Think globally, act locally

Entrepreneur's Story

By: Agustinus Gius Gala

Globe Asia-29 Juli 2008. Think globally, act locally After finishing his studies in San Francisco, Julius O Ruslan faced a life-shaping decision: would he work in Hong Kong, where his parents lived? In Singapore or Indonesia - the country of his birth? Julius chose Indonesia and in a little over a decade has built a multi-media empire with diverse interests under his Milestone Pacific Group. “I had not spent much time in my motherland, but I chose to live and work here where I was born. Indonesia is the land of opportunity where I learned to be an entrepreneur,” Julius told GlobeAsia.

Now 34, Julius first dabbled with billboards in Singapore but after graduating from Notre Dame College in California, he made the decision to establish PT Level Delapan Utama, better known as Level Eight Media. After eight years in the billboard business, he has proven that doing business in Indonesia was the right choice.

Diversified interests

Julius lives life in the business fast lane. As owner of the Milestone Pacific Group he also publishes Inspire Kids magazine and runs a public relations company and an entertainment management firm. He owns the House of Ipoh and Ipoh Express restaurants and the Black Cat, a renowned jazz club in Jakarta. His lifestyle holdings include Home Max, selling high-end Hastens mattresses popular among the rich of Europe and the Middle East.

In Indonesia each mattress sells for between Rp150 million and Rp700 million.This year, Julius plans to publish Inspire Living magazine and is negotiating to acquire two other world class magazines. He also plans to distribute his Inspire Kids magazine in Malaysia this year. “I won't do business unless I have a partner who's good in the business so that I can learn too. But in each business I own, I am always the chief vision officer (CVO),” he says.

Key factors

Julius sees future success based on teamwork, horizontal integration, modern management and an attack on bureaucracy. At Level Eight, divisions are led by experts in their field with a strong emphasis on youth. “I trust young professionals, they are more dynamic, I hope they are above corruption. Anyone can be the number one in a company but it's the brand that counts, not me as the owner. Level Eight Media is the only billboard company with an ISO 9000 certification,” he says proudly.Julius started his business "from zero" and now sees his most important task as preparing for the future. “It's my job to draw up the strategy and chart the direction of the company,” he said.

The second key factor of success is to "think globally, but act locally". "The company is open to new technologies and strategies which originate from abroad but that does not mean turning 100% foreign," he says. In fact, Julius prefers to use local values. “We need to adjust the strategies to accommodate Indonesian culture. As the old saying goes, When you are in Rome, do as the Romans do."On a personal level, his main goals in life are making his family happy, making the company successful, staying healthy and remaining high-spirited.

Danny Wirianto, CEO of Semut Api Colony, says Level Eight Media is known to be innovative and aggressive. It was the first in Indonesia to use Larger Electronic Display (LED) screens for billboards. “They are innovative and successfully brought new technology to the billboard industry,” Danny says, adding that Level Eight has modern management with quality operating procedures.Julius owns and operates LED billboards on Jl. Asia Afrika, Senayan, the Stock Exchange and at Mal LaPiazza Kelapa Gading: all strategically located in the capital.

On innovation, Julius says that when he decided to enter the billboard business, he tried to offer something different and new to Indonesia. Many advertising companies were taking the conventional approach by looking for clients first, but Level Eight hunted for strategic locations first, then looked for suitable clients. “You can say that we changed the business pattern of billboard promotions,” he says.Julius admits it is difficult to find good locations for billboards because of limited space in the big cities. “Unfortunately, we can't create space.

Locations with a good view are also difficult to find unless the government builds new road projects. But the fact is, demand for billboard promotions is increasing.”