Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – What happens if someone studies at a prestigious campus and already has a job with a large salary, but then chooses to resign and help their parents look after a stall in the market? That's what a young man from Hong Kong, Toby To Yan Choi, did.
Toby is an economics graduate from the 29th best campus in the world, namely the University of California, USA. He works at a company with a 40 hour work week. The work is only in front of the computer and of course in an air-conditioned room. Regarding salary, of course he gets more than enough.
However, along the way, this comfort was disturbed by his father. Dad asked Toby to return home to Hong Kong to help him look after the food stall at the market. This shop has been around since the 1980s and has made a big contribution to the family. Aging administrators put the business on edge. Toby had no other choice.
“I feel like he has worked all his life for me. Now, I have to repay his efforts,” said Toby Insiderquoted Saturday (18/5/2024).
Returning home to Hong Kong practically changed Toby's work routine. There are no more fixed assignments and working hours. At the shop, Toby works 90 hours a week without stopping, from 11 am to 2 am. Then, he was also required to multitask as a chef, waiter, and marketing officer.
Toby feels that his job is full of challenges. From an operational perspective, he had difficulties because he had to take care of all parts of the shop. No one applied to work at his father's shop because it was considered old-fashioned. Then, he also has to maintain relationships with various collaboration vendors.
And the most important thing is about profit. Toby must arrange a way to maintain the quality of the food which is directly proportional to the price of the food and the profits obtained. As a result, he formulated an interesting trick: selling food in large portions, but at a reasonable price.
He said people usually spend US$13-19 on one meal. For him, that's a cheap price for the standard of living in Hong Kong, which is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Thanks to this method, Toby's food stall is popular with many people.
“Our stall has been a favorite place for years,” he said.
Even though initially he had to leave his comfort zone and was forced to stumble, Toby is now starting to feel the sweetness of doing business. Thanks to his father's help in looking after a stall at the market, he admits that his income is now twice as large as his monthly income as an accountant in the US.
He didn't say how much it was. However, job search sites Indeed stated that the average salary for accountants in the US is US$ 4,475 or Rp. 71 million per month. This means that, based on this nominal value, Toby's monthly income from the rice stall is predicted to reach IDR 140 million per month.
At this point, he feels happy because he can help the family business and contribute to preserving Hong Kong's culinary culture.
“Being part of Hong Kong's dai pai dong tradition, I realized we could definitely raise awareness of the disappearance of companies like ours,” Choi said.
Now, he is not alone in guarding the shop. There is already a younger sibling who is helping.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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(mfa/mfa)