"Let's do a crowdfunding campaign to coincide with the opening of the wine shop."
When a staff member told me that during a meeting, I immediately replied, "Yes, I see."
But in my mind, I was thinking, hmm, huh? It just doesn't seem like it's really my style .
Crowdfunding is that thing, right? It's the modern way of saying, "I'm in trouble, so please help me."
I'm not good at it.
Looking back, I've always been someone who couldn't say, "Help me!"
When I was playing little league baseball.
Something about my pitching style was strange, and the balls I threw always curved slightly. The ball speed was also slow. Even though I was throwing far, I was throwing close. I was troubled and wondering how to fix it.
But I couldn't ask my friends or the coach, "Teach me the correct way to pitch." Because of that, I ended up being a substitute until the end (no, that's a lie. I couldn't become a regular because my batting and footwork were not good enough).
And when I was drawing.
I have color vision problems and some colors are difficult for me to distinguish, but I loved to paint watercolors. During art class, I would make various colors with the paints on the palette and paint them on the paper with great enthusiasm. However, when the teacher saw the finished painting, he was surprised.
"Hey Iwasu, why did you paint your face green?"
I messed up. As I was mixing different colors on the palette, I lost track of what color it was, but when I painted it, I thought, "Oh, I guess this is what skin color looks like," and it turned out to be green. I couldn't ask the teacher, "What color is this?"
Even now, when I buy clothes, my wife is sometimes surprised and asks me, "You bought this color?" I often regret that I should have asked the salesperson, "Oh no, this is purple..."
"I'm in trouble."
I just can't say this one word. I wonder why.
When I told my wife about this, she said this.
"Because you have a lot of pride."
Heavy.
Ah, that's right. A straight pitch would be the right choice. Maybe he could have thrown a curveball. Strike, sir, out.
That's right. My unnecessary pride gets in the way and I can't ask for help or reveal my weaknesses to others .
Being able to say you need help is not actually exposing your weakness, it's showing your strength as a person .
My pride is a pathetic "pseudo pride" that just means "I don't want to be embarrassed ."Pride is supposed to be a sense of pride or self-respect that isn't shaken by being embarrassed .
I understand that in theory, but it's difficult to put into practice.
However, since we've been together for so many years, my wife is able to see through such things easily.
To begin with, I haven't accumulated enough virtue so far that I can proudly say things like, "Please support me" or "Please help me." I feel like I'm not giving enough in the "give and take" mentality.
I think I have the right to say this as someone who has contributed a lot to society up until now, but no matter how I think about it, I have no memory of ever doing anything so great.
I guess crowdfunding just isn't for me after all. I wonder how I should explain this in a meeting.
And the following week, at our regular Zoom meeting.
Staff: "Now, let's talk about how to proceed with the crowdfunding..."
Me: (I guess I have to do it after all.)
Staff: " I think it's best to basically not make any profit this time. "
Me: (Yes, yes, I won't get any profits.)
picture!??
A way to do this without making any profit? Does that even exist?」
Staff: "New Zealand wine is still not well known, so I think our first goal should be to create an opportunity for people to try it .
So this time, instead of asking for financial support, why not make it our goal to get people to recognize that NZ wine is delicious? If we can achieve that goal, that would be a great support for us.
A genius!
I never knew there was such a way to use crowdfunding!
Certainly, the first thing I want to do in my wine shop is to convey the deliciousness of New Zealand wine . If I can do that when I open the store, I will be extremely happy.
Please help me, not please let me know. Of course, my weak pride sensor didn't react to that.
It would be great if by running a crowdfunding campaign we could directly convey the greatness of NZ wine to anyone who is even slightly interested!
Well, what's good to have are wise friends.
What we want to do first is to raise awareness, so we will include a booklet about the appeal of NZ wine with the wine.
That's not enough. Wine is not just a drink of "bottle + liquid ." It needs "+ information."
It becomes much more interesting to drink wine while knowing its aroma, flavor characteristics, the ideal drinking temperature, and what kind of food it goes well with . Therefore, include a "wine card" with a little information about the wine you are delivering .
Oh well, let's add some wine glasses .
Everyone will be excited when they receive the box and open it. I hope more people will become New Zealand wine fans!
So, we decided to use crowdfunding as a tool to deliver our message .
A screenshot of the crowdfunding page. Image as of May 18th.
And as I write this, I've received support (purchases) from more people than I expected. Wow, I'm so glad, I'm so grateful.
The actual items will arrive after the crowdfunding period ends on June 14th , so please wait for a while if you have supported us. If you haven't received your item yet, we would appreciate it if you could take a look, even if it's just window shopping.
(Addendum 1)
Later, I looked into crowdfunding properly and found that rather than the "we're in trouble, please support us" type, this kind of "purchase type" is more common now. I was ignorant.
But as part of my preparations for the store, I was glad to learn that crowdfunding could be used in this way. I'm really glad that my thoughts can be conveyed to many people.
Also, while I was thinking about crowdfunding, my petty pride was also exposed, so that was good too. I'll be careful not to become a petty old man who can't face his own weaknesses (thanks, ma'am).
(Addendum 2)
Although I have color vision problems, I don't think it's a big problem when it comes to distinguishing the color of wine. Oh no, no no. That was no good. From now on, if I have trouble understanding something, I'll throw away my pride and ask the people around me.
This week's wine and snacks
INVIVO CENTRAL OTAGO PINOT NOIR 2018
Invivo Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018
This wine was also included in the crowdfunding rewards (a 4-bottle set to discover the deliciousness of classic NZ wines and a 6-bottle Pinot-only set for Pinot Noir lovers that will make even the most enthusiastic wine enthusiasts drool!).
When you first open it, it has a milky scent similar to yogurt. Then the fruity scent of strawberries and raspberries spreads. When you drink it, it's so smooth. It has hints of berries and cocoa. It also has a pleasant bitter aftertaste.
It's a bit substantial for a Pinot. The overall fruity flavor is typical of New Zealand . The concentrated flavor suggests that fully ripe grapes were used.
By the way, Central Otago is a region full of valleys and hills, cold but with plenty of sunshine. Ah, I want to go back again.
This is what I combined.
It's mackerel miso. It's the perfect pairing. I'm a genius for coming up with this matchup. I'm proud of myself for using mackerel miso! Tee hee!
The sweetness of the miso, the umami of the fish, and the richness... It's safe to say that this is the perfect accompaniment for a strong Pinot .
I'm glad to be a Japanese person (an ordinary person) who can have NZ Pino and mackerel miso on my table.
