You Cannot Do Business Without Understanding Faith

In Japan, a year can pass without anyone thinking much about religion. In much of the world, though, faith shapes daily life: what may be eaten, which days are for work, what may be worn, even how lending and interest are understood.

For anyone working in beauty and health, this matters even more. In Muslim communities, religious considerations can extend beyond food to what touches the skin — where ingredients come from, how alcohol is handled, how production is managed. The world's Muslim population is often put at around two billion. To approach people without understanding what they hold sacred is, before it is bad business, simply impolite.

I think the key is not to see religion as regulation. Seen as regulation, it is a tiresome cost. Seen as respect for a way of life, responding carefully becomes an extension of quality control — something Japan's meticulous approach to making things is well suited to. Going global means handling what others treasure with care. What do you work for?