Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo
Featured Member - Neil Riley

Interview - September 2006

Neil Riley - WeLoveSnow.com
Managing Director & co-founder

Neil is Managing Director and co-founder of the online travel agency WeLoveSnow.com. Neil first came to Japan in 1994 to study Japanese at Fukuoka University. He went on to a career in finance in London and Tokyo, working for Japanese and European banks until November 2004. Due to his work with WeLoveSnow, in August 2006 Neil was elected as a ‘Spokesperson for Niigata Tourism’ by the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport.

Profile of WeLoveSnow.com
WeLoveSnow.com promotes Japan Ski and Snowboard holidays to western markets. The website offers real-time, online booking in English for train tickets, accommodation, ski passes and rental. The company is based in Yuzawa town – 77 minutes by bullet train from Tokyo, in Niigata prefecture. The company is a promotional vehicle for this town and the surrounding areas, where there are 20 ski resorts with 20 minutes drive from Yuzawa station.

1. When did you start your first business? What was it? What lessons did you take away from that experience?
WeLoveSnow.com is the first real business venture that I have started – it’s a world away from my previous life working in finance, but something that I’d always wanted to do. I was just waiting for the right business opportunity to come along.

2. What are some of the challenges you have faced in starting your business and how did you overcome them?
The major challenge was red tape – this was overcome with sheer hard work, stubbornness, and a lot of help from Akiko, one of the WeLoveSnow.com directors.

In the beginning it was very difficult to find bilingual Japanese staff with Japan travel industry experience in Yuzawa, a town of only 8,000 population. Rikunabi was the rather expensive solution.

3. How did you form your business? (Yugen Kaisha, Kabushiki Kaisha, etc.) How long did the start-up process take?
We set the business up as a Kabushiki Kaisha – this was before the Japanese company law changed in May 2006 – set up took 2 months, though largely held up by the appallingly slow and inept nature of Japanese banks.

Setting up the company was less difficult than obtaining a travel agency licence. We are the only western-owned member of the Japan Association of Travel Agents with a Category 2 Travel Agency licence. This allows us to create and sell our own domestic packages – transport, accommodation, ski passes, rental, etc. It took another 3 months to get this licence – we were the nail protruding from the plank of wood, and gave the bureaucrats a lot to think about.

4. Where do you see your business in 5 years?
WeLoveSnow will be the premier brand name for winter sports in Japan.

We will have helped changed global market perception, so that Japan is seen as a mainstream winter sports destination.

We will have developed other brands to introduce other activities in Japan. There is so much more of this country to see, but too many people think that Japan is just Temples & Tokyo.

5. Do you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Why?
Yes - because I had the balls to give up my career in banking and set up a company do something that I believed in.

6. What is your definition of an entrepreneur?
Someone with ambition, innovation, risk appetite, and a fair bit of madness. Not always in that order.

7. What piece of advice would you give to a person wanting to start his or her own business in Japan?
Do a lot of homework, be extremely thorough in making your business plan, and accept that after establishing the company, business set-up will take at least twice as long as you think. Chances are that a lot of people will not fully understand your business case – you have to be extremely focused and stubborn to push things through.

8. Can you recommend any resources such as books, websites, or support centers for entrepreneurs in Japan?
JETRO were a great help in seeking advice at the beginning. Though we didn’t use this service, they offer temporary Tokyo office facilities for people wanting to set up a business in Japan.

9. Who are your mentors in business?
There are 4 other founding directors at WeLoveSnow.com – resident in Hong Kong, London, and Tokyo. All are a great source of help and support.

10. What makes you happy?
Ripping through fresh, untouched powder snow whilst snowboarding on a cold, crisp day with clear blue skies, stunning views of the Japanese alps, and the sun shining.