Blogger of the Week(?) and Self Reflection
Several days ago, I was named Blogger of the week (52nd) by Fatih Syuhud, a prominent blogger that blogs in English (whew, that’s alot of “blog” in one sentence). In essence, he thinks that I’m one of many energetic youth that is needed by this country to succeed (and saying that with class by quoting the Great Leader himself).
First of all, I’m trully flattered by his attention and how he brings me to the spotlight (woot!) of Indonesian blogosphere, but in retrospect, I really don’t think that I deserve the title “Blogger of the week”, at least for the reason that title is bestowed upon.
The reason is very simple, dreams and energy will only get you that far. It takes dilligency to stick with your execution, discipline to train yourself in your unwavering belief of what you do, and the most important, waking up from a dream to actually do it.
So far, although not a total failure, I haven’t lived up to many of my dreams. Let’s take it one by one shall we?
Distro
After further research into the industry (my friend own a distro), the start-up cost for this kind of business is really really high. It can go up to 100 million rupiah (for a medium sized one) for shop rent and many many more to do what I’m (was) about to do. Besides, it takes a whole lot of internal connection to people from textile industries because the price you get is ALWAYS based on how well they know and like you. I don’t have even the slightest contact on that industry and it might take a while before I can have the network I need. It’s not impossible, it’s just not viable at current time when distribution outlet is like the grass on the field these days…
Media
Well this is pretty much the most viable options for now. I have succeeded heading the publication of a marketing bulletin (we publish around 2000 issues every edition), not a very big one though but at least, it somehow worked. That before everything went awry. The team, while consist of very heterogenous people — which is good, goes in separate ways. Mostly because they are finishing (or finished) college or some other things where life take them.
I do however, intend to “revive” that bulletin and turn it into a magazine as you can see here. The progress are going (really) slow though…
Plus don’t forget this one. That project is what keeps me from updating this blog because I have to commute almost everyday between Bandung and Jakarta because I can’t work remote yet (mainly because the business is really premature) and I still have to attend a couple of more classes before I can be a full-fledged full-timers. That project is also the project that got me into typhus (and in which one of many reasons why I haven’t update this blog for quite a long time).
I’ll still be in Teknopreneur, but with a slight change on role to accomodate things. All and all, it’s very very very veeeeeerryyy (did I stressed that enough?) far away from my dream(s).
Consulting Office
I still do like spreading my thoughts (heck, that’s why I’m writing right now, writing things that doesn’t matter that much to you readers :P ), but apparently I don’t like spreading it with a fee (a hell lots of fees for consultant). It’s like selling your ideas to someone else. There’s nothing wrong with selling your ideas with someone or some other business. It’s a healthy and halal business. It’s just that after 3 years in college and struggling to open up my very own business, I’ve come to a revelation….
Ideas are cheap, executions that matter
Most of the consultant I see and know now only sell ideas, what they thought could be the solutions of a problem. Not all consultants are like that mind you, but the majority are. As long as you can’t execute the idea, the ideas are not yours to claim. And that is why, I don’t want to meddle in the business of selling ideas (unless you already execute your ideas, patented it, and sell it, that’s a whole lot different). So it’s a dream failed to see any daylight (see I’ve told you, dreams will only get you that far).
The Passion
Dreams keep changing, ideas keep moving, and I keep looking. People from afar might see me as the one that always hopping between projects, or probably, to the extreme, view me as a quitter because I rarely finished something that I start, even before they see the daylight.
Well I’m here to tell you all (that knows me, or don’t), it’s not how it looks. I’m passionate of what I do and you will see totallity in every single thing that I’ve done. The problem is, finding that passion.
For three years in my life as a college student and part-time entrepreneur, I’ve been through alot of business and industries. Web hosting, media-mogul-wannabe, franchise consultant, business consultant, and even investment and trading.
From all of those industries that I’ve been, I only stick in 2 industries. The rest ends either in incubation stage or the execution stage. Let me show you a concrete example with the franchise consultant business (weird, can’t find the blog post about it).
The business is good, the clients are flowing, in short, everything is good. I work with a very talented people with very good network, the job paid good money, but then the group disbanded. I’m not sure on why the others (there are 3 of us) decided to disband the business but for me in particular, I don’t feel any passion in it.
And of course, you only know wether you’re passionate or not on what you do is by doing it. And that’s me, the moment I don’t feel the passion anymore, I quit. No, it’s not because I’m afraid to face the challenge, it’s because I need passion to face it. And without it, it will compromise the quality of work in which I’m doing and no one wanted to receive a half-baked work would they?
The Beginning
This post was intended to be a reply-post to A. F. Syuhud blog but in the end it become a needed reflection for me. Just a little word from a friend, the only way to make your dream come true, is to wake up. Smell the fresh air from your fountain of youth. Feel your muscles itching to run. Look through the eyes of passion that runs in your vein, loving what you do. And only by then, you can make your dream come true.
There was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalogue, which was one of the bibles of the 70s. It was created by a man named Stuart Brand not far from Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late Sixties, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. it was sort of like Google in paperback form thirty-five years before Google came along. Stuart and his team put out several issues of the The Whole Earth Catalogue, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-Seventies.
On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath were the words, “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” And I have always wished that for myself, and now, as you to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay hungry, stay foolish.
(and yes, the final two paragraph was taken from the commencement speech from Steve Jobs).
Stay hungry, stay foolish.
I have to disagree with you. I think ideas are not cheap, ideas are indeed expensive. Onced I think the same way as you did. Ideas are cheap. When you have many ;)
Ideas in my perspective can also as expensive as it can be, when you have solution for other people business right? That’s where the consultant gets their money from ;)
Executing an idea is tricky, timing, capital, right channel, everything must be perfectly right. If not, boom we’re doom.
If you’re not succeed in realising your ideas…then maybe you should become consultant ;)
tapi kalau baru 2-3 tahun mencoba jangan menyerah lah, nanti kalau sudah 5-7 tahun nah itu harus mulai tanya apa yang salah selama ini..hehe goodluck :)