Fusion Desert Food "Nuslice"

At the onset of our academic journey in the School of Business and Management, one of the inaugural courses offered was “Introduction to Business.” This course introduced a unique project named “business simulation,” which involved the entire cohort of new students in establishing and simulating a business for one month. The initiative aimed to immerse freshmen in the practical aspects of running a business, applying theoretical knowledge learned in class. Each class was tasked with creating its own enterprise.

Our venture was named Nuslice, a dessert business that ingeniously blended traditional Indonesian flavors with international dessert concepts. We identified a significant opportunity in the underexplored niche of Indonesian Fusion Food in Indonesia and were driven by a passion to introduce a fusion dessert that married Western styles with the rich tastes of Indonesian sweets. During this time, I was appointed as the CEO of Nuslice, overseeing operations across four divisions: marketing, operations, finance, and design.

In any organization, challenges are inevitable, whether internal or external. One notable challenge I encountered was addressing concerns from a staff member about my leadership and management style. She felt excluded from the work by the C-level executives. Taking her concerns seriously, I initiated an open dialogue to find mutually beneficial solutions. As CEO, I established clear work schedules, job descriptions, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the staff, and reassessed the managing and teamwork skills of the C-level executives to prevent similar issues. This approach not only resolved the concerns but also enhanced our team's efficiency and morale.

A prevalent issue in the food industry is product spoilage, which we experienced when nearly half of our inventory became stale and unsellable due to unusual taste. This represented a significant setback. Promptly addressing this, I implemented SOPs for proper product storage to maintain stable temperature conditions and set realistic sales targets for the team. These measures stabilized our sales and effectively eliminated the issue of expired products.

As the project culminated, each business was required to participate in an exhibition, creating an attractive booth themed around their business and selling their products. Eager to make a lasting impression, we designed our booth with a vibrant Indonesian cultural theme, utilizing batik decorations to emphasize our heritage. Despite a tight budget, the booth was a testament to our creativity and dedication to showcasing Indonesian culture. The exhibition was a resounding success, with our efforts paying off in overall sales and significant visitor engagement.

Following the exhibition, our professors announced the winners of various awards from the project. Nuslice was honored with the first-place award for the best business booth, along with a prize of three million Indonesian Rupiah. Additionally, we achieved a profit of around three million Rupiah, which was distributed according to the work contribution throughout the project.

Despite the challenges faced, I am grateful for the completion of this project without succumbing to adversity. This experience taught me invaluable lessons in business management, problem-solving, sales, marketing, content creation, and decision-making. The Nuslice project was not only a journey through the world of culinary fusion but also a profound learning experience in leadership and entrepreneurship.