by Puspita Sari Dewi
Who would have thought, their hobby of roller skating would make Thomas and Fenie skate down the aisle and into the world of business.
Their friendship began when they were in junior high school, even though they never went to the same school, they met during roller skating activities. Fenie went to TarQ High School and Thomas went to Singapore, accidentally meeting again in Perth, Australia when they were both pursuing higher education, then they started their careers in Melbourne.
From CCTV to IT
Married in Australia and decided to return to Indonesia to help the family business. In Jakarta, they run a family business which operates in the CCTV (security camera) sector with Thomas as an IT specialist and Fenie as financial manager. Then, realizing that their children were becoming teenagers, in 2017, they decided to start a second business that was their own so that there would be a legacy for their three children.
The company was named Antusias Teknologi Mandiri, with the abbreviation ATM, which was inspired by the names of their beloved children, namely Abigail, Theodore and Maximus. Their brand or website was originally called Antusias.id, but because of their vision to become a global software provider, they re-branded it as Antzman.com when they expanded to Australia in 2019 under the name Ant Tech Management Pty Ltd. Antzman itself is an abbreviation of the two companies.
Taking the ant philosophy that ants never work alone, the same goes for their business. “O lazy person, go to the ant, pay attention to its behavior and be wise: even though it has no leader, ruler or ruler, it provides its bread in the summer, and gathers its food at harvest time,” said Thomas explaining how this quote inspired him to build a business whose teams help each other work together for mutual success.
Antzman provides software to distribution companies to increase efficiency by up to 350%. One database for companies with multiple locations, even holding companies that have multiple companies. With complete features that cover all activities from A to Z, business owners only need to use one platform so they don’t need to move data, just use the modules which integrate with each other.
Collaboration and Communication
Separating personal and professional lives as husband and wife and business partners is not an easy matter. Thomas and Fenie admit that their personal and professional lives are inseparable, “However, during times of conflict, we make it a habit to sort out domestic problems first before meeting with clients because we want to always give our best.” said Thomas, continued by Fenie, “Can you imagine that it would be difficult for us to smile on our faces in front of clients if there was a conflict? Moreover, I am on the front line in charge of finance, selling or anything dealing with people. Meanwhile, Thomas works behind the scenes, for Systems, SOPs, and acquiring new clients or partners.
In order to achieve their goals, they collaborate and synergize with their respective strengths, not only in terms of expertise in their fields of knowledge, but also in personalities that can support the running of the business well. Thomas is firm and organized, and Fenie is flexible and easy-going. They built a work culture at Antzman as colleagues and friends, not as superiors and subordinates, so that each team member has a sense of ownership and responsibility for achieving goals.
We learn to have priorities in order to achieve balance. The order of priority is: Spiritual, Family then Business/Work. Successfully achieving balance is not a one-time event but a process that they must continuously strive for. “It’s like an acrobat walking on a tightrope carrying a long stick. Sometimes we are unbalanced when we are busy with certain projects, but we have to turn around and give our time to others too.”
Became Head of IBC Australia Jakarta Chapter
In accordance with the Vision and Mission of IBC Australia and Antzman, Thomas and Fenie want to help business people to advance their business. One of them is providing a networking forum where members can get to know each other and work together. And also equipping them with knowledge and expertise from other entrepreneurs, as well as providing a bridge for those who want to expand outside Indonesia through cooperation programs with the Indonesian government, one of the destination countries is Australia and surrounding countries.
One thing that Thomas wanted to convey was a message from the President of IBC Australia, Mr Josep Rustam regarding advice in organizing “To IBC Jakarta members (when attending IBC events) is to always be wise, use common sense and take into account business risks when attending/doing business matching” .
“We ourselves are still learning from the President of IBC Australia, Mr. Josep and colleagues at the central IBC. “We hope that by listening to IBC Australia members, we can introduce the right people so that cooperation and desires or expectations can be fulfilled,” stressed Thomas, ending his story. [IM]
*co-preneur = couple entrepreneur, are entrepreneurial couples who work together as co-owners of their business.
For membership, please register on the IBC Australia website and complete the form:
translation from Indonesian original article:
https://indomedia.com.au/thomas-fenie-belajar-menjadi-global-co-preneur/
