From Academic Pressure and Early Failures to Four Thriving Ramen Outlets, Mimma's Story Redefines the Meaning of Success for Indonesia's Young Generation.

Ramen, the Japanese noodle dish renowned for its rich broth and deeply satisfying flavors, has successfully conquered the global palate. In Indonesia, particularly amid the vibrant culinary bustle of Yogyakarta, one name has emerged not just as a source of comfort food but as a staggering business phenomenon: Ramenhead.co.

Behind this rapid and soaring success stands a young woman named Rismawati, affectionately known as Mimma. Still in her twenties, Mimma has successfully built a ramen empire that is both digitally viral and financially robust, consistently pulling in monthly revenues reaching hundreds of millions of Rupiah at each of her four locations. In a remarkably short period, Ramenhead.co has spread its wings to four branches and has even launched a ready-to-offer franchise system.

This is a classic tale of young Indonesian courage a narrative filled with falls, relentless resilience, and the sheer determination to create something widely loved, even when the path taken sharply deviates from her university education.

Mimma, Management, and the Choice to Dismiss "Gengsi"

Mimma is the perfect embodiment of a generation brave enough to redefine the meaning of "success." She is neither a classically trained chef nor a graduate of a culinary business school. She is an immigrant from Jambi who moved to Jogja to pursue a Bachelor of Management degree at a prominent university—a path that, for many parents, represents the safe route to a stable and respectable career.

"Usually, college is an obligation from the parents," Mimma recounted, reflecting on those times, "so we are required to study and we are required to graduate." She fulfilled these demands, yet her soul was already restlessly seeking opportunities outside the curriculum.

Amid her academic commitments, Mimma was not passive. She hunted for business experience. Her early ventures were a mix of trial and error: photo modeling, attempting to sell leather bags (which she admits was a "failure, guys, but it's okay, that’s business"), and selling hijabs to meet campus requirements. Each of these efforts, whether failing or partially succeeding, formed the foundation of her business instinct.

After graduation, Mimma was faced with a serious career junction. The first option was to work in her field Management or return to her family's business, a construction supply store in Jambi. She chose to run the construction store, recognizing the long-term business potential in the primary needs sector. However, her heart was anchored in Jogja, the city that felt "homely" and "comfortable," and she saw Jogja as fertile ground for business.

The decision to jump into the Food and Beverage (F&B) sector in Jogja was an enormous gamble, given the fierce culinary competition in the student city. "F&B is high risk, but it’s exciting," she says. F&B, for her, was the real battlefield for management. It gave her space to create something and apply her management knowledge practically, from assembling an efficient team to designing a system ready for franchising.

Mimma emphasizes that an academic degree should not be a boundary. She is a Management graduate now succeeding as a ramen shop owner. "It's okay if it doesn't match your college major," she says. "It’s not necessarily true that the job or the money (cuan) will come from what we studied in college, that's what I think."

Mimma’s most important message for young people is: set aside your gengsi (prestige/ego).

"Prioritize your primary needs first. Find something that can generate income," she asserts.

For her, running a ramen business or a construction store, though perhaps not glamorous or aligned with her initial passion, was the quickest path to getting cuan (profit) and building a stable life foundation. Only once the financial bedrock is strong, she believes, can one chase their passion—a philosophy she terms having the "factory first" a stable primary income source before building a dream. This philosophy is the key to the business mentality of Ramenhead.co.

The Origin of Ramenhead: Business Instinct Amidst Confusion

The story of Ramenhead.co's birth stems from a unique business instinct and a bit of serendipity. Mimma found a coffee shop in Jogja being sold, including all its contents: the location, the interior, and even the coffee equipment. "This story is funny," she begins. "There was a place for sale, which used to be a coffee shop... the whole set was being sold."

She bought the place based solely on a "good feeling" about the location, despite being unsure what to turn it into. After the purchase, she realized Jogja was already saturated with coffee shops. She sought a new idea: what food is not boring and is loved by Indonesians besides rice? The answer was clear: noodles.

"How about making ramen?" This decision was followed by an intense, self-taught Research and Development (R&D) process conducted entirely in her home kitchen. She had the location, but the ramen recipe was yet to be found. While renovating the former coffee bar into an Open Kitchen, Mimma experimented.

"It was a total fail at first, the first fail, the second fail," she recalls.

Finally, Mimma found a recipe that she deemed okay and, more importantly, was loved by her friends. She converted the bar concept into an Open Kitchen so customers could witness the cooking process and be assured that the ingredients used were fresh. This was a simple but highly effective trust-building strategy.

The name "Ramenhead" itself emerged from a humorous moment of indecision between "Secret Ramen" or "Ramenhead." The inspiration came from terms like "sneaker head," referring to someone who deeply loves sneakers. "I thought, 'Okay, Ramenhead it is.' A person who really loves the field, the food of ramen." She checked, and the name hadn't been used by anyone else, making it unique and memorable.

Mimma asserts that she is the creator of the Ramenhead.co menu, despite having no professional background. "I have no basic cooking skills at all. I cook only for my family, only for my husband, only for my child, for my friends. But it turns out they like my cooking," she states. Everything was driven by passion and the satisfaction of seeing others happily enjoy her food.

The Turning Point: Lows, Resilience, and the Unplanned 'Queue' Strategy

When Ramenhead.co first opened, success was not immediate. The first month was a difficult struggle that nearly broke her. Daily revenue barely reached Rp100,000 to Rp150,000, yet she had to pay four to five employees and rent.

Mimma even revealed a touching low point:

"In the first month, in the second week, we no longer had friends coming as guests. So, the only person buying was me. I ordered Ramenhead via online delivery. I bought my own food for Rp25,000, twice, totaling Rp50,000. So out of Rp150,000 daily revenue, Rp50,000 came from me."

However, Mimma held a strong business philosophy: she preferred gradual growth—"slow but upward" rather than an instant boom prone to sharp decline. She wanted to be accustomed to starting from the bottom, so that when a bad turning point arrived, it wouldn't be a shock.

During these challenging times, Mimma also had to face a painful loss. Nivo, the manager handling all operations, from online ordering to employees, died in an accident one month after Ramenhead opened. "I was so sad, I was totally devastated," she admitted. All plans were threatened with collapse. However, support from the team and the conviction that she must press forward to "make my deceased friend proud" became her catalyst.

The breakthrough came through a strategy that wasn't entirely planned: social media virality and the unique open kitchen. "If we’re talking about a truly planned strategy, it didn't exist, guys. It initially came from inviting an selebgram [influencer]... and it turned out they created their own content, they liked it, and it boomed," Mimma explained.

This boom created the phenomenon of long queues and a "waiting list," especially at the first, tiny outlet in Pandega, which only seated about 25 people.

"In the third month, or the fourth month, we were able to reach a monthly revenue of 200 million with a capacity of 25 people. That is insane. So, we reached the break-even point in that month too," Mimma revealed.

This small outlet achieved an incredible monthly turnover of up to Rp250 million. Key contributing factors were consistent quality and a high volume of customers, especially students and families, supported by affordable prices. The concept was: come, eat ramen, be satisfied, and leave—it was not a place to hang out for a long time. The long queues, reminiscent of small, popular ramen shops in Japan, actually became part of the brand's allure.

The 'McD' Strategy and Local Flavor Customization

Amidst the intense competition in the ramen scene, Mimma realized Ramenhead.co needed unique selling points. She identified two crucial differentiators:

Self-Created Taste for the Local Palate: Ramenhead does not replicate authentic Japanese flavors. Instead, it creates recipes adjusted for the Indonesian tongue. "The taste is not authentic," Mimma quotes one comment. Yet, she firmly responds: "If the taste was truly, truly Japanese, I’m not sure you would like it." Her philosophy is that selling in Indonesia, specifically Jogja, means the flavor must be adapted for the local people to be enjoyed by all segments, making her ramen widely accessible and mass-appealing.

The McD-Style Menu Strategy at Every Outlet: Mimma implemented a philosophy learned from global businesses like McDonald's (McD). She observed that McD in every country or region often features different local menus. "I am not imitating, but rather studying the business way of McD," she explained. Ramenhead.co has a basic menu with three types of broth. However, each of the four branches (Pandega, Kusuma Negara, Magelang, Godean) features an exclusive menu only available at that specific location, along with a different ambiance. For instance, if customers want ramen that also offers sushi, they are directed to the Magelang branch. If they want a more spacious place to hang out while eating ramen, they can go to Kusuma Negara. If they only want to eat quickly and leave (dine-in or take-away), they can go to Pandega or Godean. This strategy not only creates uniqueness but also encourages customers to visit all branches to sample the exclusive items, boosting loyalty and traffic across the entire network.

Rapid Expansion, Franchising, and the Vision for All of Indonesia

The speed of Ramenhead.co’s growth is astonishing. In less than two years, the business has transformed into an entity with four branches, its own management office, and, most impressively, a ready-to-launch franchise system. "Ramenhead is only about one year old, but it is already able to franchise, it already has four branches, if I’m not mistaken," Mimma proudly states, reflecting the rapid growth supported by a solid management system.

The opening of the franchise system is driven by Mimma's desire to share opportunities with others who have capital but may lack the time or technical skills to start an F&B business from scratch. She has built the "factory" and a system proven to generate revenue, and now she is ready to sell that blueprint for success.

Mimma’s long-term vision is highly ambitious: she wants Ramenhead to be present across all of Indonesia.

"I really want that. I want Ramenhead to be in all of Indonesia, guys."

Her immediate focus is expanding to other cities on Java, such as Solo, Semarang, Malang, and Surabaya, using the Jogja experience as a stepping stone. After that, she dreams of opening branches in Bali and even in her hometown of Jambi.

Conclusion: A Message for the Next Generation

Mimma and Ramenhead.co's story is a living testament that true success is not measured by how linear your career path is with your academic background, but rather by courage, perseverance, and the ability to adapt. She started with failure (leather bags), built a non-glamorous business (construction store), and found spectacular success in a field she initially mastered only through hobby (ramen).

"My message for young people now is, it's okay to try new things. Failure is okay, it's a process," she concludes.

She urges the younger generation to keep trying, learn from every stumble, and, most importantly, put aside gengsi. Ramenhead.co proves that with the right recipe (both in the kitchen and in the business plan), strong business instinct, and a resilient mentality, a multi-million Rupiah reality is no longer just a dream, but a savory, rich, and rapidly expanding reality across the archipelago.

Source :  Ch.ytb. Teman Ngopi
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