Six months ago, I spent ¥304 million to "buy" a man named Rojin.
I didn't buy a business; I bought a person.
The article I wrote immediately after, titled "My ¥300M M&A Might Have Been a Mistake," was read by 800,000 people. Many likely thought: Is it sane to pay ¥300 million for a guy who smokes shisha and plays Smash Bros?
https://x.com/koki_komai/status/2042532819243844021
Now that six months have passed, I want to tell you the full outcome today.
To conclude:
Rojin joined, sales increased (the enterprise value of our X Advisory business quadrupled), and the organization became unrecognizably stronger.
Honestly, before buying him, I only saw the first half—the "sales." But the actual impact went far beyond that.
The Business Grew Exponentially
When staff started accounts from scratch, people who hadn't posted in months began generating 2 million, 4 million, and 6 million impressions per post. The group's total monthly impressions exceeded 100 million.
This translated directly into business numbers:
- Over ¥50 million in revenue via X with zero ad spend.
- Recruiting sessions attracted ~150 candidates, resulting in ~10 hires at near-zero cost.
- One client generated over 40 million impressions and ¥15 million+ in sales from just one long-form article.
In an era where hiring one mid-career employee costs over ¥1 million, we hired 10 people for almost nothing. We generated ¥50 million in revenue without spending a single yen on ads.
Looking at the numbers alone, the ¥300 million investment has already been recouped easily.
But the real story starts here.
The Organization Became Stronger
The biggest surprise after six months was this:
Since Rojin joined, the company itself became stronger.
He wasn't just a guy who produced numbers.
He meticulously reviewed every staff member's posts, pointing out strengths and weaknesses. A person who had seen over 1,000 companies became deeply invested in each individual.
That passion spread. More staff started producing results, and those staff began mentoring juniors. Before we knew it, the entire team was several levels stronger than before.
Naturally, the culture deepened too.
He spontaneously created a Shisha Club and a Tennis Club, encouraging staff to gather after work.
There is always a reason why people naturally congregate.
People who produce numbers exist in abundance. However, very few people produce numbers while simultaneously becoming the gravitational center of an organization.
Before buying him, I hadn't factored this part into my calculations at all.
Recently, Levela members held a birthday party for Rojin. Surprisingly, over 30 people gathered at midnight.
At that moment, Rojin, the guest of honor, took the microphone himself and began praising the good qualities of every single staff member present. On his own birthday.
Watching this scene, I finally understood.
Many probably viewed Rojin as a "lone wolf genius." A solitary figure smoking shisha and crushing targets alone.
That was wrong. He is a man whose true power emerges when he is within an organization. He draws people in, attracts them, and inspires them.
He says this:
"My lock-up period (post-acquisition employment term) is eternal."
For the acquired party to say this is the ultimate proof.
What Investing in People Really Means
After six months, I learned something as a CEO:
You can buy businesses with numbers, but you can only strengthen companies with people.
Paying ¥300 million for a person didn't just raise sales.
People grew, people gathered, turnover stopped, and the culture intensified. This strengthened organization then generated new numbers. If I had only bought the business, the P&L would have improved slightly after six months.
Because I bought a person, the company itself became strong, and the numbers followed as a result.
So I state clearly:
The ¥300 million M&A was a massive success. If asked to do it again, I would make the same decision.
Finally
I've described what happened internally, but this isn't just an internal story.
Rojin applies the same intensity he gives to staff posts toward our clients now.
His "X Advisory" service has supported over 1,000 companies cumulatively.
Recently, the results reports coming from these clients haven't stopped.
These aren't stories about follower growth or impression increases.
They are reports of actual business metrics moving: sales changed, hires were secured, inquiries transformed.
If it were one or two companies, it might be luck. But across diverse industries and scales, the numbers move similarly.
At this point, it's no longer chance.
What happened inside our company is happening exactly the same way for our clients.
Rojin does the exact same thing internally and externally.
He engages seriously with the other party's content creation.
That is why the results follow.
