Mari Hirata: Bringing the Voices of Autonomous Freelancers to Society

I am happy to hear you say that, Professor. I feel humbled as it is more than I deserve, but I am grateful if the award helps shine a light on the association's activities and the existence of freelancers. I have actually received comments from freelancers saying it was very encouraging.

I myself have been working as a freelancer with many business cards for over 10 years. While PR is my core, I also manage cultural figures, produce publications, and create case study materials for business schools.

In this era of the 100-year life, where people after retirement and women continue to work for a long time in a society of "100 million active members," diverse and flexible ways of working are required. Furthermore, as labor shortages become serious and people become the rarest asset among people, goods, and money, companies are looking at how to share and maximize the use of the "human" element. In this context, project-based talent utilization through outsourcing, rather than traditional exclusive employment, is spreading increasingly.

However, such ways of working still face challenges such as social security and the development of contract rules. Therefore, I felt the need for an entity that collects the issues and needs of freelancers and delivers them as a loud voice, so I established the association in January 2017.

When the association was first established, I was often asked by the media how it differed from being a "freeter" (part-time worker). The association defines freelance in a broad sense as "an independent form of providing one's own knowledge and skills to receive compensation without being exclusively attached to a specific company or organization." In other words, it refers to those who work under their own name rather than a company brand—specialists who work through self-employment or outsourcing rather than employment.

That is actually a point I am very particular about. If one is not a "professional," there is a risk of being used as a mere subcontractor. Instead, it is important to build an equal partnership with clients as an "autonomous professional" and deliver a proper impact to society and the client.

The association holds the vision of "Toward a world where everyone can work autonomously," and we work to prepare options and provide support for that.

Yes. I believe that having multiple jobs will become more common in the future. While I currently devote over 80% of my time to being the representative director of the association, I continue my individual business as a freelancer myself.

When you are in only one organization, you tend to think its values are everything, but values differ in different places. I believe there is meaning in placing oneself within diversity to maintain objectivity and a sense of balance. You can hold multiple senses of belonging. Gaining diverse experiences in preparation for the coming era of the individual also serves as a self-investment.

Also, a parallel career serves as risk hedging. During emergencies like the current COVID-19 crisis, I hear voices saying they were glad they had diversified their income sources and clients.

Exactly. At the association, we distinguish between "multiple careers" (fukugyo) and "side jobs" (fukugyo) in the sense of a secondary role. Freelancers originally deal with multiple clients, and the allocation of work constantly changes depending on the client's timing and situation, as well as one's own career stage and life events. It's not about one being main or secondary; it's about strategically diversifying a portfolio.

Even if we call it career design, it cannot be fully controlled, so there is a large aspect of "planned happenstance." However, I believe that in the future, not only freelancers but also company employees will need to diversify their careers and flexibly reorganize their portfolios.

Yes. The association currently has over 40 members nationwide, and everyone, including myself, is pro bono. While it is a social contribution, it ultimately leads to experience and learning that comes back to oneself. In my case, I am particular about social impact.

I grew up in a Catholic girls' school for three generations of mothers and daughters and was baptized as an adult. I clearly remember a Bible story about "talents" during religious class during my sensitive junior high school years.

"Talent" is the origin of the word, and I was taught that everyone is absolutely born with some kind of talent. We were told we must use it to benefit society. Since then, I have been constantly thinking about how to leave an impact using my own talents.

I believe the influence of the diversity-filled environment at SFC was very significant. At the orientation on the first day of enrollment, a senior student who had started a business gave a presentation, and there were classmates who were already taking jobs as programmers since high school. Seeing that, I wanted to work under my own name rather than carrying the brand of an organization created by someone else.

That's why, when job hunting, I never once thought about going to a large company and instead jumped into a brand-new startup.

My mother was a caster for a local TV station in Fukuoka when she was single, but after getting married, her career was interrupted every time my father was transferred. So, looking back, my mother was what you would call a freelancer.

She taught painting and ballet wherever we went, and worked as a radio MC and TV reporter. She was also active in PTA and church volunteering, so for a long time, I just thought she was a housewife who couldn't sit still. Seeing her like that gave me the sense that one can engage in various activities without being employed by a company.

My parents never said anything about my studies or career path. It was more like "think for yourself and choose for yourself," so in that sense, I think it became natural for me to think with my own head and make decisions from a young age.

Looking back, my mother lived a life of "planned happenstance," resiliently building her career wherever she went. In fact, things like "workations" and "kangaroo work" (working with a child) that I have done and been seen as unusual for were all things my mother was originally doing. I certainly think I learned a lot from her.

What I learned at Bilcom was huge. My first mission was office creation; they suddenly gave a third-year university intern a budget of 10 million yen and entrusted me with everything from the concept to finding the property, meeting with construction companies, and choosing equipment. I was happy they gave me such discretion so suddenly, and I learned that I could make things happen even if I didn't know the procedures.

Neither the professors at SFC nor my bosses at Bilcom ever blamed me for failures. By being given many opportunities to take on challenges, I became able to not fear failure when trying something new. I think I gained experience there that allowed me to have "unfounded confidence."

KBS also promoted "T-shaped individuals," aiming to cover basic areas while deepening expertise, so I think I was able to learn a wide range of things. The discipline-based classes at KBS were very meaningful in terms of systematically organizing the practical management I learned at Bilcom. The exchange program at Kellogg School of Management was also a wonderful experience.

Also, while at KBS, I launched a business school case competition called JBCC. Even though I was an unknown student with only a KBS business card, everyone—including the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Industrial Decisions, and Harvard Business Review—cooperated. The Dean at the time, Professor Hirokazu Kono, also kindly supported me. Basically, I was blessed with professors who wouldn't say no if I took responsibility for my actions.

When we talk about developing a safety net for freelancers or emergency support measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, the argument of self-responsibility always comes up. People say that since you chose a free way of working, suffering there is your own fault.

Of course, business risks are one's own responsibility, but the impact of COVID-19 this time exceeds the scope of business risks an individual can shoulder. Furthermore, life risks such as health, childbirth, and nursing care are risks everyone shoulders regardless of how they work. I believe the meaning of humanity creating communities lies in mutually supplementing such risks through social security and mutual aid safety nets.

There is an Indian teaching that says since everyone causes trouble, you should help others even if they cause you trouble. It is important to have connections, a place to belong, and relationships of trust where you do things on your own responsibility but have support if something happens.

In that sense, the connections at Keio are also very precious. Even as an unknown freelancer without any brand, I have been supported by my former teachers and friends from my student days, and they have helped me quite a bit in the operation of the Freelance Association.

Yes. I hope we can become a platform where people who need it can rely on us as much as they need, when they need it. Ideally, it would be loose connections, just like Granovetter's theory of the strength of weak ties.

On the other hand, since we hold career autonomy as our vision, I believe there is meaning in each individual being actively involved. I don't think there is much point in us setting the stage and saying, "Let's polish your skills because it's the era of the 100-year life," or "Let's have a side job."

Certainly, I'm not interested in how I'm evaluated by those around me; I'm the type who likes the battle with myself. I am happiest when I can feel a sense of accomplishment myself, such as making someone happy, being useful, or growing a little more than I was yesterday.

On the other hand, I always have "unfounded dissatisfaction" as much as unfounded confidence. I tend to always look at myself with a critical eye and don't want to become complacent. I think the simultaneous existence of unfounded confidence and unfounded dissatisfaction serves as my driving force.

I believe the Freelance Association must become a sustainable infrastructure. This is true in terms of insurance, and while steadily increasing membership, I want to establish an organizational foundation for the secretariat that will be fine even if I were to collapse and disappear.

I originally established it with the intention of stepping down once the foundation is in place and the current policy issues are resolved to some extent. Of course, I will continue to be involved as a director with the responsibility of a founder, but I feel a sense of discomfort in staying in the position of representative once my title and role are defined by others. I also just like "zero-to-one" (creating something from nothing) (laughs).

Recently, apart from my individual business and the association's work, I established a new corporation called Arcrev with fellow Keio alumni. Makoto Asai, an Associate Professor at the Keio Faculty of Science and Technology, is the representative, and it is a company that provides industry-academia collaboration support. Precisely because of planned happenstance, I believe there will be various connections in the future. I want to be someone who can jump in whenever I want to, when there are people who need me.

I am indeed often told that I am the type who never falls without picking something up (laughs).

I believe I am truly influenced by the idea of independence and self-respect.

Now, in the discussion of securing employment opportunities until age 70, anyone could become a freelancer after retirement. In an era where various people, regardless of generation, are facing ways of working that do not rely on employment relationships, I hope the association's role and support can continue to expand its scope.