UNM Alumnus Becomes CEO: Erlan Bachtiar Emphasises the Importance of Strong Mentality in Building a Business at MOKA SERASI

The journey of building a business from zero was shared by Erlan Bachtiar, CEO and Business Owner who is an alumnus of Universitas Nusa Mandiri (UNM), when he became a speaker in the MOKA SERASI 2026 talkshow on Saturday (28/3/2026). On that occasion, he highlighted the importance of mindset and mental resilience in facing the dynamics of the business world. Erlan revealed that the campus also contributed to shaping his personal development foundation, both in terms of knowledge and self-improvement. He emphasised the importance of deeply and meticulously gathering information when facing various challenges, including understanding customer characteristics. “The campus gave me a foundation of knowledge and self-development, but in the field, we must continue learning to face various characters and situations,” he said during MOKA SERASI 2026. Erlan shared the beginning of his business journey in 2017 in Depok, which at that time was known as one of the centres for technology and IT solution services. According to him, starting a business does not have to wait until fully prepared. “Starting a business doesn’t have to wait until you’re ready. The important thing is to have the courage to start and keep learning from the process,” said Erlan. Erlan emphasised the importance of building the right mindset before entering the business world. “What you think is what you get (What you think, that’s what you’ll get), so build a positive mindset and strong mentality. Don’t be overly sensitive; if there are no regular customers today, you must remain optimistic,” he explained. He also added, “Failure is part of the process. If you fail seven times, you must rise eight times. Evaluate, improve, and keep moving.” Closing the session, Erlan reminded UNM freshmen not to focus only on the end result. “Don’t just want to be successful, but prepare yourself to be worthy of success,” he said. He hopes that UNM students, who are indeed known as the Digital Business Campus, will be able to build independent and resilient characters in facing future challenges.