How I decided to start my own company
I have always had a passion for making my own money, or you could say, running a business. Big or small, I’ve always loved it. My curiosity towards expressing my creativity and making money started at a young age. The reason for this could be is that my mum is also a businesswoman, particularly in the F&B industry. I can remember wanting to grow up like her. When they asked me in preschool what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, ‘a businesswoman’.
In elementary school, I wanted to get pet hamsters, and my mother said she wouldn’t give me money. I’ve always been a bit headstrong, so I took that as a challenge. My younger rebellious self thought ‘fine, I’ll get my own money then’. So I started selling my handmade bracelets and earrings to my friends and people around my neighborhood. Long story short, I got my hamsters.
In high school, I was the leader of our school’s dance team, and I felt that it was my responsibility to feed my members and make money for our costumes, so I started baking and sold it at school and my mum’s restaurant.
In university, I wanted to do something fun and to make easy money, so I started selling one of the most popular and easiest commodities to sell; alcohol.
After graduating, my mum had already prepared a space for me to build my own restaurant, bar, or whatever it is I felt like doing. She even asked me to go to baking school because she knew I liked ‘creating things’. However, I knew I did not want to stay in my hometown. I started applying to numerous jobs and got called for my first interview in Jakarta. So I went, and got hired! It was like… first shot first kill! My feelings were a mixture of excitement and nervousness!
During my first job, it was a roller coaster ride. They did not go easy on me, but I learned a lot there. You could say, it taught me lessons that I use to this day.
After that, I resigned and moved to another company. Even though this job was technically easier, it was even more soul-draining. I started a new job and my master’s degree at the same time. You can imagine working from 9 AM-6 PM, studying during lunch, on the road for an hour, classes from 7–9 PM, home at 10, and assignments till 2 or 3 in the morning. I really did try my best. There was a point it got too much for me and I started to break down. I was called into a meeting with my supervisor, and he said, ‘you should be thankful you get to work here. If you can’t work here, you probably can’t work anywhere else’. I cried myself to sleep that day. Then I decided to go home and refresh my mind a bit. I told my parents that I was struggling with work and my studies. My mum’s reaction was as predicted; she hated it, she has always hated seeing me work for people, even during my first job. My stepdad’s reaction was simple, all he said was, ‘well, you can make your own work then’.
