Challenge is the path I live by. Striving each day to aim for the top of the industry.
Hello, this is Akaiwa from the Corporate Planning Division. This time, we had the opportunity to speak with Kimu-san, who is actively involved in a wide range of business activities and making significant contributions. Kimu-san, who joined Reazon aiming for personal growth through new challenges, leverages the experiences gained in her previous position. She shares insights into her career so far, experiences in launching new services, the diverse nature of her current job responsibilities, and the supportive environment at Reazon where every employee's challenges are backed by the team. Furthermore, Kimu-san discusses the satisfaction and challenges of launching new businesses, sharing specific episodes. We hope that everyone reading this article will find it useful for their future career development journey.
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Yuri Kimu Director, Promotion Division, Adrea Co., Ltd.
Yuri Kimu began her career as a new graduate at a major telecommunications company, honing her skills in agency sales. She later transitioned to a leading IT company operating a messenger app, where she was involved in service planning and release. In December 2021, seeking further challenges, she joined Adrea, a group company of Reazon Holdings. Currently serving as the Director of the Promotion Division, she is engaged in a wide range of tasks including launching and managing new services, acquiring sponsors, and recruiting new graduates.
I decided to change jobs to seek further new challenges, and that's how I ended up at Reazon.
I heard that you joined a major telecommunications company after graduating from university. Why did you choose a telecommunications company as a new graduate?
At that time, I was looking for a job with the goal of contributing to society by being involved in essential infrastructure. When I was exploring various industries, I realized that telecommunications was also an essential infrastructure in today's society. So, I joined a telecommunications company, which happened to sponsor my favorite baseball team, and I was involved in proposing and selling smartphones and mobile phones to consumer electronics retailers.
Indeed, smartphones and the internet are indispensable infrastructures in society. Did you change jobs once after that?
Yes, that's right. I worked at the telecommunications company for about three years and gained experience in sales. However, I became interested in jobs such as service planning and advertising sales, and I wanted to work for a startup company where I could gain broader experience. So, I started looking for job opportunities in the gaming and IT industries. That's when I came across a major IT company that operates a messenger app.
At that time, career email was the mainstream communication tool, and messenger apps were not as widespread. However, the employees of this company were very determined to make the service popular globally. There were many things to do to promote the service, and I felt that I could challenge myself in various ways in this environment, so I decided to change jobs.
Nowadays, messenger apps are almost considered infrastructure. You contributed to the expansion of the service, but what specific work did you do?
I worked at this company for about nine years. Initially, I worked as a salesperson, selling new services. The work I was involved in the longest was planning stamps to maximize sales. I also participated in the release of a communication camera app where you could play with effects.
t sounds like an environment where you could challenge yourself in various ways. Your career seems smooth sailing, but what made you start thinking about changing jobs?
Although the work was interesting and had a significant impact on society, as the business expanded, I found that I couldn't do everything like I used to. The organization became more structured, and compared to when I first joined, the work of this department was now limited to a certain extent.
Of course, I was still able to engage in stimulating tasks, but I'm the type who wants to try various things, so I started looking for a company where I could challenge myself in various roles and departments.
I see. And that's when you encountered Reazon.
Yes. Initially, I was approached by someone from the HR department. Also, there happened to be someone I got along with well from my previous job who was working at Reazon, and seeing them enjoy their work made me interested. Although I was considering other companies, I felt that Reazon offered more opportunities for challenges, and being told by my future supervisor that "you won't get bored once you join" was the deciding factor for me.
From entering with no experience to participating in launching a service and discovering a new world.
You joined Reazon seeking opportunities for challenges and breadth. How did you feel after actually working there?
I realized that there is still a lot of room for me to grow! Although I have had considerable work experience as a working professional and have learned a lot at my previous companies, at Reazon, I have been given many chances to challenge myself. The environment allows me to be involved in fields where I have no prior experience, so I learn new things every day, strive to produce results, and sometimes struggle to overcome obstacles... I feel that I can continue to grow steadily while working at Reazon.
It seems like the environment you envisioned indeed exists! Do you have any episodes where you felt, "I am entrusted with tasks in fields where I have no prior experience"?
About six months after joining, in the summer of 2022, I was given the opportunity to launch a service as a leader. At that time, I had no experience in launching a service from scratch, but when I expressed my interest, I was entrusted with the task despite being inexperienced. Don't you think it's something you wouldn't experience in other companies?
Certainly, allowing inexperienced individuals to take on the significant responsibility of launching a service from scratch might be unique to Reazon! With a launch from zero, I imagine there are many things that need to be done. How has it been in reality?
Exactly, currently, I am responsible for various tasks such as promotion, improving the service/system, and customer support. For example, we conduct promotions such as web advertising and influencer marketing to expand the user base, and we make improvements to the service and system, including changes in creative content, based on inquiries and feedback.
You are involved in a lot of processes indeed. Did you learn anything from being involved in launching a service?
I keenly felt that I still lack a comprehensive view of the entire business. In driving projects forward, there were many situations where I needed knowledge that I didn't have, so I consulted with experienced seniors in the company, gathered information from books and the internet, and learned a lot.
However, through experiencing various stages of the business, although I often found myself reacting to problems after they occurred at first, I gradually became able to anticipate and take action proactively. So, I want to further develop this skill in the future.
Challenges led to gaining new perspectives and skills indeed. Do you have any episodes where you felt, "Launching this service was worthwhile"?
I feel a genuine sense of satisfaction when colleagues and acquaintances who have used the service directly report their feedback. Also, it was great to be able to expand my knowledge in various fields by being involved in all stages of the business, not just promotions.
Currently, there is no clear-cut solution in this service, so we face new challenges and issues every day. But with the team's collective effort and incorporating new perspectives from team members, we are working together to improve and expand the service.
Accelerating the business with a team of members with diverse values
It's evident that you and your team members are growing through the business's growth. Do you have any other responsibilities besides what you've mentioned?
I volunteered to participate in the project for TV producer Yoshinobu Sakuma's YouTube channel 'NOBROCK TV' and I'm currently in charge of acquiring sponsors.
Specifically, I work on creating collaborative videos with companies and promote their products within the videos to attract advertising fees. I handle tasks such as telemarketing for sponsor acquisition and responding to inquiries. Also, I am responsible for directing the direction of the plan to ensure that while making fun videos, we effectively showcase sponsor products.
Your proactive attitude towards new projects is impressive!
While you are tackling various new things, do you have any unforgettable work episodes?
There are many, but launching a service from scratch is truly memorable because it involved experiencing many things for the first time. Not only the IT department but also other departments such as legal affairs and customer support have been very supportive and I am deeply grateful.
Even though each person has their main tasks, everyone is so willing to help and engage as if they were part of the team, so they readily accept projects from other departments if they can contribute their knowledge and skills to the service. It made me realize once again that many employees at Reazon enjoy their work with pride.
Indeed, Reazon has a corporate culture that wholeheartedly supports those who challenge themselves. Do you have any episodes that left an impression on you from the 'NOBROCK TV' project?
I was very happy and impressed when we achieved over a million views for a sponsorship project with a major industry player. Normally, the coordination period for projects is about two months, but this project took over half a year. Both the sponsor and the production side wanted to create the best content possible, so we meticulously adjusted everything from how to showcase the sponsor's products to the messaging. Because it was a particularly important project, I felt relieved that the results followed.
Aiming to be the industry leader and continuing to challenge
You are also responsible for recruiting new graduates, starting from 2023.
That's correct. I have been committed to sales and marketing positions for new graduates since 2023. Recently, I participated in a career forum for Japanese exchange students and highlighted the appeal of the company that I feel in my daily work. Especially, I emphasized the corporate culture where you can challenge yourself, and even if you fail, it's seen as a positive experience. The sincerity and dedication of all the people involved in the recruitment process were conveyed to the students, and I was deeply moved when it led to successful recruitment.
Your passion was conveyed to the students! As someone who continues to challenge yourself, do you have any concerns at the moment?
I have many jobs I want to do and have been entrusted with various tasks, but I feel I need to think deeply again about how to succeed in all my businesses.
I'm still not good at delegating to others, and I tend to act on my own. However, in order to succeed in multiple businesses, I need to learn how to manage the organization well, so I'm creating an organizational chart for the business and delegating authority to members for each task. I also want to work on strengthening my management skills in the near future.
In addition, I feel the need to hone my skills to start early with a view to the future. When one measure doesn't work, in order to accelerate the business without slowing down the growth speed, it's necessary to have multiple pattern measures as a trump card, so I want to prepare several patterns of promotions, create new accompanying services, and keep setting things up without being bound by preconceived notions.
You will continue to take on challenges in both team management and business growth. Lastly, could you tell me about your future goals?
Firstly, I want to further promote differentiation and individualization from other companies in order to make the service I am currently involved in the number one in the industry, and aim for business expansion through promotion and service enhancement.
Also, as a completely new challenge, I want to enter the beauty business. I personally love beauty, so I am also planning a service related to the diet business.
At Reazon, there is an environment where you can continue to grow personally through your work. I want to continue taking on new challenges and become a person who can play an all-round role. And I also want to hone my management skills to be able to support the career formation of each team member.
We will be sure to watch for your future success!
Thank you very much for your valuable time today!
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