CT Shares Tips for Bootstrapping a Business at Jogja Financial Festival
Chairman CT Corp, Chairul Tanjung, shared his experience of starting a business with no capital when he appeared in an Educational Class session at Jogja Financial Festival 2026 at Jogja Expo Center (JEC) in Bantul today. In the discussion, Chairul encouraged young people not to be afraid to start a business even if they do not have money.
The Educational Class session was hosted by Chairul Tanjung and Bank BRI’s President Director, Hery Gunardi. The session’s theme was ‘Entrepreneur Talks with Chairul Tanjung and Hery Gunardi.’
To begin, the moderator presented survey results showing that most participants were aged 20-30. Many admitted they were interested in starting a business, but were unsure about capital.
In response, Chairul said the capital issue is a classic question for prospective entrepreneurs. However, he argued that capital for a business is not solely money.
‘This is always a classic question. People starting a business always talk about capital, where the capital comes from. In fact, capital is not just money,’ he said during his presentation on Saturday, 23 May 2026.
He explained that besides money, there are other forms of capital that are far more important, namely willingness, capability, and networking.
‘If there is money, alhamdulillah that is the first capital. But it is not the only one. There is the second capital, namely willingness and capability. Then the third is networking, connections,’ he said.
Chairul then recounted his early experiences of starting a business at age 18 when he had just entered university. He said he had to earn money himself because his parents could not afford to pay his tuition fees.
‘My parents could not afford to pay my tuition, so I had to find money to at least pay for my tuition. I did that without capital,’ he revealed.
He added that youth is the best time to try to build a business because they still have energy and the courage to take risks.
‘Youth is the best age to start a business. Money is not the only capital; it is not the only form of capital,’ he said.
‘Failure is a learning process, a learning journey,’ he continued.
On the other hand, Hery emphasised the importance of a resilient mindset for an entrepreneur. He reminded that the business world does not always yield profits immediately and can be challenging at the outset.
‘It’s not possible that today we keep trading and always profit; that isn’t possible. At least you need endurance for a year or two of hardship,’ he said.
According to Hery, many people fail to become entrepreneurs because they give up too soon when faced with problems. Indeed, he said, an entrepreneur must be able to rise each time they fail.
‘Being an entrepreneur is tough. If you fail at this, try another path. When you fall once, you should rise three times,’ he concluded.