👋 First thing first, I'm trying to provide both Chinese and English versions of my newsletter. I’ll keep experimenting to serve you better. If you find some value from my content, please subscribe to my newsletter.

👇 Scroll to bottom for ENGLISH VERSION

最近在看 B.League 主席島田慎二的《最強的職業球團經營聖經》這本書，內容真的非常棒，讓我很有共鳴。以下不是逐字翻譯，也非完整導讀，而是第二章部想我想分享的心得精華。

未來我會不定期推出類似的閱讀筆記，看看哪些想法對你有啟發，哪些需要再討論——歡迎回饋！

職業球團經營 = 做業績

經營球隊，本質上就是「做業績」。沒有銷售，就沒有薪水，沒有球館或設施的升級，更沒有戰績可言。

2012 年，島田慎二接手當時還默默無聞、甚至處於破產邊緣的千葉噴射機，做的第一件事不是找明星球員，而是把球隊當成瀕死的新創公司：先賺錢，再談其他。

他從三個層面動刀：

1. 組織改革
2. 品牌打造
3. 行銷與媒體銷售

一層推動一層，缺一不可。

如今噴射機在 B.League 的票房與贊助榜名列前茅。以下是他們的翻身筆記——也是馬來西亞球隊，甚至任何內容品牌都能參考和借鑑的心法。

為什麼結構必須走在戰績前面

大多數陷入低迷的職業球團都把「戰績」擺在「營收」之前，心想：「只要贏球，錢自然會進來。」

事實剛好相反。沒有收入，你就無法：

• 付得起真正能幫你贏球的球員薪水
• 升級能吸引球迷入場的場館與設施
• 延攬替品牌加值的行銷與營運人才

組織改革先讓內部流程變得精簡高效，瘦身決策層級、打通流程，讓每一塊錢花在刀口上，資源運用更靈活。

隨後透過品牌打造，先解決「沒人注意」的痛點。把自己從「一支籃球隊」升級為「千葉縣的城市招牌」，激發地方認同，才有票房與贊助的土壤。

最後透過行銷與媒體銷售，把累積的關注變現。不論是贊助簡報、球迷活動，還是票務方案，所有箭頭都指向同一件事──建立穩定、可持續的現金流，反哺球員陣容與觀賽體驗。

三步一循環

1. 組織改革

目的： 去除摩擦、統一目標

• 盤點各部門流程，刪減重複與瓶頸。
• 所有人只盯一件事：營收成長。

2. 品牌打造

目的： 讓「千葉=噴射機」成為本能聯想

• 明確闡述球隊使命與定位。
• 各平台保持一致敘事與視覺語言。

3. 行銷與媒體銷售

目的： 將品牌注意力轉成穩定收入

• 票務和贊助方案凸顯社區價值。
• 每個活動都用年度營收來檢驗成效。

三步驅動一個飛輪：高效結構 → 強勢品牌 → 穩定營收 → 反哺結構與品牌再升級。

結語

千葉噴射機的崛起不是一季奇蹟，而是一套以「做業續」為核心的三層系統。無論是球隊還是內容品牌，都可以複製這個順序：先整頓體制，再放大品牌，最後變現受眾。

思考題：在你的組織裡，結構、品牌、行銷哪一層最薄弱？如果下個季度優先解決它，會帶來什麼改變？

（隨時留言交流心得，或提出你想深入探討的案例！）

感謝你花時間閱讀。如果你喜歡這樣的電子報，請記得訂閱。

— Jordan

📝 ENGLISH VERSION

From Brink to Boom: Chiba Jets' Structure‑Brand‑Revenue Flywheel

Lately I’ve been diving into Shinji Shimada’s Best Text of Sports Club Management, and the insights are genuinely mind‑blowing.

What follows is not a direct translation and not a full summary; it’s the distilled highlights from Chapter 2 that jumped out at me and demanded to be shared.

I’ll keep releasing notes like this whenever I read something that reshapes my thinking—let me know which ideas spark something for you and which ones deserve a deeper dive.

Club Management = Sales

Running a professional club ultimately comes down to one outcome: revenue.

If a team can’t generate income, the operating company can’t survive, and the team itself will fold—no matter how talented the roster looks on paper.

That single mental switch rescued the Chiba Jets when Shinji Shimada took over in 2012.

Back then the Jets were an after‑thought in Japan’s crowded sports landscape—low attendance, minimal buzz, negative cash flow. They are facing imminent bankruptcy.

Shimada treated the franchise like a start‑up on the brink of shutdown: sell or die. His answer was not “sign more stars” but a three‑layer rebuild:

1. Organizational Reform
2. Brand Building
3. Marketing & Media Sales

Everything else sprang from that sequence.

Today the Jets are a B.League powerhouse and a masterclass in sustainable sports business.

Here’s the cliff‑notes version of how they did it—and why any Malaysian club (or audience‑first brand) should pay attention.

Why structure comes before trophies

Most struggling clubs put performance before profit: “If we win more games, money will follow.”

Reality flips that equation. Without revenue you can’t …

1. Pay the talent that wins.
2. Upgrade facilities that attract fans.
3. Hire staff who build brand equity.

Organizational Reform gave the Jets a leaner, faster decision‑making engine. Streamlined workflows meant fewer delays and clearer accountability—making every yen work harder.

Once the machine was running smoothly, Brand Building tackled the next hurdle: obscurity.

A club that nobody notices can’t sell tickets, attract partners, or inspire civic pride. The Jets began re‑positioning themselves as a flagship symbol of Chiba Prefecture—not merely a basketball roster but a community asset.

Finally, Marketing & Media Sales transformed that new‑found attention into cash flow.

Sponsorship decks, fan activations, and ticket campaigns all pointed back to a single goal: sustainable revenue that could, in turn, fund a stronger roster and better fan experience.

Three Moves, One Flywheel

1. Organizational Reform

Purpose: Remove friction and clarify responsibilities.

• Map every department’s workflow, then collapse duplicate steps.
• Align all roles with common revenue‑centric objectives.

2. Brand Building

Purpose: Make “Jets = Chiba Pride” an everyday reflex.

• Craft a clear identity that locals can rally behind.
• Use consistent visual language and storytelling across every touch‑point.

3. Marketing & Media Sales

Purpose: Turn brand attention into predictable income.

• Design ticket and sponsorship offers that highlight community value.
• Measure every campaign against a single yard‑stick: annual sales.

Together, these moves form a self‑reinforcing flywheel: efficient structure → stronger brand → greater revenue → resources to enhance both structure and brand.

Closing Thought

The Jets’ rise wasn’t a lucky playoff run—it was a financial engine built on three deliberately stacked layers. Any club, content brand, or sports start‑up can borrow the same order of operations: clean up the machine, amplify the signal, monetise the audience.

Reflection Prompt:Which layer—structure, brand, or marketing—does your organisation neglect, and what would change if you tackled it first in the next quarter?

(As always, hit reply if you want to swap stories, challenge the ideas, or see a deeper case study.)

Thank you for reading. Have a great day!

— Jordan