What Freelance does

株式会社フリーランス (Freelance Inc.) is a Fukuoka-based professional services firm that provides bundled outsourced back-office support to Japanese small businesses with 20 or fewer employees. Founded in 2017 by Suzuki Takato (current representative director: Gotō Nobuko), the company is organized into five specialized service divisions — 帥鏡 (Suikyo, business management consulting), 機人 (Kijin, IT systems support), MCP (PR/branding and creative production), STC (product development and sales channel expansion), and 信弦 (Shingen, HR and labor relations). Clients can engage individual divisions or assemble custom combinations, and the firm also produces ancillary physical and content products such as the Creator Pot planter and a Goto Islands guidebook.

The company operates as a collective of freelance specialists rather than a technology product company — core technology is not publicly disclosed, no proprietary software, app, API, or AI/ML capability is offered, and the IT division's distinguishing feature is a white-list security approach (only pre-approved programs permitted to run). Revenue is earned through hourly or project-based professional services engagements, with disclosed IT partner compensation of 2,500–12,000 JPY/hour; end-client pricing is not publicly published. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on direct inquiry (web form, phone, email, LINE), word-of-mouth referrals, and ties to the Fukuoka University Faculty of Commerce and local business networks.

Freelance Inc. is privately held with no external venture or institutional funding, registered capital of 1,000,000 JPY, and 6 documented personnel (1 executive, 1 employee, 4 freelance partners plus 1 partner company) as of October 2025. Disclosed FY2020 (July 2020) revenue was 33,000,000 JPY, up from 21,000,000 JPY in FY2019; no subsequent revenue figures have been disclosed. Strategic activity since 2021 includes the launch of the Suikyo management-consulting division (Nov 2021), a virtual-office partnership with Customer Plus Co., Ltd. (Aug 2022), publication of a Goto Islands guidebook (Oct 2022), and registration as a Fukuoka Prefecture 'One Health Declaration Business' (2023).

Name

Freelance

Legal name

株式会社フリーランス

Website

https://freelance-inc.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Freelance Inc. is a Fukuoka-based professional services firm that provides bundled outsourced IT, HR, PR/branding, product development, and management consulting to Japanese small businesses with 20 or fewer employees, delivered through five specialized service divisions and a network of freelance specialists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Back-Office Outsourcing Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Office Administrative Services (5611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

HR Service Delivery & Employee Contact Centers (HR Helpdesk) (BPACAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payroll Outsourcing & Pay Administration (Multi-country/Managed Payroll) (BPACAKAD), Agent of Record (AOR) / Contractor Engagement Services (BPACAGAB), Product Lifecycle, NPI & Industrialization (Design-to-Operate) (BPAHAHAK)

Keywords

• Small business outsourcing
• IT systems support
• HR consulting services
• PR branding services
• Business management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Fukuoka-shi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Indirect Business Support & Outsourcing Services: Freelance Inc. provides bundled outsourced administrative services to small businesses (≤20 employees) through five specialized departments: 帥鏡 (management), 機人 (IT), MCP (PR/branding), STC (product development/sales), and 信弦 (HR/labor). Revenue is earned through professional services engagements, typically billed on an hourly or project basis.
2. Freelance Independence Support & Education: Supporting freelancers in establishing independent businesses and providing education on workstyles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freelance Inc. provides bundled outsourced administrative services to small businesses (≤20 employees) through five specialized departments: business management consulting (Suikyo), IT systems support (Kijin), PR/branding (MCP), product development and sales channels (STC), and HR/labor management (Shingen). Services are sold individually or in combinations tailored to each client, with revenue earned through professional service engagements billed on hourly or project bases, plus adjacent offerings including a proprietary planter product (Creator Pot) and a published guidebook on the Goto Islands.

Product overview

株式会社フリーランス operates as a professional services firm specializing in comprehensive back-office support for small companies (20 employees or fewer) and freelancers. The company is organized into 5 divisions (5つの部署): 帥鏡 (business management consulting), 機人 (IT systems support), MCP (PR/branding), STC (product development/sales channels), and 信弦 (HR/labor relations). These divisions can be engaged individually or in combinations, with services provided by teams of freelance specialists. The company also develops proprietary products such as クリエイポット (Creator Pot planter).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 機人 (Kijin): IT systems support and management services for small businesses
• MCP (Monkey Child Products)
• STC
• 信弦 (Shingen)
• 帥鏡 (Suikyo)

Products and services

• Suikyo (帥鏡) - Business Management Consulting Business management consulting and support service providing problem identification, management plan creation, PDCA execution support, and manager training for small companies.
• Kijin (機人) - IT Systems Support IT systems support and outsourcing service providing computer/systems maintenance, IT procurement, operational environment improvement, IT help desk, security measures, and IT information research and sharing, including a white-list based security approach.
• MCP (Monkey Child Products) - PR and Branding PR, publicity, and branding support service providing external PR staffing, brand value discovery, and creative production and direction for print, web, and social media.
• STC - Product Development and Sales Channels Product development and sales channel expansion service supporting product commercialization, re-commercialization of existing products, marketing for products under development, event/exhibition support, and wholesale/buyer sales.
• Shingen (信弦) - HR and Labor Relations Support HR and labor relations support service providing recruitment support, employee counseling/career consulting, harassment consultation, HR/labor strategy development, payroll/attendance management, policy creation, labor management support, and subsidy assistance.
• Creator Pot (クリエイポット) Polyethylene Planter A proprietary polyethylene planter product developed over approximately three years, featuring drainage that prevents drowning while allowing roots to grow, lightweight indoor-friendly design, and consumer-friendly aesthetics; product developed by Freelance Inc. as a physical consumer good.
• Enjoying the Goto Islands (離島を楽しむ 五島列島) Photoguidebook A published 144-page photoguidebook about the Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture covering island-by-island characteristics, culture, history, food, and people, published by 辰巳出版 in October 2022.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue grew from 2,100万円 (FY2019) to 3,300万円 (FY2020)

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 株式会社カスタマープラス (Customer Plus Co., Ltd.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2022Business partnership established in August 2022 for virtual office services. Freelance Inc.'s Fukuoka-based freelancers can access Tokyo business addresses through Customer Plus's 11 locations across Tokyo. The service is marketed to freelancers needing a Tokyo presence for client projects, priced attractively (under 10,000 JPY/month). Both companies support the freelance community through this collaboration.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• freee K.K. Japanese SaaS company offering cloud accounting, HR/payroll, and compliance tools for SMBs. Comparable to Freelance Inc. as an outsourced back-office solution for Japanese small businesses, though delivered as self-service SaaS rather than high-touch services.
• Money Forward: Major Japanese financial/SMB SaaS provider (accounting, HR, payroll) with a large SMB customer base. Comparable to Freelance Inc. because both target outsourced back-office functions for Japanese SMBs, though Money Forward is a scaled SaaS incumbent.
• BIPROGY (formerly Nihon Unisys): Large Japanese IT services and consulting firm serving SMBs through packaged solutions. Comparable to Freelance Inc.'s '機人' IT division in serving Japanese SMB IT needs, but at enterprise scale and a broader portfolio.
• Hennge: Japanese cloud security and SaaS integration provider serving SMB and enterprise clients. Comparable to Freelance Inc.'s white-list security positioning in protecting Japanese SMB IT environments, though as a SaaS product rather than a service.
• Yay! Inc. (Yay! HR / Yay! Accounting): Japanese SMB-focused HR and accounting outsourcing SaaS/services firm. Comparable to Freelance Inc.'s '信弦' (HR/labor) division and overall SMB outsourcing positioning, though delivering mostly through SaaS rather than embedded services.

Direct peers

• Pe-BANK: Japanese freelance IT engineer dispatch and contract services firm. Directly comparable to Freelance Inc.'s '機人' (Kijin) IT division because it provides IT staffing and project support to Japanese SMBs using a freelance model.
• Lancers: Japanese freelance platform focused on connecting freelancers with SMB clients. Comparable to Freelance Inc. because both serve as the 'glue' between independent professionals and Japanese small businesses needing outsourced support, though Lancers is a marketplace rather than a service-delivery firm.
• CrowdTech (Cloudworks): Japanese freelance IT/engineer matching platform by Crowdtech Inc. Comparable to Freelance Inc. because both operate at the intersection of freelance talent and SMB IT support needs in Japan, with a shared emphasis on serving smaller clients.

Others

• Customer Plus Co., Ltd. Japanese virtual office provider with 11 Tokyo locations. Strategic partner (August 2022) of Freelance Inc. for offering Tokyo business addresses to Fukuoka-based freelancers. Listed as an ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Change Holdings: Japanese consulting and training firm focused on SME management consulting and DX support. Comparable to Freelance Inc.'s '帥鏡' (Saikyo) division offering business management consulting and PDCA support for small Japanese companies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/freelance.inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freelance