Anton Wirjono is a DJ who later became a businessman and succeeded in developing local industries and brands.
Anton Wirjono became widely known when he was successful with Brightspot Market and then The Goods Dept.
Brightspot Market, launched in 2009, is a seasonal marketplace showcasing fashion, music and art items. This concept is recognized by many creative industry players as successful in encouraging the birth of many local brands such as Cotton Ink and Bluesville.
Brightspot Market is the biggest reason Anton built The Goods Dept. The goal is to create permanent locations (stores) for brands that have started their business at Brightspot Market.
Started his career as a DJ. How did Anton evolve into a business person? Below we summarize five things that Anton did when starting and developing his business.
Start with Passion and Goals
Maybe some of us would say that Anton has the privilege to be able to start a business and develop as it is now. He was fortunate to have studied in San Francisco, United States, so he was exposed to trends and had a wider network of friends.
Anton does not avoid these facts. However, he added that his success today is due to two things: his passion for music and his initial goal of running a business that has never changed.
The goal of building a business is not just to make a profit. From the start, Anton always wanted to help channel and elevate the creativity of young people. With such a goal, at every opportunity for his music events, he has combined the concept of music with art and fashion.
Ten years after Brightspot Market in Jakarta, Anton dreams of bringing this concept outside Indonesia. This ideal will directly bring local brands to prominence in the international market.
Why do you want to start a business? The reason for looking for extra money is clearly not wrong. But to build a business that lasts, find out what your biggest motivation is! Believe me, this motivation will be an encouragement when your business journey is experiencing challenges.
“Everyone is truly creative.” - Anton Wirjono
Adaptation of Business Concepts
A successful business doesn't always start with an original idea.
As people always talk about Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. He is known for his new innovations which are actually perfected from existing technology. Call it the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone and iPad, which were created inspired by PC computers, MP3 players and PDA technology.
This is what Anton did at the start of his career managing music events in Jakarta. He was inspired by cool concepts he noticed while living in America, which were then adapted to the market in Jakarta.
According to him, it is important to associate with people who have the same thoughts or problems. In a sense, if creative people play with creative people, this group of people can find a way to express their creativity.
The concept of his first music event, for example, combines music, art and fashion, inspired by what was done in America in the past. As a result, this event succeeded in attracting 700 people to a club that was previously empty of visitors because it was considered a concept that had never existed before.
Ideas can come from anywhere. But the most important thing is how to apply it into something new and better.
If you have a business idea, find out if someone else has started the same idea. If you already have one, don't be afraid. Study what they do, and look for areas you can do better.
Dare and Dare to be Different
From the start, Anton had special attention to things that were not visible on the surface, or that were not part of the main culture, which he called subculture. According to Anton, things that are not visible on the surface will trigger creativity. Examples of subculture are: everything that is categorized as indie, for example in the fields of music and fashion because indie trends are different from the mainstream.
For Anton, the electronic music genre is one of his definitions of subculture, which twenty years ago was not as well known as it is now.
The experience of being rejected for playing an unfamiliar music genre at the start of his career as a DJ in Jakarta did not make Anton compromise with the tastes of ordinary people. He chooses to educate his followers on the type of electronic music he enjoys. Even when he opened a vinyl record shop as his first business, Anton remained consistent with his music genre.
As a result, today, Anton Wirjono is known as a pioneer of electronic music in Indonesia who gave birth to music festivals such as the Jakarta Movement, which later became the inspiration for the Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP). DWP is an annual Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festival that invites electronic music musicians from all over the world.
Your ideas are your strength. Now, do you dare to move forward with this idea?
Creative Thinking
Anton believes that everyone is creative, even though the environment or obligations can hinder or eliminate a person's creative side.
Brightspot Market is Anton's creative way when he thinks about not continuing to run an event organizer business, which requires very intense time. Even more creative, he outlined strategies and concepts for Brightspot Market using concepts from the music business.
Simply put, he uses the concept of curating music and musician selection to curate the brands that will be selected for Brightspot Market. Curation is the process of selecting a collection of works of art which is usually implemented in museums or fine art galleries. This process is then adapted to select music, products or content into a particular collection.
Anton believes that in the midst of fierce business competition, human creativity will always be a differentiating factor and must continue to be honed. One piece of advice from Anton: hang out with people who have the same mindset. In the sense that if creative people play with creative people, they can find the best way to express their creativity.
Focus and Innovate
In his 10 year journey with young business people, Anton has discovered that businesses that survive are those that focus and continue to innovate.
Anton's innovation was to create The Goods Dept, a retail store, not to follow the usual standards of existing stores, even stores from big brands. He combines the concept of shopping with hanging out, combines the concept of a shop and an art gallery, combines the experience of shopping and enjoying music.
Her focus on music and music festivals provides an opportunity to observe her followers' styles. He then translated all this into a new shopping experience for them.
Innovation comes from trial and error. Trial and error can be done from starting to observe. Have you been in business for a long time and want to refresh your business? Try observing your business customers. Maybe you can get an innovation idea from them?
Everyone's path to success is different. But I believe that other people's journeys can be a reference for us even on a small scale. Which of Anton's experiences do you think you can apply?