Having long lasting family business requires careful strategy on succession of it generation to generation. I have let go my chance to succeed my father’s business. He had established an office machine manufacturer and built up own brand name and made it public in 1963.

I have lost both of them and I represent the second generation next to my father. So, I can tell how easy it is to lose whatever you get from your parent during your generation. Being a member of Junior Commerce, I know that over 80% of its member has lost their enterprises, regardless of its sales volume, inherited from their parent.

The first thing you have to realize is that your business may not last till the end of your regime. This applies to my case.

My father had established the brand name of Nippo with the check protector. Nippo is originated in 1945. It took my father to establish Nippo name till 1960. After 15 years of sweat and tears, Japanese Bank Association regulated to use check protector to issure checks ans drafts.

The regulation yielded huge demand to Nippo Checkwriter. There wasn’t no effective competitors, first of all.
But the demand gradually declined and Nippo started to have hard time because of it after the initial fulfillment of the demand. It took 3 and 1/2 year. But decline was the fact.

Besides, banks had started to go online in payment processing. So, the demand for check protector from banks had become minimal during 1980es. The biggest banks used to carry their own stock of check protectors, that are kept in their office back room, a few thousand pieces all paid in advance.

They were gone by the end of 70es.

It was lucky that my father passed away in 1978. He had worried. But he had gone without knowing that the demand itself would diminish to none.