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GOLDFINGER TAI 'BUDDAh' GRAh AM hAS ThE MIDAS TOUCh INTERVIEW BY LUKE KENNEDY

As a teenager Tai Graham was a talented Rugby League player – a marked man who other teams would frequently try to take out of the game. You see Tai had a talent for spotting the gaps and tearing holes through the opposition's defence. Tai's staunch Maori father had hoped that perhaps his son would go on to play halfback for Queensland. It was a paternal ambition that found opposition in Tai's growing interest in surfing. Tai would return from long days in the water, tired and half blind because of sunburnt eyes. Bitterly concerned that this reoccurring ailment was placing Tai's promising footy career in jeopardy, Tai's father insisted Tai wear a visor-equipped Gath helmet to protect his eyes.

Tai's muscular, 6'2" Dad would stand on the beach when Tai went surfing; if the visor wasn't down over Tai's eyes his Dad would jump up and down and wave his arms around on shore.

Eventually football became secondary to Tai's surfing aspirations and his father accepted that trying to play State of Origin wasn't his son's ultimate goal.

Tai enjoyed a modicum success as a competitive junior surfer, finishing ahead of Jay Bottle Thompson and Bede Durbidge in the Gold Coast Titles.

However, despite his competitive nature, obvious talent and sponsorship support, Tai sensed that perhaps he didn't quite have the psychological make-up to fully commit to the contest grind. By his early twenties he was working as a lifeguard, surfing hard and indulging in all the nocturnal distractions that Surfers Paradise has to offer. Although it seemed he was living the Gold Coast dream, the idea that his life had a grander plan, niggled at Tai. When a well-established mentor figure sensed his discontent and agreed to back him in a business venture, Tai zoned in on Bali. He wanted somewhere where he could make some bucks and still get barrelled every day, and because his mother had been living in Bali since Tai was eight, he had a good understanding of the cultural and commercial landscape.

Although the financier didn't follow through, Tai decided to pursue his dreams independently. Little Buddah bungalows was born and before long Tai was organising accommodation for a clientele that included everyone from pro surfers to gold medallists and super models. Since then Tai has expanded his Bali-based business interests extensively and become a sterling example of a surfing entrepreneur. His surf-sophisticated bar, Single Fin, is now the social epicentre of the Bukit peninsular, he owns a gym in Seminyak with Mark Mathews and John Gannon, commentates at world tour events and is team O'Neill's go-to guy for travel hook ups and image control in Indonesia. While juggling business interests Tai still finds time to jump on swells all over Indo and was one of the standouts when Nias roared to life in the 2013 season. Below he discusses the idiosyncrasies of being an Indonesian-based entrepreneur and explains why he credits his success to his old footballing philosophy – "It's all about looking for the gaps."

Tai Graham projecting the kind of wisdom you might expect from someone whose nickname is 'Buddah'. ||

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KENNY SMITH

You made the decision to move to Bali to set up a business but then your financier pulled out at the last minute. How hard was it to back yourself?

Tai: I clearly remember saying to myself. 'F#ck this!' I'm the captain of my own ship. I'm going! With $4k in my pocket I was on the plane and off to Bali. Once I arrived in what was probably my 685th time to Bali, it all felt different. This time it was survival. I had to make it happen. Yes, worst-case scenario I could always go back and work on the beaches in Oz. But I wasn't looking back! I stayed with my mum for about two-three weeks till I finally found a pad. My goal was still the same. I found a house with three bedrooms, but stacked with single beds – enough to sleep seven. I used $3k of my money for the year's rent up front, and then I spent another $750 on small renovations and furniture. It was set. I made business cards that said, "Little Buddha Villas. Come stay with me". Within the first week and before I had fully completed the renovations I had the place rented for a month to a load of young surfers. The ball had begun to roll. Within the first three months I had the whole year's rent paid, salaries maintained for my staff and bills covered. This was it. I was doing it! Over the next year I gained enough cash along with a little kick from the old man to take on another villa, this time it was closer to the one I had dreamed about – five big bedrooms, A/C and a swimming pool in the heart of Seminyak. Over the next three years I had everyone stay. WCT surfers accompanied with photographers, filmers and journalists, professional NRL stars, Olympic gold medallists, Hawaiian swimwear models, grandma and grandpa, Joe Blow, my mates' mom and dad and their buddies – you name it! I was surf guide, restaurant guide, bar guide, hospital guide, moneychanger guide, 'can you please come with me to the police station coz I lost my motorbike' guide – it was awesome, but super exhausting.

When did you decide that you had entrepreneurial instincts?

I'd always admired entrepreneurs. Their ability to make things happen, problem solve; see the gaps in the markets and hit them. I related it back to my football days. I was a half-back. My old man always would be hammering it in to me. "Hit the gaps, Hit the gaps". I had a pretty good ability to see a hole in the defence line and hit it, or put someone else into it. If the gap wasn't there, create it.

I always like the fact that being an entrepreneur would allow you to be in a way 'free'. You can create these financial growth opportunities. Plant the seed, water it a little and snip and trim when needed. I never again wanted to be trapped into something I didn't want to do or somewhere I didn't want to be.

How did you make the transition from managing real estate to running bars?

Being a partner in a bar in Bali's infamous underground arts scene, Black Dog, just came about one day. I was surfing with good friend, Tipi Jabrik, and he said he wanted to start a bar and he had a space. I suggested I'd always wanted to have a bar too and that I had a concept. We chatted some more, next thing you know we open Black Dog and every Friday night in Bali's little hip district of Seminyak the bar would be rocking! It was a place where emerging artists and musicians had their chance to showcase their talents. From punk, rock, to hiphop we had some amazing musicians walk on through. We wanted to surf so the hours were 10pm - 1am. This was where I saw the gap in the market. The restaurants finished up their vibe at 10pm, then the bars didn't get fun till 1am – that was the hole we needed to hit. The once a week thing made it exclusive and nobody wanted to miss out. The S.I.G.I.T were one of Indonesia's hottest bands.

Something like the most downloaded ring tone in the country – and there's 280 million people in this country, everyone owning at least two or three phones to sit comfortably in the bum-bag. These guys were big. Through a connection of Tipi's they asked if they could play at the bar. Ha classic! Imagine that. It's like Wolfmother going, 'hey don't you have a little bar that's tucked away down a dark alley that's super hard to find with no signs or mainstream marketing that feels like a back yard house party?' Time soon came like the villas' that I saw my purpose had been served and I got out. Which then lead me to Single Fin. I formed Single Fin with legendary Balinese Surfer Made Kasim. I'd had offers from all sorts of successful businessman in Bali, but this one seemed to fit best. It's been almost three years now and things are steaming forward up there!

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I was surf guIde, restaurant guIde, bar guIde, hospItal guIde, moneychanger guIde, 'can you please come wIth me to the polIce statIon coz I lost my motorbIke' guIde

Tai, finding another gap in the market during one of his missions to Sumbawa.|| Schultz

Single fin is right on the point at Uluwatu. What sort of vibe/atmosphere are you trying to create?

When creating the concept for Single Fin the main thing I had in mind was creating a place where all walks of life could come together, hang together, party together and enjoy some good vibes and good times. I did have a lot of motivation in catering for the needs of the girls too – that was the gap in the market. Most of them disliked going and hanging out at Ulu's; some of them wouldn't be into the warung vibe for whatever reasons, so I wanted to create the 'comfortable' place for them and their needs. It's a magical place and I felt that given the right atmosphere – they'd come. I asked my girl and a bunch of her friends what they wanted in a place like that – salads, magazines, cocktails, comfortable furniture, music and a relaxed vibe. I know what guys want, but they were already going there and I knew if the boys walked past a place full of girls … they'd usually turn around and go for a look. The Sundays came about with my passion for music.

I could see Bali had the whole Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights covered, and why try to compete with them especially being so far away. The majority of visitors coming through Bali are Australian and what do Ozzies love – getting hammered on Sundays.

What would you say to other young surfers with entrepreneurial inclinations?

I feel there's a strong wave of young people wanting out of the 9-5 rut and wanting to be in charge of shaping their own futures. That's rad. I'm just a normal guy with a normal education – and I'm doing it, so why can't others? If they're feeling it, and dreaming it, go for it! It's cheesy but as the saying goes 'Just Do It'. Seriously though, just do it. Making mistakes is fun, you learn from them. My first retail shop in Bali; although it looked pretty cool and the opening party was awesome, sales were absolutely terrible haha. I had no idea what I was doing.

But I learnt, I made friends with guys that knew their stuff, guys whose business practices I admired. It wasn't all about money. You had to do it in the right way, so the people working with you and around you all benefited from it – even your competition, because good competition is better than no competition. It keeps you challenged and on top of your game.

You also help manage the O'Neill brand in Indonesia.

I got the job as Indonesian Brand Ambassador; I had to bring the 'cool' back into O'Neill here so to speak. An amazing opportunity and one that I'm still thankful for. I get to work with a lot of very creative and knowledgeable people. Basically taking care of the look and feel here in Indo, making sure we're in all the right stores, hooking up all the right crew, being visible in not so much as many ways, but the best ways possible. But there's a bunch of things really, on one fashion shoot I was helping oversee a bikini shoot with Victoria Secret model and O'Neill ambassador Elyse Taylor. I've spent 10 days in Sumbawa surfing and shooting with Jordy Smith for his new boardies. He's a freak seriously. I look after and train our team, assist with the marketing; it's a rad job really. Fortunately with the diversified work life means I'm not locked down to a desk 40 hours a week.

LEFT TO RIGHT: The stickers tell a story. Tai is also the Indonesian ambassador for O'neill and helps out with everything from the brand's Indo image to product shoots with Victoria's Secret models.|| DoDDs Tai still knows how to have a good time but has learned that you can't party 24/7 in bali if you want to do business.

The Single Fin Bar at Ulu's going off. Tai co-owns the bar with local legend, Made Kasim.

T

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Are you still flexible enough to chase swells around Indonesia?

One hundred percent! I'm addicted to swell reports. I check them more than most people would check Facebook or Instagram. If I see a bump coming and I know its worthy, I'll get whatever I have on that week crammed into a couple solid days. I'll stay up till 1-2am working on projects or what not just so I can get away and know I'm up to speed with things. But I'm a frother. My girl knows me best when I'm in two minds and can't sleep coz I'm torn in which way to go. Do I head to this island spot up north or go east hahaha. I think last year I went on about 10-12 trips. Everywhere from Nias, Desserts, Lakeys, G-land, Mentawais to spots off the beaten path that I'm not going to tell you about, haha. It's why I moved here. There are a couple guys I look up to here that have a good thing going on with the businesses and family life. We talked about it one afternoon over a few beers and came to the same outlook. It's what brought us here, no matter how busy things are and seem like you need to be there full time taking care of it - don't forget why we moved here – to get barrelled and live a good lifestyle, not to be trapped to the desk trying get rich. If the money comes along for the ride, then that's just a bonus.

Talk us through a regular Tai Graham day?

A regular day for me would firstly depend on what the waves are doing. If it's on, I'll get up before dark, jump in the truck and go surf all morning. If not I'll go for a walk on the beach with my girl and the three dogs. We have two Bali dogs and Bob, he's a beagle. I'll grab some breaky then roll into my office and check on the daily chores. I'll have a bunch of stuff on from O'Neill projects coming up, Single Fin tasks and the Training Studio. Most of it I can attend to remotely and doesn't always require me to me behind the desk, but I'll have to put in some time there too. Meetings, they seem to take up most of your time. I've become good though lately at distinguishing what meetings are essential and what can be achieved without them. They do love a good ol' meeting here though. If there's a high tide beachy that could be on I'll sneak off for a lunchtime burn.

Spend the afternoon following up the rest of the tasks. Have a train. Get down for either a late surf or watch the sunset with my girl. Have some grinds, more often than not at home – but there's always someone in town that wants to grab a bite to eat. I've faded away from the 'Hey mate I'm in town let's catch up for a beer' to respond with 'Yeah let's surf instead' haha. I'd be a mad porky if I did that all the time! I have to head up to the bar in Ulu's occasionally too, I live in Smeinyak so it's a little drive but I don't mind it. Sometimes you're stuck in the traffic and you start getting the shits, but then I know they'd be a lot of crew out there that would happily sit in traffic just to live here – so its a short-lived frustration. My mum's still here and lives around the corner from us so we have spaghetti bol once a week at hers, I swear she's been cooking that same thing for a couple years every time I'm there, but hey, can't beat mum's cooking right?

Tai going big on the Bukit peninsula. ||

Curley

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In recent years much of the focus has been on other parts of Bali, like Canggu, but what is so special about Ulus and The Bukit?

The Bukit – Ulu's in particular – is a very social place. Canggu's rad, I love to go there for a burn in the surf and hang. But the Bukit still has that escapism feel to it. Look at Bingin, Balangan or Padang Padang beaches. You have these amazing little thatched roof warungs nestled into the cliffs, white sand, perfect peeling waves, blue water, flocks of South American and Scandinavian girls sprawled across the beaches – and the most amazing sunsets you've ever seen. It truly is paradise. It's got so much history. From the temple – one of Bali's most sacred – to the first guys that surfed Ulu's in the '70s. We have older guys coming up all the time giving us photos of back in the early days. I remember the first time I went out there too. I was around 10, the motorbike trail all the way through to the board carriers and the minimal number of warungs. Times have changed indeed, but like anywhere you got to keep on swimming or you'll sink. Once again though, it comes back to balance.

Is the balance on the Bukit under threat from over-development?

There's a lot of development going on up the Bukit, some of it nice, some maybe a little hard on the eye, but I guess it's from all eyes you have to look at it. Are you going to tell the old land owner that he can't sell his land to the developer and put his kids through school or university, buy the family car and new house … but remain a farmer, all because you want to see it left the way it was? Who are we to tell someone they can't reap the rewards and financial freedom for possibly the rest of their lives because some want what was? You would think there does need to be some sort of regulation or standard, but if you have enough loot, they can be bought out anyway. Educating the Balinese on what people are coming here for in the first place and giving them the foresight that if it's all gone, they might stop coming. Perhaps the government could buy the land and make it green. Still giving the people of the land their dollar value, but harnessing that amazing natural resource they have – nature. I don't know but it seems like one possible solution that might be a win-win. And it has to be just that, win-win.

Do you think expats like yourself can actually help solve some of the problems/issues confronting Bali in the future?

There's definitely a lot we can do to help. Design and development of waste management systems is a start, but it's targeting the problem at hand, it's targeting the end solution. We need to dive deeper into the root of the problem otherwise its just a superficial, temporary fix. The septic waste system here is pretty heavy too. Many don't know how it works, but in short most local houses have a simple hole dug in the ground as their 'septic tank', but without the tank.

The liquid waste is then essentially soaked into the earth, over time falling into

there's always someone in town that wants to grab a bite to eat. i've faded away from the 'hey mate i'm in town let's catch up for a beer' to respond with 'yeah let's surf instead' haha.

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Tai hasn't let his entrepreneurial inclinations get in the way of his barrel-chasing adventures. Pictured here earning plenty of the green folding stuff at Nias. ||

DoDDs

the water basins. Not all the land is devolved and polluted, but a lot of the water you shower with and wash your teeth with, comes from these basins. It's pretty disturbing. We've begun working with an organisation up at Single Fin that helps with waste management. P.C.U – Project Clean Uluwatu. They're supplying the grease traps for all the warungs and have just finished building an eco friendly septic system for the toilets in the area. They're a bunch of surfers that got sick (literally) of all the wastes in the region that was ending up in the ocean and washing out through Uluwatu's majestic cave. It's a start, and it's beautiful to see. We'll be doing a lot with these guys with the bar to help keep Ulu's clean.

But that's just one spot.

Do you think the fluid nature of Bali business and the lack of bureaucracy/red tape standing in the way makes it easier for someone like yourself to think and act like an entrepreneur?

One hundred percent. Not having the red tape hurdles that come with a civilised western culture allows for your imagination to wonder. For example: we have a Single Fin store in Seminyak that was a flat empty piece of land before we took it. The finished base of the layout looked good, but we realised that we wanted to extend a further 1.5m out towards the footpath. So we just did it. If that were in Oz, you'd have to get all sorts of permits from the council and approvals etc.

In your opinion how does the Balinese way of seeing the world differ from ours and how does that shape their culture?

I had a thought the other day actually. It came to me while sitting in traffic. The Balinese (and I speak of the Balinese more so as this is the island where I live and grew up surrounded by their traditions and customary ways. Other parts of Indo are varied – Islamic, Christian etc, but let's stick with the Balinese). They are all about balance. You see it in temples (the black and white chequered sarongs they use for decoration signify balance – good and evil). They are happy people, laughing, smiling joking around … caring people. Life comes and goes,

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death is a part of life, as is new life. They live in the NOW. That's what so many people love about them. That's why it's one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. They're fun. It's fun. It's stress free … But "the traffic sucks" or "it's so dirty" you hear coming from the voices of visitors. It's true, there is a problem that lies beneath the sun and palm trees waving around in the wind – but it's their 'Living in the Now' way of life, something that the western world is so badly trying to attain (just look at Eckhart Tolle's best-selling book The Power of Now). Leaving all your troubles of the past behind, stop worrying about the future or about your grades at university and the boss reviewing them at that interview. They live so much in the now that future planning of infrastructure, economic growth, healthcare or waste management are usually over-looked till it's almost too late and right in front of them. While in the west – where the streets are wide and clean, the superannuation retirement funds are in place when you take your first job at 16 and there's a sign saying don't swim here or be careful there's kangaroos for the next 3kms – there's a lot of stress, worry and insecurity. It's all about balance.

Can you provide any insights into the art of doing business in Indonesia?

Doing business in Bali is what you make of it. You need patience, and plenty of it. You need to be ready for the project managers to say they're coming at 8am and not rock up till 2pm. You need to be ready for everyone to add on his or her cut. Everyone doing deals with each other. It's the way things work. From your gardener getting a new pair of cutters from the hardware store to paying off the fuzz for forgetting your license on route to Desert Point. But you still need to be stern, so you're not viewed upon as a walkover. They have the saying of 'Palan Palan' meaning, 'Slowly Slowly'. There's no rush to get that building built, it'll get done - or no need to turn your business into a million dollar empire in the first year, hopefully it'll happen. It seems that if you're in a rush here, your frustration and your own mindset will usually get the better of you and things tend not to do as well. Be ready for Island time.