Open For Business

Today on Open For Business, Augustine Edwards talks about how he founded AES Academy. From a kid fascinated by loudspeakers his brother gave him, he turned his passion into a full-blown career, mastering the art of audio engineering. AES Academy is a launchpad for the next wave of audio wizards, blending technical expertise with creative innovation. He shares the ups and downs of starting an academy, the evolving audio scene in Malaysia and the future prospects of the audio engineering field.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BookXcess began in 2007 with just 5,000 remaindered books. Today, it’s on track to hit RM100 million in sales, working directly with publishers to fulfil its mission of making books more affordable and accessible.In 2009, Andrew Yap and Jacqueline Ng launched the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, which has since become a global cultural phenomenon and has expanded to 37 cities in 14 countries, attracting 3 million visitors annually and selling over 15 million books.From nearly going out of business during the pandemic, the company has rebounded, now operating over 22 outlets nationwide and 3 more in Singapore. In 2023, they achieved USD$4 million in profits and are set to surpass RM100 million in revenue this year, with plans to explore an IPO in 2026.In this conversation, we explore:- Andrew’s journey in building these two iconic brands. the business model behind BookXcess and how they are working with publishers to play the high volume game- Why BookXcess takes the risk of owning the books they sell instead of using consignment.the challenges they’ve faced, including the logistical challenges of moving millions of books.- How BookXcess is innovating with store designs and layouts, BookBots, “blind dates” with books, and more.- Andrew’s vision for the future of BookXcess and Big Bad Wolf as they continue to grow in an evolving market.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No entrepreneur left behind? That seems to be the driving force behind GUIDE, an early-stage venture studio and advisory firm founded by Neil Cheong and Alvin Chin.In this episode of Open for Business, we explore how GUIDE aims to provide venture education, hands-on support, and mentorship to founders and entrepreneurs, all while building a scalable business for themselves.We delve into their transition from Ignition Chamber to GUIDE, their unique approach to advisory services, and their ambition to grow a content-driven business that supports a thriving entrepreneurial community.Key Areas of Conversation:- Founder Support: GUIDE’s focus on early-stage businesses, offering education, mentorship, and ecosystem-building support.- Evolution from Ignition Chamber: The formation of GUIDE and why they’re focusing on content to scale their business.- Business Model & Scalability: How GUIDE balances advisory services with a scalable educational membership model.- 1% Equity Model: GUIDE’s innovative equity-based fee structure to support founders.- Future Vision: GUIDE’s plans to scale founder programs and foster a vibrant entrepreneurial community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak with Ting Mao, Founder at Sunnystep, a science-based footwear company for walking enthusiasts, active travellers and urban families. We’ll be discussing the story behind Sunnystep and how it all started after a horrible injury, the differences between their products with other more renowned footwear brands, the challenges faced and opportunities ahead for the business.Image Credit: mysunnystep.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“A lot of studio owners are very distracted. So when it comes to looking at who are our worthy rival, I will look at the founders. Then I will kind of know whether or not they will still be our rival in a year’s time. ”Curious how a small 1200 sq ft fitness studio in Melaka expanded into Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, and the larger ambition behind these moves? In this episode of Open For Business, we speak with CJ Lee, Co-Founder of MOVE Private Fitness, about their journey from launching a boutique studio in 2020 to scaling across six locations, including Bangkok. With a focus on delivering premium, personalised fitness services to the T20 demographic, MOVE is gearing up for its next phase of growth.Key Areas of Conversation:- What inspired MOVE and the challenges faced in the early days.- How MOVE stands out in a crowded fitness market by specialising and not getting distracted by fitness trends- The story behind expanding MOVE to KL and Bangkok and plans for further regional growth.- Insights into MOVE’s upcoming fundraising round and how the capital will fuel further expansion.- Tune in to discover how MOVE Private Fitness is trying to reshape the fitness industry and what lies ahead in its ambitious growth journey.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This morning on the show, we speak with David Ng, Founder at Savor, a local F&B outlet aiming to encourage healthier lifestyles with their plant based meals.David started the business with his wife, Beverly, and business partner, Peter back in 2019 after originally starting in the lifestyle coaching field. Their commitment to health and wellness goes beyond the plate as they have not only established a vibrant plant-based restaurant for consumers to enjoy vegan food but they also provide curated meal plans in their mission to enhance health and wellness for their consumers.With that in mind, we’ll be talking about the inception story of Savor from how it started to where the business is at today, the challenges and hurdles they had to overcome in what’s becoming a very tough F&B industry and what’s in the works for Savor going forward.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Open For Business, we sit down with Casper Foo and Lye Yu Min, the co-founders of co-working space Sandbox. Launched in 2017 with an initial RM300,000 investment, Sandbox has grown into a community-driven space attracting freelancers, digital nomads, and entrepreneurs.As they compete with larger players like WORQ and Common Ground, Casper and Yu Min share the challenges they’ve faced, their vision for the future, and how Sandbox is creating a unique niche in the co-working landscape.Tune in to learn more about their growth journey and what it takes to succeed in the co-working industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it take to build a localized large language model (LLM) in Malaysia?In this episode of Open For Business, we speak with Khalil Nooh, Co-Founder & CEO of Mesolitica, about how his startup is developing Malaysia’s own LLM, MaLLaM, and the challenges of AI sovereignty in the region. Khalil dives into his journey from early Natural Language Processing projects to creating an LLM tailored for the Malaysian context.Key areas covered include:- The evolution from chatbots and NLP to large language models (LLMs)- The inspiration and technical challenges behind building MaLLaM- How Mesolitica is leveraging AI for local businesses and government use- The importance of AI sovereignty and local data governance- Mesolitica’s approach to developing cost-efficient AI models- How Mesolitica plans to scale its LLM across Southeast AsiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Be it in the morning, evening, or throughout the day, tea has never been left out of the list of Malaysian staples, with a variety of flavours for everyone to enjoy.In this episode, we bring you one of the flavours with Kavievanan Subramaniam, the Founder of Tea Thambi, a local name that has become renowned for its distinctive and pleasant masala chai in Kuala Lumpur.Kavievanan started his journey in 2020, during the challenging days of the pandemic, by selling masala tea on a bicycle through the streets of Little India in Brickfields. What began as a humble venture has now grown into a chain of roadside stalls and a café, with another café already in the works.We speak to him about the inspiration behind Tea Thambi, the challenges he faced in establishing the business, and the strategies he used to achieve such rapid growth. We also discuss future expansion and Kavievanan's vision for Tea Thambi and its impact on the local community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Open For Business, we sit down with Inbaraj Suppiah, Founder of JomHack, to explore his journey from running a creative agency (Pixaworks Creative Sdn Bhd) to leading hackathons that help businesses foster innovation, acquire talent, and solve complex challenges. Tune in to learn how JomHack and Inbaraj have become a key players in corporate innovation and community building, and what the future holds for this exciting venture in the tech ecosystem.Among other things, we dive into:- The origins of JomHack and how Inbaraj transitioned from running a creative agency to designing and executing hackathons and innovation programs.- How hackathons help businesses drive innovation, acquire talent, and test new ideas in a short time.- The importance of community building and how it has played a central role in JomHack's success.- Inbaraj’s insights on working with government agencies, corporates, and startups to create impactful innovation programs.- The key steps involved in organizing a successful hackathon and the common misconceptions about what hackathons truly are.- What’s next for JomHack and Inbaraj’s future ambitions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.