Comfort In Being StudioNorm
From L-R David Tham, Jeth Koh and Eugene Chan
David Tham and Eugene Chan Graduated in 2003 from Temasek Design School, Dip in Product & Industrial Design
Jeth Koh Graduated in 2003 from Nanyang Polytechnic, Dip in Industrial Design
TP's first Young Entrepreneurs Scheme for Startups (YES! Startups) Recipients
By Phaedra Pang
Q: Congratulations on being awarded the YES! Startups $50k grant. For the interest of our readers, can each of you describe what you embody within the company?
David(D): Well, since setting up StudioNorm(SN) a year ago, we’ve developed niche areas within the company. I tend to focus on the hospitality segment of our business; liaising with our hotel clientele, chefs and executive stewards.
Eugene(E): Besides assisting David with our hospitality clients, I manage the entertainment segment as I have more working experience in marketing and sales.
Jeth(J): I cover all the creative and operations aspects of our business, including overseeing the technical production of our work which is outsourced within Singapore.
Q: In your website it’s stated that SN does not ‘…aspire to create historical monuments…’ but to ‘…create designs that assimilate into people’s lives.’ Who came up with this philosophy, and what exactly does it mean?
D: This philosophy reflects our common vision. We realized that when we met and started sharing our career plans with one another, we each believed that people can and should benefit from a design – it permeates into their daily lives.
Q: Has it always been your dream to run your own company? What were some of the doubts you had prior to setting up SN?
D: Frankly we all knew that we wanted to run our own design company but we just weren’t sure when our dreams would materialize. When I met Jeth during our National Service, we came to the realization that despite graduating from different polytechnics, we had common ideals – we were all inspired by the norm.
E: When D proposed the idea of running our own company, we started looking for a niche market to venture into. SN has carved out a new market segment for itself by tailoring a design consultancy service for the hospitality sector, and the creation of props and installation designs for clubs, restaurants, museums and themed establishments.
Q: Who introduced the idea of the YES! Startups? What were your initial reactions to this idea?
E: I recall that it happened to be brought up during one of our informal chats with Ernest Paul, Manager of Projects and Vaanathi Rajandran, Manager of Student Development at Temasek Design School. Ernest was my mentor from my student days in Temasek Polytechnic, and we had grown closer given the many competitions and student affairs we had worked on together. David, Jeth and I had already established a functioning business entity and were working from home before we heard about the YES! funding. We realized that the funding would enable us to expand our business and the added publicity from obtaining the grant would be beneficial. Ernest, Vaanathi, Eric Wee and Alice Lau-Lim were instrumental in encouraging and pushing us to obtain the YES! grant. They listened to our business plan and provided us with constructive feedback. Thanks to their support, and expert advice from Eric and Alice from the TP Entrepreneurship Centre, we became the first recipients of the YES! Startups grant from SPRING Singapore within 6 months from our initial start-up.
Q: What was the toughest decision all of you had to make since the inception of SN?
D: Our greatest hurdle was to decide on the business location for SN’s office. We were functioning as a business entity from our homes but it was soon apparent that these were not conducive working environments. We debated the pros and cons of different locales – whether we wanted to be near our clients or our suppliers; if being in the CBD made a difference and whether the rent gave value for money.
J: It was daunting to reach a consensus as we were 3 distinct individuals. However, through these debates, we have come to learn from each other and have gained empathy for each other. Deciding on a name for our enterprise was another challenge. After numerous brainstorming sessions, we came up with StudioNorm to reflect our love for simplicity and minimalism.
Q: How have SN’s design ideas changed since being awarded $50k by SPRING Singapore?
D: There have not been any major changes; the money has just managed to bring our ideas to fruition.
E: The money has enabled us to broaden our boundaries. With the funding, we dare to take bolder steps towards our goals.
D: Our 3-year plan is to be recognized as a company that delivers a modern take on familiar themes. We want SN to a gain a good reputation and become the company that hotels and entertainment establishments turn to for strong aesthetic designs. Eventually, we aspire to expand internationally through the overseas contacts that we’ve cultivated.
Q: What advice can you offer to others who aspire to run their own businesses?
D: Give thought to your presentation – it must communicate your belief and concept. In creating your concept, aim for an innovative yet practical design. It must be a viable plan.
E: Your business plan must have a good selling point – there must be market potential for your product or services. As David mentioned, practicality is a vital factor. When you are presenting your ideas or business plan, your confidence must speak for itself, so always prepare well.
D: Looking back, our success in getting the grant within 6 months from the initial start-up, all without a need for SPRING to interview us nor listen to our presentation, was due to the tremendous assistance from Temasek Design School and the Entrepreneurship Centre. Our mentors vetted every stage of our business plan, grilling us on every aspect of the business; without them, we might not have received the grant so quickly. My final advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to work closely with your mentors and to constantly seek input from them.
StudioNorm receiving the SPRING YES! Startup Grant
For other articles/interviews referring to StudioNorm, do check out the following links.ST RazorTv websitehttp://www.razor.tv/site/servlet/segment/main/news/24184.html;jsessionid=54FCB3545840CC345933D93AEA77399B.01
ACE (Action Community for Entrepreneurship) website
http://www.ace.sg/Site/Page.aspx?id=E8D6FF0B-8B67-4855-B378-552E35C337FB
