#55: After Building His Dream Business, This Indonesian Writer Is Returning To Full-Time Work
Edwin Mohammad’s story of resilience, faith, and the courageous choice to rediscover purpose
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Reading his frequent updates on LinkedIn, I always thought Edwin Mohammad had achieved his dream life filled with purpose and passion for writing.
He worked as a UX writer for over nine years at major tech companies, built his first writing and brand consulting company Warung Copy (Warcop), and was invited as a speaker for prominent brands such as Google and Tech in Asia.
But even after handling major clients and successfully growing a diverse and engaging community, Warcop was missing the financial stability it needed. The emergence of AI also posed a challenge to his business.
However, that did not hold him back from moving forward despite having to take his main focus away from his business.
As the work landscape shifted, Edwin realized that the dream life was secondary to a much larger goal: protecting his faith and achieving stability for his family.
But when I asked about his well-being, Edwin instantly chuckled.
“I’m feeling nervous,” he said. “Because I’ve been accepted into a new role with a whole different culture and working time, and at the same time, it aligns with my faith and personal values, so I want to do and give the best I can for the long haul.”
It seems that he’s at a pivotal moment in his life. But what shaped him into who he is today?
Growing Up With Resilience
Raised by a nuclear engineer mother and a novelist father, Edwin’s parents taught him two important life lessons. These lessons complemented one another and opened up his eyes to the world.
One of the few female nuclear engineers in the United Nations, Edwin’s mother was also the backbone of the family, which greatly influenced her role in the household. Through his mother, Edwin learned to be resilient, structured, and well-prepared for the future.
On the other hand, his late father didn’t graduate from university, and had to learn everything on his own. But that didn’t hold him back from teaching Edwin the necessary skills to survive in the world.
“I was able to learn problem-solving skills, and they made me appreciate school even more. I was also taught not to believe in all theories, and that it’s okay to fail and fail,” he explained.
“Life-long learners.” That’s what Edwin added when he shared endless love and gratitude for his dear parents.
Writing The Start of His Career
Shifting the conversation from childhood to his early career, I asked whether he knew writing was the one for him.
“No clue at all. I didn’t really understand these roles at all. In fact, I wanted to be a train conductor at first, and my mom even offered me a job at the UN so I could be like her.”
He discovered his passion for writing when he built his own media project focused on featuring student-led communities in Yogyakarta, throughout his third semester until graduating from university.
That was the defining moment that gradually paved his path in writing. From gaining his first internship at Wego, a Singapore-based travel company, to becoming the Lead Product Writer at SQE (S-Quantum Engine), a digital factory for financial services.
It always warmed his heart every time his written works received good responses from readers. He realized that writing was his tool to help others.
Finding his way in writing for the tech world, he also learned the importance of not being afraid of making mistakes.
After all, failure is the process of achieving growth.
The Birth of A Dream Business
However, after years of writing for one tech giant to another, Edwin began to question whether his personal values really aligned with the company’s values.
Looking back to the time of his mother’s passing, he made a huge decision to embrace his faith deeper, because he realized that’s the one thing that pushed him to be a better person for himself, his family, and others.
With his wife’s support, Edwin embarked on a pilgrimage trip to explore the history and lessons of his growing faith. He shared his fascination with the noble sacrifice people have made for their religious beliefs.
Determined to protect his faith in the end, Edwin decided to take a step back from his professional career and find his own calling through his passion for writing. Thus, Warung Copy was born.
Starting from zero, Edwin had to learn and relearn to build his dream company. Writing was just the tip of the iceberg. He also had to think about branding, social media management, and web design.
“Long-term plans are important, because we don’t know when people will stop looking for our services, especially with AI around,” he added.
In truth, the journey was rough and dwindling without enough financial runway for a few years.
But thanks to the support of his wife, Edwin never lost his faith and spirit. By taking turns working full-time, Edwin was able to focus on building Warcop.
From educating fellow writers to helping major brands grow through design, strategy, and copy, Warung Copy eventually evolved into a learning platform dedicated to empowering the next creative generation in pursuing their future careers.
The Pivot
As Edwin opened up on the truth behind running a business, he revealed one struggle that is often overlooked by business owners.
“I thought that just being good at something could help create a business,” he said. But that wasn’t the case at all. With the emergence of AI, some clients and businesses have started to undermine the role of writers as they can easily prompt well-versed sentences in seconds.
He also shared that having too many business goals could be a problem because it could lead owners to miscalculate their main priorities. Hence, it’s better to have a single important goal and try to move forward with that.
There were times when Edwin and his team had to endure the slow days without client calls, job requests, and consultations. Waiting around was not an option.
To raise more awareness for Warung Copy, Edwin actively put in the extra effort to attract clients and partners. He shared his skills and clients’ stories on LinkedIn, utilized his network, and “begged” for people’s attention.
But deep down inside, Edwin knew that once again he had found another shift in discovering purpose and maintaining priorities in life. Taking care of his faith and family has become his top priority now.
That was the moment Edwin knew that returning to full-time work was the solution to support his growing family, maintain his business, and fulfil his quest for higher faith.
Before, he had always been approached by companies, but this time, he had to take the initiative and apply one at a time. His faith now became his grounding compass in making the big decisions for his job hunting and business.
He claimed that he had several times declined offers from companies and clients because they didn’t align with his faith.
Knowing the fact that his savings were running out, his late father had gotten sick, and his wife’s second pregnancy, Edwin kept hold of his faith and moved forward relentlessly for the last two years.
“When we carry our values and beliefs with us, we’re never truly alone, even in our toughest and hardest times.”
Many would assume that returning to a 9-to-5 job feels like a retreat, but Edwin saw an opportunity to advance towards the alignment he had been searching for.
“My long-term vision wasn’t to be an entrepreneur or achieve a higher income. But it was to protect my faith. This is where I felt so rewarded,” he said.
The Journey Ahead
When I saw Edwin’s recent update on accepting a new full-time role at Noor Kids, a brand dedicated to nurturing children’s Islamic values through imaginative and character-building stories, I knew I had to ask him about it.
I wondered if the possibility of Edwin’s journey in building Warcop was what led him to be recruited at Noor Kids.
“Yes, the team at Noor Kids saw most of my work from Warcop’s social media and website. Without Warcop, I don’t think it’d be possible at all,” he shared.
He also suggested making the most of a career gap or free time to offer skills as services. The reason is that it would help boost people’s awareness of who you are and what you could bring to the table.
In addition to that, he highlighted the importance of pivoting to a role that still aligns with our skills, if we have plans to shift careers. He also gave a reminder to reflect and think first before deciding to work or start a business.
For Edwin, Warcop was never just a business; it was the full living proof of his skills that opened the path to Noor Kids. Hence, he successfully found a way to let his new job and current business coexist rather than choosing one over the other.
He gladly announced that Warcop will keep running while he also focuses on working full-time. Currently, they’re in the middle of an ongoing project with clients, and with contract workers taking charge, Edwin keeps a close eye to make sure that everything runs smoothly.
On the other hand, he’s still looking for the right person to help lead their community activities and events.
At the end of our chat, I asked if he could share some wisdom for the early working youth.
“To those who are currently feeling hopeless and doubting yourselves, it’s okay because all of that is part of the journey. But know that every effort will not go to waste.”
There is no such thing as wasted effort. As long as you keep pushing and putting in everything you’ve got, believe that the world will someday help you make sense of it.
Like Mahatma Gandhi once said: To lose patience is to lose the battle, so be patient. Make the most of your time to learn and relearn your definition of purpose and success.
Edwin’s journey reflects a powerful shift across Southeast Asia, where the region’s new generation of leaders is no longer just chasing success but intentionally redefining it on their own terms.
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