My OTIS Enlightenment
I was working in Paris in 2001 and living in the 14th Arrondissement at the time. A small void in the center of circular stairs is common in most Paris apartments. Sometimes, those voids are filled with a small, customized elevator with the OTIS brand.
OTIS is a famous brand back in my home country; it is the best brand we could ever have at that time to get the elevator and escalator. And yes, it is France’s proud product, and of course, it is famous and expensive. But, those elevators in apartments I found (my rented apartments and my friends') use the OTIS brand, and somehow, they are pretty ugly. The look, performance, and operation do not reflect the greatness of the OTIS brand, just like when I experienced it in Jakarta, Indonesia.
At my first encounter and experience, I was stunned. It is not like what I expected from France’s product. I have no idea why those are ugly. I wondered what on earth OTIS creates such a worse product like that, simply out of my mind. It is small since this elevator is built after the building is done. It uses space as big as the void in the center of circular stairs; somehow, it is not ergonomy, just like you see in the picture. It's not even a rectangle.
Then, on my second thought, I realized something. Every product is created ugly in the beginning, and then I found another excellent example of this:
Yes, this is the Apple computer, Steve Jobs's first product. It is the predecessor of the greatest and most demanding gadget by many people worldwide: the iPhone. I am experiencing the great ugly with a famous brand in Paris, the same feeling of looking at an Apple 1 Computer after having an iPhone or MacBook.
Those two products tell us that every product has its trajectory and history. It eventually became great after facing many iterations and experiences. After becoming “perfect,” it is sold all around the world as a tremendous and battle-tested product with a premium price. They conduct research and development in their home country and harvest profit worldwide. What a great business ideas!
I was suddenly reminded of wisdom: if you don’t dare to fail, you don’t deserve to win. If you cannot accept your imperfect creation, you may not create a finished product. If you don’t start small, you won’t start at all. Everything begins from small and ugly, including the best product we have ever had. Accept our imperfections and do it.
This experience really changed my mind, perspective, and spirit. It motivated me to dare to change; now, I have a purpose and some courage to change my world. Just like my colleagues in my office, we are all working in Paris, coming from local French, Maghrib, African, and Indonesian backgrounds. We are all the same; we create and sell that product worldwide. Indonesians can also make a world-class product by just starting small and daring to win since there is no failure; there is only the pending of winning.
Now, I have an IT solution provider company. We have some great products for big enterprises in Indonesia, and our clients are big corporations such as banks, telcos, governments, etc. We have significant portfolios, experiences, and proud flagship products. Please check it out: https://equnix.asia.
Equnix Business Solutions is built on some factors, and this enlightenment is one of them. This company is my vehicle for realizing our dream of doing and sourcing solutions locally; it is not necessary to always buy technology solutions from outside the country. Just start small and do it. Our courage to start is a reflection of our independence to get absolute freedom and souvereignity.
I have already overcome my mental block in 2001; when are you? It's nice to hear your comments and opinions; thank you.
