Home essentials with a touch of luxury

When two people with very different backgrounds came together through work, they developed a friendship that soon gave rise to an idea for a business.

Sam and Yuni  spoke with MyLombok recently about their new venture, High Tyyde Supplies and Shipping which opened in April in Jalan Mawun, Kuta Lombok.

Sam was born in Redditch, near Birmingham and, after high school, served for 5 years in the Royal Navy where he studied telecommunications. After a year teaching windsurfing in Greece, he moved to China, working first in English teaching but then in exports, supplying custom products via e-commerce.

Yuni was born in West Sumbawa and grew up in Central Java, where she studied international communications.

They met and became friends when Sam supplied products for Yuni’s home décor business. ‘This gave us the idea for a shared business’, says Sam. ‘A one-stop shop for all of our clients’.

‘From my experience of working in the construction business’, adds Yuni, ‘I know how difficult it can be to find the materials you need – especially when it comes to custom-made products’.

They saw a huge opportunity and took it, encouraged by the practical research they did and by speaking to expats and asking them what they really needed.

For now, their energy is focused on building strong relationships with customers through their offline presence – a ‘bricks and mortar’ store. The profile they’re aiming for is modern and minimal, with their own unique style and a touch of luxury.

They’ve put together a team, with specialised roles. Sam is focused on investment and business aspects of the partnership. ‘My role is leading the team in terms of interior design and marketing’, says Yuni. ‘I also build relationships with local carpenters and installers. Our Store Manager is Lala and our Sales Assistant is Meta, who works with retail assistants, most of whom are women. We also have graduates and senior designers working with the team’.

High Tyyde is a one-stop shopping solution. The business serves a broad clientele, including property developers, hotel and businesses owners, private property owners, home builders and renovators and customers who want to upgrade their interior décor.

They stock a broad range of products: sanitary ware – showers, taps, water filters and sinks; furniture; display units; micro cement finishes; and flooring. They also offer shipping solutions and interior design services.

They have already considered plans for the future, and hope to increase the number of stores, branching out into Bali and Sumbawa, and Indonesia in general.

‘Online sales will be another option for the future’, says Sam. ‘We’re likely to expand into an online store on a large scale, in collaboration with platforms such as Shopee & Tokopedia’.

They have particularly appreciated the support they’ve received along the way. ‘We’ve had amazing support and encouragement from the expat community in Kuta, and also huge support from our suppliers in China’, Sam tells us.

The partnership with suppliers grew out of Sam’s time in China. ‘I lived there for 6 years, in Jiangmen, a town in the southern province of Guangzhou, where there were only about 15 expats who spoke English. I found a great network of people through drinking in the only ‘western’ bar in the town. We explored some of the hidden corners of Guangzhou and built up a friendship’.

They still have regular contact where they share ideas and ways to build a better business relationship.

Establishing the venture wasn’t without its challenges, though. ‘Accessing human resources and dealing with unpredictable weather were certainly challenges’ says Yuni.

‘And the logistics and delivery times were difficult – especially during periods like Chinese New Year and Ramadan, as they were so close together this  year’, says Sam.

Sam and Yuni agree on the essentials for building a successful business: trust, honesty and consistency and making sure they do adequate research, formulate a plan and carry it out.

Overall, they agree it’s been an exciting time. For Sam, the best thing about being involved in the business is seeing people so enthusiastic about taking delivery of products and allowing them to create the homes they want without the restrictions of relying on the local market.

It’s clear they both enjoy living and working in Lombok. ‘There’s a great community of expats and locals’, says Sam. ‘Then there are water sports – surfing, sailing and kitesurfing’.
‘Who wouldn’t love it here?’ says Yuni. ‘It’s a paradise. I have no complaints’.

‘The sense of community we have built with our suppliers and shipping contacts is brilliant’, says Sam. ‘We have full faith in all of our connections to offer the highest quality products and deliver the goods safely’.

‘I love creating something; it makes me feel so happy’, Yuni adds. ‘To have a link with the global market is exciting for me because I have the opportunity to learn more and meet new people with really interesting knowledge. And being a single parent inspires me to go even bigger and better’.