# Ryuichiro Shimoda
Profile
Independent Media Operator
Growth hacking, web direction, development, and infrastructure — for my own media
Tokyo, Japan · Self-employed · Open to full-time, contract, multi-client, or advisory arrangements
Summary
Since 2007 I have run my own business in e-commerce and specialised media. For a baby-products media outlet I handle everything myself: planning and writing articles, paid purchase consultations, and maintaining the product database.
Over the past year I have built and now operate nine web services for my own business using generative-AI development. I also have hands-on experience in network infrastructure and in internal IT operations and help desk work.
Areas of Work
Growth & Marketing
SEO · web analytics · paid ads (GDN / YDN / Google Ads) · conversion-path design · subscription monetisation · content planning
E-commerce & Web Direction
site design · wireframing · direction of outsourced designers · project management · WordPress
Development & Automation
generative-AI development (Claude / Cursor) · Google Apps Script · Gemini API · HTML / CSS / JavaScript / PHP / PowerShell
IT Infrastructure & Support
Cisco networking · Solaris / Windows Server · DNS · virtualisation · help desk · vendor coordination
Languages
Japanese (native) · English (business level; worked on assignment in Thailand)
Experience
Specialised Media Operator — Self-employed2012 – Present
- Founded and run a baby-products media outlet. It currently has 12,000 monthly unique users.
- Built a recurring billing setup (note.com / Stripe), and have delivered 300+ paid purchase consultations and 100+ hands-on product tests.
- Designed and built a 1,208-product database and an AI recommendation system (Google Apps Script and the Gemini API) that selects products from questionnaire answers. About 1,500 people used it in its first year.
- Provide editorial supervision for publishers, and have product-monitor relationships with domestic and international baby-product brands.
- Over the past year, released nine web services built with generative-AI development.
Web Director / Technical Advisor — Own sole-proprietorship office2015 – 2024
- For a yoga and fitness e-commerce site, handled site design and the management of a redesign project, wireframing, direction of outsourced designers, and coordination with the in-house team (monthly revenue over the engagement: ¥5M → ¥10M).
- Provided outsourced e-commerce and media operations, and technical advisory work, to several clients.
Director / Web Producer — a company operating a yoga portal and e-commerce site2009 – 2015
- Directed the company’s own portal site and e-commerce store, and ran SEO, web analytics, and paid-ad operations.
- Produced roughly two external contract projects per month.
Founder — own limited liability company2007 – 2011
- Took on web production and e-commerce development work on contract, combining infrastructure knowledge from earlier roles with web production as the basis for working independently.
Infrastructure & Internal IT Operations — fixed-term engagements2002 – 2024
- Internal IT operations and help desk (2022–2024, dispatch, a highway-infrastructure research institute): about 190 users, roughly 200 Windows machines and an Active Directory environment across two sites. Handled support requests, PC setup, IT asset management, server operations and monitoring, and escalation to vendors. Also compared vendors and prepared the decision documents for introducing a closed-network service.
- Network engineer (2002–2005, systems integrator): built and troubleshot Cisco switches and routers and Solaris servers, and built small to mid-sized networks.
- Earlier work includes system administration for around 100 Macintosh clients, bridge direction while stationed at an office in Thailand, and localisation and web coding for an international conference site.
Since 2007 my own business has been the main activity, with fixed-term contract and dispatch work running alongside it. The fixed-term engagements above were all taken on in that way.
Education & Certifications
2000B.A., Faculty of Commerce
2000Web production professional course (completed)
2001–2003CCNP · CCDA · CCNA (Cisco) / Sun Certified System Administrator and Network Administrator (Solaris)
* Not renewed and now expired; listed as a record of qualifications obtained.
2005AFP (Financial Planning Level 2) · BATIC Accountant Level · TOEIC 880