More than a few people dream of coming to Japan, starting an online business that gives you financial freedom and leaves you with enough free time to study the language travel and just enjoy Japan.

I know that sounds like the opening to some terrible multi-level marketing pitch, but today we site down and talk with someone who has done exactly that — twice.

Patrick McKenzie came to Japan more than 15 years ago and after enduring the soul-crushing boredom that is the life of a Japanese programer, he took maters into his own hands, left his job and began developing software products that he sold and supported all over the world the world from his home in the Japanese countryside.

It turns our that life was not as idillic or as simple as it seems, but there are some important lessons learned and a great story to be told.

I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Show Notes for Startups

What it's like working as a developer at a Japanese company
The 30-year career plan Japanese companies have for their employees
Why Japanese developers don’t start side businesses

Why it's smart to focus on the foreign market when selling software from Japan

 What's the wrong way to generate a startup idea

 Why running a micro-startup can be more rewarding than getting investment

What made Patrick give it all up and get a day job
Why you need to develop the ability to do arbitrary hard things
How to make failure a part of life in Japan, and why that would be a good thing

Links from the Founder

Patrick runs the Kalzumeus blog
Check out some of Patrick's (aka patio11) prolific writing at Hacker News
Stripe's Atlas Program
Check out the Kalzumeus podcast, and tell Patrick to make more of them

 Leave a comment

Transcript from Japan
Disrupting Japan, episode 74.

Welcome to Disrupting Japan, straight talk Japan’s most successful entrepreneurs. I’m Tim Romero, and thanks for joining me.

One of the things I enjoyed most about making Disrupting Japan, is not only do I get a chance to sit down and talk with some of the most innovative people in Japan, but I hear from people all over the world who are thinking about bringing their company to Japan, or who are deeply involved in the startup scene in their own country, or who just have a love of Japan and enjoy hearing about startups and how things are changing here.

I also get a pretty steady stream of inquiries from listeners with a very specific Japan-focused dream. There are a lot of developers all over the world who want to move to Japan, maybe move to a Japanese company, study the language, and then start some kind of internet business that would give them the financial independence and the freedom to just live your life in Japan. Well, if that sounds appealing, I’ve got a treat for you today.

Today, we’re going to sit down and talk with my friend, Patrick McKenzie, and we’re basically going to give you a blueprint for doing exactly that. I’ll warn you in advance, it might not be as easy as you think it is, or as rewarding as you imagine it might be, and in fact, in the end, Patrick left that life behind. Before he did that, however, he created not just one, but two successful online businesses, that he ran from the comfort of the Japanese countryside. Now, you’ve probably never heard of either of Patrick’s companies, but he’s a more important part of the Tokyo startup ecosystem than he likes to let on. He’s an advisor, a connector, and someone whose name just keeps popping up in Tokyo’s startup scene, and he has a really amazing story to tell.

So let’s hear from our sponsors and get right to the interview.