Becoming Civil Servant Will Not Make Rich

The owner of the one success Hotel in Indonesia that is Sahid Group, Sukamdi, was
born in Sukoharjo in the same year as Sumpah Pemuda. His father has lived as the
government on his village but suddenly his father was become poor. After finishing the Civil
School, Sukamdi did the job as assistant writer in Kaonderan office Sukoharjo in the morning
and as the student in junior high school in the afternoon. And then, after finishing senior high
school he joined the soldier student.
The first time Sukamdi came to Jakarta is in 1952. He have just married his wife
Juliah, Mangkunagarans Daughter, and he chosen to release his civil servant job that 2
month he has did. After getting married, he was known prefer to borrowed his father in laws
money 25 rupiah to bought hand press and started the printing office without known
everything about it. In Jakarta, Sukamdi rent a small house. Not only as a house, He also
made his house the same as his office. Because of his effort, he could improve the printing
office. And then, he continued his study to Indonesian trading academy in Jakarta. Four years
later, Sukamdi had three printing office in Jakarta and other one in Solo.
Sukamdi started interested to having effort hotel after getting experience how difficult
he was found a lodging in Medan, North Sumatera, in 1961. He was invited there to received
warrior honors from Indonesian government. He realized his idea four years after he thought
about it. The first hotel that he built was at Gadjah Mada Street was named by Sahid Raya
Solo Hotel. That hotel also the first hotel was built after independence day of Indonesia.
From Solo, Sahid Hotel network extended to others region, they are Semarang,
Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Manado, and Jakarta. The improvement of networking Sahid Hotel
was when the improvement foreign hotel and the economy crisis in 1997. In 2008 was the
renaissance of Sahid Group with the big plan. But that plan has delivered to his children who
have managed others business networking. Sukamdi brought hotel knowledge and built Sahid
Jaya institution. Sukamdi said that he had not a special formula to built hotel network except
old advice from his father, that are Pitutur (advice), pitedah (direction), and wulang warah
(education). He was so busy with his job. From at five a.m oclock to half past seven a.m in
the morning, he prepared division of labor for Sahid hotel. At eight a.m he went to his office
and worked to six oclock p.m. When Sukamdi became a leader of KADIN (Kamar Dagang
and Industri) / Industry and trade room, he made a big service to convalesced the relation
between indigenous entrepreneur and Tionghoa entrepreneur. He had many trust from the
president to did some program. The programs were Klewer Solo market, TMII (Taman Mini
Indonesia Indah) / beautiful miniature Indonesia etc.
Sukamdi is a rareness person is like Jakob Utama, the especial leader of Kompas who
was not only success as entrepreneur but also consistent since young as intellectual. In his old
day, Sukamdi focused him self to eternity investment. He built inwrought religion school
from modern building of pesantren to religion college in Gunung Menyan, Bogor.
From this story we can get many values to learn. First, we must have a critical
thinking for every situation that we meet to make a solution. Second, we should keep our
effort for something that another person thought it is impossible to do. Third, no pain no gain.
To get the best result we should maximize our ability to reach it.

RCBI

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