"Entrepreneurial aspirations" to hear the background of deciding to start a business, the conflict until the business gets on track, and the desire to realize through the business.
In the 23rd meeting, we interviewed Shinji Harada, CEO of Monicle Co., Ltd., which solves consumers' "money issues" through the operation of media and asset management services.

【profile】
Shinji Harada, CEO of Monicle Co., Ltd.
Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Graduated from Hitotsubashi University in 2002. Worked as a securities analyst and M & A banker at Daiwa Institute of Research, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, German Securities and Citigroup Securities. At Citigroup Global Markets, he is responsible for investigating the general electrical industry. Co-founded Navigator Platform Inc. in 2013 and assumed the post of representative director (current position). Currently, he is also the representative director of Monicle Co., Ltd. and OneMile Partners Inc.

[What's Monicle Co., Ltd.]
Monicle is a financial services tech company.
We aim to create a society where specialists in finance, technology, design, etc. can live with peace of mind in terms of money, even if they do not have specialized knowledge. "LIMO", an economic media for living and money operated by a group company, has grown into one of the leading financial media in Japan, and "Maneiro", a money diagnosis and consultation service for working generations, attracts women in their 30s and 40s. The number of users is rapidly expanding mainly.

Enter the world of investment by looking at the "stock price column of newspapers"

-Mr. Harada was originally a securities analyst, but please tell us how you decided to enter the financial industry.

When I was a kid, I was first interested in the stock price section of the newspaper I took at my parents' house. There are some company names that I know, and if you look closely, the numbers fluctuate every day. When I looked it up, I realized that I would gain or lose as much as the numbers moved, so I asked my parents to do this, but I couldn't do it. After becoming a college student, I started investing in stocks as a hobby.

-Are you more interested in the stock market than in the economy or business?

I agree. I was interested in why the value of the same company changes so much every day. After I actually started investing in stocks, I became addicted to analysis, and I chose the profession of securities analyst because I wanted to do what I liked. I was wondering whether to go as an investor or a trader, but it seems impossible for me to keep looking at the computer screen (laughs). I became an analyst because it seemed more interesting to work closer to the business.

-Why did you decide to start a business from there through a think tank and a securities company?

While working as an analyst, I've always wanted to do my own business. I didn't have a clear time, but I was preparing to leave the company at the timing of "it's about time". People often say, "If you have the passion you want to do even if you are stopped by others, you should start a business." It was a time when that passion was growing.

Analysts are very busy work, and they worked hard from early morning to late night, so it is quite difficult to start a side business in that. So I had a lot of ideas, but I didn't really decide what to do, so I started a business in March​ ​2013 when I was 34 years old.

-What kind of acquaintance did you have with Ryosuke Izumida, the co-founder of the first navigator platform and CCO of Monicle?

Before starting a business, Izumida was also an analyst for a technology company at an investment trust management company when I was in charge of investigating a technology company at a securities company. I am in a position to provide investors with analyzed stock information, and Izumida is in a position to consider investing based on that. In other words, he was my customer and I often talked to him through work.

I thought that I needed to have knowledge of the IT field in order to start a business from now on, so I had the opportunity to talk to a friend who teaches the field of design at university, but at that time I suddenly remembered. Izumida quit the company and went to the graduate school. When I called, he said, "Let's eat with rice," and at that time, he knew that he wanted to do business, and began to consider what he could do with him.

-How did you decide on your business?

I was thinking about 10 ideas such as real estate tech and financial services, but Izumida was a person with a very unique idea, and one of them was the idea of "media". There is an information gap between individual and institutional investors, and the information available to individual investors is very limited. We have investment experience as individuals and have witnessed the disparity, so we decided to launch the media "Longines" that supports the asset formation of individual investors.

At first, I started with a subscription type that pays a monthly fee to get information. However, at that time, it was still before subscriptions became widespread, and because it was a high-end product of information sent by professional analysts, the business went into the black but could not find expandability. However, it was a rare time for professionals with solid careers to send information to general investors, so there were a lot of BtoB inquiries from securities companies and business companies. We created IR and content for investors, and undertook IR events for major groups, and gradually expanded the scale while using the profits earned there for media management.

A society where ordinary people do not have to worry about future money

-How did the economic media for living and money "LIMO" (the name at that time was "Investment Trust 1"), which opened in 2015, start up?

I got a consultation from a securities company. With the aim of further increasing the investment population, we have launched an information media for beginners and intermediates in asset management. PV has been growing steadily from the beginning, and now it is about 16 million PV per month. It has been a profitable business.

-Where do you think the secret to success was?

We thoroughly analyzed the data in the media to provide the information that our readers really want. We also focused on creating easy-to-understand articles from the reader's point of view. As professionals, we are confident in the quality of analysis, but the challenge has always been how to disseminate information from the perspective of those who have no investment experience. Currently, 60 % of readers are female, but at that time men accounted for more than 80 %, so it was said that the success was achieved by sticking to the line of sight with the reader by increasing the number of female editors. think.

-Please tell us about the process leading up to the establishment of the second company, OneMile Partners.

The theme of "I want to create a society where ordinary consumers can manage their assets properly and do not have to worry about money in the future" has always been the basis. However, media management alone is limited to disseminating information, and it is difficult to connect to subsequent actions. At that time, we also held study sessions that gathered media readers, and excellent and economically affordable people such as business owners often participated, but even such people are the moment to invest. Becomes anxious and delays decision making. After all, I strongly felt that we had to create a service that could support the actual operation to the end.

The most important thing in asset management is whether you can make an investment that suits your purpose. For example, when investing, most people think that "the risk should be small", but what if you can show the "result" that "instead, even if you continue until the age of 65, this will only increase"?

-Your judgment will change.

Normally, we should calculate back from the results and have them make decisions, but it has become a non-essential proposal of "whether to use iDeCo or NISA". Because it takes a lot of time to show the result. Only after hearing all the information in detail, such as the current amount of savings, the amount of money that can be saved each month, and what kind of life you want to live in the future, you will not be able to derive an investment pattern and results that suit that person. Whether you do it with manpower or software, it's quite high level and complicated.

It's too complicated to be a business. We thought there was a chance. Therefore 2018 A year OneMile Partners We established a company called, registered to handle securities and insurance, and launched a service like an asset select shop that provides free consultation and support for asset management tailored to each individual (2021 Year 11 11 From the moon "Manero』Developed under the service name).

From store visit type to online. Business judgment in Corona

-The infection of the new coronavirus has spread just after the opening of the Marunouchi main store in November​ ​2019.

Good numbers have been coming out since the first month of the opening, but only a few months have been going well. Four days before the first state of emergency was declared on April​ ​7, 2020, the store was closed and all advisors decided to wait at home. Then, within a month, we quickly built an in-house system that can automatically manage reservations, customer management, marketing, advisor schedules, etc., and shifted online at once. From the beginning, we were fully remote except for advisors, and we were strengthening our development system in anticipation of the introduction of online customer service, but it was several years ahead of schedule.

-Have you ever had a hard time moving online?

It is the customer service of the advisor. Unlike face-to-face customer service online, you will not be able to hear the story unless you devise ways to attract customers. The interview is shortened from 2 hours to 1 hour by defining from the details such as the position of the lighting, the setting of the background that matches the atmosphere of the advisor, and the line of sight when speaking. Conclusion We have been educating the management directly so that we can create an environment where many small decisions can be made by speaking first and giving the following explanations according to the customer's reaction. This training is still ongoing.

-On the contrary, was there any merit of going online?

When customers book an interview on the web, the advisor's schedule is automatically secured, eliminating the cost of setting appointments. We also provide an investment diagnostic tool that you can easily do on the Web, but if you use this, you can simulate in advance and the advisor can prepare your information, so you can get more detailed and appropriate advice in the interview. There is a merit that it can be done.

Initially, "Maneiro" started its business with manpower utilizing the financial know-how of the management team, but now it is in the phase of making it IT to the limit. There is also the term fintech, but we consider our business to be a financial services industry and call it "financial services tech."

-What is your image of the contract rate from the interview?

We haven't released specific numbers, but it's well above the industry average. It is a track record because we have laid a solid foundation in advance with seminars and diagnostic tools, and we are able to give highly accurate advice. The Osaka Umeda store was opened in April​ ​2021, and while showing the sense of security of having a physical store, 99% of customers are now online. We plan to continue to operate mainly online.

-As a consumer, I'm happy to be able to consult for free, but I'm also worried whether I can really recommend products from a neutral standpoint. Is there anything you are aware of in that regard?

Since I and Izumida are not sales people but analysts, I am reluctant to handle inconsistent products in-house. We handle products that we can really recommend to our customers. That is our identity, and our employees sympathize with it, so we cannot break our stance. Of course, we do not change the priority of sales depending on the amount of commission, and we also try to explain the reason for free to customers properly.

Our mission is "to deliver peace of mind with the power of finance." Everyone adheres to the basic rule that customers do not feel uneasy.

IPO, and challenge to a company that solves "lifetime money worries"

-Seed in 2019 and JAFCO's lead investment in 2020 to raise series A rounds. Please tell us the purpose of procurement and your encounter with JAFCO.

The initial purpose was to expand the store. I met Mr. Onuma of JAFCO for the first time in March​ ​2020 when Corona started to spread by the introduction from the VC who invested in Seed, but immediately after that, the store was closed and sales stopped once, You saw the whole series of transitions, such as recreating your business plan and switching online 180 degrees.

Investors' eyes on a company like us that has a physical store have changed completely with this corona disaster. Among them, Mr. Onuma believed in us until the end without blurring from beginning to end. Since JAFCO actually took the lead, the announcement effect and credit effect on other investors have been amazing. Unless JAFCO has a long history and scale, I think it would have been difficult to regain credibility in that environment.

-Are there any words or actions of the capitalist that left an impression on you?

Just before the investment, Mr. Onuma asked me this. JAFCO is prepared to invest in the turmoil of Corona, as we do not know what will happen in the future. How about Mr. Harada? Do you really want to do it from the bottom of your heart?

When I first started a business, I didn't intend to do an IPO. But what I was trying to do cost money, so I had to get angry. At that time, Mr. Onuma asked me how serious I was, and I answered "I want to do it" without hesitation. Of course, I thought I was hungry at the stage of seed investment, but I think it was very good that Mr. Onuma reminded me at that stage and I was able to confirm my intentions.

-What kind of support do you expect in the future?

Thank you for your next funding (laughs), and I hope you will continue to run with us for a long time. In the area of financial services, it takes time to gain the credit of the world. Mr. Onuma, who has been in charge of many similar formats so far, understands that, so I am really happy to be accompanied by such a person.

Mr. Harada (center), JAFCO Capitalist Haruyoshi Onuma (left), Ryosuke Kato (right)

-Please tell us about your future outlook as a company.

The current "Maneiro" is not keeping up with the demand, so first of all, we will strengthen the recruitment of advisors, engineers and PMs. Our advisors are not sales, but consulting jobs that deal with the customer in front of us, but in the past there was a mismatch due to ambiguous recruitment criteria. Taking advantage of that reflection, I would like to hire people who have experience in securities or insurance, and who have the honesty and sincerity to learn new things as advisors.

Last year, we established Monicle and established a holding company system, which is in anticipation of future business expansion. The origin of the monicle is "money" and "lifecycle". Currently, we are developing business for the "working generation" in their 30s and 40s, but we would like to create a company that can properly solve the money problems that customers encounter as they get older. To that end, we would like to divide the company into businesses and support the lifelong worries of our customers as a group. As the scale of the company expands, it will be possible to make investments on a scale that cannot be done by individuals, such as new businesses and M & A, so I am looking forward to that as an investment enthusiast.

-Finally, do you have a message for entrepreneurs?

Since I left the office worker, I have been trying to "I think it's all my fault". Even if the environment changes or the members make mistakes, if they think so, they will not get angry or shake their hearts.

As with me, if you are passionate about "who wants to say what," I think you should definitely start a business. That's when you get the most energy, and if you think so, you should be able to continue. Do what you really want to do at your own risk, not at anyone's responsibility. I think this is the most important thing for an entrepreneur.