Tucked away on an industrial highway in Subang Jaya lies KitaBina Maker Area (KitaBina), a workshop that thrums with the rhythmic whir of saws and the aromatic scent of freshly minimize wooden. Not like the standard, sawdust-coated carpentry store, KitaBina Maker Area hums with a unique vitality.

It’s a haven for passionate woodworkers, curious hobbyists, and anybody who craves the satisfaction of making one thing tangible with their very own fingers.

KitaBina was based final yr by Jon Ming and his spouse, Q-Pei, a pair who dared to commerce the predictability of company life for the exhilarating world of woodworking.

Earlier than that, they give up their jobs as monetary auditors at PwC and began Modle.play, the place they specialize in crafting indoor picket playgrounds.

KitaBina caters to a unique form of builder. It’s an area that thrives on a mix of training, creativity, and a contact of pleasant competitors. Think about weekend-long workshops culminating in a colossal, five-metre-tall sculpture crafted from scratch.

In essence, you could possibly see KitaBina as a woodworking tuition of types.

Breaking the limitations

Jon defined that woodworking lessons will not be new, however they aren’t widespread both. It is because these lessons could be costly and time-consuming, which deters many potential hobbyists as a result of excessive barrier to entry.

Therefore, KitaBina is dedicated to breaking down these limitations that will hold individuals from exploring the world of woodworking.

Their “Pesta Bina” programme is a major instance.

Held as soon as in three months, it’s an intensive but inexpensive introduction to woodworking fundamentals for RM80. Individuals can select from 10 completely different initiatives, every designed to show important abilities inside an hour.

This introductory class additionally breaks down the notion of woodworking as an costly or intimidating interest, Jon stated.

“To study woodworking in different places, a category usually begins at RM200 to RM500 per pax for a half-day or full-day session,” Jon claimed.

Many workshops additionally require individuals to attend prerequisite coaching or adhere to inflexible schedules. KitaBina breaks these limitations with its versatile and inclusive strategy.

Clients can stroll in any time throughout working hours, pay for a day move, and begin engaged on their initiatives with no need prior classes. This open-door coverage is a breath of recent air within the woodworking neighborhood.

Addressing the market hole

KitaBina isn’t nearly making issues; it’s about nurturing a love for woodworking from a younger age.

They need a world the place tinkering with instruments and constructing one thing cool turns into a cherished half of a kid’s improvement.

That is the place they’ve recognized a niche in woodworking training for kids.

“There are many artwork and craft exercise suppliers for youths aged two to 6, however not many deal with woodworking for this age group,” Jon famous.

So, KitaBina gives woodworking lessons for toddlers as much as youngsters.

KitaBina runs “Wooden Play” classes the place toddlers and younger children get to find out about wooden. They begin with demos exhibiting the place wooden comes from utilizing timber logs and wooden samples explaining how furnishings is made. Then, they transfer on to creating easy picket toys or collectible figurines, utilizing glue and adorning them.

“We run trial classes for seven to 12-year-olds. In the event that they prefer it, we are able to slot them into our common weekly one-and-a-half-hour Junior Woodworker class the place they study to construct self-discipline and learn to clear up issues by constructing an increasing number of complicated stuff as they progress by the months/years. We additionally run college vacation programmes from 4 days to eight days lengthy,” shared Jon.

For adults, their “Kemahiran Hidup” course goes past the fundamentals. It delves deeper into furnishings design, and the intricacies of timber choice, and even explores cutting-edge applied sciences like laser engraving and CNC reducing (which is automated and follows a set programme by laptop numerical management).

Jon believes that these abilities are common and could be utilized past woodworking initiatives.

The spirit of neighborhood is one other cornerstone of the KitaBina expertise.

Their “DIY/Woodworking” WhatsApp group is a vibrant hub the place seasoned woodworkers share their experience, collaborate on initiatives, and provide a serving to hand (or a pleasant tip) to anybody who wants it.

Whether or not you’re a seasoned hobbyist or a whole novice, this digital area fosters a way of belonging and camaraderie.

Juggling the enterprise

Like every other enterprise, KitaBina’s journey hasn’t been with out its challenges.

Their location, nestled on the finish of a dead-end highway, is usually a hurdle for potential individuals. On prime of that, the sheer number of lessons provided could be overwhelming for some.

To handle this, KitaBina is actively engaged on strengthening its on-line presence, making it simpler for individuals to find a programme that may spark their woodworking curiosity.

Monetary hurdles are one other problem. The enterprise continues to be discovering its footing, counting on 90% of its income from Modle to remain afloat.

Operating KitaBina along with their different enterprise is not any small feat for them. Regardless of the challenges, Jon manages to steadiness each companies with the assistance of his devoted groups.

“Modle has a workforce of 9, whereas KitaBina has a workforce of three, and we’ve got a shared admin individual.”

“Every day, yow will discover me juggling between managing operations whereas speaking with purchasers and brainstorming new mission concepts for each companies. Generally we attempt to discover synergies between each companies to assist and share one another’s buyer base,” shared Jon.

Crafting the trail forward

Wanting forward, Jon has formidable plans for KitaBina. He desires of turning it into an academy or polytechnic college with DIY and vocational programmes operating each day in each state of Malaysia.

The potential for franchising the KitaBina expertise can also be on the horizon, permitting others to deliver this distinctive strategy to their communities.

Jon’s different dream is to accomplice with a DIY-related hypermart chain like MR DIY. He envisions workshops inside these shops the place individuals can study to make use of merchandise and sort things on the spot. This modern thought might revolutionise the DIY market and make woodworking abilities much more accessible to the lots.

KitaBina is a spot to study a brand new talent, faucet into your creativity, and join with a neighborhood of like-minded people. Jon believes that it’s about serving to individuals rediscover the enjoyment of creating issues with their very own fingers.

They might be one among many woodworking areas on the town, however their deal with affordability, approachability, and neighborhood constructing units them aside.

It’ll be fascinating to see how they navigate the challenges forward and proceed to carve their very own area of interest within the ever-growing world of DIY workshops.

• Be taught extra about KitaBina Maker Area right here.
• Learn different articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups right here.

Featured Picture Credit score: KitaBina Maker Area