Joseph's "Just My Thoughts"

Money and attention affect how we experience pain and joy. People tend to feel worse when paying in cash than when using a card . If a restaurant charges you $1 for a spoonful of food, your enjoyment diminishes because you focus more on the cost than the food itself. To reduce spending , you should make spending feel painful . For example, paying with cash rather than a credit card usually leads to less spending. Automatic debit can become a trap. A study shows electricity use increases by 4% when bills are paid via direct debit . Managing spending involves controlling how much importance you give to it. Ultimately, to reduce expenses, we need to change the system and its structure. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

All businesses ultimately converge in real estate and finance . This is an unavoidable fate. Real estate is the smallest unit and foundation of production activities, with a price calculated in real terms . Volatile assets that have a real price and whose prices fluctuate frequently must generate interest or dividends. Rental fees for an office or store are typically sufficient for the business operator to pay the interest on the loan owed by the lessor , the real estate owner, to the bank, akin to the real estate owner holding a particular share of the lessee ’s business. Therefore, a lessee capable of paying interest on a property as a rental fee is the strongest candidate to own that property. This fact serves as strong evidence that business is closely linked to real estate. After all, most businesses grow in size and have two asset structures : their basic operating sales and real estate revenue . Without an efficient connection between these two structures, a business will nev...

The more startups you have, the more you need to learn and practice. Many startups avoid learning because they are busy and have a lot of work. Knowledge determines structure, and managing is the process of building that structure. However, to create that structure, they do not make the effort to acquire knowledge. Just as you must eat bread one bite at a time, even when you have plenty, sincerity will gradually and steadily lead to knowledge and the establishment of structure. It is important to remember that the consequences can be severe if you neglect a bit of sincerity due to feeling overwhelmed by your environment and circumstances. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

The representatives do not produce the results; instead, they establish the system that generates those results. Failing to grasp this distinction can lead to significant consequences. The system defines a goal, organizes a structure that aligns with that goal, designates a person responsible for each point of connection within the structure, assigns appropriate roles, and delegates authority and responsibility. Ultimately, the representatives are responsible for the system. - 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, starting 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 trustworthy traits. The most critical of these abilities is keeping one’s word. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Some individuals take the easier route instead of engaging in laborious tasks. It can be frustrating, but often there are clear reasons behind these unreasonable circumstances. In such cases, it’s tough to change the individual because they are embedded in an irrational structure. The issue lies not in the personality itself but in this structure. Changing the structure can lead to changes in personality. In reality, personality remains the same; it simply holds different significance within the context of the structure. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

There are markets where demand generates supply, while there are markets where supply must generate demand. Las Vegas, a city in the middle of the desert, is a business structure that creates demand from supply. Supplying gambling rooms simultaneously generates the operating income of the gambling room and profits from hotels, transportation, restaurants, and shopping. In a poor business environment, you need to review the essence of your business. If you try without structural change, you will likely tire, and it isn’t easy to expect improvement. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

A part-time worker at a fast-food chain put in a lot of effort. The worker’s dedication impressed the boss, leading to the firing of other part-timers and an increase in trust placed in this worker. As a result, the worker ended up with significantly more responsibilities while keeping the same salary. I reiterate that structure is more important than mere effort. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

You probably suspect that your decisions are reasonably based on your judgment. However, human decisions are made according to the rules and structures at that time. By changing the decision structure and regulations, humans make different decisions under the same conditions. If you make a mistake, you don't have to regret or blame yourself for making the wrong decision. But, if you fail to judge the regulations and structure of the decision, then you must reflect on the mistake. This is to prevent repeated mistakes. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Starbucks Korea sells a 355ml tall size cup of Americano at KRW 4,500. It contains 3.5% solid matter to at least manifest tastes and flavors. The rest is just WATER. We should simultaneously drink 96.5% of the water to get just a few 3.5% together. The average production cost of 1ml of tap water in Seoul is KRW 0.00051. That's the same as paying about KRW 4,000 for a cup of tap water of about 350ml. We would think of how much we make money by selling coffee, but it's our misunderstanding. As an excuse for a few solid matters of "coffee", they're selling tap water at the unbelievable price of over KRW 4,000. They're making money with the cheapest solvent 'WATER', not 'COFFEE'. But almost all businessmen are trying to sell the solid matters of 3.5% at a high price. The reason, businessmen cannot make money is they make the wrong selection which cannot make money since the beginning. The making structure is first, and the effort is second. - Josep...