The Story of Faisal Adlan (icalToys Hotwheels), A Successful Online Businessman in Indonesia (Part 1)

Note: Tulisan ini adalah terjemahan Basa Enggres bebas dari artikel ini

Hi friends, try to take a look at the photo below, do you know this guy?

Faisal Adlan

If you are one of the hobby toy fans (Hotwheels) and have ever bought Hotwheels in the Indonesian online market, surely the guy above is familiar to you. Yes! He is Faisal Adlan, owner of the online shop IcalToys.

The online shop IcalToys is one of the big Hotwheels sellers who have customers and resellers from all parts of Indonesia (even to foreign countries). Faisal has pioneered and built this business more than ten years ago.

But do you know? All the success achieved by Faisal Adlan at this time is not as easy as 'turning your palm'. He started his business from below. 

Now in this article, I will tell you the story of his struggle in pioneering his business. I got the reference this article from personal notes Faisal Adlan. And I will explain it again from the perspective of a third person. Of course, the writing of this article has the permission of the owner of the story. 😊

Let's start the story. 

The fate of the small seller (Diecast and Hotwheels) named Ical Toys at the beginning of pioneering a career.

In 2006, around 12 years ago. 

Faisal Adlan, he is a creative young man. At that time he was still a 5th-semester student, 18 years old. This young man likes to spend quite time in his room. While many other young people spend time hanging out in the cafes, this Ical prefers to 'mess' with his old school computer. That old computer is super slow. And its capacity can only be used for playing games, typing and for browsing with internet speed which is unremarkable.

Because always get the low grades (he said 😃), so that there is nothing too special about his achievements in the academic field. Especially if it is a matter of eating, this youth college allowance is very minimal. Instant noodles and cigarettes are the only good friends (for taste and stomach).

Pretty concerned, huh 😃.

But behind all concerns, there was a 'treasure' that was very valuable at that time. I mean; about time management, about starting to set targets and regulate self-mindset (have a big dream). Armed with that big dream, this young man began to work on his old computer device. Also, he is diligently looking for information about a business, and actively playing on the Kaskus (one of the most significant buying and selling forums in Indonesia). He diligently learns from posts about marketing, import, retail, online trading, and all the world of commerce.

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This young man seems to have been aware of himself from the beginning, that he might not be like his smart father (having academic achievements). 

His father works in a well-known oil and gas company with a good salary and allowance. So that with his profession, his father has a guarantee of living to old age. The family's economic needs guaranteed, both in terms of health, education, finance, welfare, to be able to travel abroad and have several assets. His father obtained all of this as an appreciation and reward from the oil and gas company for all the achievements and dedication of his father.

That is the achievement of his father. Well, what about the guy?

Every time in class lectures, this guy often thinks of 'drifting' everywhere, and it is tough to be able to focus on listening to the lecturer who is explaining the lecture material. Idlers, and like to sit in the back. His work often scribbled books, painted pictures, and was playing alone with his imagination.

This guy also realized he would not be able to follow in his father's footsteps. 

While in the tradition this guy family is very thick with professions in the professional/office world. So it is very natural if the father wants his son to be able to follow his steps. His father often tells of his experiences to this guy. Speaks about the success of his career with the hope that his child can be moved and encouraged to follow in his footsteps.

However, the great hope of the father quietly gets a rejection from within the child. The refusal is not without foundation. There are strong reasons for this. The child knows precisely his father's intentions are excellent, but he is not the same as his father. As previously explained above, the guy is not an achiever like his father in the academic field. Judging from his academic results, of course, can it was imagined that he would not be able to enter a bona fide company like his father.

But this guy does not immediately reject his father's wishes. He wants to prove that he can succeed in other fields that are per his passion. Yes! He wants to show that he can make his father proud, but not as an office man. He wants success in the business field! And he wanted to succeed as a Faisal Adlan, not because of his father.

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So at the beginning of 2007, Faisal Adlan began trying to buy 1-3 diecast toy units from eBay.

Armed with a PayPal balance from a friend, he casually tried to check out the item. At that time the money around 300 thousand rupiahs could get three diecast toys. eBay promises that the goods will enter Indonesia safely. Finally, he tried to dare to fill out the form, then pay it. He was then waiting for the item to come with an anxious feeling.

Finally, after three weeks of waiting, the item arrived. After that, he tried to sell it on the Kaskus forum, and multiply! Unexpectedly, all the pieces sold out for 500,000 rupiahs! (With the exchange rate of 1 dollar around 10,000 rupiahs in 2007).

The amount of Paypal loan balance of 300 thousand returned to his friend. And Faisal Adlan managed to get a margin from his first online transaction worth 200,000 rupiahs. Wow! His feeling was extraordinarily excited at that moment.

From the 200,000 profit money is separated 50,000 rupiahs to gift his friend (the owner of the Paypal balance), and the 150,000 rupiahs is saved for cash flow later.

Entering the 4th month in 2007, Faisal Adlan again ventured into buying larger quantities to eBay goods. The total expenditure is 2,000,000 rupiah (about 200 US$), and at that time got 150 pcs Hotwheels.

Faisal Adlan got had experienced confusion. Because at that time his status was still in college (so his time was limited to being able to sell as many items as that in quick time). Whereas 150 pcs is quite a lot, how way to sell it?

Finally, after trying to find information, there was a community called TOMOCI (Toys and Models Collector Indonesia). Faisal Adlan knew this community because had appeared on television. After finding out more information, then he tried to join the community. From that community gathering, Faisal Adlan can find out that there is also a Swap Meet event. This event is a gathering for the more diecast collectors.

This Swap Meet event is usually held regularly every two weeks. Once upon a time, there was a big event which held for one month. And Faisal Adlan tried to participate in trading at the event.

When he first joined the event, he immediately gave a price tag of 100,000 rupiahs per 2 pcs first (in the first week). Wow! It turned out that what happened was unexpected, from 150 pcs the items managed to sell 50 pcs. That means he managed to bring home some 2,500,000 rupiahs in cash at that time. And there are still 100 pcs of goods left, and,,,, by the count has been got profitable for 500,000 rupiahs.

Very 'delicious (the money). hehe 😃 

The remaining items now number 100 pcs. A week later, Faisal Adlan then sold 100,000 for four pcs. This time he sells at a lower price than before, the goal is for to sell the goods quickly. And it turned out that it had sold 60 units. Means, in the second week, this guy managed to bring home a total of 1,500,000, pure profit. And very quickly sold, even though the Swap Meet event only lasts for 3 hours, from 3 pm to 6 pm.

In essence, the future of this business began to appear transparent, and look bright in the eyes of a Faisal Adlan. In short, from buying goods with a capital of 2,000,000 rupiahs, he can get double the profit (Rp.2 million), so the margin the guy get reaches 100 percent.

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Ical Toys' first career streak continues!

Strangely, even though the fact that the profits were very tasty, the business was often underestimated by his friends and relatives.

In 2007 some friends mocked with expressions like this: "Eww ..., Ical is selling toy cars." Suppose that his friends knew the results obtained by Faisal Adlan from the Hot wheels business, maybe it could be that the saliva of his friends would drip. Hehehe ☺

Mental challenges and other obstacles also came from his father and relatives. Many of them doubted the future of the business he was pioneering. Some of his relatives commented in cynical tone and squeaky. His relatives see that the toy business is trivial. They said; "Selling Hotwheels are a business joke, a margin is tiny, business is worth a small, blah, blah, blah" ... and various other oblique comments.

How does Faisal Adlan face all obstacles when starting his business? What steps and strategies did he do, so that finally succeeded in becoming one of the biggest sellers of online stores in Indonesia?

Look forward to the answer, in article 2 that I will write — coming soon!

UPDATE! The second part of the article has written, please see HERE