KUCHING: A 27-year-old enterprising youth from Kanowit started venturing into the business world in July 2021.
Ting Tiew Lung went into the decant perfume business because of the responsibility that he needs to bear, which can help him provide extra income to his family.
“In addition, the encouragement of a friend who has been successful also opened my mind to be more consistent and earnest in this business.
“I express my immense gratitude to Adeng who is in Saratok for successfully opening my mind, giving me space and opportunity to continue to progress in this business,” he told the New Sarawak Tribune.
But what is perfume decant? Perfume decant is a method where the liquid in the original perfume bottle is inhaled and stored in a small bottle of 5ml, 9ml and 30ml among others.
The purpose of this perfume decant is to help those who want to try using perfume in boutiques and counters but have a limited budget. This is because decant perfumes are more affordable as they are smaller and more compact compared to the original bottle which requires a larger capital if purchased.
He does this business only on a part-time basis because he has a real job as a teacher in the rural areas.
“On the weekends and during school breaks, I run my decant perfume business as I’m only in the city at that time. During working hours, I do my necessary tasks that are performed outside of the city. I don’t keep track of the time when I’m in the city. Regardless, if a consumer wants to purchase perfume, I will continue to do business,” he said.
According to Ting, for now, he is running the business solo but hoped that he could continue to progress and have employees and a shop.
“I run this business on a home-based basis only with the address in Permai Jaya, Sibu. Close to Sibu Hospital,” he said.
For now, he said the biggest challenge is time. Time management is very limited. This is because he only has time on weekends to do business. While on a normal day, he does his real work, but he still takes orders from customers through WhatsApp and Facebook.
“I promote my business a lot on WhatsApp, Facebook and TikTok. I also want to expand my promotion with other mass media such as newspapers, magazines and articles,” he explained.
As for the preparation of sales materials, he does not face any problems because he already has suppliers who are ready to help him in all aspects.
“As for the sales price of decant perfume, it is quite difficult for me to set a minimum and maximum because each decant perfume price depends on the current perfume price. Different perfumes, different prices. For now, the cheapest perfume available is RM29 and the most expensive is RM189,” he said.
During his daily routine on weekdays, he will take orders online through WhatsApp, Facebook and TikTok. On every weekend, he will complete the bookings made on working days of the current week.
Then he will do postage and cash on delivery (COD) based on the customer’s request. In addition, he also does live and receives walk-ins to the house.
“Apart from this business, I am a teacher in the rural areas. I chose to do business to increase my income so that I can give more to my family,” he said, adding that his deep interest helped him to be more tenacious and persistent in finding a “halal” livelihood.
“My dream in this business, I want a better life. I can help my family and other people. Increasing my self-worth is also one of the goals I want in order to progress.
“My message to the small traders out there, don’t be afraid to try. Dare to come out of the cocoon of self-fear. Take the first step to achieve success in front of you. Throw away all the doubts that exist. Just do it first,” he added.
Customers who want to order his decant perfume can call 0179088396, or Dylan Ting Larico on Facebook, or dylanlarico on TikTok for more information.
