Introop Inc. Representative Director Hirofumi Hayashi

Towards a recycling-oriented society where people and companies continue to grow together

■ Profile

After graduating from the Department of Law, Faculty of Law, Doshisha University, he joined Andersen Consulting (now Accenture Japan Ltd.). After working at a startup venture and again at Accenture, he founded INTLOOP Inc. in February 2005, where he continues to work to this day. With his insight into social needs and drive to drive business, he has continued to grow INTLOOP as a "consulting firm that creates its own businesses."

Aiming to create a society where the growth of companies and people is cyclical, Introop Inc. uses professional human resources, mainly in fields such as IT and DX, to provide services that quickly solve various corporate problems. We spoke with President Hirofumi Hayashi, who led the company to its initial listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth section on July 8, 2022, about how Introop has created an environment for continuous growth.

■ A long-term part-time job despite getting bored easily

I've always had a strong desire to be independent, so I went to university to study law, hoping to become independent by obtaining a lawyer's license or something similar. However, I got bored easily, so I quickly got addicted to playing around after enrolling, and soon gave up on studying for the bar exam. I also couldn't keep up with club activities at my own pace, so I didn't stick with them for long. The one thing I did that lasted a long time was a part-time job as a cook at an izakaya in Kyoto. I made a lot of money, but I spent almost all of it on drinking (laughs).

During my job search, I mainly applied to foreign companies where it was easy to earn money quickly and become independent, and I ended up joining Accenture. However, at the time, Windows 96 hadn't even been released in the IT field, and I was more interested in the financial industry, so I had never heard of the company.

■I felt the strengths and future of freelancing

When I worked at Accenture, my classmates were all extremely talented. Many of them went independent, with two out of 100 achieving IPOs. One of my closest friends was the first to go independent, and as others around me started to go independent one after the other, I felt like I was missing out. Then, around the time of the IT bubble in 2000, I received an offer from a venture company and joined the company to study business.

The company was a joint venture with an American company, with 10 employees and capital of 13 billion yen, but its business was too ahead of its time and it went bankrupt.

Later, while I was working as a freelancer, my former boss at Accenture invited me to come back to Accenture. Deeply aware of my lack of knowledge, I returned to Accenture and worked there for four years, partly to refresh my knowledge.

At that time, I had the opportunity to talk with freelancers, and upon learning about their talent and the salaries they command, I felt that in the future, there would be more people who could survive solely on their skills, without belonging to an organization. So I thought, "Wouldn't it be interesting to start a business that brings these people together?" and started my own company.

■Towards a cycle where both the company and people can grow

After launching INTLOOP, we achieved sales of 700 million yen in the third year since the company was founded. We also became interested in doing business overseas, and tried various things, such as trading with countries in Southeast Asia and opening a ramen shop. However, it was difficult to continue any of these, and the businesses were left half-finished. We were able to get work, so our annual sales were stable at 700 to 800 million yen, but the company was not growing, and with no new employees joining, the atmosphere within the company became bad, and employees started quitting one after another.

I was shocked and depressed, but it motivated me to work on improving the environment within the company, and I returned to my roots and decided to create a service that would bring together freelancers, which helped me rebuild my business and bring it to where it is today.

Now, what I find most rewarding is maintaining an environment where both the company and its people can grow together. The thing I pay the most attention to is creating a structure that increases motivation for growth. If a manager develops their subordinates, they will receive a raise, and when the subordinates see this, they will look up to their manager, which will also serve as an opportunity for their own growth.

I often tell my subordinates to "hire people who are better than me." The more talented junior employees I develop and the more talented they become, the more I will be promoted, my salary will increase, and the company will grow. I believe this is exactly the "cycle in which both the company and its people can grow."

■ For people who enjoy diversity and growth

The hiring criteria is "Our employees choose people they want to work with." If the same people were always interviewing, you might think you'd end up with a biased pool of talent, but the consulting and human resources departments each choose people they want to work with, so the personalities of our employees are diverse.

What is important for all positions is strong communication skills. No matter how smart you are, if you can't speak, you won't be able to convey the appeal of the company. If you have strong communication skills, you can build trust with customers in sales, and in human resources you can negotiate and persuade talented people for mid-career recruitment.

In addition, it would be perfect if they have the desire to somehow give an answer during the conversation and the skill to think of an answer while they're talking. In order for both the company and its people to continue to grow, I think that people who can ride the momentum and enjoy their own and the company's growth are a better fit for our company than people who just want to "maintain the status quo."

■ Use your experience from playing or working part-time to your advantage

I feel like students these days are studying and working too much. Student life is the time of your life when you have the longest holidays and the most freedom to enjoy yourself, so I hope that you will study moderately and gain experience by having fun and making connections with people through part-time jobs.

I happened to choose consulting as my calling, but I don't think there are many people who find their ideal job right away. That's why I encourage people to try out different jobs, even if it's just by working part-time, and experience and seeing different jobs, and find their goal.

Student Newspaper Online September 15, 2022 Interview by Ryusei Nishiyama, 3rd year student at Musashino University