Open For Business

Coffee fuels a lot of mornings for a lot of people, but genuinely good coffee is often hard to come by. Knowing this, Paul Berthelsen started a coffee subscription service using ethically-sourced beans and (what he claims) is a pretty great brew. We speak to Paul about the perks of subscribing to coffee, keeping coffee ethical, and the future of the company in a world that’s competitive abou...

Currently our society has a plethora of choice when it comes to the food that we order and have delivered. There are however, some dietary choices that lack options. Veganism is a growing movement globally, and that movement is spreading here to Malaysia. Wtth demand comes opportunity, and KawKawVeg have stepped up to the challenge to deliver fresh, homecooked, healthy meals to your office and you...

What does a fresh graduate do when he’s asked to run the family’s gold jewellery business? He embarks on a digital transformation. 22 year-old Founder and Director of MS Jewels, Eric Leong talks to us about taking a traditionally offline business online, trusting your gut, and dealing with unexpected success. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you run a water park, business hotel, convention centre, resort style service apartments, and retail centre all at the same time? Dato Marco Seow shares his experience running Bayou Lagoon Park Resort. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Childhood friends Quinnie Chong and Michelle Tan started By Eggs in 2017 with the idea of using all natural, edible food as core ingredients for skincare products. Now, they’re setting a standard for transparency and education in the skincare and beauty industry, with the goal of ensuring all Malaysians have access to safe, customisable, and wholesome skincare products. See omnystudio.com/li...

We talk about data all the time, but do we really know how to harness the staggering amount of data that’s analyzed every second of every day? While some companies (see Netflix) are leveraging on data science in a big way, most organizations aren’t capitalizing - let alone monetizing - their data enough. We speak to Deviga Doreraja of The Tenth Floor about the democratization of data,...

We know that Malaysians love their Teh Tarik. We also know that Malaysia is a hotbed for diabetes and other NCDs. What if there was a product that allowed you to consume your favourite Teh Tarik and not have to worry about your sugar intake? That’s what the guys behind Potong Guler claim - all the sweetness of sugar, without the side effects. They use Stevia and Oligofructose to flavour thei...

What exactly do you need in a warehousing and fulfillment facility? Does it really matter if the facility is Halal-compliant? Well according to Store & Send, it doesn’t hurt to provide your B2B and B2C customers with that added layer of protection and assurance. Plus, ecommerce businesses in China and Japan love it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fire-related incidents are often not at the forefront of many homeowners' minds; they seem to be the stuff of TV dramas, as if they couldn’t possibly happen in real life. Unfortunately, more than 65% of fire-related accidents in Malaysia happen in residential areas, with a stunning lack of knowledge and education on fire safety as a big contributor. Marcus Liew, founder of Unique Fire, the b...

Memories fade, but jewellery is forever. At least, that’s the idea behind Lim Wen Kaii’s fashion jewellery company, 18 Celebration. We discuss the lessons he’s learned running both 18 Celebration and accessories brand 97Bros, his early-20s start to entrepreneurship in 2016, and what else is in store for his bright future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roomie is an app that allows hotels to engage with their customers and receive feedback in a more data-driven way. The app also allows customers to enjoy personalized on-demand services via a single platform. We speak to the CEO of Roomie (Malaysia) about the challenges of digitizing an overtly traditional sector, as well as expanding the service across the hospitality industry. See omnystudio.com...

You may have heard Dino on Breaking Bread talking about the health benefits of his kelulut honey - honey made from stingless bees. This time however, we thought we’d dig a little deeper and find out just how sustainable his business is, and whether or not it’s possible to market this Malaysian superfood elsewhere. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

INSKEN Business Coaching runs and creates entrepreneurship development programmes - but what does it take to run a company like this? INSKEN CEO Muhd Firdaus Azharuddin joins us in the studio to discuss how he runs this initiative as well as practice what is preached. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Curtains, upholstery, even wallpaper - Jotex Fabrics provides a wide variety of interior furnishing fabrics that take a house to a home. Jo Wee Lee, managing director, discusses their wide expansion throughout Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as how he won the SOBA Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2018. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

What elements go into building the fastest growing automotive group in Malaysia? We speak to Dato Billy Goh about how Mpire Auto Group has grown since its founding in 2002. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Often, leaders don’t work on developing better relationships amongst employees until it’s too late. Jeevan Sahadevan, founder of Leverage Lab shares 7 effective methods for creating stronger bonds and great relationships between teams, based on his experiences with his clients and their teams. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After signing milestone partnerships with UC Berkeley and Fintech School - two hugely prominent entities in the global tech space - Fintech Lab is embarking on a mission to catalyze the tech scene in Malaysia. We speak to founders Rina, Baiza, and Hidayat about the magnitude of signing big partnerships, the challenges SMEs face when adopting digital platforms, as well as expansion plans in the nea...

Who do you talk to when you want to turn your ideas into reality? Where do you find your funds? And who do you get them from? We speak with the team from Ficus Venture Capital - who might be able to point you in the right direction, and maybe, if you’re lucky, help you with funding. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to the founder of Trinity Kids Malaysia about what makes an award-winning preschool; from the science behind their branch locations to managing parents’ expectations, and learning when to stop and put in a pin in the business’ growth, for its own good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to the reigning champion of the Perdana Young Indian Entrepreneur Award, Danion Lewis about sustainably growing Elizon Construction, and competing in one of the more challenging, yet lucrative industries in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The definition of respect is “to have due regard for the feelings, wishes or rights of others”. But do we really practise this unfailingly? Is respect consistently manifested in the way we treat others at work and in our personal relationships? Or are we selective about how we apply it in our daily lives? It’s the last Monday of the month and as usual, we have Human Equation foun...

Family businesses are a tough gig, but they make up a significant chunk of the Malaysian market. We speak to Dr. Mohar and Dr. Leilanie, consultants from BinaPavo, about the ups and downs of family-run companies, as well as their own goals and challenges as a business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whilst everyone seems to be moving in the direction of convenience and delivering fully cooked hot meals to practically anywhere, Chef' Up have decided to take an alternative approach. They've decided to prepare and deliver a perfectly proportioned fresh meal kit with a recipe of your choice - enabling you to unleash the inner chef in you. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s seniors are healthier, more active and have a longer life expectancy than before thanks to advancements in medical sciences. Where in the past, retirement used to mean the end of work, studies now show that a majority of people plan to continue working after they retire – often in new and different ways. We speak to post-retirement job specialists Hire. Seniors about the option...