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2024 Entrance Commemorative Issue

There are things you can discover by repeatedly "thinking and acting for yourself"

ICHIGO Co., Ltd. Representative Director Ayumi Chikamoto

University life is full of once-in-a-lifetime encounters and drama. Many people say that these experiences have a big impact on their later lives. One such person is Ayumi Chikamoto, CEO of ICHIGO Inc., a notable venture that has grown rapidly through a snack subscription service for overseas markets. She says that her experience in starting a student company while at university is still useful in her work today. We spoke to Ayumi Chikamoto about the once-in-a-lifetime encounters she experienced during her time at university.

Discovering the leadership within myself through student startups

In 2015, known as the "first year of subscriptions," movefast (now ICHIGO) set its sights on subscriptions and predicted the market, predicting that "Japanese sweets will sell overseas." The subscription service, which delivers a box of assorted sweets to overseas consumers every month, has now expanded to 180 countries and regions around the world, and Chikamoto, who has led ICHIGO's rapid growth in just a few years, is truly a woman of foresight. However, when she first entered Waseda University, she had no awareness of such "foresight."

"I enrolled at Waseda University because I was attracted by its free atmosphere and diverse school culture, but I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do while I was there or after I graduated."

However, the times were pushing Chikamoto to take the plunge. When Chikamoto enrolled in 2005, Waseda University had established a "Venture Entrepreneur Training Basic Course," and momentum was building for supporting student entrepreneurship. Chikamoto was invited by a friend to get involved in student startups.

"We had about 10 members. We planned content for students and gathered part-time workers for companies that wanted to develop services for students. Looking back, it was a small project, like a mock business venture, but I learned a lot from being able to interact with people from companies even though I was a student, and I enjoyed every day."

When she first enrolled, she was attracted School of Human Sciences because she could take a variety of classes that interested her, and she took many classes at Waseda Campus.

Among these, Chikamoto was in charge of creating content for a fashion e-commerce site aimed at university students.

"I was put in charge of the content, including what kind of clothes to sell, who the models would be, photo shoots, editing the text and scheduling them. I asked a friend who is a reader model to model, and I asked the Waseda University Photography Club (an officially recognized student club) to take the photos, so I relied on my connections to move the project forward."

These days were the time when Chikamoto encountered an "unknown self."

"In a situation where nothing could be done unless I took action myself, I repeatedly 'thought for myself and took action.' Until high school, I didn't think I was the type to be a leader, but through starting a student business, I discovered that I might actually have the leadership skills to plan something, motivate people, and make it happen."

By the way, Chikamoto herself has experience as a magazine model when she was a student. Having experienced both sides, being the one taking the photos and being the one being photographed, there were some things she was able to see.

"I also had experience as a reporter as an extension of my work as a reader model, but I felt a strong desire to be on the production side, not on the appearance side. I realized that rather than focusing on the skills of being on the appearance side, I like to think about how to create the content as a whole, what I want to communicate, and what kind of reaction I will get, and put together a comprehensive overview. This is exactly what I like about my current job."

If you dive into areas you are not good at, you will surely have a meaningful time.

Through her experience starting a company as a student, Chikamoto developed a desire to start her own company someday. After graduation, she chose to work for Recruit Co., Ltd., a company that has produced many entrepreneurs.

"Some of my classmates were aspiring to start their own businesses in the future, and I myself also want to start my own business by the time I'm about 30. I joined the company hoping to gain some experience that would help me become independent."

During the job interview, she expressed a desire to be assigned to the planning department, where she could be involved in content production, something she had experienced as a student. However, she was first assigned to the sales department, and it was a start full of failures.

"Recruit had almost no training period, and I was immediately sent to work in sales from April. In the past, many people joined Recruit with the aim of becoming a salesperson, and the other employees in my year were constantly bringing in new sales. But I was reluctant to ask people to spend a lot of money on something, so I had a hard time doing sales."

A photo from her time at Recruit. Chikamoto is in the center.

Her first successful sales performance came in July, three months after she joined the company. She says that it was her struggles that helped her change her mindset about sales.

"I was selling the "HOT PEPPER Beauty" media to beauty salons, but I realized for the first time that the salon owners were very happy to have customers come to them through the media. I changed my feelings from, 'I feel bad for selling you this product,' to, 'This is a product that they will be happy with.'"

Understanding the appeal and value of the medium, Chikamoto quickly got the hang of it.

"Even though I was in sales, it wasn't just about selling, but also about writing articles, taking photos, and analyzing the effectiveness of how many customers we were able to attract after the media placement, and proposing optimal sales plans and options. It was also a content creation job. Once I got used to it, I was able to work in a fun and positive way."

After gaining experience in areas such as planning for a new domestic mail order business, Chikamoto left Recruit in 2012 at the age of 28. During the preparation period for going independent, she set her sights on Japanese commercial snacks that foreign tourists buy in large numbers, and in 2015 she founded movefast, a mail order company for overseas customers that would later become ICHIGO.

ICHIGO sells assorted Japanese sweets, Japanese confectionery, tea, character goods and other items that are popular among overseas consumers to overseas customers through subscription services.

The skill she developed during her student days and at Recruit in creating content with customers and consumers in mind is also put to good use in ICHIGO's business.

"In today's information-filled age, customers are looking for a reason to buy. That's why we compile an original magazine that explains the history of Japanese sweets and the passion of the makers behind them, and include it with our products. People overseas are particularly interested in learning about Japanese culture. In the future, I would like to spread the word about Japanese culture in even more diverse ways. I see this as my mission in life."

Left: "TOKYO TREAT" is a popular product filled with a variety of Japanese sweets. Currently, the company also produces products in collaboration with long-established Japanese sweets manufacturers and local governments in Japan.
Photo on the right: The original magazine introduces the background of the sweets and Japanese culture.

Currently, Chikamoto is busy not only as CEO but also raising two children. That is why she continues to tell students, "I want you to use your time meaningfully."

"One of the privileges of being a student is that you have a lot of free time to use as you wish. When I started my own business, I thought it would be impossible to do it while working, so I quit my job and created time to prepare. Once you enter the workforce, you don't have enough time. That's why I want students to use their time as a student to meet lots of people, go to lots of different places, and find what they want to devote their life to."

New students in particular have plenty of opportunities to meet new people.

"Up until high school, you are under the protection of your parents and do only what you are told. But at university, you have a lot more freedom. What I want you to be aware of there is to actively interact with people you have never met before. Diving into something you think you are not good at will surely be a worthwhile experience. Don't stay in your comfort zone. I think it would be wonderful if your university years could be an opportunity to take on new challenges."

 Chikamoto (front row center) and the staff of ICHIGO. 80% of the full-time employees are from overseas.

Interview and text: Naoto Oguma (2002 graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences II)

【Profile】

Selected as "Woman of the Year 2023" by Nikkei WOMAN (Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.), an award given to the most accomplished working women in various fields.

Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1984. After graduating from School of Human Sciences at Waseda University in 2009, she joined Recruit Co., Ltd. In her second year at the company, she was put in charge of planning for a new domestic mail order business. In 2015, she founded "movefast," which handles mail order business for overseas markets. She later changed the company name to "ICHIGO," derived from the Japanese phrase "ichigo ichie," and currently delivers Japanese sweets to 180 countries and regions around the world. She is also the mother of two children.

◆X：@ICHIGO_CEO
◆ICHIGO Co., Ltd. Website: https://ichigo.com/