There is No ‘Wait a Minute’ to Be an Entrepreneur

Who doesn’t know Jokowi in Indonesia? He is an Indonesian politician, was the governor of Jakarta and the newly elected President of Indonesia in the 2014 Presidential elections. Many people know Jokowi as someone who was born in poverty and got into key positions with the promise of a leader who gets things done, cuts through red tape and is clean (Business Times, 9 July 2014).

Indonesia has been battling with decades of corruption whereby officials often view bribes as a source of income. This is also the reason why Indonesia has earned the title of being one of the most corrupt societies in the world. Hopefully Jokowi will be able to create changes in the country that benefit the citizens.

One less known side of Jokowi however, is the fact that he has a strong passion for entrepreneurship and business. According to Jokowi, in order to become an entrepreneur, one should not spend too much time thinking about the unnecessary issues but instead, make use of this time to think about the resources and next step to be taken.

Before becoming Governor of Jakarta, Jokowi was once an entrepreneur in the furniture industry. He shared that his initial capital was a borrowed sum of money and was only able to hire four workers as carpenters at the starting stage of his business. He was very sure that if his business continued operations, in 2 years time he will be able to export his furniture to Taiwan. He shared his stories at the Tanoto Entrepreneurship Series event organized by Tanoto Foundation and University of Indonesia Faculty of Economy.

 

Tanoto Entrepreneurhip Series is a routine programme organized by Tanoto Foundation together with University of Indonesia Faculty of Economy in order to support the entrepreneurship landscape in Indonesia. It is a programme aimed at promoting entrepreneurship spirit in the nation. This is in line with the vision of the founder of the foundation, Sukanto Tanoto.