Sidedoor Podcast

Across the globe, there are 1.7 billion Muslims, second only to Christianity at 2.3 billion. This represents a huge opportunity. Today's guest is Indra Wiralaksmana, co-founder and CEO of Umma. Umma is a Muslim community based platform. It's part social network, part content aggregator, but designed specifically for the needs of people who consider themselves Muslim.

A trained accountant with a background in consulting, Indra and I discuss his journey from Jakarta to the US and back to Jakarta. How he transitioned from accounting to startup country manager and ultimately how he made the leap from private equity to startup founder.

https://umma.id/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/indra-w-59aa994/

Social enterprises are often mistaken for non-profits. They are perceived to be "feel good" organizations associated with a good cause. But social enterprises are real businesses. They need direction, revenue, and talent to become sustainable businesses. Like any company, this requires a CEO who can lead. This week's guest is Aparna Saxena, the newly appointed CEO of Toraja Melo. In this episode we discuss the business of Toraja Melo and how Aparna is reinventing the company for the digital age. 

http://torajamelo.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aparna-saxena

We live in a world where anything we want is one click away. Ecommerce has made this possible. No matter which part of the world you're in, there is an ecommerce giant dominating the market. In the US there is Amazon. In SE Asia, there is Lazada and Shopee. But ecommerce is much larger than a few big players. Today's guest, William Tunggaldjaja, is the co-founder of Asmaraku. We discusses how his lean ecommerce company competes against the largest ecommerce platforms and what it's like starting a business with his wife. 

https://www.asmaraku.com

Aimlessly wandering might be fun during a post-graduation gap year. But for most everyone else, it leaves us wanting more. What drives us differs from person to person. Some want money, others fame, but Charlotte Kowara was looking for more. Despite having worked for some of the biggest companies in the world, she was looking for her purpose. She discovered her purpose, as the founder and Chief Empowerment Officer of Indonesia's first food accelerator, Accelerice. 

In this episode, I talk to Charlotte about her transition from corporate to startup founder, how she found purpose, and what purpose means for companies that go through Accelerice. 

IG: @accelericeindonesia

accelerice.com 

For some, the thought of going to their job brings a knot of anxiety to their stomach. Not everyone loves their job. A great deal of the time, despite not enjoying their work, people stay at their current jobs. No matter how much they dislike it. While others fantasize about their dream career, others are out working to make it a reality. Sidedoor's first guest, Dick Listijono, is one of those hardworking people. We discuss how he went from air conditioning salesman, something he didn't love, to startup CEO. 

Introducing the Sidedoor podcast; a podcast dedicated to candid stories and lessons from startup founders in Indonesia. 

Sidedoor.fm

Instagram.com/sidedoor.fm