Hello there! I am Parker Casio Patty. I was born on April 4th, 1990 in a small city named Ambon City in Maluku, a small province located in eastern Indonesia.
However, life was not as easy and smooth as it sounds right now because while growing up, my native place Ambon was witness to a lot of social conflicts. Having had to undergo and survive such an atmosphere is not good for the mental health of anyone, let alone a growing child.
Even after bearing witness to so much negativity, I went on to study visual communication design and went further to pursue an ongoing Master’s degree in Marketing Management. This was just to achieve the one vision that I always had – to help small businesses take themselves to the next level.
The back story of this vision is fairly simple. Growing up, I regularly came across people struggling every day to make ends meet, as they were unable to pull their businesses out of the grip of losses.
Yet, as a result, the community support that I observed among people was something that left me awestruck and probably restored my faith in humanity too. Surrounded by people with such good values was what compelled me to try and do something for them – anything that could help them cope with their situation – and that has been my driving force ever since.
The only hurdle and red line in giving my vision shape was establishing a company or an agency to handle the logistics. Slowly and steadily, I did all sorts of odd jobs I could get my hands on to accumulate the budget required to establish an agency. This was a challenge bigger than Everest looming large in front of me because not only did I have to fill a treasury but also fund my college education.
Working and selling goods in a traditional market during early morning hours would take care of my fees but that was not enough because after having paid the fees, my pockets would be lined with a very fine layer of nothing! But there was no way that I was going to give up on my vision or postpone it for later when I might have a proper cash flow for that vision was the sole reason that would get me out of bed every day.
This zeal kept me going, and it was what drove me to sell second-hand clothes and clothes of various clothing lines, do various community projects, etc. All this was apart from managing my studies. And I’ll be honest, at the end of every day, I would be so exhausted that there were nights where I would doubt and second guess my efforts, and wonder if I was going in the right direction of my life or not.
But I knew that I had to keep faith in what I had believed in for so long and to keep trusting the process, that one day, all those sleepless nights and efforts would pay off, which they eventually did!
In 2013, I finally came one step closer to doing the greater good that I spent my life dreaming of. 2013 was the year when I finally established my agency – eager to help small businesses sustain and compete with bigger brands and markets in Indonesia. When I wrote this story it was seven years since I embarked on my journey to convert my dreams into reality.
Find My Vision
Along the way, I realized that I could not do this all alone, which is why today I have 12 full-time employees who take equal interest and believe in my vision. Together we have helped over 300 clients take control of their businesses, increased their revenue stream, and provided them with the tips and tools needed to develop their brand economically in contrast to the big brands who have millions at their disposal just to take care of the same.
A major chunk of the process includes:
- Training and educating business owners about what exactly it means to own a business and be an entrepreneur.
- Educating them about the importance and influence of digital marketing and how when it is applied in the right manner, can pull a wrecked ship back from the bottom of the ocean. Once they understand the value of digital marketing, the next phase involves acquainting them with the various practices involved in digital marketing and setting them up with the various tools that they would need (depending on their budget).
In all honesty, though, the last 7 years have been a roller-coaster ride. In fact, even more so than what it used to be before. This is because while roaming the markets every day, I often come across businesses that want to develop their brand name but have little or no budget to get going.
It is not easy at all working with such clients knowing that in the end, there is no profit waiting for me but then I remember: money was not the reason that I ventured on this daunting journey. In some cases, I often have to pitch in my own money, but I do so happily because you know – it’s Karma: what goes around comes around.
At this point, you would probably be wondering whether I’m able to sustain a living for myself or not, because not everything that you do should be done with a money-based mindset. Sure, it is essential for survival, but when it comes to realizing your vision and following your passion, you should just believe in the efforts that you are putting in without much thought of success.
If your efforts are true and your motives are pure, then you have nothing to worry about because God is sitting up there watching everything. He is just testing you and examining how dedicated you are towards your own vision and once He is convinced, He shall do the rest and your life will take a turn for the better, forever.
