Joseph's "Just My Thoughts"

I believe it’s accurate to say that “branding is about suggesting a way of life.” Instead of just stating, “Buy ice cream,” it’s more meaningful to say, “Buy ice cream for the children waiting for their dad at home.” It’s about suggesting a lifestyle, not merely a product. It’s better to imply, “You can enjoy a warm meal with your loved one after a while,” rather than simply saying, “Come to our restaurant.” The definition, role, and function of branding evolve as times change. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

A truly great leader does not believe he is perfect, nor does he need to be. In fact, recognizing his imperfections allows him to connect with others and fosters humility, which helps him collaborate effectively with colleagues. Rather than achieving remarkable successes alone within the organization, a leader who strives to thrive alongside his team— even if progress is slower— cultivates a more cohesive organization. Ultimately, this approach strengthens the organizational culture, empowering it to withstand crises. People cannot excel at everything, nor do they need to. Recognizing this reality is a key aspect of effective leadership. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Organizations with perfect leaders clearly achieve results. People might assume that such leadership is excellent due to its accomplishments. However, a perfect leader makes decisions only within the limits of their knowledge and does not propose or challenge areas they do not comprehend. After all, a perfect leader shouldn’t fail. As a result, only yes-men surround the perfect leader, while those who disagree tend to leave the organization. What will remain for that leader in 10 or 20 years from such success? - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Business isn’t about making an idea come true; it’s about validating it. No ideas or plans are perfect from the beginning. The market’s reaction develops and refines the idea over time. Many individuals mistakenly believe that a business idea will be perfect if they tinker with it repeatedly or that this will enhance their chances of success through their efforts. We may not know ourselves well, but how should we know our business intimately? Don’t gamble; try, correct, and adapt quickly. A business doesn’t start with knowledge; rather, knowledge is gained through starting. So, begin by breaking it down into smaller parts from the outset. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The attitude toward my family reflects who I truly am. Similarly, your attitude toward your friends reveals who you genuinely are. I can’t perceive myself directly; we need a mirror to comprehend our reflections. This mirror exists in the most intimate aspects of our surroundings, especially in the casual moments of daily life. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

As Ernst Gombrich stated, humans do not draw what they see, but rather what they know. They identify differences and interpret them as new based on the patterns embedded in their existing knowledge systems. Therefore, prior knowledge plays a crucial role in accepting new information. Humans do not truly feel or understand what they observe; instead, they feel and perceive only to the extent of their knowledge. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Let’s say someone bought a building with a bank loan. If the landlord fails to pay the interest, the bank is forced to pay the principal. If the principal isn’t paid, the bank can put the building up for auction, even though the landlord owns it. Interest is the cost of borrowing money over time. The reason I can purchase a building without using my own money is that I can leverage time through interest. When we say time is money, it doesn’t just mean to save time and live diligently. It emphasizes that time truly represents money. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

I think it’s not just that many people are living in this world; rather, their lives may come together to create this world. I believe everyone is born with their own destiny. Words express the heart, thoughts, and feelings, but spending money reflects a person’s morality. The way a person approaches and uses money embodies their faith like a religion. While money may not be faith itself, it serves as one of the most essential foundations for its external expression. Money is a fundamental element for survival and a symbol of value exchange. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Sin starts with fear and ends with courage. It then repeats with ease and profit. When sins are repeated, people become desensitized to the harm caused to others and even employ convincing logic that justifies the sinner’s morals. Unfortunately, humans are pretty inventive when it comes to sin. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Greed, regret, excessive care, unreasonable disconnection, excuses, defenses, lies, dignity, and elaborate schemes; the essence behind these phenomena is fear. The unique response that occurred after Adam and Eve sinned was to hide out of fear. The object of fear becomes the object of worship. While religion should help balance fear and worship, it often exploits it. This is called “depravity.” Anyone can be depraved, anyone! - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

We express our attitudes and thoughts through words. Words can also influence our thinking. Choosing and using words that suit the situation helps prevent misunderstandings and fosters relationships. Even those who wake up on the brink of death in a coma do not easily change the words they have been using. Words shape a person, and the person reflects their words. A good way to check and monitor yourself is to write, even if you’re not a professional writer. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The most important virtues a business person should possess are, first, keeping my word by myself, even if it seems small; second, not being afraid; and third, having the ability to build structures. Since credit is the essence of money, it plays a crucial role in the exchange of value, beginning with keeping one’s word. If you’re afraid, it becomes easy to lie or distort your true self, which can lead to losing credibility with those around you. To collaborate with others, which you can’t do alone in your business and may not fully trust, you must be able to create and manage structures to help grow your business, although with less trusty traits. The most critical of these abilities is keeping one’s word. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

A wise person advises us not to hold grudges against anyone in our lives. This is because if I foster a grudge, even if it’s physically disconnected with each other, that grudge will eventually interfere with my life. Blessings and grudges also operate beyond my time. It’s just problematic because it doesn’t align with the timing I desire, and our lives are intertwined with an inevitable fate that transcends time in this way. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Even the most delicious food in the world can only be enjoyed in front of me. No matter how great someone’s advice or ideas may be, you must confront them at a time when you can accept them to show genuine interest. There are countless wonderful things in this world, but they aren’t truly good unless they’re on my timeline. Even if I have a lot of money, it isn’t mine until I spend it. Only then does it become my money when I use it for myself, as there’s no satisfaction in not enjoying the benefits. Therefore, the timing depends on my situation. If you genuinely want to change your life, you should focus on altering your environment and circumstances, not just your determination. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

What is the difference between an owner who believes that the company should never close in any situation and an owner who believes that our company can shut its doors at any time? Certainly, there are many differences. Fear stems from something that has yet to occur. The awareness sense to which work has yet to happen is a crucial perspective because it profoundly affects business philosophy. The crisis was tied to the range of fear. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The irony of sacrifice. Those primarily responsible for the problematic and troubling tasks within the organization can be viewed as possessing a strong spirit of sacrifice. All members of the organization will appreciate those who devote themselves, and others will express gratitude for the contributing members who carry the burden of hard work for them. Their relationships within the organization can also be assumed to be harmonious. However, if the organization fails to compensate these members for their sacrifice adequately, the members who benefited from it will remain, but the dedicated members may feel hurt and potentially decide to leave. Consequently, the organization could become a dysfunctional environment. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

For entrepreneurs, making money is the most crucial aspect, but as the business grows, the nature of the money itself and accounting principles often determine its survival. Numbers represent money, but there is an invisible attribute accompanying it. Even with the same one million dollars, one million dollars in capital and one million dollars in debt represent fundamentally different attributes of money. Money has an invisible label attached to it, and understanding this can enable you to grow your business even further. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

It doesn’t make it sell well; it’s about choosing and focusing on what has sold well. You can expect it to sell well, but you can’t predict that it will sell well. Conversely, it’s much wiser to put it on the market to see if it genuinely sells well while holding your expectations, and then discard it if it doesn’t sell, focusing only on what does sell well and developing it further. Thoughts are crucial, but they don’t create any wealth. Market choices create wealth. Start small and try to manage your risk. Don’t gamble; instead, verify. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

No individuals achieve greatness merely by improving their weaknesses; on the contrary, many become great despite their disadvantages. Despite their shortcomings, achieving greatness results from focusing on core strengths. Emphasizing strengths can be a more effective approach than simply managing weaknesses. However, individuals with fewer foundational skills often view the lack of basic skills as a weakness; this perception is an illusion. Those without a solid foundation struggle to understand their weaknesses or strengths, making any effort seem pointless. Return to the fundamentals. If a professional manager cannot comprehend financial balance sheets, it would be like watching a circus for blind management. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Stocks should be bought cheaply and sold at a high price to make a profit. Therefore, it is said that timing—specifically, the timing of buying low and the timing of selling high—is a key factor. However, the issue is that I can’t predict the timing. It’s similar to how we can’t know what the weather will be like a year from now in our area. It’s wise to assume that the best approach is to acknowledge our uncertainty about timing. Attempting to time the market is a common trap for stock investors. Consider this: if you could know the timing, you would be the wealthiest person in the world. The advantage of long-term investing is developing the ability to identify stocks that are likely to appreciate over time, despite the fluctuations in stock prices, and investing in their value. The choice is yours. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

When leaders are busy, organizations are at risk. Leaders who don’t acknowledge reality, who can’t make decisions and let time pass during conflicts, who can’t trust others, and who intervene in even minor matters exemplify incomparably incompetent leaders who disguise themselves with their own integrity to avoid failure. Leaders who fail to recognize their limitations and cannot delegate their responsibilities to others will harm both themselves and the organization while they keep their positions. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

It’s not that there is no money, but rather that people can’t find a worthwhile entity to invest in. The businessman misunderstands that he can’t do what he wants simply because he lacks money. However, just as water flows to a low place, money naturally gravitates toward where it’s valued, even if you have no cents. In other words, it’s not that they don’t have money; it’s that they don’t instill the kind of trust in investors that encourages spending it. No matter how dire the situation in the country may be, money doesn’t simply evaporate. You miss opportunities because the conditions aren’t right for investment. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The basis for judging whether a person’s life can truly change lies in observing how someone continues to engage in meaningful activities every day, regularly and consistently. What matters is that the person does not stop doing a lot of work at once, but instead continues steadily every day, even if the efforts are small. Lao-tzu said, “Nature doesn’t rush. But it has been accomplishing everything.” If you want to be healthy, you can engage in small but consistent exercise each day. If you want to build wealth, you can pursue small production and investment activities daily. If you want to be smart, you can read or study even a small amount each day. Life consists of both simple-interest life and compound-interest life. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Warren Buffett, who has amassed 99% of his wealth since the age of 50, revealed that the secret lies in “compound.” When you lend money, interest is added to the principal as income. Initially, interest is applied only to the principal, but compound interest is applied to both the principal and the accumulated interest. Therefore, at first, it seems negligible, but over time, significant wealth growth takes place. The same principle applies to reading: even if your reading speed is slow, consistently reading just a few books each day can lead to a wealth of knowledge. After a year, this accumulated knowledge creates a network effect, allowing you to quickly absorb new information. Consequently, your reading speed increases dramatically, leading to an exponential growth in the volume of material you can handle. This exemplifies the compound interest effect. Even small, consistent actions taken daily can build up and create a compound interest effect over time. Cartoonist Lee Hyun-se sta...

The scariest customers in the world are regulars, not picky or complaining customers. Regulars pay a fair price. However, there is no such thing as ‘natural’ in the world. When regulars change their minds, not only do businesses suffer significant financial damage, but they also suffer emotionally. There are traps in naturalness, seeds of failure, and wounds caused by conceit. The older and closer people are, the more cautious you should be. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

People fall due to stubbornness rather than a lack of intelligence. However, that doesn’t mean we’ll succeed simply by letting go of stubbornness. Failure and success follow different formulas. These two subjects belong to different dimensions and involve distinct elements and processes. Still, baseless stubbornness is an issue worth considering. Because of this stubbornness, not only does one suffer, but others also experience harm. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Human relationships are intertwined, so loving and being loved cannot be quantified. There is rarely a scenario where love is given or received unilaterally. When someone with little experience in accepting love from others tries to love, their affection is likely to be selfish. Dedicating oneself to a loved one while refusing to accept that person’s devotion is akin to accepting a child’s cute movements while disliking their grumblings. Establishing an artificial relationship and preventing it from evolving beyond superficiality merely highlights one’s selfishness. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The banana tree is not actually a tree; it is a type of grass. The reason the stalks of this grass are mistaken for trees is that the stalks of bananas accumulate and become hard. Wild bananas contain seeds, but the bananas we eat today are one of the “Cavendish” varieties. People discovered and popularized a seedless mutation for commercial purposes. So, how do bananas grow without seeds? Once a banana has attached, it does not grow again from the same stalk, so the farmer cuts it away. Bananas propagate by transplanting roots that grow next to the severed stems. Therefore, edible bananas around the world share almost identical genetic DNA. Thus, if bananas become diseased, there is a high likelihood of complete annihilation. For life, diversity is an essential condition for survival, and the same applies to companies. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Tom Sawyer was punished by Aunt Polly. As part of his punishment, Tom is painting the fence of his house when his local friends come by to ask if it’s fun. When Tom tells them that it is, they ask for a chance to try it. Tom refuses, saying it’s not free, but his friends offer him toys and food, begging for permission. Tom ends up profiting while fulfilling Aunt Polly’s punishment without doing the work himself. There is a dynamic relationship in everything, and management provides a little strength wherever things can go well. If you work hard without question, you need to bring toys and food to others, but if you work wisely, you’ll achieve your goals with the help of others, gaining both toys and food along with praise. All Tom did was hold a paintbrush in front of the fence and smile. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

If we don’t have something, we often think we don’t have it at all. However, even when we possess nothing, we fail to check if someone around us has something, and we simply give up. If someone nearby lacks it, we give up immediately. We struggle to identify the next person around us, don’t inquire about introductions, and we lack the courage to reach out. In difficult situations, we see only the fact that we have nothing substantial and can’t contemplate anything beyond that. No, we don’t even attempt to change our mindset. People falter not because they lack resources, but because they don’t think or have the courage. Even though we should live with wisdom instead of just hard work, we often labor tirelessly but without insight. This leads to more downfall; it feels like choosing to perish. Doing our best doesn’t equate to merely working hard. We strive for achievement yet work diligently without being wise. Consequently, we find ourselves falling again. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Peter Drucker stated that marketing is not the same as sales; instead, it aims to make sales unnecessary. He also mentioned that marketing is not just the final step in production but occurs at every stage from beginning to end. Furthermore, a company’s functions can be categorized into marketing and innovation. While sales are vital for generating revenue, it’s crucial to grasp the concept that marketing makes sales redundant. Many companies struggle because they fail to understand this concept and incur losses from unnecessary expenses. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”