"It’s Been An Amazing Journey" - Yee Chong, Jal Yoga, Malaysia Franchise Partner

Jal Yoga, the authentic Yoga, Pilates and Barre studio from Singapore, is creating waves in Malaysia. Yee Chong, Jal Yoga’s franchise partner for Malaysia, is charting new territories and milestones as he leads a thriving fitness and wellness revolution. Top Franchise Asia's founder, Hsien Naidu, caught up with Yee Chong to pick his brain for the franchise’s rapid growth, challenges and plans ahead.

Related: Jal Yoga: Your 3-In-1 Yoga, Pilates And Barre Studio

Hsien Naidu: How has it been since you opened up the Jal Yoga franchise here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia?

Yee Chong: It’s been an amazing journey.

HN: With so many franchise opportunities, what made you decide on Jal Yoga?

YC: I think the biggest attraction or the convincing point for me, is the way Jal Yoga has so much focus on the branding of yoga. The way they teach traditional yoga and the modern practice to create yoga – that is very accessible to different people and to embark on a journey that is for everyone. I really like their philosophy and the branding, and through that, the process of communicating to the younger parties and older ones alike.

At the beginning stage, it gave me a lot of confidence, and I knew that this is the team that I want to work with. Things have been great and it's an amazing journey. A lot of challenges, but I'm glad I get all the support from the Singapore team and from Astreem as well.

HN: Were you previously in the health and fitness industry?

YC: A little bit because I started as a personal trainer (certified Trainer in Melbourne). And after that, I got my yoga certification in Singapore with Yoga Movement. So that's where I sort of began my history in fitness. And I do believe that, more than ever after COVID-19, we need to focus on fitness and wellness. I do believe that yoga can provide us with that, be it physical fitness or mental well-being.

HN: Were the people around you surprised that you took on a fitness franchise?

YC: Yes! It was like from being an architect (because my background is that of an architect) to a yoga franchise owner. Everyone went “Wow, so what are you trying to do here? What's the journey here?” At some point, I too was a bit shaken as well, thinking if I was doing the right thing. But with the support from Jal Yoga, I think I chose the right path.

HN: What expected and unexpected things have happened to you since you took on the journey of franchising?

YC: Well, definitely a lot of big and small challenges every single day. Like from procuring the equipment and talking to different stakeholders, the rental, my staff and the instructors, and maintenance of the studio. But all these were, I wouldn't say unexpected, but were a bit beyond my imagination. I wondered “Wow, a yoga business can be challenging too!”. It's not simple, but again, we learn through this and yeah, I think with where we are at now, everything looks good.

HN: How has your experience been like as a franchisee with Jal Yoga?

YC: It has been great. I really appreciate that Jal Yoga is very serious about Yoga. That's the philosophy and the branding as well. From there, I can see their attitudes toward yoga and with it as a business – that it’s very important to make yoga sustainable and accessible. So, we managed to work closely for the last, six or seven months. We had discussions on every level. They came from Singapore to Malaysia to support us with our grand openings and even train our staff.

And then from time to time, we had meetings and discussions about our challenges and solutions. I think from that perspective, to me, it's really more than just a business now, it's more like a family that works together.

HN: In your opinion, what's the biggest misconception about being a franchisee that others will have, when people are coming into a franchisee position?

YC: I don't have any prior franchise experience. This is my first experience and I'm very grateful that it turned out to be quite good. I feel that if I am going to do it again, I will say that even for us as a franchisee, I think there's an opportunity for us to make the business grow together with the franchisor. I encourage franchisees to explore, to voice up, and to discuss their ideas. Ultimately, everyone and everything is about making the business profitable and sustainable. And with the right people, I think we can work as a team instead of just duplicating the concept from one city to another.

HN: What would be one form of localization that you implemented here that is not in Singapore?

YC: We have made a lot of effort on localization and improvisations for the studio here in Malaysia. We really want to create a community that feels like part of the Malaysian lifestyle.

HN: From that perspective were the rooms and ambience much different?

YC: Yes, the room and the space concept is different as well. Because in Malaysia, not many studios, in terms of location, combine yoga and the lifestyle. For example, here we promote a lifestyle where after the yoga class, you hang around, get a coffee and just chill. Maybe read a book or explore some other F&B outlets around the area, and enjoy a very relaxed kind of pace. Which is something we don't usually get in Malaysia because you usually see lots of hassle like the traffic and all that. But here with us, certainly you can find peace and tranquillity.

HN: Was it easy to recruit your members for Jal Yoga?

YC: There were some challenges because we are still new, so we needed to do a lot of marketing and create awareness so that people would know of us. And because there are so many others competitors, I think branding plays a very important role. We’re constantly looking for better class offerings, having better teachers and building a stronger team to deliver the best experience for our members. So I think those parts will be our ongoing challenges.

HN: Do you have any advice for people who want to get into franchising, and want to operate via the fitness and health type of franchise operations?

YC: Based on my experience, I think, just be bold and then be open about your ideas and what are you trying to achieve. It is about being open-minded.

HN: Now that you've opened your first outlet, what are your expansion plans since you've taken on Area Franchise rights?

YC: We are certainly looking for expansion plans for more locations, to create a network of branches so that we can offer better accessibility for classes, for people who at this stage might not be able to travel to our current location.

HN: Will the growth be concentrated in Kuala Lumpur or will you be opening studios in other cities as well?

YC: We’ll still be in Kuala Lumpur, but it will be at the city centre of Kuala Lumpur because our first flagship studio at the KLCC RORR  too is pretty much in the center of the city. As you can see, KLCC is just probably one kilometer away, right? But in terms of future plans, we wanted to like reach out to the neighbourhoods so that more people outside the city centre can come to our studio and join us.

HN: Is there anything you would you like to say to Pardeep Fogat and Jasmine Loh, the founders of Jal Yoga?

YC: First of all, Thank you. I am grateful for the experience and all the support and advice that's been given to make this happen. And moreover, I think it is my luck to have met them because they are really nice people to work with and I think that makes a difference.

We are almost like family now. They come here for support and even when I travel to Singapore, I hang out with them, get a coffee, and then go in their studio for classes. So, I do value them a lot.

HN: Thank you and congratulations on the successful launch of Jal Yoga in Malaysia.