Open For Business

Our mentor for this episode is Azran Osman Rani of Naluri answering questions from Eric Cheng of Carsome and CJ See of Inspidea Animation Studios about managing a team during this crisis and crisis communication strategies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boutique gyms have been on the rise worldwide, as they have here in Malaysia, and one such gym is based here in KL. The Ministry of Burn, or MOB. They have two outlets, one in Bangsar South, whilst the other is in Damansara Heights. They mainly offer group fitness classes such as indoor cycling, HIIT, Yoga and Dance. Part of the appeal of these types of gyms is their sense of community spirit and their ‘can do’ attitude. It’s infectious. But what do you do as a business when you’re told that you can’t open your doors to let people in to workout and keep fit?    We catch up with the General Manager of the Ministry of Burn, Janell Tan, to get her thoughts.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 A couple of weeks ago, the Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors or MAFE announced that all major cinemas would remain closed until the end of April regardless of the MCO. To expand on this, we got in touch with Koh Mei Lee, CEO of Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) to talk about the state of local cinemas at the moment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the announcement that the MCO has been extended, entrepreneurs and their employees are feeling the pinch of having to work from home and struggle through another 2 weeks of business unusual. How do you motivate your staff? How do you set boundaries when you work from home? In this webinar, we spoke to Hetal Doshi (O PSYCH), Derek Toh (WOBB), and Kim Lim (PichaEats) about managing your mental health and motivation in the workplace during this pandemic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are essential to protect doctors and nurses. They are our frontline “soldiers” against the ongoing battle with the Covid-19 infection. Most of us have seen videos of different hospitals needing to DIY their own PPEs due to a sudden shortage of supplies. CZipLee made the decision to start DIYing face shields for some local frontliners, and it wasn’t long before the project grew to encompass a bigger goal. Project Shields On was born.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now this might not be an easy topic to discuss, or hear, but here’s the truth: The coronavirus is not only affecting the way that we live, it’s also dramatically affecting the way we die. Many countries around the world have changed the way in which funerals are organised and attended, and online memorials are now a part of this very different type of world in which we live.   We managed to speak with Walter Gschliesser, the CEO of Rest With Dignity on how this relatively new industry is helping to change one of humanity's oldest industries.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the MCO in place, lots of people are binging on TV shows, watching old movies, and spending more time with their respective streaming services. And now that everyone’s stuck at home with nowhere to go, it makes sense for gamers to game more than they normally would.   This got us thinking about some of our local videogame retail stores like Gamer’s Hideout - those rare brick and mortar setups that sell physical copies of games to a very passionate community of gamers. While they’re not allowed to operate their stores during the MCO, we noticed that, like many other stores, Gamer’s Hideout has switched to a completely online business model for the time-being.    So we got in touch with Eddy Yap, founder of Gamer’s Hideout, to expand on what he’s doing to keep business going amidst the MCO.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For large scale F&B manufacturers like Etika, which is Malaysia’s largest halal beverage manufacturing company,  the Movement Control Order has affected critical supply chains from functioning effectively. The company has been working to ensure that supermarket shelves are always well stocked while also working with a 50% capacity. Plus, they need to maintain social distancing protocols at work. This basically means they’ve had to take a closer look at their existing supply chains while setting new transport and logistics related protocols - all within a matter of hours after the MCO was announced.   To expand on this, we got in touch with Khalid Alvi, CEO of Etika, to weigh in on how they’re keeping the supply chain steady, while also keeping employees happy and doing their part for the community.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jobbie Peanut Butter has become somewhat of a local favorite over the last few years with their crunchy and creamy lineup. The famous peanut butter recipe was created by Joseph and Debbie, while the company is led by Victor Chin. However, like all other startups, Jobbie is on the verge of serious financial issues and were very open about it via a post on Facebook, in which they explained their situation and the need to take pre-orders for AFTER the MCO period.  We got in touch with Victor Chin, CEO of Jobbie Nut Butter, to expand on their situation, as well as weigh in on the MCO, the supply chain, as well as the stimulus package that’s supposed to help SMEs survive this pandemic.   Grub Cycle is part of Alliance Bank's #SupportLokal campaign.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While traditional brick-and-mortar retail suffers under the Movement Control Order, those who have been quick to shift online are beginning to bear the fruits of their labor. We speak to cross-border ecommerce specialists Everpeaks about forced digital adoption by business owners and consumers alike following the onset of Covid-19, how to pivot to direct-to-consumer commerce, and how to position your brand for global supply.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.