Exposed to the entrepreneur world at a young age, Indra is now the owner of a construction company as well as a Japanese restaurant.
What’s your story?
I grew up following my dad travelling & meeting different people all over the Indonesian far-flung cities. He was (still is) a professional, working in a Food & Beverage industry. From a very young age, I was told to sit and wait in the corner of a big conference/meeting and watch them discuss and negotiate. I moved to Singapore when I started high school, stuck around, graduated with an architecture degree and quickly got into the serial entrepreneurial activity, partly because of his encouragement as well. I started out freelancing but quickly ventured into the construction & restaurant business. I always thought that I could build everything myself from scratch. 10 years later through ups and downs, I’m still here refining my skills and building out my niche. Currently own a construction company called Minimmax and a Japanese restaurant in Jakarta called Itacho Sushi.
What excites you most about your industry?
If we listen carefully, the market can tell you what it needs, and there is a huge opportunity being in service to the market. It’s exciting to be able to help materialize a client’s dream and remove the obstacle to good & honest services.
What’s your connection to Asia?
Born in Jakarta, Indonesia. Studied and living in Singapore currently. Having offices in both places made me able to see opportunity and resources available at opposite end of the cultural spectrum.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
Singapore for starting out, opportunities, and competitiveness. I see Singapore as the capital city of South East Asia.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
People who have the ‘Why’ can conquer any ‘How’
Who inspires you?
Many people. From my father, my business partners, my clients, Tony Robbins (Yes I go to his seminars), Jordan B Peterson
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
I learned the importance of looking across the value chain to improve my company processes. The amount of money that I saved, and the output that I can increase simply blows me away.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
Start earlier, don’t be too afraid to make the mistakes which I did anyway.
How do you unwind?
I travel a lot, I also run and exercise regularly. It keeps my mind focused.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Bali. Look further into the culture & vernacular and you’ll find Bali is much more than the touristy & instagrammable escape
Everyone in business should read this book:
12 Rules of Life: Antidote to Chaos. Sometimes it’s easy to get distracted while working hard trying to achieve your business success. This book brings back the basic rhythm which can be a powerful foundation for achieving meaningful successes
Shameless plug for your business:
I own a construction services company called Minimmax which provides peace of mind for clients when building and maintaining their spaces/ properties. We manage commercial & residential owners through design, construction & building services.
How can people connect with you?
Email: [email protected]
Twitter handle?
We are constantly updating our website at www.minimmax.com
You can look us up there.
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This interview is part of the ‘Callum Connect’ series of more than 500 interviews
Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started,
built and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder of The Marketing Group PLC. He is the author two best selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’ and ‘Agglomerate’.
Connect with Callum here:
twitter.com/laingcallum
linkedin.com/in/callumlaing
Download free copies of his books here: www.callumlaing.com
