UNS — Having a dream as an entrepreneur, the alumnus of the Faculty of Agriculture (FP) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta put full consideration in taking every life decision. For Hafidz — his short name, considering benefits in every opportunity is important, and he had implemented this principle in the Senior High School (SMA) years when he was selected to study agriculture in UNS.
The university years did not lull him, and he continues holding to his dream. The next decision that he took to achieve his dream is by joining a student organization in UNS because it serves as a means to develop his entrepreneurial mentality, including leadership, management, and problem-solving. The organization also facilitated him to implement his knowledge. His participation in the Student Executive Board (BEM) and the Association of Agricultural Student Executive Board Indonesia (IBEMPI) allows him to meet with Indonesian farmers to share the knowledge he acquired in his university days.
Now the Aktivis Nusantara Scholarship (Bakti Nusa) awardee is active in the entrepreneurial world by acting as the Co-Founder of Desa Organik (Organic Village). The business he founded since his university days continue growing and expanding its network with farmers in Solo and surrounding regions. Through Desa Organik, Hafidz helps farmers to distribute their harvests in the form of organic yields. To the uns.ac.id team, the young entrepreneur shared that his first business was ‘Lapak Medis’ (Medical Stall) which he established following the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. However, Hafidz decided to close the business because of the different educational background and to start a new business, Desa Organik. He thinks that he could explore this new business better due to the alignment with his study background in Agricultural Extension & Communication.
With a help from the investor, Hafidz could establish Desa Organik in Palur, Sukoharjo, Central Java. He also started to expand his business market coverage by creating a website and marketplace, which increases his sales up to 35% per month. This success was not instant, and he shared his difficult times with the uns.ac.id team.
“The difficult times were in the first year in 2020. Because we did not know the condition amid the pandemic,” he said on Saturday (7/8/2021).
The difficult times did not kill his spirit. His innovator’s mind has been honed since his involvement in BEM, where he was required to have the newest programs for each managerial period. Therefore, he and his team rose from the difficult position and continue selling their products through the website and marketplace. To this day, Desa Organik continuously updated its services through product research on other organic foods, such as organic coconut sugar, organic mushrooms, and organic mushroom seasoning.
Student’s Commitment Ala Hafidz
As an entrepreneur who could implement his knowledge and contributed to providing solutions for agricultural issues in Indonesia, Hafidz shared the commitment that must be owned by university students. For him, the key point that a prospective student must have is determining their objective. “We must have an objective of why we need to study at university. Without objective, we will be attracted to other stuff,” he said.
After determining the objective, student needs to make target during their university education. This target is managed to achieve the final goals. Then expanding network and enriching experiences through an organization, community, and other talent organizations.
“Do not miss the opportunity to participate (in an organization) because the university year only has short classroom sessions. The extracurricular that will determine how much we understand the issues in our field,” Hafidz said
He also invited students to manage time wisely and understand the meaning of every process.
“We need to find a meaning of what we experienced, don’t let it passed just like that,” he said. Humas UNS
Reporter: Alinda Hardiantoro
Editor: Dwi Hastuti
