Do Business Through Volume: Japanese Proverb Meaning

Proverbs

How to Read “Do business through volume”

Akinai wa kazu de konase

Meaning of “Do business through volume”

“Do business through volume” teaches that you shouldn’t try to make huge profits all at once. Instead, you should make many small deals to earn money over time.

It’s better to do lots of transactions with small profits than to chase one big sale. This steady approach leads to more stable income in the long run.

People use this saying when someone gets greedy for quick money. It also applies when someone feels satisfied with just a few sales.

The proverb teaches that you need to value each transaction. At the same time, you should keep doing more and more deals. This is how you build a lasting business.

Today, this idea still matters in business. It reminds us to build trust with customers and focus on ongoing relationships.

Origin and Etymology

No one knows exactly when this proverb first appeared in writing. But it likely came from merchant culture during Japan’s Edo period (1603-1868).

The phrase “do through volume” holds a key business idea. Don’t aim for big profits from each sale. Instead, do many transactions with small profits to make money overall.

Edo period merchants valued three principles: thrift, cleverness, and calculation. “Do business through volume” shows the calculation principle. It means being smart about how you do business.

If you try to make huge profits from one sale, you might lose customers. But if you charge fair prices and serve many customers, you build trust. This leads to steady profits over time.

The word “konasu” (do through) has a deeper meaning. It doesn’t just mean doing lots of transactions. It also means getting better through practice.

When you handle many deals, you improve your business skills. You learn to spot good opportunities. The proverb hints at this growth process too.

Usage Examples

  • If you’re starting a new store, follow “Do business through volume.” Focus on getting many customers to visit first.
  • His shop is successful because he practices “Do business through volume.” He treats each customer with care.

Universal Wisdom

“Do business through volume” contains wisdom about sustainability that humans learned over many years.

Everyone wants to succeed big with just one try. But trying to win everything at once often creates stress and rushing. This usually leads to failure.

Our ancestors understood this human weakness. They saw how people make mistakes when they get too greedy.

The proverb teaches that steady effort is the real path to success. Each step might be small. But when you keep going, those steps become powerful.

This idea works not just in business. It applies to every part of life.

Doing volume isn’t just about quantity. When you gain lots of experience, you grow as a person. You develop deeper understanding.

You learn from failures. You start to see patterns of success. The proverb values this growth process.

Humans naturally want big, visible results. But truly valuable things grow through quiet, daily effort. Our ancestors taught us this universal truth through the simple example of business.

When AI Hears This

This proverb hides an important principle: you need enough samples to read complex market signals correctly.

Information theory shows something called the Nyquist theorem. To correctly capture a signal, you must sample it at twice the highest frequency in that signal.

Music CDs sample sound 44,100 times per second. This is because humans can hear up to 20,000 Hz. The CD needs more than double that rate.

If you only sampled 100 times per second, you’d lose all the high notes. You’d even create fake sounds that don’t exist. This is called aliasing.

Business works the same way. Markets have many overlapping changes. Customer moods shift. Sales patterns change by day of the week. Weather affects buying habits.

A merchant who only does a few deals per month is like a slow camera filming a fast-spinning wheel. The wheel looks like it’s moving differently than it really is.

You might think “expensive items sell well this month.” But that could just be a mistake from too few samples.

Only by doing volume can you see the market’s true shape. One hundred transactions isn’t just experience. It’s the minimum sample size needed to understand the market signal correctly.

Lessons for Today

This proverb teaches you “the courage to take small steps and keep going.”

We see flashy success stories on social media. We hear about people who became famous overnight. These stories grab our attention.

But we forget something important. Behind every visible success are countless unseen efforts and failures.

If you’re starting something new, don’t demand perfection or huge results right away. Start small and do volume.

Want to write a blog? Write ten okay posts instead of one perfect post. Learning a new skill? Do short daily practice instead of one long session.

Building relationships? Focus on small daily interactions instead of one special event.

As you do volume, you will definitely grow. Things that felt awkward become natural. Patterns you couldn’t see become clear.

Most importantly, the confidence and trust you gain from continuing are priceless. Don’t rush. Stay steady. Keep walking at your own pace.

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