Marketplace 3.0

November 5, 2012
By his own admission, the leader of the world's third largest e-commerce company is a rule breaker. In his first book, Mikitani, founder and chief executive of Rakuten, an international firm headquartered in Japan that owns Kobo and Buy.com, offers his philosophy of how to break rules and think differently to compete in the global marketplace. Called an "Internet evangelist," Mikitani shares the secrets, beliefs, and drive that fueled Rakuten's meteoric rise to success. Starting with the story of how he defied Japanese business tradition by making English mandatory for all workers at his company, Mikitani discusses how true empowerment of employees, vendors, and customers is key to building a healthy corporate culture; the mindset necessary to creating and sustaining a place in the global market, and how the element of joy is imperative in rewriting the rules of the Internet. While the book may seem self-congratulatory at times, and at others repetitive and in need of editing, overall Mikitani weaves an inspiring entrepreneurial story and presents a thought-provoking case for breaking rules. Agent: Leah N. Spiro, Riverside Creative Management.

July 1, 2013

Founder and CEO of Japanese firm Rakuten, the third largest e-commerce marketplace company in the world, Mikitani here presents an interesting perspective on global e-commerce. He explains his 2010 decision to require that all Rakuten employees speak English, and he suggests ways companies can empower sellers to create lasting relationships with customers. He discusses the importance of empowerment and goal setting, the global mind-set, and how to make online shopping an entertaining experience. Narrator Jun Naito's clear, steady-paced performance helps convey the Rakuten effort to empower its online merchants to deliver "Omotenashi," the Japanese hospitality concept. VERDICT While not necessarily offering groundbreaking ideas, Mikitani manages to present a useful addition to the genre of e-commerce business with this detailed look at how his company has become the primary competition to Amazon.com.--Dale Farris, Groves, TX

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