Sharing Inspirational Stories, CT Reveals Difficult Times During University Years
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Founder & Chairman of CT Corp, Chairul Tanjung, opened up about his life journey to the younger generation at the Lampung Financial Festival 2026.
During the ‘Inspirational Talks’ session, CT revealed that before achieving his current success, he experienced a period of great hardship. This implies that the success achieved by CT to become a major entrepreneur was attained through hard work and an indomitable spirit.
“Success is not something easy; everything must be fought for. It is not as simple as turning over one’s palm; it must be fought for with great effort,” he stated at the Lampung Financial Festival, Novotel Bandar Lampung, Saturday (5/9/2026).
He recounted that when he first started studying at the University of Indonesia, the allowance he received from his parents was only Rp45,000 for one year. This was undoubtedly a distressing situation, as CT’s family condition at that time was classified as poor.
Furthermore, upon discovering that the allowance he received was the result of his parents pawning fabric, he was deeply saddened and determined not to ask his parents for money again. “Finally, I realised it, and I changed my mindset,” he explained.
From that point, he used his wits to think about how to generate money to meet his living expenses and tuition fees. Various business ideas emerged, one of which involved profiting from the price difference in producing practical manuals for students.
He approached a friend who owned a small printing or photocopy shop to collaborate. He noted that the photocopy cost per page at that time was quite expensive, set at Rp500 per book. However, his friend was willing to take a small profit of only Rp150.
“Because my friend did not take a large profit, only Rp150, I returned to campus and sold them for Rp300, and everyone ordered from me,” CT revealed.
This success increased his confidence that with strong will and determination, everything could be achieved easily.
Not stopping there, CT also sought other opportunities by selling t-shirts, bags, stickers, and more. This made him the only entrepreneur on campus.
Additionally, other ideas continued to grow, such as bringing a photocopy machine onto the campus. This idea arose because the existing photocopy locations were quite far away.
“I found a photocopy machine technician and entered into a profit-sharing agreement. Every time I returned, I would check on it, and it continued to grow until today,” he said.