For the second time, PT Wahana Ottomitra Multiartha Tbk (WOM Finance) conducted a seminar on financial literacy. The seminar was broken into two sessions, one was a sharing session on start-ups with Titian Scholarship Alumni (IKATIFO) and the latter session was educating housewives on financing facilities that are currently available in the market.

Opening the first session was Stanislaus Barus or Pak Barus – as he is known – sharing his experience when starting his business. The ups and downs of business forced him to have an acute observation on the opportunities it can present and how to skillfully manage a situation. He put great emphasis on maintaining trust with suppliers and customers. He ended his sharing session encouraging IKATIFO that “Anything new is a difficult thing, but you got to have a burning spirit to press on”.

Head of Corporate Communication WOM Finance, Fajar Nareswara, then added that start-ups, first and foremost, must decide on their product presentation and positioning. Both Pak Barus and Pak Nares gave credit to digital marketing and online media, which are easily accessible at the tip of our fingers, but nevertheless we still have to be knowledgeable in determining which are the best fit for our products.

The audience was surprised when told that even using a particular font in small/big caps or writing with/no space can make a different.

Furthermore, start-ups must define unique selling prepositions that set them apart from their competitors. Start-ups must ensure they create a favorable experience for their customers as the key to growing their business.