IVY Lounge
The Yak goes one on one with…
…Michael Nauser – founder of JAIM Agency and NFT Dabbler
Michael, can you please introduce yourself – the usual way, age, country of birth etc.
Born and raised in Switzerland, growing up in a lovely family in a small village, I made it all the way to Indonesia by the age of 32.
What was the major influence in your life that pushed you into Marketing and Events?
Funny enough it was a rough patch that brought me into marketing & events. After suffering from a major panic disorder by the age of 20 I was stuck in a mental institution ready to let go before, for some reason, I decided to fight for a second chance. My sister’s boyfriend back then offered me a job as “Runner” at a Festival, which was nothing else than refilling fridges. The second day I was working the bar, the third day I was running it and by the end of the festival, I got hired as a marketing trainee by the communications agency who was supplying these jobs. I knew my ‘mentality’ was key to this success, and being given this chance I figured that adding consistency could accelerate my life.
IVY Lounge
Give us a brief background of how you gathered experience in these fields…
Staying almost 6 years in this company, I ended up as a project manager in charge of international projects for very well-known brands, creating many pop-up restaurants, festivals & exhibition concepts. I learnt my fair share in the industry and how to run such projects. The pressure you face in this industry, the ups and downs in both marketing & event management, really made me the man I am today. Far from complete, but ready to attack.
Roll forward, to your arrival in Bali. When and why?
I arrived in Bali in mid-2019, about 6 months before the world went upside down, without a clear plan. I had been traveling for 24 months before I ended up in Bali, and immediately I knew (like so many others) that this is the place where I wanted to make a home.
Your first year in Bali was spent doing what?
I would lie if I say I didn’t enjoy myself. However, none of that is work-related.
You started an agency called JAIM. What does “jaim” mean, and what kind of agency is it?
JAIM means a lot of things, I heard in Hebrew it can stand for protection, in Indian Sanskrit I believe it means “Gift of God”, however, for us the meaning is way simpler and means nothing more but to work towards a common goal, a.k.a “Joint Aim”, with our clients. Specializing in Online Marketing for Hospitality Venues we are mainly focusing on Instagram, Facebook & Google. Pretty much everything you can do on these platforms we can offer and implement in your business to grow it. On top of that, we are doing the classics such as concept creation, graphic design, web design, etc. If you are planning to open a restaurant, hotel, or beach club, we can anticipate trends and consult you in literally all areas of each kind of project.
Bali Beach Glamping was your first client? What was the challenge/instruction here?
I was lucky enough that two weeks after I founded my company in June 2020, we found Bali Beach Glamping. Roger (the owner) immediately trusted me and together we have been able to achieve something incredible. Our biggest challenge was to start and promote a resort in Tabanan (which by a long shot is not the most famous area in Bali) without any of the usual incoming international tourism. Working with Indonesian celebrities and influencers we were able to create hype around it, and we believe looking back, that Bali Beach Glamping has been one of the most successful new businesses that started in Bali at that time!
Sa’Mesa
Since then, you have been adding some great names to your portfolio. Please tell us a bit about each of them.
The second big name we added to our portfolio was the second company I started. Meeting Paco & Damiano, we decided to open a Restaurant called Sa’Mesa in April 2021. Having been almost fully booked since its opening, we claimed the Top 3 spot on Tripadvisor within less than a year. This has undoubtedly been a major success for us, for Sa’Mesa as a business, and JAIM as its marketing company.
Sa’Mesa
What’s next for Sa’Mesa?
We are planning on opening our second one in 2022, and we are positive that we can realize the project within the timeframe we have aimed at, but for now, that’s all I can say about it.
Sa’Mesa
What’s next for JAIM?
Our newest project in Bali is called “IVY Lounge”. JAIM has taken over the role of marketing consultant and specialist. Currently, we are now getting involved on the ‘Hospitality’ side of it as well. IVY Lounge is a unique & luxurious concept that is ahead of the whole transition that is taking place at the moment. With the Seminyak & Petitenget crowd swapping over to the Canggu area, IVY has the best possible location and venue and concept that will work for years to come. Being the first of its kind in the Canggu area, we are excited for 2022.
IVY Lounge
Any expansion plans?
With JAIM we are currently pitching for a few exciting projects in Bali as well as for a few major resorts in Qatar & Maldives. We are very proud that we have been invited to pitch for such international big players in the resort industry.
IVY Lounge
What is next for Michael?
Carrying on from everything mentioned above, we secured funding for a new F&B venture called “Mesut’s” that will launch mid-2022 in Canggu, which is already in full process. Completely out of context, I decided to back an NFT project called “Silly Sheeps”. Silly Sheep is based on an Animated Series and it is way too cool to be ignored, which is exactly why we wanted to be involved in it from the start. Don’t miss out on that one, and make sure to get a Sheep before they all leave the farm.
IVY Lounge
How did you manage to achieve all of that in this short period of time?
Anyone who owns a business knows that it can get hard and frustrating from time to time, opening up two businesses within only a few months and making sure they will run sustainably for years to come, I couldn’t have done it without the people around me. Gilga, my life partner has been rock solid, by my side, supporting me literally from Day One. My team at JAIM has been incredible, pushing not only themselves, but the company forward. Last but not least at Sa’Mesa, the success was built not by me, but by Paco & Damiano. Seeing Damiano working 10+ hours a day, and Paco hosting people every single day, is impressive and makes me proud to be a part of it. If you have ever visited Sa’Mesa I think you’d agree that all our employees are having a lot of fun, which brings me to Balance. Commitment and Consistency are obviously key, but you need to find the right balance between going forward and enjoying life at every moment.
Well, it’s been a pleasure to meet you and all the best with JAIM – it is definitely making an impressive ‘wave’ in Bali.