From ¥15 Million in Debt and Depression to ¥37.7 Million in a Single Day—The Comeback Strategy That Changed Everything

His nickname in junior high and high school was “NEET.” He failed every job application, developed depression, and was scammed in an investment scheme that left him with ¥15 million in debt. How did this young man, who experienced the depths of despair in his early twenties, manage to turn his life around?

This is the story of how he confronted his inability to fit into organizations and, through the digital content platform “Note,” generated ¥37.71 million in sales in a single day—a dramatic comeback filled with real struggles and hard-won success.

Nicknamed “NEET” in Junior High

Racco (a pseudonym) says he began considering alternatives to being a salaried employee when he was in college. However, the signs were already visible during his teenage years.

“My nickname in junior high and high school was ‘NEET.’ I wasn’t being bullied—it was just that I was always saying I didn’t want to work. People figured if I hated the idea of working that much, I must be a future NEET.”

(Racco; all quotations below are his.)

“My father worked overseas and would come back to Japan from time to time. Whenever I saw him, he’d joke, ‘I don’t want to work anymore. I want to quit my job.’ Hearing that over and over as a child, I guess I became convinced that working was miserable and that becoming a company employee meant the end of your life.”

In college, he got a part-time job at a variety goods store. However, he struggled so much that even after six months he still hadn’t completed training. Through that experience, he realized he wasn’t suited to working within organizations and began aiming to become financially independent by starting his own business.

Rock Bottom: ¥15 million in debt

Looking for a quick way to make money, he turned to investing—and ended up being scammed, leaving him approximately ¥15 million in debt.

“I’d been telling my friends that I was going to become an entrepreneur. Because of that, I stopped going to university almost entirely and eventually developed depression. The financial pressure of debt is enormous. The stress was so intense that my hair started thinning even though I was only in my early twenties. Nobody in my family was bald.”

He temporarily gave up on entrepreneurship and tried job hunting instead. But because of his mental and physical condition—and his growing desperation—he failed every application.

One time, a company instructed applicants to come in casual attire (“heifuku”), and he mistakenly interpreted that as private clothes, showing up in everyday wear.

¥37.71 million in sales on note in a single day

It was during this darkest period that he discovered a ray of hope: Note.

“I learned that an acquaintance was making money on Note, so I researched it myself. I found that you could start with zero upfront costs. As long as you had a computer and a smartphone, you could write and sell articles from anywhere. The profit margins were incredibly high. For someone like me, who had debt and no capital, Note was the one and only best option.”

After conducting extensive research and preparation, he published his first paid article.

The results exceeded even his own expectations.

His article sold at an astonishing rate immediately after release, generating ¥37.71 million in sales on the very first day.

“For a while, I honestly couldn’t understand what was happening. But the first thing I did was pay off all my debt.”

The Key to Success: The Three Fundamental Desires

Why was Rakko, who started out as a complete unknown, able to succeed? It was because he prioritized what readers wanted above all else, rather than simply sharing information for his own satisfaction.

According to Rakko, human beings are driven by three fundamental desires: the desire to reproduce (romance, beauty, etc.), the desire for recognition (attention on social media, career advancement, etc.), and the desire for money (earning income, etc.).

“I use these three desires as the foundation and choose a niche that exists within those areas. If you do some research on social media, you’ll quickly notice that articles and videos with large audiences are almost always related to one of these fields. From among them—and I’ll repeat this—you don’t need to be an expert. Just pick a topic you know a little about or are interested in, and start sharing information about it.”

What are the life-turnaround techniques that anyone can put into practice that Rakko learned through countless failures after overcoming depression and massive debt to rebuild his life with his own hands?

The paid version of “FRIDAY Subscription” introduces in detail his methods for becoming someone who can genuinely help solve readers’ problems even without specialized knowledge, how to gather and absorb useful information, and how to create an environment that helps overcome common psychological barriers such as “I’m afraid of failing” or “I care too much about what other people think.”

It also provides a detailed look at new forms of self-realization in the age of AI and practical methods for maintaining consistent action over the long term.

▼ Rakko — He started a business at age 19 but failed to achieve success, ending up with 15 million yen in debt. The stress led to depression, and he hit rock bottom when all of his job applications were rejected. From there, he found a lifeline in the digital content platform “Note.” Using his own unique marketing methods, his first paid article generated a record-breaking 37.71 million yen in sales within 24 hours of publication. He continued to earn steady profits afterward, and his cumulative sales eventually exceeded 200 million yen. By age 24, he had achieved side FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and now lives in Poland. While continuing his note business, he also operates real-world businesses there, including restaurants and beauty salons. His hobbies include walking his dog, strength training, martial arts, studying English, campfires, and traveling around the world. He is the author of “The Ultimate Side Hustle with note × AI, Taught by a Professional Who Generated 200 Million Yen in Sales” (KADOKAWA).

■ Click here to purchase “The Ultimate Side Hustle with note × AI, Taught by a Professional Who Generated 200 Million Yen in Sales.”