Jumping in the Unknown Waters to Create a Successful Business

This story is all about a cup of coffee leading to some crazy and funny thoughts - those funny thoughts leading to a stupid-sounding adventure - and that adventure turned out to be a very successful business.

Many years back, I came to Japan for a 2-month IT project. Those 2 months extended to one year as the client kept assigning me to other projects. I did leave Japan to move to Germany and Switzerland, but somehow, Japan had made a place in my mind, and I ended up coming back here. I moved to the business side in an IT consulting company and ended up heading the Japan operations of an IT multinational.

A good job, an excellent pay package, business class travel, and all the freedom of decision-making was a near-ideal and very satisfying job. Something I would never have thought to leave - until that coffee happened :)

It was an afternoon when all the business development guys and account managers were out in the field or with their clients. Me and Naoko (my colleague) were having a coffee. Just before that coffee, I had received some resumes from a couple of the recruitment companies we were using for some hiring needs for DevOps professionals, a couple of full-stack engineers, and a Java developer. And the resumes really sucked. Whoever recruiters had done the shortlisting of the resume seemed to be shouting out loud "Why a carpenter also can't cut and polish diamonds."

That relaxing coffee with the cocktail of that frustrations made me utter the words to Naoko - "I think we can do a much better job than these recruiters.".

She said: "Yes, of course."

I said: "Let's open a recruitment company for tech hiring."

She said: "Are you crazy?"

And yes, sometimes the feeling that we can do crazy things can make us try doing it.

The name was debated. I thought of naming the company ReachExt (Extending your Reach). She was mad about it that Japanese people would not be able to pronounce it. Some fights about it - but I was in a winning mood. And ReachExt was founded, an office was rented. The required recruitment license was obtained. And we were on the streets - well, we had an office, but little (little literally meant zero) we knew about the recruitment business and any ropes to climb. A few very challenging months - every prospective client saying that we already have empaneled a larger number of recruitment companies (Japan has thousands of them - the demand-supply gap of hiring needs and available talent).

And then COVID struck after a few months

Fast forward 15 months - we hired our first employee.
Fast forward 36 months - We got a smiling, energetic team of 11 people - who consider ReachExt as family and not a workplace

We are still at USD 3 million - but money was NEVER in the driver's seat. The most important thing is ReachExt has become one of the fastest-growing Recruitment companies in Japan.

The driver's seat has always been occupied by passion, love for each other, and a vision to build a GREAT team where wealth creation is not for the company but for each and every team member.

And yes, in the driving seat were also the blessings and support of everyone we worked with - the clients, candidates, and supporters like you.

Next fast forward is the vision of having a lovely team of 20 in the next 6 to 12 months max.

Do you think we can do that?

Do say "yes" and bless us :)