Yamaha's Musical Motorcycle Pivot
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A discussion about how Japanese companies successfully diversify into different industries, using Yamaha as a prime example.
"Let me tell you how Yamaha operates - they make motorcycles, pianos, chainsaws, and power tools. The Japanese are known for this type of diversification. They have a specific name for it that starts with a 'k' - I think it's 'kazu' but I don't want to butcher the pronunciation.
This approach isn't unique to Yamaha. Many Japanese and Chinese companies are notorious for this kind of aggressive diversification. I've studied Chinese companies from the 90s and 2000s where they would start one business and within 2 years they'd own apartment buildings - completely different industries. Softbank did it too.
It's fascinating how these companies expand far beyond their original business into completely unrelated industries and make it work."
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.