Konosuke Matsushita: a short biography and a success story

In management, you can rarely meet unconditional authorities, but there is a person who, without exception, causes only admiration and respect. This is Konosuke Matsushita. "Principles of success", formulated by this Japanese entrepreneur, and today are basic for businessmen all over the world. He lived an amazing life that was filled with tireless work, victories and failures and endless optimism and faith in people. Let's talk about how a boy from a poor family managed to become the founder of a billion business and its principles of success.

Difficult childhood

In a large Japanese family on November 27, 1894, a boy was born - Konosuke Matsushita. He was the ninth child in a well-off family. His father was a landowner and the owner of a small farm in the village of Vasamura. But everything collapsed at one point - the head of the family made some very risky steps in business and almost instantly went bankrupt. I had to sell all the property, the farm and move to a small apartment in the city. The boy was at that time only 4 years old. The family somehow managed to make ends meet, Konosuke even went to school. But when he was 9 years old, the family decided that the boy should start working. He was made an apprentice to a store in Osaka, selling braziers. A year later the store went bankrupt, but Konosuke already had some experience and quickly found a new job in an office selling bicycles. In those days it was a luxury item, and some details were made right at the outlet, where the boy learned to turn and began to look into the business. In a short time, Konosuke lost several brothers and mother, and later he was the only surviving child from the whole family.

Beginning of the work biography

In 1909 Konosuke Matsushita took up his real first position, he became an assistant to an electrician in the company of Osaka Electric Light. Electricity in those days was a very promising sector and the young man has good prospects. He diligently comprehends the wisdom of the work of an electrician, Konosuke for several years receives several increases. But he strives for more, in the evenings he passionately devotes himself to invention. And he creates his own rosette model in the hope of hitting his boss, but he treated this device very disdainfully. By this time, the young man had married and felt a great responsibility for the well-being of his own family. At age 22 he was appointed inspector. But Konosuke feels that this is not enough for him.

The main decision in life

Despite the increase, Konosuke Matsushita decided to leave the company "Osaka Electric Light" and start own business. June 15, 1917, he opens his own company Matsushita Electric with a registered capital of 50 dollars. Together with his wife and her brother in the basement of his house, he opened a small store for the sale of electrical equipment and cartridges for electric lamps of his own invention. At first the sales went badly, but unexpectedly the situation was saved by a large order for spare parts for fans. Having earned money, Konosuke rents a two-story house and opens a large shop and a workshop where he sells various electrical goods, including several products of his invention. In search of new opportunities for expanding production, Konosuke pays attention to the electric bikes for bicycles. Also, its innovative adapters and double-sided connector are gaining unprecedented popularity, and already in 7 years Matsushita begins to build its first real factory.

Successful entrepreneur and manager

Already in the first years of his entrepreneurial activity Konosuke Matsushita showed himself as a talented leader. In addition to the fact that he himself laid out 100% at work, he was able to motivate his employees to the same full impact. And he also had a real flair for new ideas and opportunities. Having convinced on own experience that it is not enough to have even absolutely perfect product, it is still necessary to be able to sell it. Therefore, he creates sales departments in different cities, and then he opens a retail network for selling his products. In the late 1920s, Konosuke established a new type of enterprise, with a head office and a large number of branches throughout the country. Also at this time, he understands that the future behind brands, and creates the first trademark National Of its concern. Then there will be other, more famous Panasonic and Technics. After the war, Matsushita understands that it is necessary to enter international markets and conclude a cooperation agreement with Philips on the production of television and radio equipment. After several trips to the US and Europe, the manager decided that it was necessary to open his own research and inventive bureau, which later helped the company to bypass many of its competitors. His flair allowed him to conduct a series of successful acquisitions and mergers, even in such seemingly hopeless cases as with the company JVC. In the course of his work, Matsushita deduces his own principles of doing business and achieving success.

The main milestones of biography

Today Konosuke Matsushita, whose brief biography can be described in one word - success, the recognized genius of management, the creator of the world's largest corporation, for the whole world he is an example of fantastic diligence and dedication. If you look at his path to the heights, you can see the forward movement and constant development. Briefly his biography consists of the following most important steps and decisions:

- 1918 year. Creation of Matsushita Electric.

- 1923 year. Launch of several innovative products, which led to a breakthrough among competitors.

- 1927 year. Running the brand National.

- 1931 year. The beginning of the release of radio equipment.

- 1933 year. Introduction of the company's divisional organizational structure.

- 1934 year. Opening of the Institute for training and development of employees.

- 1935 year. Creation of a network of sales departments and retail stores.

- 1952 year. Agreement with Philips.

- 1959 year. Opening of a network of retail stores selling household appliances.

- 1959. The release of the brand Panasonic;

- 1961 year. Resignation.

- 1963 year. World recognition of Matsushita Electric.

- 1964 year. Return to the company as a commercial director.

- 1964 year. The company's refusal to release personal computers.

- 1973 year. Retirement and work as a consultant.

- 1980 year. The beginning of the release of cameras.

- 1989 year. The end. Personal wealth is almost 250 billion yen.

Principles of success

In management and business there are several true gurus and one of them, of course, Konosuke Matsushita. The principles of success that he formulated are simple, but ingenious. In several of his works he proclaims several postulates, but the most famous are the following 7 basic laws:

1. The purpose of business is to serve society. And not making profit, as many entrepreneurs believe. Matsushita says that the company must meet the needs of society and be socially significant and responsible.
2. The main values of the company are honesty and honesty. They must be internally shared by all team members.
3. Success is a joint, one hundred percent team effort to achieve a common goal. Each member of the team must feel that the strategic objectives of the company are beneficial and close to him, only then he will be fully laid out at work.
4. Constant striving for perfection. It must concern the production process, and the products and relationships between people.
5. Courtesy and modesty. Matsushita himself was the embodiment of this principle. For example, he spent his entire life flying ordinary flight planes, although he could afford a personal jet.
6. Harmony with nature. This is the ecological and moral aspect of business.
7. Gratitude for the deeds. Konosuke said that you always need to say thanks to employees for their work, you need to praise and support them.

Business mission

The philosophy of business was outlined in several works by Konosuke Matsushita. "Business mission" is a book in which he speaks in simple language how to build a company from the ground up, how to establish relations with employees and how not to deviate from the main principles of entrepreneurship. To such he attributed service to society, decency, unconditional honesty and diligence. At the same time, he does not deny the need for profit, but believes that this should not be an end in itself. In 53 chapters he talks about his experience of creating a prosperous business.

Interesting Facts

Konosuke Matsushita, whose biography is full of unusual events and actions, became the wealthiest and oldest businessman in Japan at the time of his death. At the same time, in 1919 he was forced to pledge all his property, including clothes, to the pawnshop to save his business. During the Second World War, Matsushita Electric factories produced ships and aircraft from plywood, and they successfully solved combat missions.

Recognition and feedback

World recognition came to the entrepreneur in 1963, when at the World Conference of Management he was called the classics of management. Every entrepreneur in the world today, while creating his own business, reads the book "Business Mission" by Konosuke Matsushita. Comments on this work from the world business community are very flattering. Readers note the simplicity and ease of presentation and the harmonious philosophy of Matsushita. His whole path and world outlook is imbued with a deep faith in the honesty of business and in the victory of dedication and perseverance.