Ida Siti Sadiah interest in doodling on a pair of shoes ignited her sense of business.

"I doodle for fun, but when my brother painted his own shoes I got the idea of shoe-art as a business idea," the final year student from the geography program at the University of Indonesia said.

Ida found that shoe-art far more interesting than painting on a canvas. She also found it challenging saying it required her to develop a particular painting method.

"Unlike with a canvas, I need to be more careful *painting* shoes, because the surface is rough. This is pretty challenging, but fun," she said.

She added she tested her own shoes to try them.

"Another challenge is colors. I need to mix many colors before I find the right color that matches the image I want to draw," she said.

Ida usually draws cartoon characters and other motifs on shoes. She and her brother sell shoes through a blog from Rp 100,000 (US$10) to Rp 125,000 each. The buyers come from cities outside Jakarta such as Pontianak, Bali and Samarinda.

To better equip her small business, Ida joined the University of Indonesia's program for young entrepreneurs in mid 2008.

"I received many marketing tips and information about legal aspects of business and management," she said.

The program also included an internship at various kinds of small and medium enterprises in the country.

"As I want to focus my business in the handicraft sector, I chose to be an intern in a similar business sector," she said.

Ida said that at the end of the program, she was asked to present her business proposal in front of a judge panel before being granted money to support the business.

She received Rp 8 million disbursed in two periods.

Rp 5 million was used to buy shoes and painting utensils. The remaining Rp 3 million was for a marketing campaign.

"I also used some money to rent a shop at Taman Kios Pondok Labu in South Jakarta. But the sales were not too good," Ida said. "This was because the area is not specific to my target market."

The shop was closed down after three months. But that does not discourage her. She regards it as a lesson.

"I always want to do business, and this is just a phase I have to work through," Ida said, adding that she would later make more informed decisions.

She has also participated in exhibitions to sell the shoes.

"For now, I will just focus on my online store and undertake thorough research and focus on my university thesis before I open up another store," she said.

"My business and my study support each other with my business helping me finish my studies."

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