In every challenge in life, there is always a sweet reward to be reaped, as long as we don’t give up. Mrs. Masruroh is one of the people who has successfully proven this She successfully built Bolu Griya Jawi from scratch, with limited capital and equipment, and without any prior business experience All she had was perseverance, courage, and the ability to adapt after learning from experience
At first, Mrs. Masruroh never dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur She only wanted one simple thing: to no longer live far away from her husband.
She got married in September 2012, and in the early years of their marriage, she and her husband had to live apart. Her husband worked in Jakarta while she remained in the village The longing and desire to live under the same roof made her consider starting a business
Coincidentally, she had a hobby of baking and enjoyed experimenting with various cake recipes Even though the results are sometimes successful, sometimes unsuccessful, sometimes good and sometimes mediocre, he enjoys doing it. Fortunately, Mrs. Masruroh’s husband was very supportive After she expressed her desire to her husband, he immediately gave his approval
Without wasting any time, Mrs. Masruroh immediately started her business On December 14, 2015, she began selling various cakes at a small outlet in the market At that time, she only used a capital of around two million rupiah, which came from selling rice
She did everything herself, from preparing the ingredients and baking the cakes to selling them She also had no hesitation, even though she had no knowledge of entrepreneurship and no prior experience in the business world The point is, I only relied on sheer determination,” she said
However, this business only lasted for one month On January 14, 2016, she stopped selling cakes at the market Although it seemed like a failure, she did not truly give up In fact, during that one month of selling, Mrs. Masruroh discovered valuable lessons She began to understand the market, learned which products consumers liked, and identified who her target customers were
So, after closing the outlet, she changed her strategy She no longer sold her cakes directly to customers but instead offered her products to gift shops and supermarkets
In addition, she also focused on one flagship product, namely bolu ketapang, which is also known as bolu sendok or dry sponge cake She chose this type of cake because, based on her analysis while selling at the market, it was the most popular and most sought-after product among consumers
In addition, bolu ketapang is a traditional cake already familiar to buyers So, she didn’t need to go through the hassle of introducing her product to consumers It is also favored by people of all ages, making its target market broad
In addition to this new strategy, Mrs. Masruroh also began learning about business She began to realize the importance of packaging, product legality, and how to maintain product quality
In February 2016, Mrs. Masruroh began searching for information about business permits through the internet She discovered that food products must have a PIRT license from the Health Department She then went to the Department of Industry and Trade (Disperindag), which turned out to be very supportive of UMKM entrepreneurs From there, she obtained various pieces of information workshop and training for UMKM At this point, she also gained a network of friendships with fellow business owners
Within two months, her business began to grow In March 2016, she recruited three employees for the production department, allowing her to focus on marketing Her husband’s support grew even stronger, and her hope of no longer living apart was finally fulfilled Now, her husband has returned to the village
Soon after, the number of her employees increased to five, and gradually, Bolu Griya Jawi’s business continued to grow The results of Mrs. Masruroh’s hard work began to become evident In January 2017, she was able to purchase a four-wheeled vehicle for product distribution
This was a significant leap; from initially delivering cakes by motorcycle, she could now transport large quantities of products to various stores This was an achievement that deeply touched Mrs. Masruroh Something she had never imagined before happened in a relatively short time
To date, Bolu Griya Jawi employs 15 staff members They are neighbors and close family members, showing that her business also brings benefits to the surrounding community
In addition, her production volume has increased several times over Whereas daily production used to be only around 50 packs, it now reaches 500–600 packs each day.
For her business strategy, Mrs. Masruroh remains loyal to the distribution system through shops and supermarkets with a consignment or cash system.without opening branches in other cities Her focus is on strengthening distribution channels and maintaining product quality
Interestingly, from the beginning, she never took a bank loan All the capital came purely from her own business earnings.
Her principle is clear: the business must be free from usury, and her intentions are kept so that it remains an act of worship
However, even though the business continued to grow, it doesn’t mean that Mrs. Masruroh never faced challenges She admitted that human resource issues are the main challenge in her business Because almost all of her employees are neighbors and family members, many are unable to work during planting season or family celebrations As a result, production can become overwhelmed, and they sometimes have to work overtime
To overcome this, she has to hire temporary employees It is this flexibility that keeps the business running even when circumstances frequently change
Behind her busy life as an entrepreneur, Mrs. Masruroh also managed to fulfill her long-time dream of becoming a teacher For the past three years, she has been teaching at an Islamic boarding school Interestingly, she never expected a salary from this work, as her living expenses were already covered by her business. She continues to serve as a teacher because, for her, teaching is a calling from the heart
Seeing the tenacity and nobility of Mrs. Masruroh, we can learn a lot from her. He successfully proved that business is not about capital, but about the courage to start.
“If you want to start a business, just start. Don’t be shy. Start with something you enjoy. If you love cooking, start a culinary business. Don’t think you need money to start a business; you need to work hard to make money,” said Ibu Masruroh.
He also emphasized the importance of correct intentions. According to him, business must be intended as worship and provide benefits to many people.