Hinata
Small Business Advisory Session

Half-day session · ¥24,000 JPY

A morning to work through what's sitting on your desk

For owners of small firms who rarely have anyone useful to think alongside. This session is structured around your concerns — not a standard checklist.

Back to home Get in touch

What this session delivers

Clarity on the things you haven't had time to think through properly

Most owners carry two or three things in their head that deserve more attention than they get. Not crises — just matters that sit there, requiring a decision that keeps getting deferred because the day has other demands.

This session creates a protected half-day for exactly that. You leave with a clearer sense of what the decision actually is, what the options look like, and what a sensible next step might be.

You might find yourself able to

  • Make a decision you've been putting off without feeling rushed into it
  • See the shape of a problem more clearly once you've described it to someone outside the situation
  • Come away with a short list of specific things to do rather than a set of open questions
  • Have a written record of what was discussed and agreed, so nothing is lost after a good conversation

Why it can be difficult

Running a small firm on your own is a particular kind of situation

Owners of companies under twenty staff tend to make most decisions themselves. There's no board, no partner with a stake in the outcome, and often no one inside the firm whose role is to push back or ask the useful questions.

That works well in many respects — decisions get made, the firm stays agile, things don't stall. But it means certain types of thinking rarely happen. Longer-term questions sit unexamined. Assumptions go unchallenged. Problems that would benefit from a second view just wait.

This isn't a failing — it's simply how solo decision-making works. What changes when you have a few hours to think alongside someone else is the quality of the questions you're able to ask yourself.

The approach

Built around what you bring, not a standard curriculum

Before the session

Your written summary

You write a short description of what you'd like to cover — typically one page or less. No formal template is required. This acts as a starting point and helps ensure the session stays on the things that matter to you.

During the session

A structured conversation

The half-day moves through your agenda at your pace. There's time for the kind of longer thinking that doesn't happen in normal working hours. Any figures or documents you share will have been reviewed in advance.

After the session

Notes and follow-up

Written notes covering what was discussed and what next steps were agreed are circulated shortly after the session. Four weeks later there's a follow-up conversation to see how things have moved — included in the fee.

What working together looks like

A conversation that makes room for thinking

Sessions are conducted in English and can take place in person in Tokyo consulting or remotely. The format is conversational — there are no slides, no lengthy presentations, and no time spent on things outside your stated priorities.

The pace stays with you. If something needs more time, it gets it. If a topic leads somewhere useful and unexpected, that's worth following. The aim is a session that feels like a productive morning rather than a formal consultation.

Hinata brings familiarity with Japanese business conditions and has worked across retail, professional services, and light manufacturing. That context informs the conversation without driving it.

Session details

Format Half-day (approx. 4 hours)
Location In person or remote
Language English
Firm size Under 20 staff
Follow-up included 4 weeks after session

Investment

What's included

¥24,000 JPY

Single payment · No recurring fees

The fee covers everything listed here. There are no add-ons, no separate charges for the follow-up conversation, and no materials to purchase in advance. Payment details are arranged at the time of booking.

Preparation review

Your written summary and any figures or documents reviewed before the session

Half-day advisory session

Approximately four hours structured around your stated priorities

Written session notes

A record of what was discussed and what next steps were agreed, circulated afterwards

Follow-up conversation (4 weeks)

A check-in to see how things have progressed and whether any adjustments are needed

How this works in practice

What tends to happen in a well-prepared session

Sessions that work well have a few things in common. The owner arrives with a rough idea of what they want to cover. The written summary has forced some preliminary thinking that makes the first hour productive from the start. Any relevant figures have been looked at, so the conversation doesn't stall on basic questions about the business.

By the midpoint, most of the conversation is on the question that actually needed attention — which often isn't the one that looked most urgent in advance. By the end, the owner has a short written record of what was decided. Four weeks later, the follow-up conversation confirms what has happened and flags anything that has stalled.

Half-day

Protected thinking time

2–3

Topics per session, typically

Written

Notes sent after session

4 wks

Follow-up included

Commitment

Sessions proceed only when they make sense for you

The first step is a short conversation about what you're working on. There's no commitment at that stage. If it seems like a session would be useful, we proceed. If it doesn't, that's a straightforward conclusion too.

The aim is a session that's worth the time and the fee. That means being clear upfront about what it can and can't do. Advisory sessions help owners think more clearly about their own situation — they're not a substitute for legal or financial advice, and they work best when the owner is genuinely engaged with the question.

No obligation initial call

The first conversation is free and carries no commitment. It's simply a way to understand whether a session would serve what you're working on.

Honest scope-setting

If what you need is outside what a half-day session can reasonably address, that's said clearly at the outset — not discovered halfway through.

Getting started

What happens when you get in touch

01

Send a message

A line or two about what you're working on is enough. There's no required format — just enough to understand the situation.

02

Short initial call

Hinata replies within two working days to arrange a brief call. This establishes whether a session makes sense and what it might cover.

03

You prepare a summary

A short written note — your topics, any relevant figures, what a good outcome looks like. Sent to Hinata a few days before the session.

04

The session takes place

In person in Tokyo consulting or remotely. Written notes follow, then a four-week check-in conversation included in the fee.

Small Business Advisory Session

If there's something worth thinking through, it's worth starting the conversation

Send a short message describing your situation. No commitment, no fixed agenda — just an initial exchange to see whether a session would be useful.

¥24,000 JPY · Half-day session · Follow-up included

Send a message

Other services

Explore other ways to work with Hinata

Three-week review

Digital Presence Consultation

A review of how your firm appears to prospective customers online — website clarity, search visibility, and review platform presence.

¥28,000 JPY

Learn more

Two-day workshop

Succession and Handover Workshop

For owner and successor together. Works through responsibilities, authority, and relationships — and the order in which each should transfer.

¥41,000 JPY

Learn more