indomaritim.id, Jakarta – Tokopedia’s Founder & CEO, William Tanuwijaya began alluding to the latest fundraisers and going public. He claimed not to be sure of the time, but he said already had plans for a pre-IPO.
“If all goes as already done, next year our earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) will definitely be positive. So we plan to pre-IPO and go public, ” William said in response to a moderator’s question at the 2019 Tech in Asia Conference in Jakarta.
He mention as one of the big unicorns Indonesia, today Tokopedia has more than 6.5 million active sellers. As many as 86 percent of them are new business people. Tokopedia has also reached 97 percent of the area in Indonesia to deliver e-commerce transaction.
“Basically we have big huge capital. Then what is the funding IPO that we are getting? Of course for investment in our ecosystems,” he said to audiences.
In this conference, William Tanuwijaya tells a story when 10 years ago starting Tokopedia. At that time, he took job as Internet cafes. Also once upon a time, this e-commerce company has done Termination of Employment (FLE) against around 40 employees.
Key of Success
William Tanuwijaya tells a little key to success for a startup founder. First is a big dream. Not only a business mindset, but a tough businessman must also be able to become a visionary by always having big dreams he or she wants to achieve. According to William, this will help business people when they are experiencing severe challenges.
“It’s not easy to build a business, but this big dream can keep you remembering the main goal you want to achieve,” said William Tanuwijaya.
Secondly, growth mindset. The mindset is important in supporting the progress of a business. William Tanuwijaya said, if you want to be successful in business, then an entrepreneur must have a growth mindset or a mindset that continues to grow.
“Those who have growth mindset will not be glued to their abilities. They believe that a person will be able to succeed while he has the desire to be better. Remember this, the opportunity only comes once in your life,” William explained.
And the third is humble. William tells that a businessman should always be humble. They must continue to want to learn from anywhere and anyone. In this way, they will not be easily crushed by the increasingly fierce competition in the business world.
“Everyone must have the humility to share like a teacher and the enthusiasm for learning like students,” he said.
Reporter: Mulyono Sri Hutomo
Editor: Rajab Ritonga
