HISTORY

Gartrell says, "A lot of people are controlled by fear - they end up bartering their dreams for an illusion of security." In 1989, he cast off his salaryman shackles and set off on a backpacking trip through Europe. There, he met a Japanese traveler who introduced him to the concept of teaching English in Japan. "Six months later, she mailed a copy of Kansai Time Out magazine to my U.S. address, and I thought, 'Hmmm ... Osaka. Somewhere near China...'" This first seed planted about Japan eventually developed into a strong sense to emigrate, although he confesses, "I didn't know why, I just had a nagging sense of purpose."

  

Ascension

When Gartrell arrived in Japan, he started out teaching private lessons. As his student numbers increased, he found that many of them had "more problems in their lives than just language skills." He found himself becoming less like a teacher and "more like a consultant, giving advice about life problems." The moment that he recognized that this need had yet to be filled on a large scale, he says, "Something clicked. When it clicked, everything fell into place, and I said to myself, 'Aha!'" He had found his goal. "I found my vision - an idea of what might be. I visualized it, dreamed it, and then committed myself to making it happen. I set out to make that dream my reality."

  

Beginner's Luck

When a person endeavors to try something new, very often they meet with initial success. How they react when that luck runs out is what separates the winners from the also-rans. Gartrell's early luck occurred during a chance encounter with a Japanese man in Minami-semba. "We started a conversation, he mentioned that he was the owner of the building we were in front of, and he went on to show me a room inside. That was the turning point in the formation of the school. It gave me my territory of today. Minami-semba is Wisdom21." The rough patch came soon after - as an unestablished school with a small budget, he had a difficult time finding committed teachers. "I had problems with the student flow because the teachers weren't committed. The students kept quitting and I'd have to start all over again. In the end, though, it wasn't really significant." It wasn't significant, because when one's goal is clear, achieving it is simply a matter of course.

 

Wisdom 21

Today, Wisdom21 is thriving. "Five of our staff have Master's degrees, two are PHD candidates, and all are very passionate about their work." Gartrell's passion is also clear as he espouses what differentiates his business from those less successful. "Everything is scripted, everything is rehearsed. The staff is trained for service, the system thoroughly thought out, the preparation precise. It's sort of like walking through Disneyland." Gartrell has also cleverly marketed his product to the masses - mention Wisdom21, and most Kansai residents will proffer an opinion. Of the quasi-spiritual slant to marketing strategy, he laughs, "There's nothing mysterious about us, it's a promotional angle. The essence of the message is education-based We don't have any sort of hidden agenda, we're just trying to get our name out there."

 

The Future

An image of a burnt-out salaryman crunching numbers in a sterile office is in striking contrast to the man that Gartrell has become. Vibrant and enthusiastic, he also displays a sense of indifference to his past achievements - forward progress seems his passion. "We're planning to expand to Tokyo, we already have an office in west LA, and we plan to open more in all the major US cities soon. Long term, I also plan to help impoverished families in Brazil, Africa and Indonesia by looking into actual ways to donate money directly to them." When asked about the key to his success, Gartrell takes a moment to reflect before confessing, "I couldn't have achieved this by myself. I've come to realize that this must have come from God, or a higher force, or whatever else you might call it. Scientifically speaking, my run of good fortune has so defied the laws of random occurrence that it rules out coincidence or luck. Since I am definitely not THAT clever, what else could it be?"

 

Kansai Scene, May, 2001