What specific part-time jobs did he undertake to accumulate his initial 1.6 million JPY in startup capital? How long did this process take?
Okay, let's talk about how B.N.F (Takashi Kotegawa), Japan's legendary stock king, earned his first pot of gold.
Regarding B.N.F (Takashi Kotegawa)'s Starting Capital of 1.6 Million Yen
Many people are very curious about this titan's experience of starting with 1.6 million yen (roughly equivalent to just over 100,000 RMB at the time) and eventually accumulating tens of billions of yen in assets. This sum was certainly no small amount for a young man still in university.
What specific part-time jobs did he do?
There isn't a very official, detailed list, personally confirmed by B.N.F himself, detailing exactly which jobs he held. B.N.F is extremely private and rarely gives interviews, so most of the information we have now comes from early media reports and discussions circulating on Japanese internet forums (like 2ch).
Among these scattered pieces of information, the part-time job mentioned most frequently and considered most credible is:
- Working at a used bookstore
It's said that during university, he worked part-time at a used bookstore near "Jimbōchō" in Tokyo. Jimbōchō is a famously famous street for used bookstores in Japan.
Besides the bookstore, some accounts also mention he did other odd jobs, but none specify what they were. Therefore, the safest explanation is that his starting capital mainly came from saving up little by little through various part-time jobs during his university years, especially his work at the used bookstore.
How long did it take to save?
This process took him the entire first half of his university time, roughly two to three years.
We can roughly estimate: B.N.F started using this money to invest formally in stocks in 2000, during his third year of university. This means he saved up the 1.6 million yen through frugal living and hard work starting from his first year right up until his third year.
Just imagine, a university student saving 1.6 million yen through part-time work without neglecting their studies – this required extraordinary frugality and perseverance. It's said his lifestyle at the time was extremely simple, bordering on the "stingy" level, with very low material desires, as he saved almost every yen he earned. This laid the foundation for his later legendary story.
To summarize
- Starting Capital: Approximately 1.6 million yen.
- Source of Funds: Saved through part-time work during university.
- Specific Jobs: The most widely known account involves working at a used bookstore. He may have held other undocumented odd jobs.
- Time Required: Roughly 2 to 3 years (during the first through third years of university), characterized by extremely frugal living.