Insights
Thinking in public.
Perspectives, research, and market notes from live practice. We publish because the discipline of writing an argument down is the same discipline that makes advice useful, and because a firm that has nothing to say in public rarely has much to say in private.
The library
11 pieces, across 5 categories.
What Japanese Counterparties Are Actually Evaluating
Cross-border conversations turn on evaluation criteria that are consistent and rarely articulated. A practical account of what is being assessed.
7 min read
Subtraction as Strategy
Most transformation portfolios can be cut substantially without loss, and the cut itself is often the intervention that restores momentum.
5 min read
The Board's Question
Boards frequently review strategy without having articulated what they are asking management to deliver. The gap is costly and quietly common.
5 min read
Market Note: Reading the Japanese Enterprise Buying Cycle
A practical note on why standard pipeline instrumentation misrepresents Japanese enterprise deals, and what to measure instead.
4 min read
Patience as Competitive Advantage
Where relationships compound and switching costs are high, the capacity to sustain commitment through unrewarding periods becomes a durable advantage.
5 min read
A Strategy You Cannot Disprove Is Not a Strategy
A method for converting strategic intent into falsifiable commitments, with the evidence gates that make review meaningful.
6 min read
On Principal-Led Advisory
Why 5 Blue Oceans is structured around direct principal engagement, and what that makes possible that the leveraged model does not.
4 min read
Understanding Japan's Startup Ecosystem
The opportunities and barriers in Japan’s startup world
3 min read
The Rise of Sustainable D2C Brands in Japan: A Strategic Playbook
How purpose-driven, digitally native brands are reshaping consumer behavior in Japan
3 min read
Beyond the Hype: Realities of Japan's Startup Ecosystem
An incisive look into the true potential and challenges within Japan's burgeoning startup scene
3 min read
Browse
By category.
Firm Notes
01How we work, what we are building, and news from the practice.
Commentary
01Responses to developments in strategy, governance, and cross-border business.
Market Notes
02Short, practical observations on market conditions, buying behaviour, and operating reality.
Research
02Longer-form method and analysis: frameworks we use, tested against practice.
Perspectives
05The firm's point of view on how growth, entry, and transformation actually work across the Japan–global boundary.