LLP Nagaoka Spotlight: From 20 Years in Sales to Startup Fieldwork – Part 1

In this special report, we bring you an exclusive interview with the Grand Prize-winning team of LLP Nagaoka 2026!

“I want to start a business, but I don’t know how to find customers…”
“Even if I build a great product, I have no idea how to sell it…”

To overcome these major hurdles that so many entrepreneurs face, one man chose a relentlessly hands-on, field-first approach: Kimura, who spearheaded sales and customer interviews for the winning team “Babreach” at LLP Nagaoka 2026 in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.

👉 Read Part 2: AI and Fieldwork Integration – The Core of Problem Solving with Team Leader Ishii

👉 Read the 3-Part Interview Series with Lead Instructor Takashi Tsutsumi Here

Quitting a 20-Year Career | Breaking Free from a Pre-determined Path

For nearly 20 years, Kimura built a successful career in consultative sales within niche industries such as civil engineering. However, he had long harbored a quiet sense of misalignment in his heart.

Kimura: “At my previous company, I felt like I was following a pre-determined track, unable to create a unique impact of my own. I had always struggled with making big personal decisions, so I decided to take the leap: I told my CEO I would leave in one year—and true to my word, I resigned a year later in May 2026.”

Immediately after leaving his job, he joined LLP Nagaoka starting May 16. Inspired by the passionate vision of Ishii—a long-time acquaintance—Kimura realized he wanted to leverage his own sales strengths to help bring Ishii’s project into the world.

Infiltrating a Ryokan via Taimee | Unconventional Fieldwork for Deep Customer Understanding

The team targeted the chronic pain point of shift management that middle managers face daily. However, cold calls and door-to-door sales pitches would only put prospects on guard, making it impossible to uncover their genuine struggles.

That is when Kimura took an astonishing step: he used Taimee (a popular Japanese gig-worker app for short-term shifts) to work part-time at a local Ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), directly infiltrating the operational field!

Kimura: “I wanted to create momentum right from the start. No matter how small, taking immediate action is crucial. Taimee was the fastest way to get physically close to our target customers.”

Key Takeaways of Kimura’s Customer Discovery Method

• Experiencing the operational flow firsthand: Observing daily routines from an objective, hands-on perspective.
• Focusing on the middle manager’s pain: Understanding the precise pressure felt by middle management, rather than just executives or frontline workers.
• Bridging the gap in problem perception: Aligning surface-level symptoms with underlying root causes.

Kimura: “Some problems remain invisible if you only sit behind a desk. By working inside the field, the real structural pain points became clear—knowing exactly when and why they struggle. Instead of pushing a sales pitch, asking ‘May I interview you about your daily work?’ built genuine empathy and led to deep conversations.”

Envisioning a World Without Conflict | “Your Pain Is My Pain”

Having achieved the Grand Prize at LLP Nagaoka, Kimura holds a vision that extends far beyond business metrics: creating an illustrated picture scroll aimed at fostering a world without conflict.

Kimura: “It isn’t directly related to our business, but I want to convey the feeling of ‘I am you’ to young children—the belief that ‘your pain is my pain, and your happiness is my happiness.’ Instead of turning pages that physically divide stories, I want to use a continuous picture scroll to show that we are all seamlessly connected without boundaries.”

Through this interview, we caught a glimpse of the deep-seated warmth and passion that define Kimura’s character. To conclude, we asked him for a final message dedicated to anyone hesitating to take their next leap into entrepreneurship.

Kimura: “If you’re hesitating, just go for it! There is zero risk in participating in LLP Nagaoka. Hesitation is simply a signal from your inner self that something important is waiting for you. Taking that first step allows you to re-evaluate yourself from a fresh perspective.”

Overview

Item	Details
Team Name	Babreach
LLP Award	Grand Prize Winner at LLP Nagaoka 2026
Interviewee	Kimura (Sales & Customer Discovery Lead)
Core Innovation	Shift management solution for middle managers
Fieldwork Method	Ryokan infiltration via gig-work app “Taimee”
Location	Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan
Official website	https://bublys.ooo/shiftonton/

Conclusion

Transforming a business idea into a market-ready solution requires more than polished slides—it demands a relentless willingness to step into the customer’s shoes and walk their muddy fields. Kimura’s field-first approach at LLP Nagaoka 2026 proves that genuine empathy and bold action are the true engines behind startup success.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we dive deep into the mind of team leader Ishii and explore how advanced engineering combined with field research to claim the Grand Prize!

LLP Information

Item	Details	URL
Hosted by	Nagaoka City	https://www.city.nagaoka.niigata.jp/sangyou/cate12/event-detail.html#02
Co-hosted by	NaDeC Consortium	https://nadec-nagaoka.jp/LLP2026
Operated by	CLIP Nagaoka	https://www.kigyousien.or.jp/2026/04/llp2026/