“PJI’s program improved my confidence and also provided me an insight about business.”
One of the keys to success is achieving a confidence which can be learned, trained, and mastered. Pratiwi Dian Rosani, one of the PJI Alumni, participated in the JA Company Program in 2004 and this provided the opportunity to build her confidence in business through practical engagement. Sales activity was one of the challenges faced by Pratiwi and her friends when operating the Delta Student Company in SMAN 1 Sidoarjo.
Pratiwi said, “The student company members were embarrassed to offer products to other friends at school. I tried to be confident and keep selling so our company could earn an impressive income. At that time, we also had the opportunity to do business through product exchanges with student companies in the United States. We exported batik products and imported Christmas gifts. This activity improved my confidence and also provided me with an insight about business.”
This self-belief led Pratiwi to her career as a marketer after studying in financial management at Airlangga University, Surabaya. She did not experience great difficulties when starting a job in the marketing world as she had already been involved in a similar undertaking whilst at school. She realized that her Student Company experience in the past made her easy to interact with many people and understand how marketing works in a company. For her, being involved in marketing within a Student Company was a solid precursor to involvement in the company where she currently works, only the scale of the business is different. For 9 years, Pratiwi managed to display excellence and the best performance in achieving marketing targets even though the products were very challenging. Her career as a Marketing Manager in a number of corporations, such as Nestle, Mayora, SC Johnson, clearly indicated her exceptional talent in this field of business operation. Currently, Pratiwi is the Marketing Manager of Danone Early Life Nutrition for Bebelac milk product. The very first step in her impressive career choice and achievements was with Delta Student Company.
“PJI’s Program is the right place for high school students to learn about business. They not only learn entrepreneurship skills, but are also encouraged to build a sustainable business by providing a positive impact on, for example, society and the environment. Currently, I am still involved as a volunteer jury member or speaker because PJI is also a pleasant place for me to meet and network with like-minded people. I hope PJI will continue to inspire young Indonesian people who have an entrepreneurial passion. I believe participation in the PJI program gives these young people an eye-opening opportunity to consider building their own company or working within an already established business. I so doing, they are challenged to ensure their engagement is positive and impactful.”