UNS — Information Technology (IT) Business is a well-known sector that recently gains increasing interest from university students and Informatics graduates. However, to successfully seize this business opportunity, students need sufficient IT concepts, skills, and basic IT knowledge. The invited speakers invited in “Webinar IT Technopreneur,” the E-Mailkomp—Diploma in Informatics Engineering Study Program Student Association, Vocational School Universitas Sebelas Maret (SV UNS) Surakarta—shares the tips for establishing IT business.
One of the speakers, Fajar Dwi Septian, S.Kom., the CEO & Founder of CV Fajar Digital Smart, states that the most critical initial capital needed is a skill. Additionally, Fajar, who also serves as the IT Manager for Seng Fong Resources Group, explains that there are some important points for preparing the IT business. First is the IT skill acquired during the study period, which in line with the selected field of study. Secondly, honing our skills using freelancer websites such as freelancer.com. Third, force oneself to start early and strengthen the knowledge. Fourth, establish the target and do as much project as possible between the study period, in line with the skills chosen.
“One programming language is enough. You just need to master this programming language extremely well, and thus, anytime you are asked to do anything, you can use the programming language you know. Moreover, the more project you do, your logic will be better established,” explains Fajar, Saturday (17/4/2021).
The fourth point is essential because before starting the business, the creator must test the program or application they create to know whether it is appropriate for public use. This step will ensure that there will be no disappointment in the future due to unqualified products. Fifth, Fajar suggested choosing two tracks. This suggestion means that even though the graduates want to build a business, it is also favorable for them to get employed first. “It is important to have these two tracks, while preparing for the business, to gain sufficient amount of funding,” Fajar added.
The first step after preparation is to start from a small step. Alumni can start designing a simple program such as retailing software, which is the easiest to develop. Further, the creator must master the product specialization. This specialization can be implemented through product specification (focussing on one product/service). By implementing this, Fajar can reach the international customer from Singapore. The next level is to marketing the product. This step usually made the creator feel inferior toward the competitors’ product. However, as Fajar states, inferiority is not needed, as the creator just needs to focus on their product.
Build Networking
Building a network is crucial in business. To do this, a creator can introduce the product to their colleagues, family, or close relatives. However, we must not become too materialistic but must be focused on developing customer trust and offering a solution. This step is to ensure that even though the product has been fully operational, thus it can be a reference for further development.
“The objective is to introduce that our software and system to the market. If it was tested on our close relatives, then we can continue marketing the product to a wider market and delivering excellent service to maintain a good relationship,” he reveals. Humas UNS
Reporter: Kaffa Hidayati
Editor: Dwi Hastuti
