“Whatever the heavy burden of life’s journey, take the positive, believe, and rise!”

These words serve as a source of encouragement from Hermanto as he reflects on his past. Hermanto, commonly known as Herman, is an alumnus of the social entrepreneurship training program for barbershop skills, batch 2 of 2019, organized by the Inspirasi Indonesia Membangun Foundation (YIIM) and PT Insight Investments Management (INSIGHT). This program is one of YIIM’s flagship initiatives, focusing on economic empowerment for underprivileged and pre-prosperous communities to create entrepreneurs and self-reliant individuals.

Herman (26) is a young man from Bangkalan, born into a broken home. Since the age of 2, he was left by both parents due to divorce. He was separated from his biological sibling who went with their father, while his mother decided to move to Surabaya. Young Herman was entrusted to his grandmother and grandfather in Yogyakarta.

“Until I was 10 years old, specifically in the 5th grade of elementary school, I only then saw the faces of my biological father and mother,” Herman recounted.

Mature Before His Time

Young Herman matured before his time. At the age of 6, when he should have been spending time playing and learning, he had to push himself to go to school while also trading to help ease the burden on his grandparents. More trials followed when he was left behind by the passing of his grandparents, which led him to move to his aunt’s house until junior high school.

At the age of 15, Herman moved to his father’s house and attended a Vocational High School (SMK) in Yogyakarta while helping his father expand a Madura satay trading business. At that time, he was grateful to be able to live with and meet his father.

After graduating from SMK, Herman decided to migrate to Jakarta. He pursued various jobs, from being a gondola cleaner on high-rise buildings, a tailor in the garment industry, to selling at a market, and even forced himself to sleep at the market because he couldn’t afford a place to stay.

Determination Brings Opportunity

Upon hearing from a friend about the opening of registration for the social entrepreneurship training program for barbershop skills, batch I (first), organized by YIIM and INSIGHT in Jakarta, Herman planned to register. He was confident that if he could master the barber profession, it would change his fate for the better. However, contrary to his plans, misfortune struck again. This time, his father passed away. He then canceled his plan to register for the training. With the little money he had from working in Jakarta, he returned to Yogyakarta and stayed for nearly 2 months at his late father’s residence.

Due to his strong determination to attend the barbershop training, he didn’t think twice and immediately registered when the opportunity for batch II (second) opened again. With only enough money for transportation and basic food, he eventually departed for Jakarta.

After attending the barbershop training organized by YIIM and PT INSIGHT, Herman was selected as an intern at Barbershop Inspirasi, managed directly by the Foundation. Being self-reliant since childhood and wanting to save on accommodation costs, he boldly proposed to stay overnight at Barbershop Inspirasi. The Foundation approved his request. With a monthly salary of Rp 2,500,000 from his internship, he was able to save a significant amount for his future.

Learning to Be a Barber with Perseverance

For Herman, learning to become a barber was not as easy as imagined; it required persistence and a strong spirit of learning to become a skilled barber. He had several experiences of being reprimanded by customers for taking too long to cut hair. Fortunately, his cutting results always satisfied the customers. During his spare time in breaks, he took the opportunity to upgrade his barbering skills by searching for references on Google and YouTube about the latest hair trends and cutting techniques.

“I am very grateful that Bang Ipul, the barber trainer, always accompanies and guides me when I am confused,” he said.

Herman is also very grateful that during his early days of cutting, he felt confused and lacked confidence. But because the barber trainer from YIIM always guided and accompanied him, he became more skilled. Over the course of more than 2 years, he has cut more than 1,000 heads. An extraordinary achievement for a barber who is just starting out.

Not stopping there, thanks to his perseverance and high spirit of learning in the barber business, he was eventually given the opportunity by YIIM to receive a scholarship to study at Bung Karno University (UBK), Faculty of Economics, majoring in business marketing management in 2020.

Grateful for Achievements

Herman is currently a 4th-semester student at UBK. He is no longer just an intern barber but has been promoted to Head of Barbershop Inspirasi, mentoring one intern.

Herman is very grateful for his current achievements, particularly the special attention given to him by the Foundation. Being self-aware that he lacked affection from his parents since childhood, Herman considers the people at the Foundation as his family—a place for him to share his troubles, receive love, learn, and find shelter.

Herman’s hope for the future is to make his family and close relatives happy, especially his mother, the only parent still alive. Although he wasn’t raised by her from childhood to adulthood, it doesn’t diminish his love for her. He still maintains a good relationship with his mother.

“There is no such thing as an ex-father or ex-mother. If I have extra income, I really want to make my mother happy,” Herman expressed.

His next dream is to open his own barbershop business and expand it. For him, the key to success in this profession is to ensure customer satisfaction with our service, because this is a service industry.

For friends who want to experience Herman’s haircuts, you can come directly to Barbershop Inspirasi located at Jl Bumi Indah No 23 RT 08/ RW 09, Sukabumi Utara, Kec. Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta City, DKI 11540.

Salam Inspirasi!