Cerita Sukses Pengusaha Wanita Naik Kelas, Rintis Usaha Dari SMA Hingga Mencapai Kesuksesan

Summary

Ai Iip Apipah shares her inspiring journey of building a successful snack business from humble beginnings. Starting with selling homemade snacks at school, she faced numerous challenges including financial struggles and social rejection. Despite these hurdles, her persistence and innovative spirit led to the growth of her business, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her story emphasizes the importance of perseverance, community support, and continuous innovation. Ai encourages women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and highlights the significance of helping others through business success.

Takeaways

• 📈 The speaker started their business with no capital, leveraging available resources at home.
• 🍲 The speaker's mother was good at cooking, inspiring the business idea by creating innovative snacks.
• 🏫 The initial sales were made at school, selling to friends, teachers, and alumni.
• 😢 The speaker faced many challenges, including rejection from the school canteen and classmates' comments.
• 💪 Despite the difficulties, the speaker persevered, using profits to support themselves and their family.
• 💡 The business grew gradually, eventually leading to a factory setup during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The speaker's business provided jobs for many locals, especially during the pandemic when other jobs were scarce.
• 📉 The business faced financial challenges, such as rising production costs and delayed payments from distributors.
• 🙏 The speaker attributes their survival to faith and divine intervention, along with community support.
• 🎯 The speaker emphasizes the importance of branding and adapting to business-to-customer models for future growth.

Q & A

What motivated Ai Iip Apipah to start her business?

Ai Iip Apipah started her business because she saw an opportunity and had a chance to leverage her mother's cooking skills, especially making unique snacks. She began by selling these snacks at school.

What challenges did Ai Iip face when she first started selling at school?

Ai Iip faced several challenges, including classmates not wanting to be in the same class due to the smell of her snacks, and being rejected by the school canteen. She often cried but kept her feelings to herself, fearing her parents would stop her from selling.

How did Ai Iip's business evolve from selling at school?

Ai Iip's business evolved from selling at school to spreading through word of mouth to teachers, alumni, and eventually more people. She started with no significant capital, using ingredients available at home, and slowly grew her business.

What role did social media and online shops play in the growth of Ai Iip's business?

Initially, social media and online shops were not very popular, so Ai Iip relied on word of mouth. However, as these platforms became more popular, they played a significant role in expanding her business reach.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact Ai Iip's business?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ai Iip's business peaked, with daily production reaching up to 2.3 tons. She also increased her workforce to 52 employees as demand surged, with people waiting in line for orders.

What financial difficulties did Ai Iip encounter, and how did she overcome them?

Ai Iip faced financial difficulties when her distributors took up to seven months to pay, which led to significant debt. She overcame this by continuing to produce with limited resources, relying on divine intervention and incremental income to sustain her business.

What strategies does Ai Iip use to maintain the quality of her products?

Ai Iip maintains the quality of her products by continuously innovating and making sure her snacks are of high quality. She believes in giving bonuses and not being stingy, which helps maintain customer satisfaction.

What advice does Ai Iip have for other women and aspiring entrepreneurs?

Ai Iip advises women to not just rely on their husbands, even if they are well-off. She encourages taking advantage of any available opportunities to create new sources of income. For aspiring entrepreneurs, she stresses the importance of liking what you sell and understanding your product well.

How has Ai Iip's business contributed to the local community?

Ai Iip's business has significantly contributed to the local community by creating jobs. During the peak of her business, over 500 people were involved in producing her snacks, including women and families working from home.

What are Ai Iip's future plans for her business?

Ai Iip plans to continue developing new products and innovations to keep her business growing. She aims to expand her branding efforts and move from a business-to-business model to also include business-to-customer sales to reach a wider audience.