Blooming

Tell us more about yourself!
I’m from Bali, and I just started a floristry business with my friend. I love travelling, and though we’re quite busy with our new business, I’ve taken the long holiday in Indonesia to get away and spend time with my partner, who lives and works here in Singapore. In fact, I actually come to Singapore a lot to visit my partner. But mostly, I just work and gym—quite a boring life!

No but the floristry business sounds cool! Tell us more about it.
For now, we do custom arrangements for individuals, but we’re trying to start making regular arrangements for villas, cafés, and hotels. So far, we haven’t worked on any weddings or events yet.

I actually got into floristry because of the friend that I started this business with. It was his hobby, and I encouraged him to start this business because he has a very unique style, and I saw the potential in him. I was always more familiar with the business and marketing side, so we talked about it and eventually decided to kick this off together, and now here we are!

Oh, so your background is in business?
Yeah, I was working in sales previously, but then I quit my job to start this business.

How’s this transition been for you?
It’s fun! But starting your own business can be very difficult, you know? I thought that if I started my own business, I can be my own boss and slack off a bit, but turns out it’s freaking difficult! I work even more now than when I was in sales—I work every day, even during weekends. But at the end of the day, with your own business, everything is truly yours, you know, which is why I’m motivated to work hard.

We get it! Here’s hoping your business will bloom and grow into something big. You also mentioned you enjoy travelling—what do you usually like to do while travelling?
Mostly I like to explore local stuff. try local food, and do local activities. I don’t like to go to touristy places, but I do sometimes check them out if it’s iconic, like Haji Lane for example. This is my second time here in Haji Lane, but my first time properly exploring it.

What’s one thing that surprises you each time you visit Singapore?
Surprises me? Hmm, it’s more like every time I come here, I discover more abut the city. I don’t know how to say this without sounding offensive, but I used to think that Singapore was just a small city with cool buildings and good food, but turns out that when I explore smaller neighbourhoods in the west and east, I love it even more!

My partner brings me around to even the residential areas because he wants to show me the real Singapore, not just Orchard Road and Marina Bay.

But I must say, the first time I visited Singapore, I went to the hawker centre and sat at a table with a packet of tissue on it. I thought the table was empty, and that someone just left their tissue pack there, but then the person who reserved the table came and said “Oh, sorry, this is our table,” and I was like “Oh, I thought it was empty,” and they were like “Don’t you see the tissue there?”. So now I know (laughs)!