The best kind of friends are free.
Shoji Morimoto, 39, has been hired more than 4,000 times since starting his unique “tenant” business in 2018 and, until recently, was paid for “doing nothing.”
But now, the creative entrepreneur has revealed that he is done charging his clients money to spend time with him.
“We started a service called ‘People who rent nothing,’” Morimoto posted on X in September.
“Please use it in situations where the presence of only one person is required, such as shops that are difficult to enter alone, adjusting the number of people for games and finding places to see cherry blossoms. The price is free.”
Clients now have the luxury of allowing Morimoto to grace their presence by simply reimbursing his travel expenses and any food and beverages consumed during his meetings.
Shoji Morimoto started his unique “people for hire” business in 2018.
Unfortunately, those looking for deep conversations or building personal relationships are out of luck.
“I can do nothing but give you a very simple answer,” the Japanese businessman wrote in his post.
The reason for the change in business strategy came from Morimoto’s own self-interest — it was fun for him, he revealed in his recently released memoir, “The Hired Man Who Did Nothing.”
“Do-nothing Rental gives me a similar type of passive entertainment, although, in this case, I am a service provider rather than a service user,” he wrote in his book, according to Business Insider.
Given his success, Morimoto has revealed that he is done charging his clients money to spend time with him. Reuters
Morimoto used to charge about $68 per session — 10,000 Japanese yen — to hang out with various clients for various reasons.
Before COVID-19, Morimoto revealed he earned close to $300 per day.
As the end of the epidemic subsided and the lockdown restrictions eased, his business began to bounce back.
Over the years, clients have hired her for everything from casual coffee meetings and social interactions to more whimsical sessions.
He details how he was once hired to watch a wife search through the trenches of an online dating site to find her husband.
Morimoto chats with his client, Aruna Chida, at a cafe in Tokyo, Japan, on August 31, 2022. REUTERS
“He screams (as in his DMs) every 10 minutes or so. At one stage, she made a mistake with the app, clicking ‘Like’ for a guy she wanted to skip. He was staring at the ceiling and looked very upset,” Morimoto wrote, according to Business Insider.
Nevertheless, she said she had a “delicious afternoon tea and really enjoyed” herself during their meeting.
Morimoto also wrote that he once had to accompany a client to file their divorce papers in court.
Surprisingly, she was also hired to be there for clients during deeply personal moments.
Over the years, clients have hired her for everything from casual coffee meetings and social interactions to more whimsical sessions. Reuters
He shared that he once saw clients leave as they departed from the train station, while on another occasion, he greeted clients at the marathon finish line.
Despite being labeled a “new age gigolo” by critics, the savvy entrepreneur has boundaries when it comes to his clients.
For one, no sex.
A married man with children, Morimoto revealed in his book that he once turned down clients who asked to have sex with him.
Before COVID-19, Morimoto revealed he earned close to $300 per day. Instagram/Shoji Morimoto
Another ban for him — pop concerts.
“I’ve turned down a few requests to go to pop concerts too,” he wrote.
“I don’t know much about music, and most of the concerts I’ve been asked to go to are by artists I’ve never heard of.”
He also turned down a job to move refrigerators and travel to Cambodia.
Clients now have the luxury of allowing Morimoto to grace their presence by simply reimbursing his travel expenses and any food and beverages consumed during his meetings. Instagram/Shoji Morimoto
The self-described “introvert” hinted that being hired to keep people company was a good fit for his personality.
“The customer wants to do something, and I just follow along. No deep commitment is expected and no personality is required,” he wrote in his memoirs.
One of her clients, Aruna Chida, a 27-year-old data analyst from Japan, explained that she hired him for her company so that he didn’t feel the need to “treat” her like she would a real friend.
“With my friends, I feel I have to entertain them,” Chida said of Morimoto’s service in 2022. “But with tenants, I don’t feel the need to chat.”
“It’s funny that someone like Rental Person should be in demand. I guess you could say my lack of personality has become my ‘product,'” Morimoto wrote.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
