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- How Nobu Achieved Longevity (part three)
Hey team,
LaToya here! Welcome back to The Strategy Files, the newsletter where I study the most successful people in beauty, art, fashion, and entertainment. You apply it to your startup, agency, or side hustle.
It’s a team effort!
Please share this with someone who is building a business; it helps me tremendously.
Here’s what you’ve missed so far:
Today’s Lesson: Take Big Risks
While working at Matseui-sushi, Nobu met a man named Louis Matsufuji. He was a second-generation Japanese-Peruvian businessman who came from a wealthy family. Louis made Nobu an offer he couldn’t refuse: Move to Peru and open a restaurant as head chef. This would make his dream of becoming a sushi chef come true.
Nobu booked a test trip to Lima, Peru’s capital. Back then, the city had only four Japanese restaurants (there are a couple hundred now ; I think this speaks to Nobu’s influence). Nobu ended up working at a place called Tokyo Sushi for a few days. This allowed him to work with ingredients not available back home, understand the culinary scene in Peru, and see how his skills compared to chefs in Lima. In his memoir, Nobu says “my skills were frankly superior”.
Gotta love the confidence 🙂
The trip turned out well, so Nobu decided to take three big risks at once:
Move to a new country
Open his first restaurant
Partner with someone he barely knew
What could go wrong?
Best,
LaToya
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p.s. if you’re listening to the audio version of this post, now would probably be a good time to stop 😅