UNS — The Minister of Investment/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) of the Republic of Indonesia, Bahlil Lahadalia, shared his successful entrepreneurial experience with Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta students. In a public lecture held at the UNS G.P.H. Haryo Mataram Auditorium Building Wednesday (18/5/2022), he said that it is not easy to be a businessman while holding a minister position, especially since the man born in Banda on August 7, 1976, came from an impoverished family. His mother was a household assistant, while his father was a construction worker.
The unfavorable economic conditions of his parents forced Bahlil to sell cookies during elementary school. He then turned to be driver’s assistant and Angkot driver for five years, since he was in junior high school. Despite facing a difficult situation when he was a youth, Bahlil had various prestigious positions from middle school to university, for instance, as the Chairman of the Student Council (OSIS) to the Secretary of the Senate. “I am proud to be born to a household assistant mother. This means that can give birth to a minister,” Bahlil said.
During his university study, he claimed to be actively participating in the student organization until in his seventh semester Bahlil determined not to be trapped again in poverty. Bahlil said he had to succeed in his study, organization, and entrepreneurship activity. This determination is certainly not easy to achieve, especially during the New Order (Orba), when the entrepreneurship field is monopolized by the children of conglomerates or officials. “Even when I was competing to become Chairman of HIPMI, the candidates were mostly children of billionaires. I’m the only ‘poornaire‘ there,” Bahlil said.
Despite having no special background, Bahlil was finally able to be the Chairman of HIPMI. He said, to occupy this position, there must be extensive experiences as an entrepreneur.
An entrepreneur by Lineage vs. by Fate
In front of 600 UNS students who attended the lecture, Bahlil said there were two types of entrepreneurs based on their conditions, namely entrepreneurs by lineage and by fate. The entrepreneurs by lineage, according to him, are people who inherit family wealth, both as the second and third generations. Meanwhile, Bahlil calls himself an entrepreneur by fate who is overshadowed by fear when experiencing failure and full of risk.
Although there are entrepreneurs by fate and by lineage, Bahlil emphasizes the importance of future entrepreneurs by design. This type of businessman, according to Bahlil, must be prepared for school and university study. “An entrepreneur by design is a combination of entrepreneurs by lineage and by fate. People who have money will not necessarily have the capability to win all the fights. Because money is not the main aspect here, but a strategy,” he concluded. Humas UNS
Reporter: YCA Sanjaya
Editor: Dwi Hastuti