Introduction
Originally from Indonesia, later went to school in USC Los Angeles, CA. I am now permanently reside in Portland OR. Although I spent a lot of time travel to Asia and soon Australia.
It’s difficult to realize when the bug bites. It could be when I was forced to use stupid software tool, or when the project that I have been working for so long got cancelled after 15 minutes meeting. On December 1999, I start my own company. I called it New Avenue Systems. I decided to find a new way to make a difference. My company at first busy working on Web technology using open source technology.
Other People See the Desert, I see a Garden. Other see a vast ocean, I see a Continent
In early 2000, Open source technology is considered for the hobbyist and not ready for the prime time. It took me more than seven years to build all of the products based on this open technology. Today my company is focus on building tomorrow web and mobile technology centered on the next generation mobile phone.
The Call
Before striking out on my own at the age of 30, I was System Architecture for major aerospace company here in Southern California USA. The company called TRW Inc. now Nortrop Grumman. For almost seven years, I was building many cool stuff. From Autonomous Sensors to System that help build satellites. They were all cool projects, nicely paid, and working with the best talent and programmer money can buy. Despite of that, I never satisfied with what I was doing.
I guess I got what people called “The Call of Entrepreneur”. The movie below pretty much describe what I felt that day.
Make A Difference
Clemson University professor Wayne Stewart has taken a close look at how entrepreneurs differ from their more novice counterparts. In one study, Stewart and his colleagues concluded that most entrepreneurs were big risk-takers, more achievement-oriented, and had a higher preference for innovation. “The results,” he says, “suggest that there is a psychological profile that drives entrepreneurs, predisposing them to multiple challenges.”
As for whether entrepreneurs are born or made, I tends toward the former. While environmental influences such as parenting, education and culture do affect behavior, innate characteristics like leadership and intelligence manifest themselves very early on in my life.
I have several motivation throughout my career. “I feel a need to prove myself,” he says. “I have a lot of energy. I need a lot of stimulation, and for me, this means starting businesses that I feel will make a difference.”
Wild Wild East
I have since move away from coding and technical stuff. I have went to all five continents, talking to other business owner like me, figuring out what makes them sucessfully and what I can learned from them. The next boundary is Asia, the future will be there especially China and Indonesia. The land of Wild Wild East. Hope to see you there.