In this instalment of Moving Forward with Venuerific, we invited the founder of Chun Tsubaki, a successful creative agency and popular multi-functional event space on Venuerific, to have a chat with our Co-Founder, Cynthia over a video conference.
We hear directly from C.R, about the inspiration behind Chun Tsubaki and the tips on what he believes would be key for space operators to tide through this difficult period.
While many of us were busy juggling between work, family and everything in between, this millennial has managed to find the time and put on the multiple hats as a food photographer, food stylist, a blogger and influencer with almost 60,000 followers and now a serial entrepreneur with an impressive set of portfolio, including this beautiful space on Venuerific.
You can also enjoy the full interview in video format:
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you kickstarted Chun Tsubaki.
So, basically I am a food photographer and food stylist by trade. Because I have loved cooking since young and like just watching my Aunt cooking by her side and I just kind of picked up the skills along the way. And I do like cooking. It is a way for me to de-stress. So, it has become a hobby along the way as well.
So, yeah, and my friend was like hey why don’t you start a blog. So, I started a blog and I started taking photos. Photography became a means for me to tell a story (through the photos)…through cooking.
Credit: XLBCR
And then it’s only until like three years ago, I decided to have a space on my own. Because as a photographer and as a food stylist, it is always a dream for us to have our own space where we can create, where we can cook. That’s why I started this space, and an agency called Chun Tsubaki. We not only do creative jobs, but we also do when we do have (rent) our space out for our clients as well, like for productions, and all kinds of functions as well.
I didn’t know that you started from your passion for cooking and that’s how it came to be where you are right now, with the space at Chun Tsubaki , because I know that you have a very functional kitchen space as well.
Yeah, we have a kitchen island that is fully modular. It’s fully mobile, It’s on wheels and about 12-feet long. And we love to see how our clients transform our kitchen to their usage because there’s so many different production houses that we work with, and they really transform it in many different kinds of ways, which is very creative.
Credit: Chun Tsubaki
And besides that, like the latest venture which I have is the Sourbombe bakery, Sourbombe Artisanal Bakery. It’s an online donut business which I’m actually doing with the Masterchef runner-up from Singapore two years ago. Her name is Gen Lee. So far, we have been receiving really good feedbacks, and I think you guys are probably going to be receiving 2 boxes soon next week. Elena (Venuerific Account Manager) has ordered for you guys.
Yeah, I think our team is really into donuts right now. I think all the home-based ventures are really up and coming, especially during this time as well. So, it’s good to support local, you know, creatives and bakers. Sounds fantastic. Sourdough.
I want to ask you further about this pandemic and how it’s affecting your business. What kind of challenges did you face mostly and how you overcame them, or are you currently still overcoming them now?
I think, I mean everyone definitely got affected by it, especially given the restriction in having your functions, events and all that. I guess the months that we got hit really badly was during April and May. We had zero revenue… zero income, but I feel like it’s a good chance for us to, you know, stop and rethink about process and what it’s going to be the new norm and how we can adapt to the changing market.
And also, there’s a trend of those of the types of clients coming to us, there’s a lot of live streaming production. A lot of online content production, which is good in a way because like most (you know) of the market are switching.
I think our social media is quite active, so we are always coming out with new contents to let people know what we have actually done in our space. You know, the safety regulations and the circuit breaker period, where we kind of brainstorm on what we should do. Content creation and all that, to get things going again once the circuit breaker is over.
Being on Venuerific helps a lot, they have a lot of strong backlinks created and I think for us, it gives us a lot of traction. You know, we have been with Venuerific for 3 years, ever since we started, so we have been around for 3 years. So, yeah I definitely feel like it has helped a lot in driving traction.
Chun Tsubaki on Venuerific
All right. And the last question, but not least, is you know, something important for all the space operators out there or venue owners. What kind of advice you would give to them during this time, a very uncertain period of time?
I think, first and foremost, you must identify your target segment, like also know what’s your USP. This is very important. There are so many spaces around, how do you differentiate yourself from others. And that’s very important.
And from there, you need marketing. Whether it means going up on Venuerific, I think everyone should go up on Venuerific because they have a huge and strong database. It’s to get yourself seen by people online as much as possible. When people come down to your space, give them a good experience, service, you know..from the moment they step into your space or studio, to the moment they exit, the attention to details that you give to them. So, all these would add up to whether they become your regular clients and if they like your space, they would share about your space through word of mouth.
This article is part of the Moving Forward with Venuerific series where we feature our venue partners and the people behind the venues. We aim to go a little further, bringing you the interesting stories behind the inception of these unique venues and how they are adapting to the new normal with digital transformation in the forefront of their strategies.
About Chun Tsubaki
Chun Tsubaki is a local creative agency that specialises in food and lifestyle contents. The multi-faceted brand also operates its unique event space that is highly popular for a myriad of functions including film shoots, weddings and seminars. To view more details and send inquiries to Chun Tsubaki, click here.
Venuerific lists more than 3,000 venues across Southeast Asia and provides an all-in-one Venue Management CRM Software for venue operators. The platform is also a pre-approved ICM vendor under IMDA SME GO digital programme in Singapore, a scheme that identifies Digital solutions to help small and medium businesses to transform and optimise their productivity through the use of Digital technology. The scheme also allow businesses to get up to 98%* support fund through the Productivity Solutions Grant and Skillsfuture Enterprise Credit. Visit this Page to find out how you can benefit by listing your venue on Venuerific.
