Open For Business

Zeehan and her Michelin Star trained chef husband Chai had on paper, all the right ingredients for a successful restaurant. However, the perennial issue of Location, Location, Location was a thorn that needed to be overcome. What do you do to acquire customers when you are not visible to ground traffic? We discuss this and Customer Retention on this episode of Failing Forward. Click here for more...

Travel isn’t what it used to be. With so much data at a marketer’s disposal, the travel industry has now become a highly-customizable one. We speak to Koddi’s Alexander Steenbakkers-Noffke about using data the right way, common misconceptions, as well as how tech has changed the way we travel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us office bound folks may have, over the years, developed lower back pain thanks to the length of time that we’re sat down at our desks. Some companies have made it their mission to eliminate this problem through innovation. Standing desks and ergonomic chairs, to name a couple - and this is where EVIS have position themselves. EVIS (Evolution is Science) are a Malaysian startup spec...

Eats, Shoots & Roots has been growing communities through growing food for the last 7 years. They design edible gardens on balconies and backyards for people in the city and run educational programmes for kids to help grow green thumbs at an early age. We speak to the social enterprise about their growth, how they’ve dealt with the influx of competitors in their space, and the many hurdl...

Crisps, cookies, and granolas, especially when they’re homemade, are a real luxury - and it’s always great to support a Malaysian brand. Kintry, short for Kindred Pantry, and “坚持” in Chinese which means persevere, is a great name for an artisanal snack company born out of love, hardship, and self-realisation. Kintry’s founder, Michelle Chai, discusses how she’...

It’s that time of the year when you begin setting goals and plans for your business next year. But where do you even start? Jeevan Sahadevan cuts through the fog of business goal setting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wok It, famous for its ‘tapao’ style dishes in a box, is closing its main branch in Subang. But the company is putting a positive spin on the closure. In a series of social media posts, Wok It explained why they’re moving to a smaller space, and how the current F&B landscape allows for more transactions even without a big physical storefront. We speak to Wok It co-founder Ash...

Leather Avenue is Malaysia’s leading leather goods and bags retailer. Leading in avant-garde fashion without compromising on quality. We catch up with Stanny Chan to discuss the world of Brick and Mortar retail vs Online, and what the future may hold for this 10 year old company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Full to the brim with Buy One Get One Free offers and discounts, the ENTERTAINER promises you unbeatable dining, leisure and retail experiences, while you keep your cash in your wallet. Country Manager of the lifestyle savings app Paul Hue joins us to discuss how the ENTERTAINER has evolved to meet consumer demands and needs, how merchants on the app are developing an edge over their competitors a...

According to the World Health Organization, Malaysia has the highest rate of obesity and overweight people among Asian countries. And while in theory we know exercise and fitness are important, sometimes it’s hard to motivate yourself individually. So what if you could turn to a community of walkers and runners with just a few taps on your phone? Sheyong Tan, CEO of BiiB, talks about his com...

Eric Chong wanted his family to have clean air and good food around them, much like he did in his childhood. After buying acres of land in Penang and turning it into a successful farm famous for its durians, Eric went one step further by building cozy treehouses for guests and tourists. We speak to Eric about the importance of sustainable travel, the challenges involved, as well as balancing profi...

Ignition Lab started in Sept 2017 with the idea of providing wood workspace for adults and children where creative ideas can run wild. The program is so builders get to design-and-build almost anything they want without being provided with any structural drawing details. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everpeaks Consulting is a multi-channel e-Commerce solutions provider that helps brands showcase their products in the global marketplace. They set up, manage, strategize and run your Amazon and eBay accounts, so that you as a business owners can focus on what matters - your product. We speak to the founder and CEO of Everpeaks about reaching out to the 80% of Malaysian businesses that have yet to...

Singapore’s first retail electricity marketplace, Electrify.sg, has created a peer-to-peer energy trading platform, Synergy, that TNB has expressed interest in. CEO Martin Lim discusses how Malaysia can move towards renewable energy, the benefits of peer-to-peer energy trading, and how liberalisation could pave the path to a new modern energy ecosystem. See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

In our next episode of digital transformation with Jason Low, we review a case study with Thundermatch (TMT), Malaysia’s largest IT retailer on how they took on a challenge to transform during their 1-year journey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nexea is a venture capital and startup accelerator firm that aims to support and fund tomorrow’s tech giants. We dissect the firm’s methodology, which aims to create tech startups that can grow 10X within a few short years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ryde Technologies, a Singapore based startup launched in early 2015, is expanding its carpool services app to Malaysia. Ryde was launched as an alternative to existing transportation solutions, matching private-car drivers with commuters on a similar route. Not only does a RydePool trip allow drivers and riders to move efficiently, it also helps to cut road congestion, pollution and commuting cost...

If eating insects grosses you out, you might want to know that creepy crawlies like the Black Soldier Fly could be the food of the future. With food crisis hitting many parts of the world and human demand outweighing supply, companies like Life Origin are working hard to find alternative food sources that are sustainable and easy to harvest. In conjunction with World Food Day 2019, we speak to CJ...

When humans go on holiday, they can treat themselves to the comfiest, most luxurious experience - but when pets are left behind on holiday, they’re often not afforded the same privileges. Muhammad Syahir Zainal, founder of the world’s first 5-star cat hotel, discusses how Catzonia Hostails provides anything and everything a cat and their owner could want. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Failing Forward features real-life stories from entrepreneurs who have failed and are stronger for it. On this episode, we discuss the challenges of cash flow management with Jusri Ong from Telecontinent, who was faced with a crucial decision on whether to stay in business and continue to “bleed” or cut his losses and close down, after setting up an additional call centre without a fir...

Comic books. Alternative history. Space-age Malaysia. Open For Business gets geeky with Azlan Tahir and Adley Ariffin, creators of a comic book series called Unity Macroverse. Under the surface, Unity works as a collaborative platform for local (and regional) creatives. We speak to Azlan and Adley about the business of creative ventures, social messages in their stories, as well as community-build...

Failing Forward features real-life stories from entrepreneurs who have failed and are stronger for it. On Episode 2, we talk about Double-sided Platforms or Two-sided Marketplaces, which serve two segments and need to show value to both. In traditional and linear businesses, who do they focus on? We discuss, with Founder of Subhome, Sandeep Grewal. C lick here for more episodes of Failing Forward....

We are in a time of immense challenges to sustainable development. To end global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate and environmental degradation, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been introduced. With only 11 years to achieving Agenda 2030, it is clear that we are the last generation that can prevent irreparable damage to our community. We speak with Håkon about...

If you’re always wondering what to have for lunch at work, SmartBite has the solution for you. The food delivery service uses AI and machine learning to help corporate workers quickly pick their lunch meals, with no delivery or minimum charge. We speak to the KL-based foodtech startup about making data-driven lunch meal decisions, the sustainability of on-demand delivery networks as a busine...

When travelling, tourist traps are all too common and often do not reflect the true spirit of the country travelled to. LokaLocal is a startup dedicated to creating authentic experiences with the union of local expert knowledge and traveller insight, and founder Chin Yoon Khen joins us in the studio to discuss LokaLocal’s aim to become your one-stop-shop for booking, information, and plannin...