The Strength of Sound House - The Path We Continue to Take Toward the Future

Sound House has come a long way over the past 30 years. The efforts of all employees have borne fruit, and as a result, Sound House is now even considered to be an infrastructure company in the music industry. Yet, it is not easy to remain at the top of the music industry. The major companies are constantly developing new strategies, and it is commonly known that the well-funded mega companies have the advantage in a world where AI takes control. Therefore, we must be humble, always go back to the basics, and devote ourselves every day, or else we will lose. This is hard work, but it is definitely worthwhile.

Of course, many employees may feel that there is a big difference between what Sound House appears to be and what it actually is. They may be right. Sound House that our customers see is only the result of our hard work. In other words, only the polished work is on display, so everything looks beautiful, just like a diamond. However, the hard work that goes into making a beautiful diamond is probably what words can’t describe enough. The excavation in diamond mines is unimaginably tough, and the rough gemstones are what miners dig out of the mines with blood and sweat. The rough diamonds are polished and transformed into incredibly beautiful gems. Beautiful things or something at the top of the ranking entails extremely hard work behind the scenes.

That is why, as the founder of Sound House, I try to encourage young employees from time to time. This is because many of them joined the company only seeing the bright side of the company. It’s natural because there is no way they can see our hard work inside the company before they join us. However, the real world is not easy, and in any case, becoming the top of anything involves a certain amount of hardship. If our competitor takes 100 steps forward, Sound House must take 110 steps forward. If the competitor takes 150 steps forward, Sound House even takes 200 steps forward, knowing that it is difficult so that they won’t be able to catch up with us. It is the destiny of the winner to always be in the forefront and to spare no effort so as not to be overtaken. However, this is sometimes painful and involves a lot of hard work.

I wonder how much longer I will have to go through these hardships. The only reason I have been able to work this hard is because of the enthusiastic support from our customers. When Sound House experienced the credit card information leak in 2008, I later heard that there were rumors in the industry that Sound House would go out of business. However, even in this difficult time, many customers sent us warm messages saying that they would still buy from us even if they couldn’t use their credit cards. Three months after this incident, our sales had not only returned to normal, but had grown rapidly even more. I really have nothing but words of gratitude for our customers. That is why I can do my best for our customers.

What is the strength of Sound House in the first place? It is nothing but the fact that we are a company who have always adhered to our motto, “Putting customers first”. How could we grow into a company who is liked, or sometimes even loved, by our customers? It is only because we have consistently strived to provide our customers with what they want us to do for them. What we want or can buy at a lower price, we offer the same to our customers. Even if another company is selling at a higher price, if half the price is the normal price overseas, we will make an effort to price accordingly. I was not satisfied unless we did so. In our daily work, I want the orders delivered to our customers as quickly as possible! I want to answer the phone without keeping customers waiting! I want to return repaired items on the same day! I want to introduce new items with the best price! I am the one who can say that it is important to keep these strong desires.

However, now that I became chairman of the company and I am no longer involved in the actual work, I sometimes feel that Sound House has lost its power. In other words, I’m concerned that our motto, “Putting customers first”, is collapsing and before I know it, we are becoming just another ordinary company. This could cause us to lose the relationship of trust that we have built up with our customers. It may be difficult for our employees to grow in the future, unless we constantly ask ourselves whether our attitude, words, and actions are what satisfy our customers. What is clear is that as long as we have a simple and honest desire to do something for our customers and provide them with the best service possible, we can still continue to walk the path we have taken for the past 30 years, making the most of our experience.

It is time to go back to the basics with all of our employees and get everyone fired up once again. In this day and age where AI takes over human jobs, the bonds that Sound House has built with our music-loving customers will not be so easily broken. That is why we must cherish them. We must keep making our utmost efforts to meet the passions of music fans. That is our mission.

Last but not the least, I looked back at the power and strength of Sound House. As long as we continue to pursue and further evolve these seven items, the path Sound House will take will be unwavering. Because Sound House has fans expecting a lot from us all over Japan, I would like to work with all of our employees as one to make this happen.