TAIAN, a company that aims to create more happy moments of emotional connection and fill Japan with "Congratulations!" and "Thank You!", has launched services such as the web invitation and seating chart service "Concept Marry" and "Oiwaii," which supports the culture of celebration itself through digital technology. We spoke with CEO Mariko Murata, who is bringing a ray of hope to the bridal industry, which has faced numerous hardships during the pandemic.

We asked President Murata, who has no background in the bridal industry, how she managed to enter the wedding industry and rapidly grow her business. We also inquired about the reasons for considering and deciding on an office relocation as the company grew, and why they chose to move into a "setup office." We also discussed their "ideal office vision" behind these decisions.

—Could you tell us about the circumstances that led to the release of the web invitation and seating chart service "Concept Marry" in June 2020?

“I got married in January 2020, just before the pandemic. Actually, the prototype for 'Concept Marry' was a product my husband, an engineer, and I created for our own wedding. Later, during the pandemic, we received inquiries from people in the industry saying they wanted to use it, which led to industry connections and the decision to commercialize the service.

What struck me when planning my wedding was the wonderfulness of the bridal industry. Everyone worked with us in mind to make the major event of a wedding, a milestone in life, a success, and I grew to love the industry. On the other hand, I also realized there were various challenges in the DX landscape of the bridal industry during the wedding preparations.

From the perspective of 'customers who will use the services we create,' I felt that 'my experience from a different industry must offer unique insights' and 'I want to contribute more to this industry!' With that in mind, I became deeply involved in DX support specifically for the bridal industry.”

—Why did the demand for "Concept Marry" increase during the pandemic?

“The pandemic forced the wedding industry to adapt to the need for 'date changes.' Invitations and seating charts, once printed, could cost hundreds of thousands of yen. Resending them due to a date change placed a significant financial and emotional burden not only on the wedding venues but also on the couples. Furthermore, with the possibility of another state of emergency being declared after the change, the need for web invitations and seating charts emerged.

At the time, there were many concerns in the industry about whether 'making invitations web-based would be disrespectful to guests.' However, the reality is that 100% of the weddings I've been invited to in the past year used web invitations. In the last two to three years, wedding invitation methods have shifted to the web.”

—The following year, in August 2021, you released "Oiwaii," a tool that allows for the integrated online management of marketing, new sales, customer information management, consultations, day-of execution, and lifetime customer development for all celebrations, including weddings. What needs and challenges led to the creation of this service?

“As seen with the web invitations I mentioned earlier, the pandemic, despite being a difficult event, spurred DX in the bridal industry. However, due to a significant drop in revenue, most companies operating wedding venues halted recruitment for two years. Consequently, when wedding demand returned, a new challenge of staff shortages emerged. With the number of cases per staff member increasing, 'operational efficiency' became crucial.

Furthermore, experiencing a complete loss of sales during the pandemic made the industry realize the risks of relying on a one-time business model. This led to an increase in companies considering strategies for 'lifetime customer development.' To support the IT adoption and DX of an industry that hadn't seen significant business model changes for a long time, we developed and released 'Oiwaii.'”

—What kind of team structure was behind the creation of TAIAN's appealing services?

“Actually, when we released "Concept Marry," most of the members besides myself were still involved part-time. At that time, we were registered with a virtual office and didn't have a fixed office, so we used to borrow space at a friend's shop on weekend afternoons for meetings… (laughs).

A few months later, as more full-time members joined, we moved into a shared office with private rooms in Gotanda. At the time, many startups and venture companies were based in Gotanda, which was one of the reasons for choosing that location. However, we weren't generating much revenue then, so our priority was purely 'affordability.'”

—What changes occurred after you moved into your first shared office?

“Being close to my home at the time, having a stable Wi-Fi environment, and having private rooms where we could gather with members at any time were significant advantages.

However, as time went on, I started to feel that 'the atmosphere of the office might not suit TAIAN...' This was because interaction with other tenants in the shared office wasn't very active, and I thought moving to a more vibrant office would provide better stimulation for the members who came in. Also, the number of full-time employees increased, making the Gotanda office feel cramped, which was another reason we started considering a move.”

—At that time, you applied for the "Rent, Paid with Dreams" project, which Sun Frontier Real Estate was recruiting for with the opening of "LIT," an office building for startups. Is that correct?

“That's right. I learned about this project when I visited a friend's office. At the time, it was just a casual chat, like 'Oh, there are offices like this.' But a few months later, that friend contacted me, saying, 'Ms. Murata, weren't you looking for a shared office? They seem to be running this kind of campaign, why don't you apply?' I thought it was an interesting system and applied, and we were selected!

However, our company needed space for six people, and "LIT" didn't have any available private rooms for six people... Then, thanks to the kindness of Sun Frontier Real Estate, we were offered a spot in "A YOTSUYA," a shared office that had just opened. This office wasn't originally part of the project, but we were able to move in for a year under exceptionally favorable terms.”

—What were your impressions when you toured "A YOTSUYA"?

“I fell in love with both the exterior and interior at first sight, and my spirits soared the moment I stepped inside the office! (laughs) What I found particularly appealing was the abundance of communication spaces. There were many areas where we could interact while having lunch or playing board games, and I loved the sense of diversity, where you could change your mood just by moving to a different spot. The indoor facilities were also more than adequate, so we decided to move into "A YOTSUYA" without comparing it with other offices.”

—What was the reaction of your team members after moving to "A YOTSUYA"?

“Like me, they were surprised by the high quality of the office. Also, the fact that we could enjoy delicious coffee from 'Brooklyn Roasting Company' for free every day seemed to delight our coffee-loving members. And, as one of the goals of moving the office, it also boosted the enthusiasm of potential candidates when they came for interviews, making them think, 'I could work in an office like this if I joined!'”

—What changes did you personally experience before and after the office relocation?

“The 'pleasant office atmosphere,' which was the biggest challenge before the move, improved dramatically. If we had any problems, the community managers stationed at the office would provide immediate support, and they would organize gatherings with other tenants after work, sometimes even enjoying board games together. It was a warm atmosphere, filled with truly wonderful memories.

Also, there's a ping pong table in the basement, and our engineers often held meetings while hitting the ball back and forth with rackets (laughs). It was a place that made coming to work enjoyable for both me and the other members.”

—"A YOTSUYA" seems to have been a very comfortable shared office for everyone at TAIAN. Why did you decide to leave "A YOTSUYA" and move your office?

“While it's a happy problem, our business started to gain traction, and we had more members join. Also, the frequency of business meetings and consultations increased, making it difficult to book meeting rooms when multiple meetings were scheduled simultaneously. These factors prompted us to start looking for a new office. Therefore, our conditions for the new location were 'multiple meeting spaces available for constant use' and 'an office space where all members could come in four days a week.'”

—Among the multiple candidate properties, you ultimately decided to move into a "setup office" managed by Sun Frontier Real Estate. What was the deciding factor?

“The fact that the furniture was already partially in place made it easier to visualize working in that office after moving in, which I found to be a great advantage of setup offices. I also viewed conventional rental offices, but I couldn't really imagine turning a completely empty space into an office...

With a setup office, the power supply is already installed, allowing for a quick startup. It also offers the advantage of lower costs if we need to relocate again in the future. In fact, the fact that it only took about two months from the start of our search to the move-in date is also a benefit unique to setup offices.

The setup office we chose has meeting rooms and consultation spaces, as well as phone booths, which makes it easier to have meetings. I was also attracted by the spacious balcony, which seems perfect for working outdoors on sunny days or having small get-togethers.”

—Did you consider moving to a shared office with larger private rooms than "A YOTSUYA"?

“'A YOTSUYA' was such a great property that if I were to move to another shared office, I would have preferred to stay at 'A YOTSUYA' (laughs). So, if we were to move, our only option was to establish our own independent office.”

—What changes have you seen since moving to your current office?

“The biggest change is that it's become easier to hold meetings with both internal and external parties now that we have our own independent office. Especially for online meetings, when we were in the shared office, we often experienced minor communication stress, like Wi-Fi disconnections when moving between floors. However, in our current office, the entire floor is our space, so we can always work with a stable internet connection.

Also, since the office space is larger, we were able to purchase larger displays than before, which I believe has improved the working environment for our engineers.”

If I had to mention something unexpected after the move, it would be that we planned to utilize the balcony more, but the balcony gets incredibly hot in midsummer... (laughs). Also, this isn't a complaint about the property itself, but our members grew faster than expected, so we've recently felt that having a bit more spare space would be good.”

—Having experienced two office relocations, what do you believe are the important points for startups when choosing an office?

“I believe the keyword is 'gathering.' A space where the entire team can gather, or where small groups of two or three can easily meet and communicate. A space that facilitates both large and small gatherings is crucial. Especially for startups, the line between casual chat and work talk is often blurred among members. They discuss business, organization, and recruitment during breaks, so a vibrant space that makes people want to come to the office is essential for generating new ideas from casual conversations.

It's no exaggeration to say that the office is a 'member of the team' that represents the company's culture.”

—Finally, could you tell us about TAIAN's future prospects? You have primarily focused on services that support DX promotion in the bridal industry so far.

“Moving forward, as we expand our business, we want to focus more on increasing the energy generated by people meeting each other and the happy moments that arise from the convergence of many coincidences and destinies.

The wedding culture we are currently involved in is precisely a wonderful culture that allows people to reaffirm the connections they've made throughout their lives and use them as a foundation for their future journey. We are currently discussing what other areas might allow people to feel a stronger sense of connection with others and society.

While we cannot publicly share specific business details at this time, we are discussing with our members businesses that can contribute to society through marketing and IT, so we hope you will follow our future developments.”

*Article content is as of October 26, 2023.