Make LinkedIn Less Cringey #3: Riza Yudhistira

Hello and laskavo prosymo to Make LinkedIn Less Cringey. Are you ready? We’re not waiting.

Who are you and what do you do to pay the bills?

Hello fellow professional! I'm Yudhis, 28, a struggling SMEs owner in Bandung. By the way, I'm really flattered to be here. Thanks for inviting me, @mangijey!

What was your career path to get to where you are now?

Well, I spent my youths doing this and that.

I studied accounting back in college, started to grow interests in writing during the first year there, wrote some clickbaity articles for a small company that its business model solely relied on click-based fees. It’s awful, but I enjoyed the easy money.

I lost a bet to a friend, the deal said the loser has to open a Roti Kukus street stall. So yeah, at the second semester, I was already a “Pedagang Kaki Lima” :)))

The business was good. I saved about 5 times my monthly allowance in my first two months. I bought a scooter and we became friends since then (we ride daily until this exact day!).

My crews were reliable, I even could take another job as a private tutor; teaching math, economy, and English subjects. My business lasted for almost 1,5 years, then I gave all the assets to the crew, and they handled their own business sustainably.

With a very limited skill in graphic design, I applied to a small creative studio and ended up being one of them. I mostly did the dirty work like “ternak akun” or created inorganic accounts on social media (this is embarrassing, to be honest). Sometimes, they gave me a chance to layout or write some articles, but mostly I handled those kinds of work.

In 2015, due to the excellence of my tutor career, somebody recommended me as one of the tutors in the high school SBMPTN preparation programme in Aceh. I know, this would leave a bad mark on my CV as it’d make it 'non-linear'. But, back then I was already sure that corporate life wouldn’t really suit me.

I came back to the studio, hopped from one to another place until I got into my last job as a social media dude for a political campaign. And I can say that we nailed it.

In late 2018, I started a small enterprise, well, a small pushcart in a shopping mall to be exact. In the first two months of the pandemic, due to malls closing, we opened a Baso Tahu & Dimsum street stall in the neighbourhood.

What’s the best thing about your job?

People always tell you that once you set up your very own business, you have the ability to set your holiday any time and day. Well, they’re not entirely wrong tho :)))

But my main goal when I chose this path is to be closer and able to spend more time with family and friends.

What’s the worst?

It's tiring. I’m in constant fear of not being able to meet sales or performance targets, not being able to pay my employees properly, or not providing food on the table.

I don’t know how some people think that starting a business is like opening a water tap. It's always 'yeah I am a 9-to-5 white-collar, full-time dad. I guess it's the right time to open my own business yeaaay!'

No. 

Starting a business is literally equivalent to applying for a new job (where you mostly do all the work).

How do you fill the gaps when you’re not doing the day job?

I mostly spend time with family, especially during the pandemic. I live with my wife, her sister and my sister. It's a girl house and I’m part of the gang. (My cat is also a girl!!)

I watch movies quite frequently. Please follow me on letterboxd and Twitter!

Let's throw the formalities away and go rogue:

What’s your lifetime favourite music album and why?

I grew up listening to Iwan Fals and the 90s punk rock songs. During the peak of musical sense (14-17 yo according to a study) I kinda flock to metalcore - a new subgenre often mocked by old metal purist - those gatekeepers are now very old and I pity them heartedly

But, my all-time favourite would be Sara Bareilles - Little Voice, because it's changed my view of Pop music. Deeply.

What do you feel about 2021 is going to be?

As an SME business owner, I just really wish it to be full of hope. A lot of vulnerable and elderly people will get vaccinated and pandemics to be over. I’m not really sure, but heck, even life is full of uncertainty. 

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a teacher or a journalist since I was a kid. I always wish to have a good fight with criminals, exposing the bad sides of the riches and the cops :p

Blame my pop for that please, he’s a teacher full of ACAB attitude.

What would you like to come back as, if there’s a next time?

That's interesting because I actually just started watching The Good Place. Well, I wish in the afterlife they had every kind of food and we don't get fat. I'm a simple man. I love to eat.

Oh, I guess I didn’t catch your question clearly, hmm did you mean that reincarnation thing? I wish I was physically appealing, that’s all.

What are the top three things on your bucket list?

• Meeting Iwan Fals in person. My dad is a big fan and every single song of his reminds me of my childhood.
• Acquiring cooking skill! Not just an everyday meal, but like 5-star restaurants have. I want to impress my wife and someday my kid maybe, I want him/her/them to brag about my skill to their peers. I want to express my love in every single meal they have every single day.
• Living abroad in Melbourne or a big city in Europe.

What is love?

Love is seeing someone in the eyes, feeling grateful for their existence no matter what they do.

Pick a random pic from your camera roll and tell us about it.

How come the question keeps getting harder and harder???!

I was scrolling for two hours and found nothing but pics of (mainly) foods, my cat, and the happy faces of my beautiful wife and other family members.

My wife and I occasionally host a house party where we cook and have long conversations during meals. That’s a photo of a goodbye party for my wife’s best friend because she and her husband would move to Bangka Belitung. Damn, I miss meeting friends!

Is there anyone you’d like to say thank you to?

Of course, my superb parents. But currently, I reread some of Alain de Botton's works and now I want to thank him for being my life mentor.

Oh, and I would really like to say thanks to Leka Putra, he helped me see life clearly. Back in 2018, he handed me a book titled ‘Walk Like a Buddha’ and gave me an intro to meditation. He’s really clever and calm. We share common things like how our mom raised us to be the people we are today (both of our mom were teachers).

So Leka, I hope you do well in life and we have some chance to Rendez-Vous!

Anyone you’d like to say sorry to?

My old self. I'm sorry for disappointing you for not being in 'the direction'. But, I can assure you I’m quite content with my life right now.

What’s your Best Buy of all time?

My 2011 Vario 110! It’s 10 years old and still rocking.

Let’s play word association:

• Red is the ‘left’
• Pinch is genit
• Oblivious - Oblivious? Man I’m sorry that I’m not familiar with fancy words

What’s the last thing that made you cry?

You know what, I do really get cried easily. Let it be a sad or a happy story, things could trigger me effortlessly they don’t even have to try. I shed my tears two times yesterday, the first was because of an article on Mojok.co about Yogyakarta’s Famous Olive Fried Chicken owner. The story was so heartwarming and you should check it out. I guess because it feels so personal. I always admire warung nasi owners. I owed them so much during my lowest point of life. They don’t just serve some foods, they give people a chance to live through the day.

I became a sceptic since I was 17, but growing up with Muslim values, I still hold on to them until now. Back then, when I was a kid, I saw my mom give a meal to an old man passing by. It was our last omelette we had that day and she didn’t even have lunch. She told me that food could save one’s life, and some people aren’t lucky enough to have a chance to save themselves. We were so poor back then, We couldn’t even afford a normal egg. Mom always asked me to buy the cracked ones from our neighbour because it was half the price, but it got rotten easily so we have to cook it just in time (we didn’t have a fridge either), usually, two pairs of eggs would take us three through the day.

During the first year of college, things were still pretty rough for me. I rarely had an egg in my daily meal because simply I couldn't afford it. So I stick to the tempe oreg and tumisan. One time, I had enough money to buy an egg or a chicken, but there’s an unlucky dude next to me that almost cancelled his order because he didn’t have enough money. So, I guess my money had a better use for him.

So yeah, food is really personal for me and I think Pak Kun and Bu Aurora deserve to be titled as Heroes.

The second one was because my sister-in-law I suspect dated a guy who showed some red flags, he does what most insecure guys do, and he keeps breaking her. We’re really close because we’re really similar in how we see things in life: we both think that life is boring and dull and we might not deserve good things in life. 

It saddens me how she wanted to end the relationship so badly but keep getting back to him in the end. I was in the exact same situation back then and now seeing her in the current state, feels like opening an old wound.

Make up a question of your own and tell us whatever you want to get off your chest. 

What do you fear currently?

Gustavo Frings said “A man provides for his family, and he does it even if he’s not appreciated, nor respected, nor even loved. He simply bears up and he does it. Because he’s a man.”

After the pandemic hit, I’m scared of not being man enough for my family. Also, My sister-in-law is about to go to college this year. This is somehow exciting yet anxious to me.

Give me three reasons why I should let you go.

I am a boring dude, there’s no point in keeping me here :D

So I’m letting you out alive, but before you scuttle away, tell us where we can find you online.

Let’s be friends! I don’t have many friends now, and seeing how cool @mangijey is, I assume you guys are cool too! Shout out to @yudhst on Twitter and letterboxd.

See you, I wish you and your family will always be in great health!