UNIVERSITAS LAMBUNG MANGKURAT

FAKULTAS KEGURUAN DAN ILMU PENDIDIKAN

TASK FORMAT: WEEKLY READING ASSIGNMENTS

SUBJECT: INTENSIVE READING AND WRITING (A4)

LECTURER: DINI NOOR ARINI, S.PD., M.PD.

SEMESTER: II (TWO)

STUDENT NAME: NATASYA PERMATA PUTERI

NIM: 2110117320020

1. TASK GOAL

To improve students' ability to read articles in English and be able to make conclusions
and comment on the articles.

2. DESCRIPTION

Looking for articles from "Jakarta Post", give conclusions and comments based on the
article, submit it at e-learning, simari.

*Note: Different article for 1 person.

 ARTICLE:

NO BARRIERS, JUST WILLPOWER: AN ENTREPRENEUR’S STORY OF

SUCCESS IN THE PANDEMIC

Date: Friday, April 9th, 2021

In an era of widespread adoption of new technology, starting your own business doesn’t need
all that much. A physical store in a central location and large initial capital are no longer a
must, just the willpower and confidence needed to break through.

Just ask Daniel Djap Nen Kiong from Singkawang, West Kalimantan. Armed with a
cellphone and joining Mitra Tokopedia (Tokopedia Partner), an offline-to-online application
empowering traditional retailers, he earns the income he needs to provide for himself and his
family despite the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the program, Daniel sells a range of digital products, ranging from phone credit and
data plans to electricity top ups – all of which are in high demand as much of the world is
working and studying online while people are confined to their homes.

“Phone credit and data plans are the best-selling products. I can sell lots of those in a week,”
he said.

Daniel’s interest in joining the Mitra Tokopedia program was piqued by the attractive prices
and programs offered to sellers. He was made aware of the program through social media.
The Mitra Tokopedia program was launched in November 2018, and Daniel joined in 2019.
Immediately after joining, he noted the significant increase in transactions – one of the
reasons being the availability of digital products offered through Mitra Tokopedia, ranging
from game vouchers to BPJS payments.

“I would say that the increase is twice or thrice the amount prior to joining. There’s always a
transaction each day, especially for phone credit and data plans, while bill payments are
usually on specific dates,” he explained.

The benefits also extend to his customers, as they also don’t need to deal with the hassle of
queueing just to pay their bills. A few clicks is all they need, anytime and anywhere. Daniel
also said that the Mitra Tokopedia app was easy to use for disabled people thanks to its
secure clear user interface. The payment feature is also one of the most useful features for the
45-year-old’s business.

Daniel also sells masks alongside the digital products. While he would like to branch out into
wholesale, he doesn’t have the capital yet.

Karina Susilo, Tokopedia Head of New Retail, said in a statement that Mitra Tokopedia’s
ecosystem had helped millions of traditional entrepreneurs serve customers in more than 500
cities and regencies of Indonesia.

“We hope that Mitra Tokopedia can become a solution for traditional entrepreneurs to
participate in the digital economy, especially during a pandemic,” she said.
Conclusion/Summary:

The conclusion that I can draw based on the article above is that starting a business is not
difficult, especially in today's technological era where it is easy to do anything. As the article
above tells of a man named Daniel Djap Nen Kiong, from Singkawang, West Kalimantan.
Success with his business venture, namely selling credit, data packages and electricity refills
in an online shopping application. Due to the pandemic, people will rarely leave their homes.
That's why this business sells so well because people don't have to leave the house to buy this
stuff. So, the key to success is to have a strong will, self-confidence, be creative and never
give up.

My comments on the article above:

The comment I want to give to the article above is that this article contains motivation to do
business easily through online shopping applications and keep the spirit in doing business
despite being in a state of the Covid-19 pandemic.