“Entrepreneurship comes from problem-solving, will, and persistence. I got those three things from the support around me when I studied at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus), specifically by attending the Indonesian Students Entrepreneurship Program (KBMI),” uttered Anggoro Aziz Dwisambodo an Alumnus of the Management Study Program at Udinus who owned the ‘Mushroom-nim’ business.
Anggoro said that his business idea saw its beginning in 2020 when Community Activities Restrictions Enforcement (PPKM) was still prevalent due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With his roommates, he decided to save his allowance by cooking on his own instead of buying food.
At that time social interactions were limited; many traditional markets were closed near Anggoro’s rented house. However, Anggoro got the opportunity to buy oyster mushrooms at a reasonable price. Fueled by the determination to save his allowance, he turned the mushrooms into many kinds of foods including, stirred mushrooms and crispy mushrooms.
“Thence, my friends and I realized that crispy mushroom was an appealing snack with an affordable price. Initially, we learned entrepreneurship through YouTube videos, and eventually, we started the business on September 24th, 2020,” he explained.
Anggoro, born on July 27th, 1999 in Purwokerto, revealed that his target markets were K-Pop Enthusiasts. This was due to the fact that he was active in the K-Pop community in Semarang at that time, namely Reveluv. Hence the name ‘Mushroom-nim.’
“The word ‘nim’ is derived from a Korean word meaning brother, or an older person. However, as time went on the target market expanded to the general public,” he explained.
Within a month, Anggoro could sell roughly 600 pcs of his products with a price range between Rp. 8.000,00 and Rp. 13.000,00 each. Mushroom-nim has been distributed to many shops in various cities, “At the moment, my turnover ranges from Rp.4.000.000,00 to Rp. 6.000.000,00,” Anggoro revealed.
During his time at Udinus, Anggoro actively participated in many entrepreneurship programs to develop his business. Mushroom-nim also got the opportunity to participate in the “Indonesian Students Entrepreneurship Expo” (KMI).
Thanks to his mentors, his business kept growing. By participating in the Expo, he was granted Rp.12.500.000,00 of funding by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology to improve ‘Mushroom-nim.’ Anggoro used the funding for production tools and social media marketplaces.
“Udinus has impacted a lot in Mushroom-nim’s success. They provided me with useful courses including, Basic Entrepreneurship, Start-up Business, and Advanced Entrepreneurship,” Anggoro said.
Anggoro encouraged all students to utilize the opportunity if possible. University years are the best time for self-improvement. Students do not have to abandon their studies to pursue a career in entrepreneurship. In fact, universities usually provide their students with instruments to develop students' businesses.
“It was truly beneficial for me to be active in many campus activities such as attending KBMI and getting funds,” he concluded. (Humas/Ika. Foto: Dok. Pribadi)
