http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/myjakarta/my-jakarta-taylor-former-bankrupt-businessmen/406560
My Jakarta: Taylor, Former Bankrupt Businessmen Jesse Arijanto | November 14, 2010 It's always darkest before dawn. Just ask Taylor, a 37-year-old Jakarta businessman whose uncle robbed him and his mom of $7.8 million in a business venture gone wrong. We all like to think that we would bounce back from something like that, pull ourselves up off the canvas and come back swinging, but Taylor couldn't take it. He tried to commit suicide on numerous occasions and eventually landed in the hospital where his mother literally slapped some sense into him. Now, a few years down the road, he looks back on the cutthroat world of family business in Jakarta. So the obvious question would be, how did you go bankrupt? It all happened gradually, but the money was gone in an instant. You see, my mother and I used to own a company in partnership with my uncle. Well, I should say in partnership with him and his wife. There were problems right from the start, but trust was definitely the biggest issue of all. This particular uncle of mine happened to be married to a not very nice lady. Greed ultimately got in the way and my uncle took about Rp 70 billion [$7.8 million] out of the company. We haven't seen him and his wife since. Did you ever figure out how he did it? We did, but by then it was too late, he had already tricked us. About a month before we realized we had been cheated, my uncle had started up another company that had almost exactly the same name as ours. Under that new company, he set up a new bank account where all of our customers would direct their payments while the old company's name was still responsible for all the bills. At the end of the month when all the bills were due, that's when we had our rude awakening. We were in big, big trouble. What did you end up doing? What happened to your uncle? What can you do? The money disappeared and my uncle was gone without a trace. We were left with huge debts and those we owed money to didn't care how we paid them as long as they got their money. My mother and I had to take drastic measures. We used up all of our emergency funds, sold our house plus all our properties and jewelry. You name it, we sold it. Every last bit of it. It was the end of our luxurious and privileged lifestyle. Did you automatically adjust to a less opulent way of living? Of course not. I couldn't accept the fact that we were broke. I went from having a house in Pantai Indah Kapuk, North Jakarta, to living in a grungy neighborhood next to an old rundown convenience store. I just couldn't accept it. Having been fooled and tricked by your own blood like that, I don't think anybody could take that lightly. It must have been traumatic, how did you deal with it? Stress and depression crept into our lives. At times, we didn't even have enough money to buy rice. This entire situation made my mother seriously ill. I was in an unstable state of mind and was scared I would lose her. I remember thinking I'd go crazy if I lost my mother, so I thought that it would be better for me to go first. That's when I attempted suicide. At first, I tried drinking Baygon [mosquito repellent] but that didn't work. So I tried other ways; I drank rat poison, slit my wrists and took sleeping pills. I took about 20 sleeping pills once. That was the closest I came to dying. How did your mother react to your suicide attempts? After one attempt, I remember she slapped me across the face really hard. I guess that was her way of saying 'What the hell were you thinking?' But you bounced back. My mother called a priest. I have to admit, I wasn't the most religious person, but what he said did something to me that turned my life around. It gave me hope. I realized that life goes on. Money doesn't go with you to the other side, the important thing is not to give up and to keep trying even if that means starting from zero again. Did you ever tell your friends about your suicide attempts? No, I was far too embarrassed to admit it to anyone. None of my friends knew and I tried to keep it under wraps. I would wear long-sleeve shirts to cover up the marks I had on my wrists. When you went bankrupt, how quickly did you lose your rich friends? In the snap of a finger. Having been bankrupt, are you more careful with money now? Of course. Now, I think twice before purchasing anything. Same goes with investments. I have to be completely sure when I put my money into something that it's going to be profitable. Do some research and study what you're investing in. Judging from that last comment, it seems like you're back in business. Are you back to living the type of lifestyle you once had? Yes, in fact, I have an even better lifestyle now and I couldn't be more grateful. About three years after declaring bankruptcy, I decided to take a huge risk and start up a new business based on borrowed money. Thankfully, the business has been running well and I feel like I'm truly blessed. Any advice for people who might be facing hard times financially? Keep trying - do not give up. Find a positive outlook in any situation and keep on pursuing the goal of improving your life. And for those who are close to giving up, remember that you only live once. Don't waste it. You will not be at the bottom forever; things will get better if you work hard enough. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! 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