Holding up half the sky: Page 2 of 3

Diajeng Lestari, founder and CEO of HIJUP.com, Indonesia’s largest Muslim fashion online store

For Diajeng (pic above), it was spirituality that is at the core of her decision to become an entrepreneur. “The first thing that inspired me to become an entrepreneur is because I’m Muslim and I was inspired by our prophet, Mohammad. He and his wife, Khadijah, were entrepreneurs and so were his friends,” she says, adding that the concept of ‘zakah’ which means having assets to give back to society, also inspired her.

An early challenge she faced as an entrepreneur was underestimation. “People usually assume that entrepreneurs are mostly men, and underestimate women. But, I’m really lucky because my husband is really supportive to me.”

Many people rejected her in the early days including investors, who asked her what would happen if she got pregnant and had a baby and hence couldn’t continue her business, while others said she couldn’t do it because it was too hard.

“But, I believe that it’s not about the gender issue. Both men and women can do the same good job,” she affirms.

Her role model as an entrepreneur has been the prophet and she points out that he couldn’t even read and write when he received the Al-Quran. “I think every person has the same opportunity to learn as long as they have motivation, and in my perspective as a Muslim, God has a unique way of elevating your life if you have a very strong faith. Therefore, I think I’m doing the business because of faith and motivation, and I learn a lot during this six years. I don’t have formal business education, but I learn a lot and I think now we can learn from everywhere. Moreover, in this is digital era we can learn from anywhere, any resource, and we can learn from everybody.”

The toughest decision Diajeng has had to make as an entrepreneur is shuttering one of her businesses, a print magazine called Laiqa Magazine.

“I think this was a good decision because we had to save cash and the revenue model. So we moved to a digital platform and we rebranded the magazine to Hijup magazine, in digital form.”

What has she learned from her journey so far? “I think very strong motivation is really needed nowadays, because we’re in the modern era. If you want to be really idealistic and make an impactful business, you have to realise that you need to solve the real problem and face the real business situation. Therefore, sometimes if you face a pragmatic situation, don’t leave your idealism.”

Her advice to young women aspiring to be entrepreneurs is to start with the things they really want to solve. “For example if you really want to be an entrepreneur choose the field that you are comfortable with the most. Not because you want to live in the comfort zone but if you like that field you can explore it more.

“Next, you have to innovate it, which means that you have to look for something different and make a better service or product that fits the market. The third one is just do it, it doesn’t mean that you do not calculate the risk but if you do that, you can learn from your mistakes rather than read a book and didn’t try to apply that. Being unique is also important, because it’s already a very noisy market, so you have to differentiate your product or service. The last one is pray, keep balancing your life, because this is a very long journey so you have to be very relaxed.”

Shinta Dhanuwardoyo, founder of Bubu.com, Indonesia’s leading digital agency

Shinta’s (pic above) decision to become an entrepreneur started with her love of technology, she says. “When I was pursuing my MBA degree, and worked part time at the university’s computer lab, I learned about technology and the Internet. It was then that I was officially hooked on technology, and I truly believed the Internet was going to be such a powerful media.”

She adds: “Therefore, at the heart of it all, I decided to become a tech entrepreneur because I was very passionate about technology, and I also wanted to bring Indonesia forward through the power of technology.”

Her early challenges involved educating people about the Internet as she set up Bubu in 1996, when most people in Indonesia hadn’t even heard of the Internet. “So, when we approached prospective clients, we also had to educate them about the importance of having a presence on the Internet, and that was quite challenging for us.

“As a female entrepreneur, obviously it wasn’t very easy to be in a male-dominated field like technology. There were several instances in my early days as an entrepreneur, in which a lot of people did not believe me when I told them I was the CEO of my own company. However, I did not let that deter me from working hard to create excellent results for my company,” she explains.

On role models, Shinta says that Bill Gates was an important role model for her. “To me, he was a visionary, and he was incredibly ambitious. His successes convinced me to dream big as an entrepreneur, but more importantly he inspired me to take action and execute on my vision.

“I’d also like to add that as a women leader, my most important role model was my grandmother, Supeni. She was one of Indonesia’s first female diplomats, and she was sent by President Soekarno to represent the Indonesian delegates in the UN back in the 1960s. She was a figure in my life that truly inspired me to become a leader.”

When asked about the toughest decision she’s made as an entrepreneur, Shinta says: “Over the course of 20 years as a tech entrepreneur, I have closed down many companies – probably over 10 companies. Of course, shutting down a company you have built with all your hard work is never an easy decision.”

On what she has learnt from her journey so far, Shinta says as an entrepreneur tenacity and resilience is incredibly important. “Life as an entrepreneur is going to be a continuous rollercoaster ride, and there will be so many up and downs. Therefore, it is important that an entrepreneur is able to rise back up after facing difficulties, and quickly adapt to changing situations.”

Her advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs? “The first thing I would tell aspiring women entrepreneurs is to not be afraid to take risks and execute your ideas immediately. I tell this to all entrepreneurs: idea without execution is just a hobby. It does not matter if you have such an incredibly brilliant business idea, if you don’t take action and turn that idea into a reality, then you cannot call yourself an entrepreneur just yet.”

She also advises young women to not be scared to take the plunge into technology. “It is time we move away from the assumption that technology is a male-dominated field, and that women cannot be good entrepreneurs. Success is never defined by someone’s gender, rather it is defined by hard work, determination and tenacity. I would also like to urge women entrepreneurs to also encourage and inspire fellow women to become entrepreneurs.”

Next page: Staying on the roller-coaster and enjoying the ride