In January 2010, Andika decided to quit working at a financial company and focus instead on making and selling onde-onde (a type of dumpling), his favorite food. Andika, whose full name is Jamin Andi Prasetio, had always liked to cook and bake as a hobby. Occasionally, he took orders for birthday cakes and steamed cakes from customers at the salon where he worked on the side.

Using the little money he had saved, Andika began learning how to make the dough which is so important to getting tasty onde-onde. After Andika had successfully made some onde-onde, he travelled around selling it and also offered it to the salon customers until, finally, he received some orders from customers. "Starting a business does not depend on capital, but on determination. You can't just talk about doing it, you also have to put the effort in," said Andika enthusiastically.

Andika Caem’s onde-onde business grows under the nurturing of BTPN

Andika's orders gradually began to become more regular, growing day by day. Andika soon realized that he would need some new equipment for faster production to cope with the increasing demand for his delicious dumplings. The problem was he didn't have much capital to help him expand. As luck would have it, Andika discovered the Klender branch of BTPN Mitra Usaha Rakyat (MUR) in 2012. Andika was able to secure a loan of Rp 50 million from BTPN. "I was surprised and delighted. I didn't think that a bank would trust in me by lending me so much money to develop a new business."

There's an interesting story. After sorting out the loan, Andika saw a crowd in the BTPN branch. As it turned out, it was one of the training programs routinely held by the bank. "This training session, coincidentally, was about marketing management, which was very applicable to developing my business. I had just secured the capital, and now I was getting some extra knowledge thrown in for free too," recalled Andika excitedly. Since then, Andika has never skipped a training session at BTPN. Through these training activities, Andika has learned a lot more about finding customers and is much more confident in doing business. As a result, Andika even got an order to supply some onde-onde to an ASEAN conference. "That was a really proud moment for me," said Andika.

The number of Andika Caem’s onde-onde customers has now risen by 40%, he is operating in two locations, his turnover has soared to Rp 90 million per month, and he has 10 employees working for him.  What’s more, Andika also now owns his own home and car. Nevertheless, Andika is still striving to achieve his dream of having 180 outlets in the Greater Jakarta area along with 20 production sites. He also wants to make special onde-onde for diabetics.

“Don’t be afraid! Get rid of all your worries when you start a business - even if you only have limited capital. The main capital is your own determination and courage in facing business risks. If you can find the spirit to create a better life and hone your potential, eventually the outcome will be very sweet.”

Share