Always plan ahead.

Years ago Nestle became the company responsible for forming coffee culture in Japan. It started with an idea and conversation between the Nestle execs and a French marketing consultant, Clotaire Rapaille.

Long story short:

Nestle wanted to sell coffee (now known as Nescafe) in Japan. But Rapaille stopped them from unsuccessfully breaking into a market that was nearly impossible to thrive in – at that time at least. The blocker was tea. The Japanese are known for tradition. Traditions with cultural significance and imprint. Rapaille told Nestle that if they wanted to sell coffee in Japan, then it would take years.. about 15 years. The problem was that Japan didn’t have any memorable connotations to coffee, so the idea was to create one and form an imprint. Nestle started selling coffee flavored candy and targeted the childhood demographic. These kids indulged, grew up and still indulged, then become adults who now have childhood memories associated with the taste and smell of coffee. This is where Nescafe begins to come alive.

I make this example for the sake of drawing a parallel between Nestle’s long-term strategy and our lives and professions. If you have a goal, but it’s a stretch, then think about what steps you need to take in order to achieve. Set up a strategy knowing that each action has a reaction. Mapping out the long term vision will get you one step closer to what it is that you want.

Maintain patience, consistency, and focus. The Nestle and Clotaire model was so successful that it created an imprint. So much that now the world’s largest Starbuck’s Reserve Roastery is in Tokyo…

3 or 4 steps ahead.

-JO