‘With everything I do, local people benefit’

Yenny Das portrait

Yenny Das (27) is a Tourism Management student in Amsterdam and is working on her entrepreneurial dream: a bed and breakfast in Bali.

Expressing desires and boundaries is very healthy
“If I think about something, and I want it very badly, I will do everything to get it. In this, I am very enterprising, creative and determined. Maybe sometimes I come across as a tad cheeky because I ask questions that others are afraid to ask. But it has only brought me benefits so far. For my graduation project, I called a real estate company and asked for construction drawings of a villa in Bali for my prototype, which I then simply got sent, and during my internship I asked for extra responsibilities because I was working below my level. And I got those too. In the hospitality world, it is important to be service-oriented, but that does not mean you always have to please. My father taught me to set my boundaries. He showed that it was just right to express yourself if you disagree with something. I am grateful that I got that skill from him. It is very healthy to be able to express your wishes but also your limits.”

Yenny1

Doing everything to make other people happy
“My dream is to emigrate and start my own bed and breakfast in Bali and then expand on Lombok and Java. I was born in Indonesia. Our culture is very service-oriented and we are not used to express emotions. Maybe that's why hospitality suits me so well. I want to do everything to make other people happy, but I prefer not to be in the foreground."

"I feel a huge connection with the country. With everything I will do there, I want locals to benefit. So I choose local furniture makers, workers and locally produced food. I noticed that many foreign investors see a market in Indonesia, but the government has arranged something very nice. Namely that you can only buy land with an Indonesian passport. That way they keep control of their own land. My mother has that passport and would therefore be able to buy a piece of land. The building that comes on it may then be in my name.”

Guests contribute to local population
“The population is very poor. If you see what property owners earn now, it is so out of proportion to what workers get from this. I want to change that so that all parties benefit. I also want to donate 1-2% of the turnover to charity. The guests of my b&b can indicate in advance which charity their money should go to. This also makes my guests feel good and valuable about their stay. Ideally, I would like returning guests. That's the best compliment because it means they had a nice stay and want it again. Hospitality is very important to me. I also hope they feel that their visit contributes to the development of the population and we can learn from each other.”

Yenny3

Money is not the main goal
“Since September 2024, I have been participating in the Start programme of Start Up Campus Haarlem. You immediately get motivated when you enter. I really enjoy hearing all the stories of others. Everyone helps each other out with different perspectives and knowledge. That is very valuable."

"My advice to other students is, do something you are 200% committed to. Money is not the main goal. I would rather earn less money and have a great time, than the other way around. It is also important to gather the right people around you. I am lucky with my mother and the people at SUCH. But I also have teacher Karen van Wermeskerken-den Boer, for instance, who supports me tremendously. At first, I was on a different course with my thesis. Then she said ‘Yenny, do you really want this? Your heart is in a different place, isn't it?' And she was right. My heart is in Indonesia and with the locals. That was my wake-up call and now I am doing something that makes me much happier.”