

Our daily audio podcast has been crossing over for over 6 years with the main purpose of providing you with a hint of future change or SIGNAL. After such a long period of time, I can feel the wind changing on my own skin.　While the world has been in a mood of self-restraint due to COVID-19, a theme of the podcast is somehow related to “Human Wisdom” as follows and we can see that it is changing business.

  • How about a Zoom call with an elephant?　Alarmed by the dramatic decrease in elephant food, a welfare organization uses Zoom to raise money for charity.
    (Oct. 15, 2020)
  • Employees turn models for fashion brands: A painful way to cut costs to models. Realize that there is talent close to you. It’s also an opportunity to think about the modeling profession.　(Sept. 14, 2020)
  • The new Amazon Fresh store has ‘Dash Carts’ : At the end of the shopping trip, customers pass their carts through a special lane and receive the appropriate amount of charge digitally to their credit card without the cashier. It’s a purchasing method that has been accelerated by infection. (Sept. 4, 2020)
  • How about a business meeting in the virtual world? (Aug. 17, 2020)
  • Trend: Millennials move in with parents: COVID-19 has definitely had an impact on the demographics.（July 30, 2020)

No matter what the adversity is, people will adapt & eventually overcome it.

Even though we may be perplexed by the new ways of working and living, we will eventually overcome them and make them a memory.

In my profession, I work with corporations in a variety of fields. Even in the midst of the press cries of “self-restraint,” if face-to-face meetings are not possible, I have worked with corporate warriors who are determined to move their companies forward because this is the right time to do so online.

For example, in July, a major Japanese telecommunications company, most of whose employees work from home, asked us to help them improve their communication technology, both internally and with customers.　After a few meetings, in September, we split the participants into two groups and held a workshop using Zoom.　

The participants were from home and the instructor was on the West Coast of the United States. The workshop was a great success, with a formation that would have been unthinkable before the COVID-19. From that day on, participants have been able to explore and change their communication style to make the most of their internal and external communication and collaboration.

I am grateful that there are so many people in the world who look at the world and challenge themselves to be “unbeatable” in their very own neighborhoods.

Thanks to their encouragement and support, iDEAL was able to completely change the company’s logo design and corporate page in August.

In times of distress, I’m reminded of a former commercial via Honda Motor.

I’m not gonna be a loser!　

If you work hard, you will be rewarded one day.
If you keep at it, your dreams will come true.
That’s an illusion.
Most of the time, hard work is not rewarded.
Most of the time, righteousness does not work.
Most of the time, dreams don’t come true.
Such things happen in the real world all the time.

But what does it matter?
That’s where you start.　Technology development is 99% failure.
If you do something new, you are bound to fail.

You will get angry.
That’s why we do it as often as we can, sparing no time to sleep or eat.
Now, surpass yourself until yesterday. Overcome the Honda of yesterday.

I am not a LOSER !!

With each and every word engraved on this commercial in our hearts, we would like to move forward while cheering for human resources who are going beyond the boundary line that seems to be closed now, and asking ourselves the meaning of the existence of the company called iDEAL on a daily basis.

We look forward to your continued support for iDEAL.

MASASHI TAKEUCHI
Managing Director