Our impact, their voices
“We also have dreams”: An entrepreneurship journey of transgendered entrepreneurs
Transgender persons have the same right to employment just like everybody else. Three entrepreneurs share their journeys of passions, hopes and determinations for equal employment opportunity through entrepreneurship.
Their entrepreneurship journeys are documented by the ILO in a short documentary film titled “We also have dreams”, launched in three cities of Indonesia (Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta) from October to November 2019. They have also been part of the ILO’s entrepreneurship development programme that have been conducted since 2017 through a series of business trainings started with the financial management training in 2017, followed by Start Your Business (SYB) training in 2018 and a business coaching in 2019.
Srikendes was established in 2015 due to my passion for fashion since in middle school and my love to Indonesian culture. I love sketching and designing by combining different traditional batik and tenun fabrics. Yet, it is also a social business to support my community, including persons living with HIV and women victims of domestic violence."
Hartoyo
“Srikendes was established in 2015 due to my passion for fashion since in middle school and my love to Indonesian culture. I love sketching and designing by combining different traditional batik and tenun fabrics. Yet, it is also a social business to support my community, including persons living with HIV and women victims of domestic violence,” told Hartoyo.
Similarly, Marsya has been passionate about makeup and beauty since she was a child. “When I was in college and I was still a man, I loved putting makeup for my friends. They loved it and pushed me to further pursue a career as a makeup artist,” said Marsya, adding that she just started a wedding organizer business with her business partner in Bandung, West Java.
Setya has a different story. He has tried different types of businesses; but all failed. He is now pursuing a catering business. “The catering business is a booming business and it only needs a small capital. I just have to regularly renew the menus to attract more customers,” he said.
Business coaching for professional business management
The three of them admitted that before participating in the ILO’s series of business training and coaching, they only managed their business traditionally without planning, finance management or marketing programmes.“Recent ILO’s business coaching with a professional business coach from Action Coach is an eye opener. The business coaching really help us in analyzing our needs, business plans, targets and future expansion,” Hartoyo explained.
The ILO has conducted a three-month business coaching from August to October 2019, in collaboration with Herman Susanto, a professional business coach from Action Coach. The business coaching consists of a series of business sessions and coaches covering key business issues, among others: business attitudes, a marketing strategy, markets and customers identifications and business finance management.
To build a good business, we need to have a marketing strategy, identify the market and develop a business management plan. It is really an eye opener. Without a business strategy, we cannot grow our wedding organizer business as we do not how to spend or invest strategically."
Marsya
“For me, I just realized that it is not only about the capital. To build a good business, we need to have a marketing strategy, identify the market and develop a business management plan. It is really an eye opener. Without a business strategy, we cannot grow our wedding organizer business as we do not how to spend or invest strategically,” conveyed Marsya.
The eye opener for Setya was on the importance of time management between one’s own and having a formal job. “I felt like I am being punched as I know I still give precedence to my work than my business. A sense of business ownership is the key,” uttered Setya with a shy smile.
Hopes for the future
For the future, Hartoyo wishes to continue expanding the business with the new knowledge and business skills he learnt from the entrepreneurship training and business coaching. “I want to continuously expand the business to support my community,” he said. To date, Srikendes has a gross revenue of Rp. 75 million per month.It is a sad reality that it is still very difficult for transgender persons to get decent jobs. Thus, entrepreneurship is the answer but we have to do it properly."
Setya
Setya is now eagerly promoting entrepreneurship to his transmen community. “It is a sad reality that it is still very difficult for transgender persons to get decent jobs. Thus, entrepreneurship is the answer but we have to do it properly,” he concluded.