Introduction to Like Minds

I worked for others, as most people do. Working introduced me to the world of Interior Design, not only did I gain experience but I also met a lot of similar creative minds. As old stories go, you become closer to a group of them and that is where the dreams begin. There was always this passion in me to accomplish bigger things, to make a difference, and getting to know like-minded folks was the push I needed to venture onto the path of creating my own firm.

I am always appreciative of this group of friends who have treaded with me on my stormy (but exciting) entrepreneurial journey. However, there is a particular person I would give a lot of credit to; he stuck by me throughout the ups and downs no matter the circumstances. Even during the down times, we gave each other support and reminded ourselves of the reasons we started. We just love what we do!

Perfect Timing Even in Challenges

Setting up a business might seem simple enough – just pay a bit of money to register with ACRA and there you go. However, the right time and opportunity do not come by so readily. Planning different aspects of our business carefully was just the beginning; the real challenge was discovering a niche in order to focus on value-adding for our clients. I set my mind to focus my business on creating values for commercial clients (retail, office, institution, F&B, etc.), as well as assisting them in the tedious and time-consuming process of interior development.

I have enjoyed every challenge posed by different types of commercial projects: the clients’ business goals, aligning the space to the clients’ branding, the authority guidelines and clearance, etc.  With more than 14 years of operation under our belt, we are able to overcome various challenges that have come our way. There is a Chinese proverb, “The older the ginger, the hotter the spice.” I guess experience has really helped us a lot along the way. Learning from mistakes is vital in a “cut-throat” industry like ours.

Interior design is often viewed as a chore and an unprofitable investment, but that’s not always the case, especially in recent years when interior design ecosystem has evolved tremendously. Instead of just taking the money upon project completion, we have been educating our clients on how interior design can add value to their business. This allows them to better capture their target audience or even a new market segment that they set sights on, as well as garner more awareness for their efforts. Value-adding is something that I constantly look at with my team, especially in a fast-moving society like Singapore. In retailing, for example, consumer purchase behaviour is never constant; technologies are relentlessly advancing. All of these change the expectations of the brick-and-mortar stores. Many businesses focus solely on daily operations and are thus, not keeping up to the changing consumer behavior.

We love to lend our expertise and help businesses to enhance their competitive advantage in this fast-moving ecosystem. We aim to build spaces that inspire.

Mu Interior Now

mü interior has been around since 2000, so we can be considered established, but we always look out for opportunities to learn and grow in different aspects. We believe it is vital to update ourselves constantly with the market trends and changing consumer needs, for the benefit of both our clients and ourselves. With a better knowledge of the industry, we will naturally provide greater insights and better-tailored solutions to our clients.

Right now, we are aiming to expand into the hospitality sector. Exploring new ideas have always been in our blood and we see this sector as an opportunity to contribute more to society. We also strive to improve on even our strongest sectors. Here at mü interior, we do not believe that any solution we give is perfect, but we always strive to provide the best we can. Apart from these, our marketing is still developing, and our marketing team is exploring different ways to increase our reach and exposure.

Looking further ahead, I also plan to take the business overseas, to reach out to new market segments and increase our presence abroad. We are still in the progress of building strategic partnerships. In fact, if you have any great collaboration ideas, we would love to meet up and discuss the potential of working together! Networks are an essential part of any business. As the saying goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”

Endless Possibilities

This is a tough question. This business has been a part of me for the past 14 years; I love every part of it! Everything from sales to day-to-day operations, employments, everything! I am satisfied every time mü helps our clients. Every project discussion is fulfilling as we review different parts of the project: how the design can achieve the purpose of the space, the business goals, how people in the space interact, etc. The possibilities of interior design are limitless!

It is very rewarding whenever clients with challenging projects appreciate our creativity. Interior design is growing constantly, it is no longer the interior design that we understood when I first started, and that applies to any sector: office, retail or F&B.

Today, a physical space is part of an Omni-channel retailing that every company should have, especially with studies showing that consumers are increasingly making purchases in-store rather than online. Now, design involves more components like branding, customer journey, workflow efficiency, technology enhancements, etc. More companies are implementing these to increase their efficiency. Examples include implementations of mobile ordering counter and collection, tablet ordering and queue management system, cupcake vending machines, virtual reality for cosmetics and apparel companies, etc. Such examples have proved to be beneficial by raising consumers’ engagement, increasing productivity, reducing labour shortage, and more. More companies are accepting and adapting to such changes. In order to remain competitive, one has to not only be innovative, but embrace changes and technologies as a value creator as well. If you attempt the same solution repeatedly and expect things to change for the better, it will never happen.

I always encourage my staff to stretch their creativity, to make mü a change-maker in the industry. If you intend to re-design your interior and create more value for your customers, we’d love to strategise with you.

Sorry for the sidetrack as there are just so many topics I can go onto when it comes to favourite parts of my business.

Back on topic: the least favorite. That would be whenever I review our client database to see more local clients slowly exiting the retail scene due to their budget constraints, partly due to their unwillingness to adopt changes to combat the intense competition by the big boys, the increased online shopping, etc. I feel there is so much more we can do to help them. All they required was a more open mind, as well as more funding. Aside from this, looking at the present state of mü, I am aware there is more we can do to magnify our presence in the industry and that is what we are aiming towards for the next half of the year.

Mu Interior Work Culture

Work is where we spend most of our time; I believe a good working environment is the driving force to foster greater working relationship among staff and increase productivity. In mü, we are proud to have established a casual and friendly working environment where everyone is encouraged to share his opinions and be proactive. Trust has never been a problem. I empower my employees to make decisions that are in the best interest of the company and our clients, and give them ample support whenever they face any difficulties, both at work and at home.

Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group is someone I really look up to. He once said, “Happy employees are central to the success of a business”. I have the same belief and I do my best to recognise my team’s efforts. Work hard and play hard. Every year we have bonding sessions planned, from Christmas parties, movie nights to trips overseas. All these are essential in keeping everyone motivated, as well as building togetherness within the company. The overseas company trip was planned a few years back as an incentive for staff. Thankfully, our annual company trip is still a tradition. This year, we had a great time in Seoul. Next year, maybe even better!

There is a concern that too much freedom has its side effects. Of course, appropriate disciplinary measures are in place more as a necessity than anything else. The right balance between fun and professionalism is very important.

A Customer’s Satisfaction is One of the Greatest Joys

Recognition. As mentioned earlier, every instance when mü interior’s effort is recognised makes me very happy. It is proof we have done a great job!

One of the instances was when the Project Manager from Cotton On, who came all the way down from Australia, sent us an email to show his pleasure in working with my team. In order to make the complex process of interior design more enjoyable, we remained flexible and that was where we scored for this project.

Another memorable instance was when we received an email from Pandora’s Singapore Management to inform us that the Hong Kong Regional Head, who came down to inspect the space personally, was impressed with our workmanship. There have also been cases where people ringed us up after passing by our works. They went into the facilities just to ask the person-in-charge for our contact.

It is really exciting whenever someone appreciates our designs, our work. All these recognitions motivate us to keep going and strive to be better and better! Trust in us is also another thing that makes me feel really contented. With trust, clients have returned to us with no consideration for other competitors. This, to me, can be considered a small success in how I run my business. Lastly, it is extremely important to keep learning and not be complacent. This is what I live by and the reason for my accomplishments today, however big or small they may be.

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