[Experience] From Product Sales to Disability Welfare! A Challenge from a Different Industry That Changed My Life, Plus Honest and Real Thoughts✨
A challenge from a different industry
Hello, I'm
Merukaku🌟
Today, I'd like to share something a little special.
Actually, besides product sales and consulting, I've also
stepped into the world of disability welfare😊
This time, as a challenge from a different industry—moving from product sales to disability welfare—I want to deliver
the real voice from the field.
I'd be happy if you could read to the end about my experience jumping into a world completely different from what I've known before👍
From product sales consulting to disability welfare—the trigger was 'gratitude'
Company history
The company I started with friends in October 2018, 'THE FREEDOM Co., Ltd.', was initially
a product sales consulting company. But the product sales consulting didn't go well, so next we went into video...
Video didn't go so well either, and in the end,
we pivoted completely to disability welfare
—that's how it went💦
How I got involved in disability welfare
I personally started as a caregiver in disability welfare in September 2020.
The trigger was that someone who provided me with product sales tools started a disability welfare business and asked me,
**"I owe you a debt of gratitude, so wouldn't you like to join as a caregiver?"**
I said, "I'll join," and that was
my first experience in welfare😊
Initial stereotypes—"People from a world that doesn't intersect"
Honest feelings
To be honest, my image of disability welfare before doing it was...
There were schools for children with disabilities near elementary schools or kindergartens, and I thought,
**"Honestly, I'll never have contact with them."**💦
Like, **"I probably won't ever cross paths with these people in my life."**
I had a bit of a condescending view.
The moment my stereotype changed
But when I talked to them through my work as a caregiver, I thought,
**"They're just human beings like us."**
That's when my stereotype changed✨
When you actually talk to them, they're normal, and they're no different from us.
I probably have developmental disabilities myself, but it just hasn't been officially diagnosed, and I've come to be able to
see disabilities as just one aspect of personality😊
Differences from other facilities—features of Hot Spot (Group Home)
The culture of eating together
At Hot Spot (Group Home),
the caregivers and the residents
all eat the same meal at the same time🍽️
At the facility I was at before, we didn't eat together.
The residents would eat, then go back to their rooms, and finally, I'd eat while doing rounds at 8:00 or 9:00 PM.
But at Hot Spot where I am now, the policy is
**"everyone eats together and communicates"**
👌
They provide meals and a place to sleep, I'm really grateful for that (lol)
Creating a comfortable working environment
They provide a proper place to sleep and bedding for us
Night rounds are at 11:00 PM and 12:00 AM (other facilities also have rounds at 3:00 AM)
Once the 12:00 AM rounds are done, you can sleep until 6:00 AM
Because of this kind of detailed consideration,
the way I recover from fatigue is completely different😊
Current Job Description: Not 'Work' but 'Friendship'
Consultation Support Work
Right now, I do daytime support, which involves
listening to the users' troubles and
guiding them toward solutions but... I don't think of it as
work, it's more like just going to a friend's house, like 'How are things lately?' 😊 It's more like going over to chat.
An Impressive User
For example, there is one user who
updates their SNS note, and posts about 6 articles a day
! It's amazing, right? 💪 They do it as their job, and they keep saying, 'Monetize, monetize.'
Wanting to ask, 'Where are you disabled?'
That person has a mental disability, but honestly,
**I want to ask, 'Where are you disabled?'**
I really can't tell at all.
We can communicate normally, and I wonder how they are any different from me 😊
Ease of Working and Freedom: Private Life and Work Integrated
High Degree of Freedom
The degree of freedom is extremely high✨
In a typical company, you arrive at 8:00, finish at 5:00...
It's not like that.
I used to be a regular salaryman, but
you don't really need 8 hours a day, do you?.
It's like everyone takes 8 hours to do something that only takes 3 hours 💦
Current Way of Working
Now, I really just
get things done quickly, and there's no time to slack off.
If there's nothing to do, that's fine,
I can just find something to do and go home.
Because there's that kind of ease of working,
for me, my private life and work have become one.
It's become like a hobby 😊
Double Work is Also Possible
I'm doing double work now.
I do welfare work, act as a caretaker, and provide daytime support.
In the remaining time,
I work on my own business (Mercari and product sales school).
Fixed costs are covered by the hot spot, and
after that, it's up to me how much I earn by getting results in my own business💪
The Reality of Salary: The Honest Truth
Regarding Salary Levels
For a consultation support worker,
I believe it's 290,000 yen or so, and I think that's on the higher side.
Even so, the reason many people quit
might be for reasons other than salary.
There are aspects you won't know until you actually work, but
for someone like me who likes interacting with people,
I don't think it's a burden 😊
Future Dreams: Fusion of Product Sales and Disability Welfare
New Business Concept
In the future, I want to create a business that combines product sales and disability welfare💡
Right now, there is so much clothing in the world that gets thrown away—it's practically rotting.
I have a lot of supply routes for that, so...
Sourcing it
→people with disabilities come to my facility
→they list it
→when it sells, I pay them from the Mercari proceeds.
This is what I want to do.
That way, everyone is happy, right?✨
Economic independence for people with disabilities
If people with disabilities themselves can earn more,
they will definitely be happier, right?
Even going to Disneyland,
it's often hard for people with disabilities to go,
or they might not have the income, right?💦
If we can solve those things through business, things will get better.
When parents see their children's growth,
I think they will be overjoyed to the point of tears😊
Characteristics of people working in this industry
People who are a good fit
It's quite simple:
Act honestly
Work with a smile and a positive attitude
Be humble, serious, and diligent
People who are successful
might look a bit rebellious,
but I have the impression that many of them are very humble.👍
Values that are cherished
What we value is "visualization."👀
Making work visible—I get the impression that there is a particular focus on whether schedules and who is doing what and where are visible to anyone.
IT adoption is also progressing, and we are constantly incorporating new tools.✨
Summary: A new world seen through the challenge of changing industries
What I gained from entering disability welfare from product sales
Reviewing today's points
✅ Fixed ideas were overturned (realizing that people with disabilities are human beings just like us)
✅ An environment that is easy to work in (high degree of freedom, work and private life are integrated)
✅ The need for new skills (design/IT related)
✅ Stable income + side job balance is possible
✅ Can also envision new business concepts while contributing to society
What I learned
The importance of diving into a new world without prejudice
That there are places where you can utilize your skills even in a different industry
That you can choose your own way of working
The potential to solve social issues through business
I never thought that I, who had been dedicated solely to product sales, would spend such a fulfilling time in the world of disability welfare😊
The realization that the people I thought were from a "different world"
were actually "the same human beings"
has greatly changed my outlook on life.Now, while earning a stable income, I continue my product sales business and can even envision new business concepts...
I think it's the best combination
💪
If you are also thinking about changing jobs or taking on a new challenge, I recommend jumping in without being bound by stereotypes✨
Thank you for reading until the end today!