Open For Business

Remember how everyone took their love for food to the next level during the pandemic? The husband and wife duo behind La Qumar was no exception to this. They took their favourite sauce, toum, and turned it into a business. Saravanakkumar Shanmugam and Lalitha Balakrishnan, the founders of La Qumar Foods tell us more about this.  Image Credit: La Qumar Foods Instagram Page See omnystudio.com/l...

When Muhilan and his brother, Arvind, lost their jobs due to the pandemic, they had to think of something low-risk to help keep things afloat. After finding a nostalgia-inducing minibus, The Barber Bus was born! We invite Muhilan on the show to chat about diving headfirst into entrepreneurship, keeping the functioning bus stationary in Mont Kiara, and keeping things cosy and comfortable with a lim...

The wedding industry in Malaysia is one of its most lucrative, being valued around RM7 billion in 2018; but it was also one of the hardest hit during the pandemic with large scale events totally shutting down for 2 years. What was that like, and how quickly is that sector recovering now that many couples are sprinting post-pandemic to the altar? Benson Yin, owner of bridal gallery Two of Us, discu...

The pandemic brought a wave of disruption with it, and while F&B outlets were still considered essential services during periods of lockdown, they faced many other challenges that continue to resonate to this day. Chief Shucker Josh Green from Southern Rock Seafood and Shucked Oysters Bar provides his perspective on surviving the pandemic and what’s in store for both the seafood and F&B sp...

When we last had Adrian Cheong on the station, his company was still called The Apothecary and not Analogue Apotik. So, why the name change? It has plenty to do with branding and expansion. We invite Adrian back to discuss his range of solid colognes, localising scents for the Malaysian market, as well as the trial-and-error process of creating new scents and fragrances from scratch. Image Credit...

Although menstrual cups have been around for decades, historically, they have been less popular compared to sanitary pads or tampons. Why is that? There are so many stigmas and taboos surrounding menstruation, including the use of menstrual cups, but two women who are on a mission to make menstrual hygiene more sustainable and accessible for everyone, are Chen Su Vien and Cheah Yivon, the co-found...

 Wedding invitations over WhatsApp are perfectly convenient, but there’s just something about the tactility of a finely printed invitation inside a carefully selected envelope. Former web developers Cliff Leong and Zee Jay decided to tap into the gap in this niche market via The Alphabet Press, a bespoke letterpress stationery company that designs and prints premium wedding invitations, busin...

Online transactions have never been more important, especially as we move into a more contactless, wireless world in the wake of COVID-19. Joe Kamil Ahmad, CEO & founder of BetterPay, discusses how they help merchants and businesses streamline online transactions. Image Credit : Facebook / BetterPay See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mazer Fintech aims to develop and implement services that bridge the gap between paying expenses and cost overhead fees. They created jomSETTLE as the first financial technology platform in Malaysia that enables the settlement of payments for the underserved payee and payment recipients that do not have credit card receiving facilities. Falco Lee, the founder of jomSETTLE, tells us all about it. S...

Oh Dayang handcrafts jewellery & accessories, from batik earrings to phone grips, trying to bring Malaysia’s textile art to a whole new level by making their accessories a statement piece in their customers’ daily wardrobe. Dayang Nur Syafiqah, founder of Oh Dayang, discusses the catalyst of the idea as well as how she manages the business in a two-person team with her husband. Image Credit: O...

The presenters & producers of BFM 89.9 are coming together to highlight some of their personal favourite local companies for the "BFM Collective". Studio Three is an interior design studio focusing on a process-driven design philosophy and collaboration. Established in 2019, the studio has worked with notables names like Vivy Yusof on her LILIT and dUCk stores as well as numerous high end resi...

The last time Vernon was on Open For Business, it was during the peak of the first Movement Control Order in 2020. A lot has changed since then, from consumer behaviour to new retail-tech trends in the market. We revisit Innergia Labs and its business intelligence tool, Sycarda, to get some insight on what’s new, what’s outdated, and what’s next for an “endemic” Malaysian retail scene.  Image...

For those who have a little bit of a sweet tooth, indulging in desserts can get a little guilt-inducing thinking about the potential impact that has on our bodies as a whole (and, admittedly, our waistlines). As an alternative, how about healthier ice cream that’s not only made from locally sourced, natively grown fruits, but is also as a bonus absolutely adorably styled after the very fruit it’s...

MyGuru is an online education platform that aims to help students from primary school to secondary school improve their academic performance. Established in 2013, myGuru is a digital product produced by Learning Port Sdn Bhd, and CEO Datin Shairin Sharif shares how they’ve been weathering the effects of the pandemic and what they’ve learned over the years. Image Credit: Datin Shairin Sharif Linked...

Clear plastic cling wrap might be the cheap and convenient way to keep leftovers, but it contributes to plastic pollution to the environment, especially when it is not recyclable. With this in mind, Saffron & Serai is trying to change the cling wrap game with batik beeswax wraps. Iman Preece, founder of Saffron and Serai, discusses how she used YouTube to learn the production process, her dedi...

As conventional agriculture becomes no longer sustainable, all eyes have turned to look for sustainable farming practices, and one of which is vertical indoor farming. Jay Desan, the co-founder of BoomGrow, discusses her aims to change the access of nutritious and sustainably produced food that we put on our plates using the latest agritech. Image Credit: BoomGrow Instagram Page See omnystudio.com...

Batik isn’t the first thing you’d associate with words like “casual”, “contemporary” fashion, but that’s exactly what fashion designer Jeffery Goh intended to change when he first started Inisaya. Plus, by adopting the made-to-order business model, Jeffery is able to cut down on fabric wastage; turning excess materials into masks, scarves, and other complementary items. Jeffery talks about making...

Co-founders of local shoe brand Machino, Esther and Amy Tai, discuss promoting Malaysia’s diverse culture in their branding and marketing, using batik and songket materials in their products to promote our unique heritage and culture, and how their shoes truly fit the Malaysian market. Image Credit : Machino Facebook Page See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yelaoshr is an education provider which provides one-to-one lessons to help students and children aged 3 to 12 who face obstacles when it comes to reading, speaking and writing in multiple languages as multilingual Malaysians. Chairman David Yap shares their struggles and successes over the years since their inception in the early 2000s.  Image Credit : Yelaoshr Facebook Page See omnystudio.c...

In conjunction with Table & Apron’s 8th year anniversary, its founder Marcus Low joins the conversation. He is here to share its journey on how it handled the challenges faced during the pandemic and its core business development since its last interview in 2017.  Image Credit : Table and Apron Website See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2022 has completely changed consumer behaviour in regards to coworking spaces. In the last two years, coworking brand Colony launched Castra, a rooftop glamping spot, and The Rooms, a dramatically designed event space, to cater to shifting consumer needs. Timothy Tiah, executive director, expounds on the origins of both spaces, opening a glamping spot a month before the pandemic hit, and starting...

One of the pillars of Malaysian culture is the humble kopitiam. Somehow, despite the fancy cafes and restaurants that pop up with increasing regularity, there’s just nothing as welcoming and homey as the dark coffee swirling in the white and green porcelain. One artist and entrepreneur who fell in love with just that kopitiam je ne sais quoi is Jack Yin, who discusses how he expresses his passion...

Sipjoy is a cafe-focused mobile app platform that connects local independent cafés to coffee drinkers and café goers with one-flat-price coffee pass that allows cross-café coffee redemption. They have recently won 2nd place in the ASB101k Start-Up track. Vincent Sin founder and CEO of the SipJoy App together with Evelyn Saw joins us today to unravel their coffee journey.   Image Credi...

Renovation, interior design, and remodelling are crucial stages when moving into a new home. One challenge during this time is visualising, in 3D, what different furniture and fittings might look like in a new space. Sean Lai, co-founder of SofaX, plans to close that gap by allowing users to decorate their homes virtually, before spending any money. By partnering with CrownLivin, SofaX intends to...

The importance of STEM education has increased significantly for our children. A lot of schools have been implementing this system into their syllabus, with efforts to break the rigidity of traditional school structure, 5T3M wants to complement school programs and provide supplementary STEM education for all children by making it. Mr EH Lim, CEO of 5T3M joins us to explain why education through te...