Almost two years ago, my Operations Manager and I were sitting in a café before opening our very first Chara Holiday store on Batu Mejan in Canggu. We had three interviews scheduled that day, and Rani was one of them.
She walked in carrying her reference letter, well dressed, well spoken, and eager. More than anything, she had a great attitude, and that's usually the first thing I look for when hiring. Skills can be taught, but attitude is not something you learn.
By the end of the interview, it already felt like she was part of the team. The rest is history.
Over the following months, Rani proved herself to be incredibly reliable, consistent, and someone we could trust completely. Whether I was in the store or overseas, I always knew everything would be taken care of.
It didn't take long before we promoted her to Store Manager and increased her salary. Not because she'd been with us the longest, but because we valued her.
During one of our quarterly reviews, I asked Rani if there was something she loved creating outside of work or if there was something she'd always dreamed of doing. Maybe she wanted to do some language lessons or learn a new skill.
Without hesitation, she said I love making jewellery.
She told me she'd always wanted to create her own collection and believed she could make something even more unique than what we were stocking in the store. I smiled and simply asked, "What do you need to get started?" I asked her to make a few samples so I could see what she had in mind.
A few weeks later, she sent me photos. They were beautiful. I could immediately see the potential, and even more importantly, I could see Rani's personality shining through every piece.
Another few weeks passed and we sat down in a cafe together and spent an afternoon working on her brand strategy, talking through everything from pricing and packaging to how she could slowly build her own brand.
Then... not much happened. A few months went by and I could tell something was holding her back. I knew exactly what it was because I'd experienced it countless times myself. She wanted to perfect it. The jewellery was beautiful, but Rani didn't believe it was ready yet. So I gave her a little nudge.
I said, "I'd love to see a small collection on display in the store by the end of next week. Let's put it out there, see what customers think, and learn from their feedback."
A week later, Tenguti officially arrived on our Batu Mejans store table. Not only did customers love it, but it started selling almost immediately. That was all the encouragement she needed to keep creating.
Today, Tenguti has become a beautiful jewellery brand stocked in our Batu Mejan store, and as the collection continues to grow, we hope to introduce it to our Seminyak store too.
Watching that journey has been incredibly special. I got to watch someone believe in themselves a little more each day. Moments like this remind me why I started Chara Holiday in the first place. Seeing the people around me grow will always be the most rewarding part of building CH.
I'm incredibly proud of everything Rani has created and I'm excited to see her and Tenguti continue to grow.
