My Rakuten Experience: Asako
Asako is Manager of the Business Planning Department
Current Job
I work at Rakuten’s Incubation Office, where we launch new services across all sectors and industries. Our mission is to create and accelerate the growth of new services that are not available in the world while incorporating global trends in a small, elite team, as seen in a startup.
The job involves a series of tasks from planning new services to verifying the business model and subsequent provision of services. We proceed with projects in consultation with management and back-office departments such as UI/UX, development teams, and legal affairs.
Work Environment
I often work on projects with overseas companies, which always makes me feel that I work on a global scale.
For example, when we launched an automated delivery robot service, we started from scratch and gained a wide range of experience, including partnerships with overseas companies. Despite the differences in culture and business practices, I learned a lot by building relationships between the two companies and finding options that satisfied both parties as we continued to keep the project moving forward.
What is most appealing about Rakuten is that people from various industries are now working for the same company. It is valuable to work in an environment where we can proceed with projects while sharing opinions based on the knowledge gained in different industries such as eCommerce, FinTech, entertainment, and telecommunications.
Skill Enhancement
While working on projects, I can experience work in various fields such as market research, business PL estimation, service product design, organization building, sales, and marketing, which significantly improve my skills. No two projects operate in the same way. Still, when I can make decisions faster than before, or when I can make proposals at the right time to take things forward, I feel that I am effectively drawing from previous experiences and knowledge.
We also have in-house training such as mid-career interview training and soft skills training when necessary. I want to continue to gain experience and skills and acquire the ability to make accurate decisions with an eye on the future while motivating the people around me.
What makes your job interesting?
It is interesting how we can provide new value to the world by utilizing Rakuten’s foundation. In addition to our brand and credibility, we can launch new services with the help of various in-house professionals while maintaining a high level of speed.
We have launched several services, including the automatic delivery service, Rakuten Super Mini Byte, Rakuten Senior, and delivery of COVID-19 PCR testing kits. When we realize that people in different situations are using the services we have created, it makes us very happy and gives us a new sense of motivation. Opinions from customers and clients are shared with the team and immediately used to improve our services. I think this process is one of the most exciting aspects of my job.
If you had to score your job at Rakuten out of 100, what would it be?
100!
How many projects do you manage and how long does it take to complete a project?
I am in charge of three to four projects per year. The duration of each one varies, but most of them last from six months to one year.
What do you do on your days off?
I like to exercise so I enjoy yoga and jogging.
*The content and affiliation presented in this article are accurate as of the time of the interview.
