In Studium Generale KU-4078 course subject at Aula Barat ITB on Wednesday (7/11/2018), President Director of PT Abyor International, Hari Tjahjono delivered a public lecture about “How to Build a Successful Start Up”.

In front of hundreds of ITB students, Hari asserted the contribution of entrepreneurs in the development of the nation by opening new job opportunities. “Entrepreneurship is important for job creation, to avoid middle income trap,” he said.

He reflects on his journey in building PT. Abyor International 10 years ago. He faced many obstacles and challenges, including his resignation from a big company that gave him big sum of salary. His reason in building PT. Abyor is to create job opportunities.

“When I was building this company, it did not go silky smooth. There were obstacles, and the biggest is cash flow,” he said. Therefore, he said that the vision and mission should be made clear before building a startup. Profit should not be priority when building a startup because it takes process.

“A very important thing for a startup is its vision and mission. What is it for? Is it just to follow a trend? Building a startup is a bet, the risk is big, calculate whether we can do it or not. If your purpose is not strong enough, you will face difficult situation,” he said.

Hari said that building a startup needs resolute people. In his experience, the mentality is important because building a business is different with being an office worker. “In entrepreneurship, failure is common. An entrepreneur that does not create something will get nothing, unlike office worker that receive monthly paycheck,” said this alumni of Mechanical Engineering of ITB.

Moreover, network and creativity are also important. These do not come naturally and should be build long before, for example during university years. “Since university year I was actively involved in organizations. In senior high, I was the head of the student body and I feel the benefit now. If you want to be an entrepreneur you have to build network and creativity,” he said.

He also said that other tips for building a successful startup are good colleagues, proper management especially financial management, and corporate governance.