Spirit of Enterprise

COMPANY

AWARDS

PROGRAMMES

SPONSORS

UP-AND-COMERS

PUBLICITY

CONTACT

Back to 2003 Nominees List

Mr Edwin Goh Owner of Fun Engineerz

Interviewer
Name:	Felina Tan
Interviewee
Name:	Mr Edwin Goh
Company Address	1010 Dover Road #01-05 Singapore 139658
Email	edwin@funengineerz.com.sg
Date of Interview	4 Jun 2003, 1.30pm - 2.30pm

"Potest Qui Vult' - is a favourite phrase of Edwin Goh. It means: If there is a will, there is a way. He has believed in it since young. From a nobody to a well- known magician, Edwin Goh has proven to himself and other skeptics: He has both the will and the way.

Edwin started his own business at 18, when most in his age were figuring their next step in life. It began when he met Robin Chew, Master of Magician (consultant to the Mediacorp series - The Unbeatables), through a family contact. Under his pupilage, Edwin had the opportunity to see how magic was being done from the inside; a bird's eyes view. Learning was not easy though, he recalled. Edwin had to pull the ropes by himself. On certain occasions, he had to rely on trial and error to resolve a deadlock; on others, luck. Luck, however, was not always shining on him, for success was not instant. But his persistence and perseverance kept him firmly focused. Gradually but surely, he managed to get a foothold in the magic business.

His big break came, a day before Valentine Day in 1998. Ingenuity popped up in his mind. 'I could sell balloons instead of flowers. Balloons, customized to fit the occasion. That would appeal to the ladies,' Edwin recollected. 'I went into a party shop, bought some instructional books on balloon sculpturing, and headed home immediately; quietly confident inside me that this idea would hit it big.' And it sure did. With no more than a little knowledge in balloons than a layman (and of course his reliable partners, the books), he made a thousand dollars turnover on Valentine's Day. A thousand dollars was a small fortune for a polytechnic student like Edwin then.

Encouraged by this small success, Edwin decided it is time to venture into the business, making magic his choice career. It was tough. Pressure from his mother and studies, however, did not dent Edwin's aspirations. He soon spent his Saturdays and Sundays making cartoon characters out of balloons on the streets. Business was brisk. On most days, he had to skip his meals. He had no qualms though. He even took up a business degree, immediately after his polytechnic days while serving his national service. All this while, running his growing business.

'Life was hectic. But I enjoy those days,' Edwin reflected with reminisce.

His hard work paid off. His 'street-business soon grew into an event management company, specializing in organizing parties and functions', just to name a few. In the year 2003, he scored a personal achievement when he was awarded 'Magician for the year 2003' by the National Fire Prevention Council. In addition, he was the Magic consultant for Magnolia's Ice Cream Magical Treats Instant Win Promotions.

When asked what his wish for the near future is, now that his business -or rather passion - has stirred onto a stable path of growth towards maturity, Edwin has this to say: 'I would like to bring my business to greater heights. I foresee myself holding grand exhibitions for industries and organizing big events and festivals regularly. Ten years is the maximum I give myself to accomplish that. I believe I can achieve that, well, maybe in five years.' He laughed.

For a man with such an extraordinary fighting spirit and business acumen, Edwin is indeed a role model for the rest of us. More so for budding entrepreneurs.

Interview With Mr Edwin Goh

How shall I describe your business?
Basically I do party planning--- planning parties for parents and doing event management for corporate companies like dinner & dance. I am entertainer myself, so I would do special events too.

Why did you choose Singapore Polytechnic to be your company's location?
I have my very own office in Singapore Polytechnic because it is more convenient for most of my customers are from the districted areas.

Can you share with me some experiences about the hardships in starting a business from scratch?
Nobody taught me to do anything. I have to learn all by myself. Pull the rope and learn everything yourself. I am not fortunate though. It is only through trial and errors that I began to build my foundation in this line. Nevertheless, time is a limiting factor as well.

How did you develop your learning progress?
By meeting many people from all walks of life, I get to learn and get pointers from them.

Can you share with me some experiences about the hardships in starting a business from scratch?
In 1997, I learnt magic, under the pupilage of Robin Chew, Master of Magician. (Consultant Mediacorp's "The Unbeatable" series for one year. Under his coaching for one year, I have been learning his trade--- card magic. Well, card magic is rather a hobby than a business line to me, though I am fantastic in this line too. Eventually I have my own idea of doing children events. I love children so I decided to move on with children parties.

In 1998- 1999, I started my business on the street. I remember clearly that it was Valentines Day. I saw people selling flowers. Back then, I had some knowledge in balloon sculpturing. I bought some balloons from a party shop the day before Valentine day. On the actual day itself, I went down to City Hall to perform. It was quite fun and coincidently I met one of my acquaintance. So we began our balloon sculpturing trade along the street then.

We had no license on that day. Fortunately, nothing happened. A couple of months later, I received the public entertainment license from the National Art Council.

This was how I started my business during my poly days, working and studying at the same time.

What are some factors that you applied in order to succeed?
I would say it is determination. I believe that "When there is a will, there is a way." And I regard work as my top priority compared to everything else.

Relate to me some of your best day in business.
I had done a lot of children's events and lately, I began to move towards corporate events such as Dinner & Dance, doing events for big companies. I feel that there is no satisfaction for doing children's events and it becomes a routine for me. Hence, in order to fill up my satisfaction, I ventured into event management. Doing children's events and event management are different categories.

There is no planning involved in doing children's events. I just need to reach the destination on time, set up my props and perform for the children. On the other hand, doing event management needs a lot of planning, manpower as well as logistic planning. At the end of the day, it is tiring but I get the satisfaction out of it.

What about your worst day or bad experiences in this line?
The only thing I have faced is the lack of experience and time. Recently, the SARS outbreak has affected my business for a couple of months. But, everything is back to normal as the SARS is under controlled.

Did you have the capital to start the business or did you get help from someone in order to start the business?
No. I didn't have any capital to start up my business. As I have mentioned, I started from the streets and after each performance, I would use the money to buy my props for the next performance. So this is how my profit is "turn-overed".

When you started your company, what dud your family think of it?
My mom wants me to have a regular job. To her, it is better and more secure, compared to running my own business. If I work for people, the feeling is different. I will be controlled by others and I will not be able to do what I want or wish to do.

What are your own values in doing business?
I believe in providing reliable services and professional ethics to my customers. I make sure that the quality is there whenever I do events for children's events or corporate events.

What are your own values in doing business?
I believe that one should be brave enough to take risks. One must be a risk- taker. And opportunities will come to everyone and depends on how you catch the opportunity.

What would you advise young people to do today in starting a business?
Do not be too ambitious. I saw many businessmen. They are very ambitious. I believe in starting small and start your foundation up one step at a time. If you are too ambitious and foundation is not there yet, under unforeseen circumstances, they will have a great fall.

Student Interviewer's Personal Comment