Open For Business

Many young adults have dreams of having their own place, and those dreams have for a lot of people been scuppered by the pandemic as well as rising discrepancies between pay amount and rental rates. But maybe there’s an alternative solution - perhaps co-living could be the answer. Chun Ynh Chok, director of Utopia Co-living, shares the benefits of co-living, how they’ve fared throughou...

One of the biggest issues with waste management is the counterproductive carbon footprint it creates. The Asher, developed by Pamarai, solves that issue by creating its own energy and having zero impact on the environment. We speak to Pamarai’s Chairman, Datuk Razeek, and Executive Director, Pang Swee Lei, about exporting The Asher to other countries, creating a self-service model, as well a...

You know that line - “If you build it, they will come…”? Well that’s not always true when it comes to the business world. On this episode of Failing Forward, we discuss every entrepreneur’s need to build and understand their Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and how roping your customers into the process might be your best bet yet. Click here for more episodes of Failing...

Sustainable Development Goal #2 of Zero Hunger means to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. However, Malaysia is not faring too well as we are stagnating or increasing by less than 50% to achieve this goal by 2030. One company that is attempting to change that is Agroz Group which aims to be the largest vertical indoor farm operators in the cou...

COVID-19 has forced many brands to shift into e-commerce without warning or preparation. RPG Commerce, a social e-commerce company, is dedicated to taking offline businesses online as well as creating brands designed for online success. CEO & founder Melvin Chee discusses his transition from dropshipping to DTC, and how the company has quintupled their business over the past year or so. See om...

With all the various subscription services we have in our lives, there are moments where you wish could collate all of your subscription services into one painless, simultaneous transaction. Mohamed Shakir, founder of Purplebundle, had the same thought during the MCO and decided to put it into action, joining us to discuss why subscriptions work, what clients he’s working with now, and his p...

Like everything else this past year, family-run businesses have had to restrategize just to get by. However, the crisis helped some companies reprioritize and see more value in the family aspect of their enterprise. We catch up with Mohar Yusof and Leilanie Mohd Nor, founders of Bina Pavo, a consultation firm specializing in ventures run by families, to talk about adapting to new ways of doing bus...

CYPHER LEARNING specializes in providing learning platforms for organizations around the world. They have three distinctive products catering to all major e-learning sectors; NEO for schools and universities, MATRIX for businesses, and INDIE for Entrepreneurs. We speak to the company’s founder Graham Glass about developing next generation platforms that engage users, their rapid expansion ac...

Malaysia is known for its diversity and love for food. SedapTV offers public access to hundreds of food and product reviews and is deemed Malaysia’s Ultimate Food platform as it is founded on the love of Malaysia’s unique and delectable food. We speak to the founder of SedapTV, Elyna Effendi on the launch of her app, the specialty of her meal kits and whether or not she will be expandi...

Malaysia is known for its diversity and love for food. SedapTV offers public access to hundreds of food and product reviews and is deemed Malaysia’s Ultimate Food platform as it is founded on the love of Malaysia’s unique and delectable food. We speak to the founder of SedapTV, Elyna Effendi on the launch of her app, the specialty of her meal kits and whether or not she will be expandi...

Overseas travel in 2021 is not a priority on most of our minds as the COVID-19 pandemic has rendered the industry to come to a halt. However, experts suggest that we could see travel resume by the end of 2021. When that happens, non-residents would need to open a bank account for their daily expenses for studying or working purposes. Unfortunately, opening a bank account on foreign soil has proven...

Especially in these uncertain economic times, startups may be even more confused and lost when it comes to the important and intimidating issue of securing funding. But the best way to learn is to ask questions, and who better to ask about funding than a company dedicated to supporting startups in their funding quest? Sam Lee, CEO & co-founder of Paloe, discusses the advantages of virtual CFOs...

Especially in these uncertain economic times, startups may be even more confused and lost when it comes to the important and intimidating issue of securing funding. But the best way to learn is to ask questions, and who better to ask about funding than a company dedicated to supporting startups in their funding quest? Sam Lee, CEO & co-founder of Paloe, discusses the advantages of virtual CFOs...

Starting a food venture during the pandemic is risky business, but for the founders of Fowlboys, things seem to be working pretty well. From their buttery brand of Southern fried chicken to the company’s cheeky marketing, Fowlboys is prepped to go big and make its mark in the local burger scene. We speak to founders Johann Razali and Shafiq Aznir about starting as a home business, splitting...

Used around the world to combat indirect contact transmission of viruses via infected surfaces, MagiCopper has seen a major spike in demand for its antimicrobial nano-copper technology film during this pandemic. We speak to the exclusive distributors of MagiCopper products in Malaysia, U1Jana Trading about battling scepticism about their offerings, and the impact their hero product has had on the...

Malaysia has been at the crossroads of cultures since its inception as a country. Because of that, we’ve been deemed as Asia’s cultural melting pot; we are the destination with the most delicious selection of food. The founder of Amboi, Jenny Gracia, discusses her speciality of Indonesian cakes, how she got her recipes, and how she plans to grow the Amboi brand. See omnystudio.com/list...

Arts bazaars used to be a common weekend occurrence prior to the pandemic before it came to a sudden halt when the MCO was implemented early last year. Penangite Brian Lowe took his love for micro and artisanal brands and created Poptron, a one-stop centre for all micro and emerging artisanal brands. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Continuing to improve your skill set is a major part of staying hireable and taking your company to the next level, and training courses can only teach you so much in the space of only 24 or 48 hours. Sam Suresh, founder of the e-learning platform ModernLMS, discusses how SMEs, colleges, and other organizations use the platform to keep building their skills throughout the years.   See omnystu...

A popular ingredient in many North Indian dishes is cottage cheese, famously known as ‘paneer’. Subashini Balakrishnan decided to double-down on her love for paneer by starting Paneerwalla, a home-based business that has gained a lot of traction over the last year. We speak to Subashini about the benefits of homemade cottage cheese, the challenges of operating during the MCO and CMCO,...

Markets are opening up everywhere as businesses start moving again; as we head into the second quarter of 2021, Jeevan Sahadevan, founder of Leverage Lab provides 9 questions designed to encourage sales momentum in your business.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Markets are opening up everywhere as businesses start moving again; as we head into the second quarter of 2021, Jeevan Sahadevan, founder of Leverage Lab provides 9 questions designed to encourage sales momentum in your business.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pandemic forced many of us to live a new normal. Hence, to survive, entrepreneurs need to be nimble, rethink, reinvent and reimagine themselves and their businesses. Strallex Resources was established in 2016 to focus on providing innovative oil & gas solutions to the upstream industry. We speak to the founder of Strallex, Glenda Chang, on this very niche technology and the ways they can s...

Gecko Digital is a leading international multimedia provider, offering the highest quality HD 360° virtual reality, promotional videography, commercial still photography and creative content developed for sophisticated web-based marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Life is all about transitions and changes; Fallon Jacob not only understands how change can be good in terms of taking traditional products and modernising them, but also how to embrace change as she left her 9-5 in the pursuit of entrepreneurship. She discusses creating Jacob’s Corner Achar, how the business was affected by the pandemic, and her plans for the future. See omnystudio.com/list...

After being in business for a couple of years, Yoodo is gearing up to take on the local telco market in a big way. But with so many other big players dominating the scene, what does the “new kid” have planned to make a mark in the industry? We speak to Chow Tuck Mun, Head of Yoodo, to understand the brand’s growth strategy, their challenges in the local market, and why they think...