Back in 2015, 19-year-old Jeshua made the decision to rent out his personal collection of camera gear and started a Facebook page titled ‘J Rental Centre’ to do so. Today, J Rental Centre has a website, an office, staff and three collection points all around Singapore. LUCK-IT asked the now 24-year-old entrepreneur/film-maker how he did it.

“I would say the reason we’re still here and still focussed on the same vision of connecting people is because of the community impact we have seen.”

Q: Why did you decide to start an equipment rental business? And how is it you could start it with almost $0?

A: We’re not exactly an equipment rental business but a peer-to-peer platform, something like Airbnb/Grab, that connects owners and renters of camera gears, event logistics and creative spaces with each other. I began JRC.sg in early 2015 as I saw that the existing rental houses were expensive and rigid, especially for students and smaller productions. We wanted to provide a rental service that is both affordable and convenient, while focussing on the people element, not just the hardware or spaces. There is nothing like getting tips directly from a professional owner and a few minutes chat can prove more useful than 2 hours of manual-reading or YouTube-watching.

The business was started not as a business but as a means of cost reduction and better utilising resources which I already had. There wasn’t capital investment that could be measured in $ but certainly a lot of time and energy in formulating the policies, writing agreements, developing the website, marketing, and the list goes on.

What was your first year of business like? How did you get customers and what did you learn along the way?

JRC began as a Facebook page with a list of stuff that I personally already owned. Shortly after, some friends also wanted to rent out their equipments and we grew the list, then created a blog-site. The first few customers came from people whom I had known through school and work and word slowly spread through word of mouth as well as our digital marketing efforts.

How did you start expanding your business? Was it something you planned for at the start or something that occurred organically?

In 2016, we launched the first version of JRC.sg which listed camera equipment like DSLR, lenses, lighting, sound and support gear from 16 different owners all over Singapore. It was a huge step up from the Facebook page or blog-site but still largely manual in the way we cleared inquiries, created invoices and collected payments. More partners came on board—some customers and some who just had a spare set of kit they didn’t want collecting dust at home. Today, we have over 100 owner partners and are on our second version of the site which features two new verticals (event logistics and creative spaces), e-payments, user accounts, online ID verification as well as a host of other bells and whistles. We are always thinking of ways to add value and connect more people as we know that there is still a sizeable portion of the media and events industry that are more used to just walking into a shop to get what they need.

How long did it take you to get to the point where you felt like your business would be sustainable in the long run? Was there a significant turning point/course of action that got you feeling that way?

I don’t think that we have even reached this point today, despite being around for over 4 years. Reaching critical mass and achieving a network effect that is win-win for all parties is not easy, and even companies like Grab are not profitable yet. I think a better question would be at which point did I start taking this Facebook page that I created more seriously and try to scale up what we were doing, and that would have to be in 2016, when I saw that having a site which organises the listing information was going to be very important if we wanted to connect more people. So, I hired a developer to code the first version and started taking in some interns to assist with marketing as well as thinking of new ways to grow the platform.

Did you have any setbacks or wins along the way while in the process of doing the above?

Our setbacks include lengthy development time, especially on the current site, as I was properly trained in film-making and not as a tech-geek, some mis-steps in terms of trying to penetrate the clothes rental market sometime in 2017 and a bunch of poor hiring decisions. I would say the reason we’re still here and still focussed on the same vision of connecting people is because of the community impact we have seen. The power of team cannot be underestimated, especially in a small industry like media. It is always good to know more people and the transactional value of renting out a piece of kit is actually far lower if this transaction actually leads to a friendship or even becoming acquaintances with each other.

What was your routine like when trying to expand J Rental Centre?

Routine would be the last word I’d use to describe a lot of things that I do but we’re really goal-oriented and try many different things to fulfil the goals that we have set out. A lot of focus would be on balancing the chicken and egg problem which would bug most platforms–having too many ‘suppliers’ would mean that each person has less transactions, while having too many ‘buyers’ would mean that each buyer has insufficient choice. So it is a balancing act and we are always trying to court both sides to tell them about why they should use the platform or how we can help them to achieve their goals (be it to save costs, learn more, increase revenues or worry less about safety and procedures).

What about now? What is your present routine like?

I now spend a good amount of time working remotely, travelling back and forth from Myanmar where I have started Crossworks since 2018. The company was started to help local Singaporean companies (such as my own) hire remote talent from Myanmar/Yangon to fulfil their manpower needs as well as lower their manpower costs, while stopping the brain drain out of Myanmar.

How do you presently spend your weekends?

If I’m in Singapore, I’d either be busy with productions, accounting, emails, or in church where I serve in the live production team as well. If I’m in Myanmar, I could be on a boat, up in the hills, by the beach or in a city–that’s really much less predictable.

What advice do you have for someone hoping to start their business at age 19, or with $0?

It’s not going to cost $0. Take into account the time and attention that will be the investment in whatever you’re doing but also don’t stop at ‘hoping’ and ‘dreaming’—the realistic chances of success are slim (statistically speaking) but I think that if you’re like me and don’t take it too seriously and are doing something that you like, it’s always worth trying and learning along the way.

Can you map out a recommended path for people wanting to start their business at 19, with $0, to follow?

I don’t have one and I don’t think one exists. I would suggest as above but if you have a clearer idea of the kind of business you’d like to setup, talk to some potential customers/partners and see if that is something that they would need. Don’t be surprised if there is hesitation or if they don’t sound supportive but take those initial observations in and remember why you started always.

Which key things/people/situations enabled you to keep and grow the business you started at age 19, in your opinion?

The business began after a few other platform businesses like Airbnb, Uber/Grab, etc, started, and people became more open to the idea of resources being shared instead of just owned. The gig economy was also and is still continuing to expand such that people do not need to keep all the resources in-house and have them be less than optimally utilised but are able to ‘plug and play’ resources as and when needed.

How did starting your own business at 19 change you as a person? Or did it not change you?

It gave me the opportunity to interact with much more people and hence I would say that it has changed me for the better.

If you could go back and replay the adventure of starting and running J Rental Centre all over again, what would you do differently?

I would focus on what I can do at this present moment.

What were you like as a child? What about as a teenager and young adult? How did you change at every decade? Or did you not change?

I never liked being bored. I don’t think that has changed but I have learned to value quiet and slow moments, grown in patience as well as increasingly seen the value in some routines.

Which major event in your life has made you who you are, in your opinion? Why do you think so?

Not one event per se but in general not having examinations being a huge part of my life at any point made me realise that there are more important priorities. Learning became a joy and something I still constantly try and do. With grades and accolades being something that many people in our society get caught up with, I think it gives me a different perspective when looking at issues or making decisions.

Which 3 objects/people in your life can you presently not live without and why?

Objects are easier. A laptop, phone and my passport. I use these to get work done and get around.

Of all the objects you’ve ever bought/received for the purpose of expanding or sustaining J Rental Centre, which has been most useful? Why?

We’re not really a brick and mortar store so I guess our website itself is our biggest asset to help connect people.

Which person do you wish LUCK-IT would interview for you to learn from? Why?

Jony Ive—his design has had a huge impact on the world we live in today.

What’s the worst advice you’ve been given, or have heard people giving? And what’s the best?

I have forgotten most of the worst advice. Some of the best would be to take care of yourself physically and not neglect health while focussing on your other priorities.

Jeshua presently runs his two other businesses—Crossworks and Startupmedia—on top of running J Rental Centre. You can connect with him at those websites or his LinkedIn page, or drop him in a question in the comment box below.

Other Answers by Jeshua Soh:
How I Started A Business In Myanmar At Age 23
Why I Chose To Drop Out Of School In Year 5 Of The Integrated Programme

Photographs courtesy and copyright of Jeshua Soh. Interviewer: Sy
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