In January 2024, the leadership of Monosus was handed over from founder Hayashi to Manabe, and the leadership of Monosus Thailand was handed over from Hayashi to Miyagawa.
Many company members learned of this at a general meeting held in October 2023.
At that time, Hayashi told the members as follows:
This spring, as Monosus celebrates its 20th anniversary, the executives and Mr. Manabe discussed what to do and the idea of handing over the reins to Mr. Manabe came up. It was an idea that no one had ever thought of, so I thought the reaction would be "No, no, I thought so," but the discussion went ahead and has continued to this day.
At Monosus, the person who was a department head returns to being a member, and depending on the state of the organization, the appropriate person, the person who can do it now, becomes a manager. In that process, the executives have always been fixed and have never been replaced. In small and medium-sized enterprises, it is common for the owner-president to stay for a long time, but I don't think that is really the right way to manage a company. The organization of the executive committee should also be optimized according to the situation.
Considering Monosus' situation, my aptitude, Manabe-san's strengths, and how to make the company better, I believe this is the best decision at this point in time.
Information sessions were held at each location, with Hayashi and Manabe giving talks directly to the participants.
I was able to hear the reason in detail, and the company members seemed to understand.
But what is Lin himself thinking?
With this in mind, I, who have continued to be involved with Monosus, and writer Sugimoto and I decided to ask Hayashi to share his story.
I wasn't sure whether the content would be something that could be written up in an article, and I wondered whether there was any point in conveying Hayashi's feelings to members who were already moving forward with the new system.
However, it would be a waste not to record what Hayashi, who has been running Monosus for 20 years, is thinking now. With that in mind, I would like to share some of the things I learned from him.
I wasn't feeling sentimental at all. I just did it because it seemed natural to me.
When I thought about what I could talk about with the two people who had been listening to me like a fixed point observation, the first thing that came to mind was a spring about 17 years ago. At that time, it was the second year since I founded the company, and I was about 29 years old. I had not yet become independent from the parent company, and my work was not going well at all, and I really thought about quitting many times.
At that time, there was a university campus near my business destination, and I saw beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom. I was told that I could walk through it freely, so I took a walk for just a few minutes. Then, I heard the happy voices of students. I remembered, "When I was a student, I used to be excited to go to the club room." So when I thought about the current situation at my company, I suddenly wondered, "Everyone comes to the company, but is it fun?"
--I was worried that everyone was reluctantly coming to work.
I think that was the starting point for me. I didn't want to create a place where people would just come to work.
--I wanted to quit, but I also wanted to create a place where everyone could enjoy working.
If I had been in a position where I could have abandoned the company, I might have done so. But I had employees and I owned stocks myself. I couldn't abandon my children and run away. I was in a constant state of no money, so I really had nothing but financial difficulties. At the beginning, I would discuss financing with Mr. Nagai at the end of every month. There were times when I couldn't pay my own rent.
--The more you hear about your history, the more painful memories seem to come to mind. When asked about fun times, what comes to mind?
Yes, there are many. The first one that comes to mind is the day we had our first year-end party with company money. There were about eight people including me. I was really happy about that. Before that, Mr. Nagai and I always took turns taking people out for drinks at our own expense.
Another time was when we moved our office to Yoyogi. We moved on November 7th, but I got the key a little before. I came to the office alone at night to check everything out. I fell in love with this property at first sight. It was just the time when we were going to be independent from our parent company, so I remember being really happy that day.
A week later, we held a moving party, inviting about 50 guests and drinking until the morning. We had to DIY the office and cook the food for the anniversary event because we didn't have the money. It all started with us coming up with the idea that we had to make things ourselves in order to have fun experiences and eat delicious food.
The 2023 year-end party was full of surprise plans for Hayashi.
Back then, I had a strong sense of responsibility to feed everyone. I had a strong desire to work with people who I wanted to continue working with, who I would be willing to pay even if it meant stopping my own salary.
--That also ties into what you often say about "Tomohata" (working with people you want to live with).
That's right. I still think that's important, but the way we interact has changed a lot. I've had fewer opportunities to speak in front of everyone, and we've gone through organizational changes such as the business owner system and unit system, so I don't feel like I have to feed them anymore. It's like my children have come of age. In the past few years, I felt like I was being fed by the businesses that everyone else was running. That didn't feel right to me.
I guess the basis is a consulting-like feeling. In terms of the way we interact, once the problem is solved and the situation is good, there is basically nothing to do. You can't keep selling supplements to people who have become healthy for business purposes. In that sense, I think Monosus has also become healthy.
--Because you had that feeling, the option of switching national team felt right to you.
I think it's also because we unintentionally created an organization like that, one in which the president had to be replaced. It's not that I made the decision, it's more like I responded to the situation. It's natural for the person who is most suitable to take on the role of president given the state of the company at the time.
With the web business in a stable period and the food business in a growth period, we need to make appropriate investment decisions, and we have a system in place that will allow us to do so. By becoming an organization where the president and executives can be replaced, the management team will be able to have healthy liquidity in the future. As a result, I think that the company itself will be able to continue for a long time.
This is a gift from Shiomi Bakery, a bakery that opened in a corner of the Yoyogi office and who has been a part of our life ever since.
--Looking at the situation of the company and for you personally, it felt like the right time to hand over the position of CEO. This is connected to the fact that you are making such a flexible decision this time, but ever since you started Monosus, you have always been thinking about what a company is, changing the structure and continuing to interact with the members. What are your thoughts on that question now?
Ever since I was little, I've wondered, "What is the purpose of human life?" Recently, that question has been resolved within myself. There is no difference between the life and death of insects and the life and death of humans. I want to live comfortably and be useful to those who need me, but the feeling that I have to leave something behind or accomplish something has disappeared without me realizing it. At the same time, the question of why companies exist is starting to disappear a little. That may be the recent change within me.
I've been thinking for quite some time that companies and business owners have a role similar to that of government. For example, I think the existence of a town like Kamiyama-cho should be its purpose. The people who gather there all have their own lives. Companies should also simply continue to exist. There should be a reason for people to gather at a company, and it should exist as a place of attachment. That's what I've come to think.
--I understand that going forward at Monosus you will be working on a project-by-project basis and will be involved as an "advisor."
I think the organization as a whole has become independent, but I think there are still people who can provide individual support. I think compatibility is important when it comes to consultations. I think people who get along well with me should be able to call me when they are in trouble or have something to discuss. I want to be useful if it can help make life easier for those who need it.
One day at the Izakaya Monosasu. He looks like he's having a lot of fun listening to everyone's stories.
Mr. Hayashi spoke in his usual manner, neither sentimental nor refreshing.
In addition to this, we had a lot of talk about the company's history, how they launched new businesses, and incidents that made them feel sick, etc. Among them, there were many stories that made us feel that they had been watching each member closely, such as the times they suffered together when the members were going through difficult times, and the joy of watching them thrive.
Even though his role has changed, "Tomohata" is still important to him. With this in mind, I listened to his story.
Monosus has undergone a system change, and although things don't seem to have changed dramatically, it feels like a new wind is blowing. I think we can continue to move forward, choosing and trying out systems and methods that we think are healthy, without being constrained by conventional wisdom.
Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Hayashi. And thank you very much.
I look forward to meeting you again someday at one of Monosas' bases.
NAKAJIMA Kimi
Freelance, living in Ryukazaki, Ibaraki. I first encountered Monosus through an interview with “Nihon Shigoto Hyakka” and am now involved in several things, a bit outside of Monosus.