Unearth’s Johnson Goh shares his unconventional path to entrepreneurship and his present-day mission to curb furniture waste from filling up landfills
Disposing of unwanted furniture and household items can be a hassle, whether you’re trying to sell them or arrange for someone to pick them up. Johnson Goh and his co-founder Eric Lee aim to solve this problem with their startup, Unearth, which focuses on reducing furniture waste through sustainable practices.
Goh’s journey in the startup industry began during the Covid-19 pandemic. He found that selling secondhand items online was difficult and time-consuming. Goh and Lee offered to help their friends sell their unwanted items online, and they discovered that they could actually make a living from selling secondhand goods. But the difficulty was to sell a wide range of items.
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Their breakthrough came when they helped a friend sell a large volume of furniture intended initially for furnishing service apartments. It was a challenge, but the experience led them to focus on selling furniture online as they identified it as a significant pain point for many people.
Goh and Lee share more about their business and plans for the future.
How is business throughout the year and where do you source for your furniture?
Johnson Goh (JG): Our sales have no seasonality because demand remains constant throughout the year. Occasionally, we notice spikes in sales volume during the festive seasons like Hari Raya. The good news is there are always people who want to dispose of their old items and who want to buy new furniture. Our approach is to establish multiple channels for sourcing furniture.
