Requirements Changing • Conversions take time

When the “$200,000 Business Manager” squeeze hits this year… will it end your business?

Worried about Startup or Business Manager renewal? Don’t wait. Let's Talk. We provide a legal, full‑time work‑visa pathway so you can keep building your business - and get help scaling it up to be Business-Manager-Ready.

🔥 Save & Scale Your Business How it works →

We can only save a handful this year Interviews start this month Visa Processing can take months

⚠️

Why founders are panicking

¥30M ~$200k USD & 1 FTE requirements revision for Business Manager application & renewals
Even if you have the cash, parking capital freezes hiring and growth
Renewal anxiety + admin overhead, reduced timelines, kills momentum

Don’t park cash. Grow faster. Convert to a work visa now, keep scaling, and apply for Business Manager when ready.

The recent coverage:
Asahi Shimbun News • Ishinagi Office

Parking ¥30M would pause growth you can’t afford to lose

Slash runway. Freeze hiring. Delay product. Lose Focus. Every month you’re not shipping or delivering services, the market moves without you. That’s how good businesses die in slow motion.

Stay focused on delivery Keep pipeline moving Build visa‑ready proof

The real cost

Lost pipeline when you pause marketing
Features don't ship; competitors don't wait
Founder burnout from admin battles
Visa stress layered onto growth stress

The Ikigai Pathway: convert now, grow fast, apply comfortably

We hire you

Full‑time role, payroll & social insurance, we keep you accountable with real weekly deliverables.

Sponsor your work visa

We coordinate with your attorney (or ours) to establish your work visa.

Scale inside Kintsugi Group

In‑house operations, marketing, financial, and engineering guidance and support.

Stack capital & proof

Grow your business, then stack capital, clean your books, and prepare your compliance binder.

Apply when ready

When you're ready, apply for Business Manager Visa - or keep scaling with us.

Kintsugi Group

Why Us?

We built AkiyaHub from zero to category leader in 6 months - inside Japan, inside the rules. If you’re a founder here, we know how to grow your business and make you visa-ready. We don’t consult. We lead by example. We can help create operator‑led businesses in Japan, engineer offers people want, build the machine that sells, and scale with distribution and partnerships. We help ensure you will open new business pathways to operate in Japan the right way and qualify for a Business Manager visa.

Brett Lee

CEO & Co-Founder (Multi-time CTO)

Our CEO Brett is an operator‑engineer who has built, scaled, and exited multiple 7‑figure businesses internationally and in Japan. In Nov 2024, he co‑founded Kintsugi Group GK in Tokyo Japan - the parent of AkiyaHub, now the largest online community for foreigners buying property in Japan.

Tokyo‑based GK CEO & CTO / product operator Multi‑7‑figure exits

AkiyaHub at a glance

10k+

Members (6 months)

Day 1

Profitability

0→1

Market leader < 6 mo

100% IP

Built in‑house

☑︎ Launched Feb 10, 2025
☑︎ By far the largest player in the market regardless how you measure it - members, revenue, or valuation.

Why this matters to you

We can build a growth engine that keeps CAC low and profits high.
Defensibility: Help design proprietary tech, exclusive data, and establish partner relationships.
Network Effects: We have a global audience and partner ecosystem to tap into.
Scalable, repeatable revenue playbooks - if you have a strong offer.

Yes, Save MY Business

What you get

Employment + salary - build without a countdown over your head.
Work‑visa sponsorship - You can legally stay here in Japan while you build, no pausing growth.
Hands‑on growth - Build better offers, optimize operations, develop partnerships, and grow your business.
Engineering power - We'll develop your business operating system, build automations, or even help you ship digital products.
Visa‑readiness plan - monthly scorecard, earnings targets, identifying and tracking important KPIs, keep a compliance binder for your attorney.

What do we get?

We are moving fast, and will negotiate terms that make sense for your unique situation. Here is where we will start the discussion:

Your Investment: at least ~50k USD upfront
(well under the new $200k alternative especially when you're getting back a salary)
Partnership: We want some equity and/or revenue share. You can ensure we have skin in the game, and your success is our success.
Timeline: Conversions can take months - the earlier we start the better
Our Goal: Grow your business, make you "Business‑Manager‑Ready" so you can sponsor your own visa, or keep scaling with us. We both make money and gain a valuable partner here in Japan.

Start The Conversation →

* Disclaimer: We are not financial or legal professionals. No immigration outcomes are guaranteed. Please consult with a licensed attorney or financial advisor.

FAQ

Is this a visa for sale?

No. This is legal employment with a real salary and expected deliverables and output. Accelerator fees cover growth services (mentorship, infra, business support). Immigration decisions are made by authorities; we coordinate with your licensed attorney.

Do I keep control of my company?

Yes. You keep majority ownership. We will only take a minority equity position and align on growth. If staying with us makes more sense than applying Business Manager immediately, you can keep scaling inside Kintsugi Group.

Who qualifies?

We're looking to help founders who are already in Japan with an established GK or KK, generating real revenue, and actively operating their business. If you're still in the idea stage, pre-revenue, or not currently residing in Japan while working on your business, this program likely isn't the right fit at this time. We focus on scaling existing businesses rather than starting from scratch.

What's the timeline?

We wish we could save all of the small businesses that will be pushed out of Japan, but that's just unrealistic. We will start interviews immediately with a target of 4-5 businesses as fast as possible to start the process. The sooner you apply, the sooner we can review fit and schedule a call.

Founder‑led

Led by proven entrepreneurs who built and scaled AkiyaHub to seven figures in just 6 months while successfully navigating Japan's Business Manager visa requirements.

Hands‑on, not a course

We execute with you - design offers, funnels, enhance ops, shape your product, and grow your business - so results show up in the P/L.

Aligned incentives

Minority equity and performance‑tied revenue share align us to your long‑term success. When you win we win and visa versa.

🔥 Save My Business & Scale It Up

Max 5 spots available • Interviews this month