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Jumakir: A hero made from sea shells
From zero to hero
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From zero to hero. That is the life journey of one man named Jumakir.
JP/SLAMET SUSANTO
He was born into a poor farmer’s family in Kembaran, Tamantirto village, Kasihan district, Bantul regency.
He was no one. No one knew him and he had little chance to contribute to society. Thanks to his dedication in building a sea shell-handicraft business, Jumakir is now a boss. More than 50 people in Kembaran make their livelihoods from the handicrafts.
Poverty prevented Jumakir’s parents from sending their five children to school. The children worked at odd jobs to pay for their education and eventually completed senior high school.
Jumakir completed a course of study in accounting at Putra Tama Economics High School, but poverty denied him an official certificate.
“I had to pay Rp 83,000 [US$9] for the certificate. It was a huge amount of money for me and my family at the time. I could not afford it.
“It wasn’t the end of the world for me,” he said.
Without the certificate, Jumakir had to work hard to survive. He worked more than 12 hours a day at two different jobs and earned about Rp 250,000 a month. From 7 a.m. until noon, he had a job in a noodle factory. From 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., he worked non-stop at his second job at a chicken noodle stand.
“The most important question at the time was how to survive. In my heart, I knew that to change my fortune, I had to run my own business,” he said.
Jumakir married Nilla Pasmasari in 1998. Jumakir quit his two jobs. He used his savings from years of hard work to buy a bike.
He used the bike to get a job as a courier for a home-based dried flower business in Kembaran.
Jumakir bicycled dozens of kilometers a day. He received Rp 250 for every flower that he delivered.
Every day he could deliver between 10-20 pieces of dried flowers.
He learned how to process the dried flowers and started to sell the product himself.
“It was not bad. I could sell a flower for Rp 1,500 with an initial investment of Rp 500.”
A light at the end of the tunnel appeared in 2001. A friend taught him how to turn sea shells – a waste product – into handicrafts. The raw material was available in abundance. There was a great opportunity to export the finished product, he said.
His first crafts were photo frames decorated with shells. He could sell a 42 centimeter by 42 centimeter photo frame for Rp 31,000.
Jumakir saw a big market and the potential for good profits, so he decided to concentrate on shell handicrafts. Demand was high, especially from Jakarta and Bali.
He raised Rp 5 million in start-up capital from a loan from PT Pos and Giro under a partnership program, and launched his business with help from several workers. He then borrowed another Rp 10 million, after prompt and regular repayment of the initial loan.
Today, Jumakir makes over a hundred types of shell-based products. His handicrafts are numbered ZN 01- ZN 110. The ZN name was taken from the brand name, Zulfi Natural, which was in turn taken from the name of Jumakir’s first son.
His business produces everything from mirror frames to clocks to tissue boxes and more. Jumakir designs some of the products; others are special made-to-order items.
Both domestic and international customers are attracted to Zulfi Natural’s unique, functional and environmentally-friendly handicrafts.
“Buyers came to the village in search of good products. I don’t know how they heard about us. They just showed up and we started to receive orders,” said the father of three children.
Most of ZN products are now ordered directly by buyers from countries such as Malaysia, Australia and Japan, in addition to customers in the Middle East and Europe. Jumakir also makes natural handicrafts from dry leaves and enceng gondok, a water plant.
Every month, Jumakir’s 50 workers make inventory valued at Rp 200 million.
“The workers are local residents. The process is entirely manual. I am against the use of machines.”
Products are more original when made by hand, and manual production employs more people, he said.
The man conducts quality control inspections himself. “Trust is an important thing for the business. I always keep the trust of the buyers by maintaining the quality.”
Even though he is now a boss, Jumakir remains modest. He is active in community activities and is part of the community security team, which patrols the neighborhood at night.
“I am still the same Jumakir, who was a poor boy to start off with. I don’t want to be arrogant because my success has been given to me by God. I only want my life to be useful and to help poor residents by employing them here in my handicraft center,” he said.
In 2009, local residents staged a rally and demanded that Jumakir run for the local office. Under the United Development Party’s umbrella, he entered politics and was elected member of the Bantul regional council for the 2009-2014 term.
“I wasn’t into money politics and didn’t buy votes. However, I had to pay for all the campaign activities, rallies, T-shirts and nightly coordination meeting fees.
“I spent about Rp 200 million,” he said.
Jumakir has a dream as a legislator. He wants to empower the public and improve welfare by giving jobs in the handicraft businesses to people without certificates.
Opportunity is still available, no matter what basic material is used, for a creative person.
“Many people are trapped in formality. They think they have to work in an office, armed with qualifications. Private businesses like handicrafts have potential. My parents were not artisans. I am not a university graduate. I didn’t start with millions of rupiah working capital.
“But with strong belief and persistence, I lead a [good] life.”
