Startups must scale up and become role models, increase talent pool

• The journey will be rough but valuable lessons will be learnt
• Determining purpose is crucial to the growth of startups

IN THE past two to three years, Indonesia’s digital economic growth has been driven by the growth of its startup ecosystem.

Bukalapak chief executive officer and founder Achmad Zaky, PT Citarasa Prima Indonesia Berjaya (CRP Group) founder Stefanie Kurniadi, and Kata.ai chief executive officer Irzan Raditya shared their journey as entrepreneurs at Endeavor’s Scale-Up Asia 2018 Conference in Jakarta recently.

Stefani who operates in the culinary industry says she had to pivot her initial small design agency because of her passion for the culinary arts.

“Me and my partners started this company from scratch, without imagining what will happen in the future. The way we solve problems in the business taught us to be mature.”

As reported by Kontan, CRP Group owns a few restaurant brands including Warunk Upnormal and Nasi Goreng Mafia with a total of 115 outlets.

Achmad aims make a difference for local SMEs with the help of technology.

“To reach where I am today, every small action that I do every day counts. It’s like a snowball, it takes time and failure but we have to fight for it.”

In 2015, Irzan started a company called Yesboss to provide virtual chatting services before he initiated Kata.ai. To him, being an entrepreneur is a roller coaster ride.

“Because of limited resources, we have to use all resources creatively to build the business.”

To them, a scaled-up business could impact others by building a talent pool and becoming a role model.

Achmad says, “SME are also included as entrepreneurs. We want to make them scale-able and modernise them so it can boost their competitive level.”

For Stefanie, rather than being a role model, she picked Blue Blue Bird Group president director Noni Purnomo as hers.

“To build a sustainable business, a company has to take care of the staff and partners because, they help us to survive and I can see how Blue Bird has added value to all employees.”

She also adds that it’s her goal to elevate her company so she can local brands to the global market.

When asked about tips and trick for fellow entrepreneurs, Achmad comments, “Do not be like me. We cannot follow other people, we have to find our own happiness.

“Pick the positive side from your role models and have it as a guide to achieve your dreams.”

Irzan adds,” Determining your purpose is important and as you grow, you have to care about your staff by giving them a chance to develop themselves. By then, they will commit to you.”

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Boosting high-impact entrepreneurship in Indonesia

Endeavor drives high-impact entrepreneurship in Indonesia

Entrepreneurship: The value of cross-sector mentorship

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