Promoting an Entrepreneurial Spirit, UNU Jogja Management Students Learn Business Strategies from Practitioners

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – Students from the 2024 cohort of the Management Study Program at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta (UNU Jogja) had the opportunity to learn directly from business practitioners about their experiences and strategies for starting and developing businesses. The learning experience was facilitated through a Business Development public lecture themed Building Sustainable Business Growth Through Strategic Business Development, held on Monday, November 9.

The event featured Scott Wicaksono Sampson, S.Par., Founder & CEO of Repack.id and Intrasia.id; Muhammad Anantiyo Widodo, S.E., M.M., CEO of FAT Group and Secretary of the Temanggung Regency Education Council; and Jeremy Iwang Rahardjo, Co-Founder & Chief Supply Chain Officer of Bloomery Patisserie.

During the discussion, the three speakers shared perspectives on business development based on their respective professional experiences and areas of expertise. Scott Wicaksono Sampson and Muhammad Anantiyo Widodo offered insights into the dynamics of starting and growing a business through their own experiences. Meanwhile, Jeremy Iwang Rahardjo discussed the importance of building a business model and operational systems capable of supporting business growth.

For the students, the practitioners’ presentations offered new perspectives on the initial steps involved in starting a business. Ahmad Faiz Musthofa, for instance, highlighted the importance of building partnerships with people who have different areas of expertise.

He explained that having business partners with complementary skills can help entrepreneurs manage aspects of the business beyond their own expertise. He also emphasized that the willingness to take risks and try new things is essential when starting a business.

“Collaboration not only makes running a business less burdensome but also creates benefits for everyone involved,” he said.

Kiki Amalia shared a similar perspective. She views Business Development as the ability to identify and seek opportunities in various areas, ranging from customer problems, data, and trends to things that are often overlooked.

According to Kiki, opportunities do not always present themselves. People need to develop the awareness to recognize them and the courage to try new strategies. When an attempt does not succeed, the process should continue through evaluation and improvement.

“I see Business Development as an ongoing process: finding opportunities, having the courage to execute ideas, revising them when things go wrong, and never giving up,” she said.

Meanwhile, Oliviatussoleha said the lecture had given her a new perspective on how to approach business. She explained that starting a business is not solely about having sufficient capital and a product, but also about one's mindset in recognizing circumstances and making decisions.

“Perhaps we have always thought that a business starts with capital and a product. However, it turns out that business actually begins with the way we think: how aware we are of opportunities, how willing we are to take action, and how capable we are of turning problems into opportunities,” she said.

Beyond sharing experiences about starting a business and identifying opportunities, the practitioners also encouraged students to understand the challenges involved in business growth. Jeremy Iwang Rahardjo, for example, highlighted the importance of developing a strong business model and strengthening operational systems to support sustainable growth in his presentation titled Scaling Business: From Business Model to Operational Excellence.

Jeremy explained that business growth should not be measured solely by increased sales or the expansion of outlets. As a business grows, its operations become increasingly complex. Therefore, business owners need to ensure that their business models and operational systems can keep pace with that growth.

He explained that a business model should consider four key aspects: the value offered to customers (value creation), how that value is delivered (value delivery), the ability to generate revenue and profit (value capture), and the potential to expand a business without allowing costs and complexity to increase uncontrollably (scalability).

According to Jeremy, a business ready to scale should also have proven market demand, healthy unit economics, repeatable business processes, sufficient operational capacity, and a strong management team.

In discussing operational management, he highlighted the importance of product standardization, production planning, raw material procurement, inventory management, distribution, and quality control. Clear systems and well-defined responsibilities are essential to maintaining product consistency while managing business growth.

Firjal Dhia Salsabila, S.Ak., M.M., a lecturer in UNU Jogja’s Management Study Program and the instructor for the Business Development course, said that the ability to recognize opportunities must be accompanied by the ability to develop strategies, build collaborations, and manage business operations to ensure sustainable growth.

She added that through the public lecture, students gained not only an overview of the process of starting a business but also an understanding of the challenges that arise as a business begins to grow.

“The practitioners’ experiences and the students’ reflections serve as a reminder that building a business requires both the courage to start and the readiness to keep learning and adapting,” she said.[]

Reporter: Latifah