Enticing Westerners to look East

Enticing Westerners to look East

Martha Tilaar, founder and chairperson of Martha Tilaar Group, a
leading name in traditional cosmetics and beauty care in the
region, shares her business philosophy in the third part of this
special weekly series. The following is an excerpt of a recent
interview, prepared with the help of marketing expert Hermawan
Kartajaya, by The Jakarta Post reporter K. Basrie.

During her childhood, she was a tomboy and expert in climbing
trees. She was only introduced to cosmetics when, as a young
teacher, her mother told her to dress up so she would look like
the other female teachers in front of her elementary class.

Like many other kids in her hometown in Kebumen, Central Java,
little Martha liked snacks very much. After being spotted by her
trader mother for taking money without permission, Martha got her
first free lesson in entrepreneurship.

Her mom asked her to earn money on her own by selling snacks.
Each piece was divided into three small pieces for a quick
turnover. Later, she also sold fruit collected from her family'
garden.

Martha, just like many newcomers, felt slightly awkward in the
first few days. "I once hastily climbed a tree when I saw my
teacher pass in front of my house where I was selling my goods. I
was really embarrassed," she recalled.

At a later stage, she made and sold several handicrafts, such
as traditional necklaces and bracelets. And all the money she
earned was used to purchase her favorite snacks.

"It was my parents who taught me how problems solve problems,"
said Martha, now 65 and a leading name in the beauty care
industry.

Since then beauty became her top priority in life which she
developed in her business by focusing on endless innovation in
every aspect of the process: from research, technology, quality
(products and human resources), marketing, promotion and
efficiency.

According to Martha, entrepreneurship can be developed by
anyone. An entrepreneur has to have the capability to see the
future in his or her vision.

Three decades ago, when she started the business, Martha
firmly believed that rich natural plants and herbs plus the
eastern values were something that could be sold to both locals
and Westerners. Today, her products and services, such as the spa
using products and treatments made from aromatic plants, are
available in several Asian countries, the Middle East, the
Netherlands and North America. She and her corporation has
received numerous local and international awards.

As for globalization, Indonesia, she said, has greater
opportunities to succeed over other rivals. According to her,
local entrepreneurs should be defenders in the war against
foreign rivals.

"We're so rich in natural resources that need to be developed.
Instead of being just farmers and selling commodities at low
prices, we actually could develop the commodities into something
that could further boost their prices," Martha said.

Several years ago, her group used to import whitening
materials for her products from abroad at US$200 per kilogram.

"But now we can produce our own by using local materials at
the price of $6 per kilogram," said Martha, whose name was
attributed by Leiden University in the Netherlands to a
Kalimantan orchid species, Coelogyne marthae, which was developed
at the university's botanical garden.

For 16 years, MTG has promoted the vast cultures and natural
resources of 12 provinces of Indonesia through fashion and
cosmetics to revive locals' pride so that they are finally
willing to buy.

So even while most Indonesian women are still enticed by
imported beauty care products and services, Martha has managed to
steal the hearts of many local girls, career women and ladies to
use her beauty products and services.

And the Martha Tilaar Group will continue develop such
emotional branding to grab the promising domestic market and to
expand its overseas market as well.

Customers in the West have started to turn their eyes to
beauty products and services from the East, she says. For her
group, the global trend is being treated as a gold mine.

And nothing in this world could stop her and her dreams for
endless invention to become the 'queen' in 'her' own homeland.

"I will stop only when God calls me," she said, adding that
her organization would soon branch into the manufacturing of
batik and other Indonesian traditional fashion accessories.

A graduate of IKIP Jakarta, Martha studied at the Academy of
Beauty Culture at Bloomington, Indiana, in the U.S. from 1967 to
1969 and took part in the Leadership and Business
Entrepreneurship Training at Harvard University in 1997 and
several beauty courses in the world's major fashion centers like
Paris, London, Tokyo and New York.

In 1984, the World University of Tucson in Arizona awarded her
an honorary doctorate in fashion and artistry.