My History
I once missed a chance to go abroad. During high school, a friend invited me to visit the United States with him, saying he had relatives there. But due to financial reasons, I had to decline. Perhaps as a result of that missed opportunity, my curiosity about the world only grew stronger. After entering university, I saved money through part-time jobs and set off as a backpacker to travel the world. Among the many countries I visited, the ones that left the deepest impression on me were Turkey and Egypt, which I explored over the course of nearly two months. I didn’t have much money, nor any fixed plans. That very freedom allowed me to travel spontaneously and enjoy chance encounters with locals along the way. What I brought back from the trip was a profound sense of self-confidence—an unshakable belief that I could survive anywhere in the world, even with nothing to rely on but myself.
After graduating from university, I began my career in consulting at Nagoya Railroad. I was later headhunted by Arthur Andersen, one of the world’s five largest accounting firms at the time. There, I honed my skills by providing management consulting to major corporations, and during my time at the firm, I also passed the national tax accountant examination — steadily building my credentials.
Then one day, a friend asked me for help in rebuilding his family business — a small construction company with only about five employees, run by his father. Having been consulting for companies ranging in size from hundreds to tens of thousands of employees, I thought it would be a simple task. I took it on, confident I could resolve the issues quickly. But the reality turned out to be far more challenging than I expected.
While it may all fall under the umbrella of “management consulting,” the approach required for small businesses is fundamentally different from that of large corporations. Most small companies lack brand recognition, manpower, and financial resources—yet their needs are often far more urgent. My friend pleaded with me desperately, saying, “If this fails, my entire family will be out on the street.”
I soon realized that my usual methods didn’t work. Feeling defeated, I gave up my weekends and immersed myself in helping my friend’s company. I started by identifying the core management issues, then focused on highlighting the strengths of the business — its services, technical capabilities, and dedicated staff — and began grassroots sales activities. About six months later, the company finally saw an upward trend in performance. My friend’s father, with tears in his eyes, shook my hand and said, “You didn’t just save our business—you saved our family and our employees.”
That experience planted a seed in me: a desire to support struggling small businesses. It ultimately led to the founding of Bricks&UK Group, a firm specializing in management consulting for small and medium-sized enterprises. Walking away from the stability of a full-time position at a top accounting firm wasn’t easy—but deep down, the spirit of the backpacker in me was still alive. That belief that “I can live anywhere” gave me the confidence to take the leap into independence.
The Present
When I founded the company in 2006, I had no clients and no staff—it was just me. Still, I drew on the experience of having helped turn around my friend’s family business, and began refining consulting methods originally developed for large corporations so they could be tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). I went door-to-door, offering my services one company at a time, with sincerity and care. Over time, these efforts began to bear fruit, and word of mouth gradually spread. As of February 2025, we serve as advisors to approximately 3,600 client companies. Our business has expanded beyond our Nagoya headquarters to include offices in Tokyo, Okinawa, and Thailand, and our group has grown to around 1,100 employees.
Throughout nearly two decades of management, one thing has remained unchanged: our unwavering commitment to client-first service. We believe that the best way to understand what truly benefits SMEs is to listen to our clients. Through countless conversations, we’ve come to clearly see that SMEs have broad and unique needs—particularly in areas like business strategy, branding, and public relations, compared to large corporations. By continuously listening to these voices, we’ve expanded our services beyond management consulting to include M&A advisory, recruitment support, and much more. Our strength lies in being deeply attuned to SMEs, capturing their needs without missing a beat, and offering comprehensive solutions to their challenges.
One day, I received a letter from the owner of a client company we had worked with. In the letter, he shared that he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and given just three months to live. He asked that after his passing, Bricks&UK continue to support his company so that his son, who would take over as successor, could lead it into the future. To be remembered at such a critical moment in someone's life—and to be entrusted with the future of something as precious as their business—was deeply moving. It reminded me of why I started this company in the first place: to support SME owners. That experience only strengthened my commitment to that original mission.
For the Future
Our company’s mission is: “We exist to enrich society.” This mission was established around the fifth year after founding the company, when our business had begun to gradually grow in size. At that time, I had been pushing forward with everything I had, working tirelessly on my own. But when I finally paused to reflect, I realized I had lost sight of what I truly wanted to contribute to society through supporting SMEs.
So, I decided to take a trip. Of course, part of me wanted a change of pace and a broader perspective—but more than anything, I wanted to wander again, just as I had in my backpacking days as a university student. On a whim, I chose to visit Prague in the Czech Republic. I stepped into a riverside café overlooking Prague Castle. It was a weekday evening, yet the café was filled with locals, enjoying beer and chatting happily with their friends. Everyone was smiling.
That moment made me realize what true richness is. It isn’t about money—it’s about having space in your heart, time to relax, and joy to share with others. Ever since that trip, I’ve been committed to building a business that enriches society in a real and meaningful way.
To continue fulfilling this mission, we are looking for new teammates who resonate with our purpose. More than skills or experience, we value individuals who are truly committed to a client-first mindset. That’s because it is this very attitude that has earned us the trust of our clients and allowed us to grow. The strong relationships we’ve built with our clients have continually opened doors to new opportunities.
We are not content with where we are—we are aiming for further growth. Looking ahead, we hope that whenever we open a new office, local business owners and residents alike will say: “Now that Bricks&UK is here, this town is going to thrive.” That is the kind of company we aspire to be. With reliable partners by our side, we will continue to embrace the client-first spirit and face every challenge that SMEs encounter—working together to find solutions and create lasting impact.