Overcoming Business Inexperience:
The Inspiring Journey of Chrisanti Indiana, Co-Founder of Social Bella, who has raised over $225M
Starting a business can be intimidating, especially if you have no experience in entrepreneurship. But that didn’t stop Chrisanti Indiana, who co-founded Social Bella at the young age of 24.
Now 31, Indiana has led the Indonesian beauty and personal care retailer to raise around $225 million since 2018, attracting investors such as East Ventures, Jungle Ventures, and Temasek.
From its beginnings as an e-commerce platform called Sociolla in 2015, Social Bella has expanded to 48 stores in Indonesia and 13 in Vietnam. In a CNBC feature, Indiana shares her journey of transforming her startup into a multimillion-dollar beauty company and shares three valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Be Agile
Being agile and adapting to change is essential for any business, but it becomes even more critical in the world of impact entrepreneurship. As a company focused on creating positive social or environmental change, it is essential to be flexible and responsive to the community’s needs and the changing landscape of the issues you are addressing. Chrisanti Indiana, the co-founder of Social Bella, understands this well, as she had to pivot her business during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, Indiana and her team at Social Bella were excited about the company’s fifth anniversary and had planned various campaigns and events. However, the pandemic hit and caused a lockdown, affecting the mood of customers and the team. To adapt and continue operating, Indiana and her team had to shift their focus to online sales and delivery and provide support to their team members working from home.
Do what’s right
Impact entrepreneurship involves using business as a means to create positive change and address social or environmental issues. Chrisanti Indiana, co-founder and CMO of Social Bella, exemplifies this approach through her efforts to combat the counterfeit makeup problem in Indonesia. From its beginnings as an e-commerce platform called Sociolla in 2015, Social Bella has expanded to 48 stores in Indonesia and 13 in Vietnam. In a CNBC feature, Indiana shares her journey of transforming her startup into a multimillion-dollar beauty company and shares three valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Pick the right leaders
When launching a startup, you must surround yourself with the right team of leaders who bring diverse skills and expertise to the table. Chrisanti Indiana has experienced this firsthand as her company went from an e-commerce platform to a multimillion-dollar beauty retailer with stores in Indonesia and Vietnam. Indiana, who has a background in the creative industry, leads branding and marketing for the company. At the same time, her brother Christopher Madiam, who studied computing, brings technical knowledge and serves as president. CEO John Rasjid has a background in finance. In the world of impact entrepreneurship, it is imperative to have a team of leaders who are committed to creating positive change and are open to learning and growing. By surrounding herself with the right leaders, Indiana has turned Social Bella into a successful and socially responsible company.
