Good Things Come In Small Packages
I have always been a huge believer in the old adage: “Good things come in small packages”- after all, I’m small in stature and yes… I’ve used that saying on multiple occasions. It would be my go-to defense in the schoolyard ribbings that would occur from time to time, compensating for a lifetime of being vertically challenged, but I digress.
You see, I have always worked for huge companies – those with chains spanning across nations (and sometimes continents), and so large that you are regulated to an id number from this sector or that, and cease to be an individual. If this is the environment the employees are working under, you can imagine it not boding well for their customers. Time and time again I would join these established companies and find the same customer experience falling by the wayside, drowning in a sea of trouble tickets, red tape, and unanswered emails. Being a manager by title, I was unable to stop or change this machine that has been built around me and running for years prior to my involvement. I was plagued with thoughts such as: “How did these companies get to this point?” or “What processes had been missed or neglected to have resulted in such a disconnect with their customers?”. I longed for something more.
It’s June 2020. COVID is rampaging through South East Asia and millions of people around the world are being laid off. I am exempt from this purge only because of legal restrictions that would make it expensive to do so. The shortage of employees means I am doing triple the work with half the pay due to mandatory salary cuts; but none of this bothers me – I am lucky to have a job. It was during this time that an opportunity presented itself. A friend of mine called from out of the blue, telling me that he had something I would be interested in. I agreed to meet him over drinks, with no intention of leaving my job, but left the meeting with every intention of leaving my job. Both my wife and parents thought it wasn’t a good idea – and who could blame them? We were in the middle of a pandemic and given the situation, I already had a great steady job. But, no one has ever been able to change my mind when it’s set, and what my friend presented to me seemed like something more than meets the eye. AddedSport is a relatively small company compared to all the other companies I have previously worked for. With just twenty-something employees, I believe I had met most of them in my first week on the job. Right off the bat, I was in awe of the dedication and hard work everyone was contributing.
This small company makes a huge impact because the work they do is changing lives. Going to University is one of those life-changing experiences one goes through, and I get to be a part of that journey with my clients. Through the social work that our clients participate in – though just an offshoot of us trying to build up their profiles, has helped improve the lives of the communities they choose to help. Still a young company, I am on the ground floor with everyone else, and I have the opportunity to help build and grow it, making sure all of our clients don’t get lost in the process. I don’t know. Maybe we will get too big and neglect our clients and maybe we’ll fail. But maybe.. just maybe.. we won’t.
Vicaksana “Veto” Budisukarta Client Delivery Manager – PH & ID
