A galloping horse full of dynamism, vigour and astuteness defines the successful journey of Beh IDesign, an upcoming interior designer outfit established in 2015. Jack Beh, the founder of Beh IDesign is responsible for steering the company towards the path of success through niche value propositions including feng shui designs. An enterprising personality with the talent for seeking opportunities and turning them into winning solutions define Beh’s persona. Within three years of its beginning, Beh IDesign has grown into a force to be reckoned in the interior design industry. As a recipient of the Rising Star Award category of Designer of the Year Malaysia 2018 is recognition of Beh IDesign’s past and current performances and future potentials. In a conversation with Top 10 of Malaysia, Beh speaks on his personal journey in marketing, the growth of Beh IDesign and future expansion plans within Malaysia and the region.
The world of interior design and art is a passion for Jack Beh. “I have been intrigued by the various forms of arts since childhood,” says Beh, “Unlike my brother who is academic, my passion is towards the creative field.” Coming from a Subang Jaya middle-class family consisting of parents and a brother, Beh says in retrospect, “I am lucky in the sense my parents recognised my interests in the arts and supported my ambition to become an interior designer.”
“My dad was in the cabinet business and I developed my marketing acumen from watching him manage his business,” adds Beh.
The combined acumen in marketing and design has facilitated Beh in his marketing ventures since college days. “After college, I worked as an interior designer to gain experience which helped me in getting a good insight into the practical side of the industry. I was also involved in marketing as a part-time venture as I love the energy and dynamism plus the favourable returns,” says Beh enthusiastically. Although possessing boyish looks and a soft-spoken demeanour, the unmistakable sharp skills of a successful entrepreneur was clearly apparent.
In 2015, Beh started Beh IDesign with a small team of designers and on-site project staff. “I chose the horse as my brand logo,” explains Beh. “My surname ‘Beh’ represents the horse in the Chinese language and secondly the horse’s indomitable spirit represents my company’s values of idea generation, commitment and quality performance.” The values of providing quality services, building customer relationships and finding niche propositions have resulted in good customer feedback.
“I am thankful to my customers as they have contributed towards the company’s growth through referrals,” says Beh. “My customers have given me the opportunities for building my brand.” The target market is focused on new homeowners within the 30-40 age demographics.
Beh’s profound understanding of niche propositions for standing out from the crowded competitive industry is focused on the art of feng shui. “We follow feng shui principles and we have become one of the top specialists for the ‘hidden door’ technique,” says Beh proudly.
“We have good feedback for our modern, contemporary and practical style for residential units. These include residential units such as Cascadia, Grandvilla and Andes Villa,” says Beh. The continuous inflow of projects has contributed toward its growing success.
“So far, the greatest achievement in my life is receiving the Rising Star Award and being on the same stage as other established players,” says Beh on his career achievements.
Beh’s team consists of six designers and four on-site project staff who handle interior design projects. Teamwork and supplier relationships are important pre-requisites for success. The main inspiration for taking the company further is based on having full ownership. As for work-life balance, Beh’s work which takes up some 30-40 hours per week is mainly focused on weekends instead of weekdays based on client availability.
Beh’s vision for the company is to expand further within the country down south and up north within the next five years with a subsequent regional expansion. He also has plans for further diversification into the food and beverage sector and furniture. Beh’s advice for newcomers is to be organized and practice sound risk management by having back-up plans to cater for all eventualities.
