Health Made Simple - noDokter

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ariel Aldrin, Co-Founder of noDokter, located in Jakarta, Indonesia.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

noDokter is a preventive health and wellness platform that provides educational resources and programming to everyday users like you, as well as companies who are investing in their employee's health and wellbeing. This includes things such as articles, videos, webinars, online and offline events, programs, counseling, and partner collaborations.

Tell us about yourself

Hi! I'm the co-founder of noDokter, and am currently pursuing my MBA at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Originally from Indonesia, I came to the States to pursue my education, with the goal of bringing back what I've learned and create a positive change back home.

As I'm sure is true for many of us, I felt so helpless when the pandemic hit, and many of my family and friends were affected by illness, death, and separation. Although I was far from home, as an Indonesian, I wanted to help alleviate the current situation in any way I could. As panicked misinformation spread, my co-founders and I realized that access to accurate, easy-to-understand resources in the preventive health and wellness field in Indonesia was difficult and rare. This was what pushed us to create noDokter.

My goal to start a business and give back to my home country started from an early age. I come from a very entrepreneurial family background, so I have always been inspired by business founders and their entrepreneurial feats. In my free time, I love listening to podcasts, reading books, and reading threads about founder journeys, failures, and successes. I also love a good discussion about the problems and innovations of the world and where we can fit into it all— my community of friends and peers are great for this, as I like to also surround myself with others who want to start something and create an impact for the world.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think success is relative to each person, but for me, I am proud that I took that first step in launching my business— even when I lacked confidence, was confused about how to start, and could've just played it safe. If I think back to how everything started, I can see many other ways things could have gone, but I am glad I took the risk to give it a go and run full speed ahead. Having started a business has given me confidence in dealing with the unfamiliarity, which I hope I can use to continue creating a positive impact in the world and inspire others who want to start their own business.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

One of the hardest things is balancing feeling like you constantly know what you want to do but not knowing how to do it and, therefore, having to figure it out. It really beats down on your self-esteem, but at the end of the day, it helps to remember why you are doing this and to keep moving forward. As an entrepreneur, you will have a limited amount of time, money, and resources, so you need to prioritize what you have at your expense and wear many hats when you don't have what you need or want.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

1. Don't just keep thinking about it, but do it. Action is more valuable than any ideas not acted upon.
2. You don't need to be perfect the first time. As a perfectionist myself, I used to beat myself up for not getting it right the first time and would feel a lot of anxiety releasing something I knew could have been better. But as long as you put your best foot forward and keep working on iterating your product/ service to be better, then don't worry because you will get there eventually!
3. Make sure you're in it for the right reasons. When you develop a business, you will face the goods and the bads, where the highs will be high, and the lows will be really, really low. So make sure you choose to build a business around something you love and are truly passionate about because when things go south, you need to remember why you started and keep that as your north star.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.nodokter.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arielaldrin/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielaldrin/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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