Ferry Atmaja: From Zero to Leading the TBK Group – Business as a Field for Worship and Beneficence
The story of Ferry Atmaja, founder and leader of the TBK Group, is a real-life epic of resilience, faith, and the ability to turn hardship into a golden opportunity. More than just a successful business narrative, the journey of "Mas Ferry," as he is affectionately known, is a manifesto of a deep-seated philosophy of life and commerce: that business is not merely about seeking profit, but also a field for worship (ibadah) and providing benefit to others (kebermanfaatan).
In an interview on the YouTube channel PecahTelur, Mas Ferry recounts his story of leading a company that oversees more than 30 branches, employs over 300 people, and manages various popular culinary brands like Preksu (Ayam Geprek & Milk) and Bakso Pajero. However, this success did not happen overnight. Hidden behind the glamour of the numbers and the extensive network of branches is the story of a young man who had to face the toughest life challenges, even experiencing the bitterness of hunger and bankruptcy.
This is the inspiring tale of Mas Ferry Atmaja, living proof that with a sincere intention, the right strategy, and an unyielding spirit, life’s difficulties can be transformed into steps toward the peak of success, all while holding firmly to the principles of goodness and avoiding usury (riba).
A Bitter Beginning: Forged by the Hardships of Destiny
Mas Ferry's journey began with a heavy blow that shaped his character and self-reliance. He lost his father, rahimahullah, while still in the 2nd grade of junior high school. The loss of the family's breadwinner instantly caused the family's financial condition to plummet.
"I went without food for two days. I didn't eat at all, didn't eat rice, because the situation was that there was simply no rice," he recalls. This dark moment became the turning point for his transformation. From a spoiled child, he was forced by fate to grow into an independent and resilient individual much earlier.
Starting from a calamity, Mas Ferry became determined to support himself and help his mother, who was now a single parent with no income. This resolve pushed him to start a business early in life.
Climbing the Ladder from Scratch: T-Shirts and Fiqh Muamalah
When he entered college, majoring in Industrial Engineering at UII (Islamic University of Indonesia), Mas Ferry had already started trading. Instead of carrying thick textbooks, his bag was full of T-shirts that he sold from one friend's dormitory room to another. He was even active on the online marketplace Kaskus, which was viral at the time.
"I could sell 20,000 pieces of T-shirts in 1 month," he reveals, recalling the time he became a distributor, supplying to various clothing stores (distro-distro). He continuously reinvested the profits from these small businesses without touching them, which would later become the seed capital for his culinary venture.
The Firm Principle of Avoiding Riba
Amidst his efforts to raise capital, Mas Ferry first immersed himself in knowledge. He studied Fiqh Muamalah (Islamic jurisprudence of transactions). His principle was steadfast: to avoid usury (riba) and bank loans.
When the collected capital was insufficient, he did not resort to conventional loans. Instead, he created a business proposal and sought a syirkah (partnership) cooperation with people. Although many rejected him, his determination to do business without riba never wavered. Fortunately, he met Mas Rudi (who is now part of the TBK Group management and a shareholder) who was brave enough to invest Rp15 million as the initial capital for raw materials.
Clashing with Parental Blessing
Mas Ferry's decision to become an entrepreneur after graduating from university was initially not approved by his mother. In her time, many parents considered the best job to be a Civil Servant (PNS). "Parents thought the best job for their child was a Civil Servant. 'You worked hard for a degree, and in the end, you're just trading, selling? No way!'” Mas Ferry recounts.
Mas Ferry chose the path of diplomacy and patience. He did not fight or force his way. He believed that parents genuinely want the best. By proving that entrepreneurship could make him happy and successful, he was confident the blessing would come. He tried applying for jobs, but his half-hearted intention meant he was never accepted. Eventually, his mother softened. He then took his mother to see a busy warung (small eatery), demonstrating the potential benefit of entrepreneurship for many people. The blessing was finally granted, and he always involved his mother in every important step, even when negotiating rental places, which were miraculously always facilitated.
The Most Valuable Lesson: Bankruptcy and Rectifying the Intention
Mas Ferry's first culinary business in 2011, a health juice café called "Juice For You," ended in bankruptcy after running for a year and a half.
Mas Ferry's fatal mistake at the time was "action without knowledge" (action tanpa ilmu). He was overly focused on action based on shallow motivational inputs, ignoring the importance of basic business knowledge such as proper bookkeeping, costing, and managing leftovers.
"It was busy, Mas, my first business, but there was no profit," he said, explaining the anomaly of his business. A small place, cheap prices, thin margins, and a product sold as a hangout spot—all contradicted a sound business strategy.
The Turning Point of Self-Introspection (Muasabah Diri)
Bankruptcy led him to be shunned by many people and made him ashamed, to the point where he chose to sleep on a table in his semi-open warung for months. This was the lowest point that triggered a major introspection (muhasabah). The first thing he fixed was his entrepreneurial intention.
"When our primary goal is the world, Allah will scatter our affairs, make our two eyes poor... But the hadith states, when your goal is the hereafter, Allah will make you rich in your heart, your heart will be tranquil, and the world will come to us humbly, the world will beg if we focus on the hereafter," he explains, quoting the hadith about focusing on the afterlife (mankana Fiddunya hamma).
He realized that previously, he had only performed acts of worship (like charity and tahajud prayers) to make his business busy. His intention was inverted. Now, he was determined to make his next venture an act of worship.
Rebuilding: Preksu and the Philosophy of Beneficence
With only 6 months left on his rental contract, Mas Ferry acted fast. He returned to learning correct religious knowledge (especially Fiqh Muamalah) and business knowledge (strategy for segmentation, targeting, and positioning).
The Birth of Preksu (Ayam Geprek & Susu)
Armed with knowledge and data, Mas Ferry conducted market analysis in his student-dominated neighborhood. The products favored by the lower-to-middle student segment were:
- Cheap.
- Large portions (refillable rice, refillable tea).
- Addictive (spicy and savory cuisine).
He observed the trends of spicy cuisine and fresh milk. Thus, the concept of Preksu (Ayam Geprek and Milk) was born, which accidentally found the function of milk as a spicy neutralizer.
Pillars of Business: Worship and Goodness
Mas Ferry dared to implement his new business philosophy from the very first day Preksu opened (January 8, 2014), long before achieving profit:
- Capital Without Riba (using syirkah capital).
- Free Meal Program Monday-Thursday (for those performing voluntary fasting (puasa sunah)).
- Reading Surah Al-Kahfi every Friday.
- Beneficence as the Primary Goal
The free meal program on Monday and Thursday was not merely a marketing gimmick. This program was born from Mas Ferry's bitter experience of going hungry for two days.
The philosophy behind the program is simple yet profound: guiding people towards guidance (hidayah). Mas Ferry realized he could not give guidance, but he could create an environment that encourages goodness. This program became a way to introduce the sunnah (traditions of the Prophet) (Monday-Thursday fasting) to the community.
Although he was criticized by netizens for fears that the program would be exploited by those who lied, Mas Ferry remained firm. He even felt grateful because dozens of people who had once "lied" to take advantage of the program eventually came to ask for his forgiveness after they found their guidance (hidayah).
Strategy of Knowledge and Data
Initially, Preksu only sold 20-30 portions per day for 3 months, only purchased by friends. However, Mas Ferry saw a stable increase prospect and continuously evaluated.
After a year, he applied the marketing knowledge he had learned. He renovated his warung and replaced the complicated menu banner with just one large, striking red sign: "Preksu Ayam Geprek dan Susu."
"After I put up that prominent big sign, the turnover immediately rose, Mas. That same day... from just 50 portions, we could sell 100 portions," he narrates. This showed the importance of positioning and visual marketing knowledge.
Another strategy he suggests is starting from a small place. A small place with 5-6 motorbikes already looks busy, creating a sense of curiosity (attraction marketing). Only when the place is overloaded and the public interest is very high does he start considering expansion or opening a new branch.
Expansion and Transformation During the Pandemic
Today, the TBK Group houses many brands besides Preksu, including Bakso Pajero (4 branches) and Jogja Donat. This expansion did not happen during easy times; the big momentum was born right in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
During the pandemic, Preksu's main market, students, returned to their hometowns. Turnover fell by 50-60%. Mas Ferry and the team did not give up. Instead of completely overhauling Preksu's "very student-focused" positioning, he conducted rapid research: who was the remaining market in Jogja? The answer was families and workers.
"I have to create a new brand," he thought. His goal was not to increase turnover, but to pay the employees' salaries. The surplus employees at Preksu were transferred to manage the new brands targeting families (such as Bakso Pajero).
TBK Group: Continuously Doing Good (Terus Berbuat Kebaikan)
The name of Mas Ferry's company, TBK Group, is an acronym for Terus Berbuat Kebaikan (Continuously Doing Good). This philosophy is also applied in the business model. Mas Ferry chose a partnership model instead of franchising to maintain the quality and integrity of the intention of worship in his business. He wants his business to be beneficial to others, not just to enrich himself from franchise fees. The partnerships he undertakes are selective, choosing people who share his vision and mission.
Four Pillars of Business
- Mas Ferry emphasizes that a good business must stand on four strong pillars:
- Financial (Keuangan)
- Human Resources (SDM)
- Operational
- Marketing
The first and most important pillar is Financial. It is useless for a warung to be busy if the financial system is a mess, the bookkeeping is wrong, and there is no profit (margin is eroded). He built a system that helps his team analyze finances quickly and accurately.
Conclusion: Failure in the World, Success in the Hereafter
The story of Ferry Atmaja teaches a fundamental truth for every Muslim entrepreneur: Our ultimate goal is the Hereafter.
"There is no longer a word for failure in a Muslim's dictionary," Mas Ferry asserts. If a Muslim is determined to intend his business for the sake of Allah (lillahi ta'ala), then failure in the world will not be a loss, because he has already earned the reward of worship in the sight of Allah. Sustenance and destiny are already determined; the human task is merely to strive as much as possible with correct knowledge.
From a child who once traded used clothes for a bag of rice, to becoming the leader of a large company, Mas Ferry Atmaja has proven that by holding firm to faith, knowledge, and the spirit of doing good, even the greatest difficulties can be transformed into a success that not only benefits himself but also provides beneficence and guidance to his hundreds of employees and the thousands of customers he serves.
Ferry Atmaja is an inspiration who shows: true success is when the world and the hereafter can be grasped together.
If the inspirational journey of Mas Ferry Atmaja, from scratch, defying hunger, to successfully building the TBK Group with the anti-usury principle and the intention of worship, has touched your spirit, which principle from his story motivates you the most to immediately rise in your own business and how will you apply it starting tomorrow? Share your answer in the comments section.
Source : Ch.ytb, PecahTelur
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