Surfing the V.I.P wave… all the way.(Grit & Glamor: Epi.15)

When the wave picks you up, ride it as far as you can, no matter how large the wave gets, don’t jump off.

Previously:

At the age of 30, the protagonist reaches a turning point by participating in coaching courses and business seminars, prompting her to seriously reconsider her future. Drawing on her experience as a store manager, she successfully boosts her store’s sales by sharing “The Rules of Style” on her blog. Her fresh perspective, born from being new to the fashion industry, becomes the key to her success. The philosophy of display learned from a VMD specialist at the Ginza store profoundly influences her, fostering new connections with readers and customers. However, this success is just the beginning. Through the lessons learned at the business seminar and her exploration of a future as a CEO, the protagonist resolves to push forward into new challenges. These upcoming changes and growth will further transform her life in profound ways.

Chapter 7: Encounter with a Mentor

7.1 Transformation and Awakening of Self-Image

In mid-April, an online coaching course using a teleconference system began. At that time, the class had a dedicated phone number, and students could connect directly with the coach, who was the instructor, by dialing that number. The classes were held from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and I participated either before or after work. The program was designed to allow students to complete all the classes at a pace of twice a week over a maximum of three years.

Since all that was needed was a phone, students could attend classes from anywhere, even those on business trips to India. At that time, it seemed impressive, but looking back from 2024, it’s astonishingly analog.

Towards the end of April, the day came for me to attend a high-cost business seminar, priced at 100,000 yen for just two days. The seminars I had attended up until then were mostly male-dominated, and I had never seen a fashionista, so I chose an asymmetrical dress in light gray with antique-style lace at the hem, fitting for an apparel store manager.

There were as many as 130 participants at the venue, with an average age of 43. Among them were people who had published books or appeared on TV. Being in such a setting, I strangely felt my self-image rise. I was the only apparel store manager, which may have made me stand out. I had a personal rule of not initiating business card exchanges, as I wanted to see how others perceived my appearance.

The seminar included a lecture on the mindset of successful people, and there was a surprising exercise where participants shouted their desires at a high intensity to imprint them on the subconscious mind. There was also guided meditation by the instructor, Mr. D, to visualize our future selves.

In the meditation, we imagined a house standing alone in a vast grassland, where we would visit our future selves in 10 years using a time machine. During the meditation, I saw myself traveling to places I liked whenever I wanted, conducting seminars in front of large audiences, and receiving applause. The moment I envisioned this, I couldn’t stop crying. When I told Mr. D about it, he said, “When you combine an image with emotions, it will definitely come true.”

Shortly afterward, Mr. D introduced me in front of all the participants as a store manager who ranked high in the fashion category of the popular blog rankings and had significantly boosted sales. Thanks to this, there was such a great response during the break that people lined up to exchange business cards with me. It was the first time I had ever been recognized by a third party for a sales improvement that my superiors had never praised, and I was thrilled to the point of getting goosebumps.

“Maybe I have the potential to become independent. Maybe I’m not suited for a corporate job,” I thought to myself, and I began to think that it might be okay to have some expectations for myself. For some reason, I felt like my eyes had grown a size larger, physically. Is this what awakening feels like?

At the seminar, there were guest speakers, including a bestselling consultant and Mr. Yutaka Kanai, the owner of the hair salon “RITZ.” Mr. Kanai’s branding theory, in particular, had many overlaps with what the president of my company often spoke about, so I was able to understand it easily.

Feeling an overwhelming need to express my thoughts, I lined up to exchange business cards with Mr. Kanai after his talk. I introduced myself as an apparel store manager, but being just one person in a crowd, I didn’t think I’d be remembered. Wanting to leave at least some impression, I decided to leave a comment on Mr. Kanai’s blog.

Additionally, the organizer announced a special offer: the chance to book a haircut with Mr. Kanai, who typically didn’t accept new clients. Although I had a hairdresser for 10 years, the excitement of experiencing a haircut by a star stylist grew, and I decided to make a reservation.

Then, amazingly, the day after the seminar, my blog, which I had been managing as a store manager, reached number one in the fashion category of the popular blog rankings. I had actually come up with the idea of touring the fashion category to increase recognition of my blog, and as soon as I executed it, my blog shot to the top. I continued to increase my readers by touring the category.

When my blog hit number one, something even more incredible happened. When I went to a sushi restaurant in Ginza with Mr. U, who had helped me set up the blog, he told the sushi master, “This girl is number one in the blog rankings!” The master responded with, ‘Wait a moment,’ and to my surprise, a special off-the-menu VIP tuna was brought out. They were served in a style where you scoop them up with a clamshell, and it was quite astonishing. The sushi restaurant was already known for its delicious food, and I had planned to write about it in my blog, but with this special tuna dish, the article was sure to shine even more. This was a time before YouTube and Instagram when blogs held real influence as a platform for influencers.

A few weeks after the seminar, I opened my email one day and found an unexpected message. The sender was Ms. M, Mr. D’s secretary. I was so surprised by the content that I had to look twice.

“Mr. D would like to invite you to a dinner with Mr. Yutaka Kanai.”

My heart raced, and my hands trembled slightly—a dinner with the famous Mr. D and the charismatic, cool Mr. Kanai. I couldn’t believe I was being invited.

But the joy was short-lived, as reality set in. The proposed date coincided with the important biannual inventory day. I couldn’t say no, but I couldn’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity either. Taking a deep breath, I mustered the courage to consult with my staff. “This might be a life-changing opportunity, so could I leave by 7 p.m. on the day of the inventory?” My staff not only agreed but also offered to start preparations a week in advance. They even offered to help organize the warehouse to ensure that the inventory process would go smoothly, which warmed my heart.

With a sense of relief, I replied to Ms. M, “I would love to attend.” Without doing anything on my part, wonderful encounters kept coming my way, and the people around me were willing to help. I felt a sense of exhilaration I had never experienced before, along with a strange feeling. “What is going to happen to my life?”

With a mix of anticipation and anxiety, I looked forward to the experience of a haircut by the star stylist and, four days later, the fateful dinner.