This is the first interview of a series that will present entrepreneurs based in Bali: Indonesian as well as expats, first timers as well as veterans, successful as well as just launching… I hope to make this section as interesting as possible. Don’t hesitate to share your impressions or recommend me great people to interview 🙂
Q: Let’s start with you: who are you? Where do you come from? What is your background?
A: I am Dian Soraya or just call me Aya. I was born in Yogyakarta. My background is industrial engineering, but I love designing. Now I am running a design studio called Fostu that mainly focuses on User Interface design.
Q: Why are you based in Bali? How long have you been here?
A: Well, actually I just started to stay in Bali. I decided to locate myself in Bali because I felt it was the perfect hub and connecting point for Indonesian, Westerners and businesses. It’s the perfect melting pot. Beside that, Bali has a Completeness that is tough to find in other part in Indonesia.
Q: OK, what’s your idea? Give us your elevator pitch! Where are you at now with the project?
A: My Idea is to create a platform for young people in Indonesia to educate and help them to make money online based on their skills. There are two segments on my project: freelancing and online business. This platform will provides user friendly tools and roadmap to help them set their career online as freelancer or online business owner.
Now I’m still working on gathering content, building a prototype for my online platform and finding the perfect name for my brand.
Q: What is the main thing you’ve learned while working on this project? Any good or bad surprise? Any unexpected development?
A: It’s hard to answer as my project is still on the early stages. But surprisingly, I found that so many young people in Indonesia use Internet just as social media and entertainment, rather than use it to build a prospective career.
Q: Indonesia is a country with a strong culture and amazing people. How does working in Indonesia influence your project? What wouldn’t have been possible if you weren’t here?
A: I am proud to be Indonesian and I love the people. They are very nice and friendly. It would not be too hard to create a community based business here compared to other countries. The reason is because Indonesians have very strong social connection between family and friends. On the marketing side, the word of mouth marketing is very strong here. You can check the statistic about Facebook and Twitter, I think Indonesians are on Top 5 most active user.
Q: What’s your favorite place in Bali? Any recommendations for a first-timer?
A: I love Ubud. I think it’s the perfect spot to draw an ideal cultural and mix with the western culture.
Q: Are you nasi goreng, gado-gado or satay?
A: Satay
Thank you very much Aya 🙂 Villa-Bali.com wishes you the best!
