Open For Business

For years, kombucha was dismissed as a niche, "hipster" health drink. Now, WonderBrew has transformed it into a mainstream Malaysian beverage, scaling from a home kitchen in 2018 to over 2,000 retail touchpoints today. But how do you mass-produce a living, fermenting beverage without compromising its quality—or having it explode on the supermarket shelf?Co-founders Joseph Poh (CEO) and Loke Boon Eng (COO) join us to share their story: WonderBrew’s journey from a Subang Jaya home kitchen to generating RM3 million in annual revenue.The operational realities of scaling a "living" product and transitioning to giant stainless steel vats.The rigorous process and gradual revenue payoff of becoming Malaysia's first Halal-certified kombucha brand.How the 35% equity deal with Loob Holdings (makers of Tealive) integrated a corporate, data-driven playbook into an artisan brand.Regional expansion plans, their new honey-based line 'Jun Tea', and whether the endgame points to an IPO or a full acquisition.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you scale "good vibes" & namaste into a sustainable, 8-figure business? On the surface, the boutique fitness industry looks like a beautiful blend of aesthetics, mindfulness, and calm. But underneath that highly curated exterior is a fiercely competitive, operationally intense environment where your core product, the instructor, literally walks out the door every single night.When The Flow Studio opened its first location in Bangsar in 2018, it started as a bootstrapped venture designed to bring high-quality, low-impact movement to Kuala Lumpur. By fiercely defending its brand consistency, hyper-localising its community offerings, and pricing its classes as "attainable luxury," the brand aggressively scaled its footprint, building a loyal customer base and 12-studios across Malaysia and Singapore.To sustain that growth and institutionalise the brand, the company had to evolve. Tiffany Yow, CEO and Co-Founder of The Flow Studio, joins Open for Business to unpack her transition from a bootstrapped founder to a private equity-backed CEO. She reveals the rigorous unit economics behind their vertically integrated business, the operational playbook for systemising a premium brand experience, and why she partnered with impact investor Bintang Capital Partners to prepare for the company's next major financial milestone.Learn More About:Attainable Luxury: How The Flow Studio justifies its premium brand experience at an average market price (like an RM55 group reformer class) to make intelligent, low-impact movement accessible to the masses.Systemising the Vibes: The operational playbook for maintaining strict brand consistency across 12 venues, from the signature studio scent to rigorous internal instructor training, so clients trust the brand over the individual teacher.Vertical Integration: How the business diversified its revenue streams beyond drop-in classes by launching US-accredited teacher training programs, retail merchandise, and HRD-certified corporate wellness retreats.The B Corp Ambition: Why the company is pursuing B Corp certification, and the strategic importance of operating a 95% female workforce that creates flexible career pathways for single mothers and returning professionals.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Advanced diagnostics often remain locked inside centralised laboratories and are technically impressive, but inaccessible to many who need them most. Ablesen is attempting to bridge that gap.Founded by Zainiharyati Mohd Zain and selected as one of the top startups in the 2025 PACE Bootcamp by ARTEM Ventures, Ablesen develops rapid, sensor-based diagnostic platforms designed for deployment beyond traditional lab environments. Currently at the MVP to early-commercialisation stage and fully bootstrapped, the company is navigating the complex journey from scientific validation to regulatory readiness and market entry.We explore the realities of building a deep-tech startup in Malaysia, from governance lessons and fundraising strategy to product development, commercial viability, and the ambition to scale regionally.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does a homegrown, 20-year-old beverage brand survive the influx of massive foreign competitors like Mixue? Coolblog CEO Sueli Lew joins us to unpack the company's evolution from a founder-led business to a private equity-backed franchise empire generating RM70 million in revenue. We discuss their hypermarket strategy, the unit economics of their 300+ stores, and Archipelago Capital Partners' ultimate exit strategy.Founded in Johor Bahru in 2005, the brand aggressively scaled its initial footprint by targeting hypermarkets and secondary towns, quietly building a massive loyal customer base while bigger competitors fought over expensive, premium urban storefronts.To sustain that scale and defend its market share in today's brutal F&B environment, Coolblog had to grow up. Now backed by Archipelago Capital Partners, the company has professionalised its operations, overhauled its supply chain, and dialed in its franchise economics to prepare for its next major financial milestone.Learn More About:The 50/50 Playbook: Why maintaining an even split between corporate-owned and franchisee-owned stores gives the headquarters vital "skin in the game" for product testing and operational empathy.Franchise Economics: A breakdown of the numbers behind their 300-store network, from the initial setup cost to the financial mechanics.Supply Chain as a Moat: The strategic necessity of running an in-house distribution center to rapidly fulfill unexpected demand surges for viral items, like their Kunafa Pistachio Chocolate drink.Institutionalising the Business: How the private equity buyout led to the establishment of dedicated business development, Halal compliance, and quality control teams, replacing legacy systems like manual punch cards with biometric scanners.The Private Equity Endgame: Archipelago Capital Partners' midterm ambition for Coolblog, including potential exit strategies like a strategic merger, a listing, or an acquisition by a foreign entity within the next 12 to 24 months.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BateriHub doubled from 100 to 200 branches in a year, promising roadside battery support within the hour. But what does it really take to scale reliability across Malaysia?With over 800,000 vehicles sold in 2025 alone, breakdown scenarios are no longer rare inconveniences. They’re part of everyday mobility. In this conversation, Stanly Ng, General Manager of BateriHub, explains how the company built a fully direct-owned nationwide network covering 500+ service areas across 11 states and why control, not franchising, underpins its growth strategy.We explore the operational strain behind rapid expansion, what healthy unit economics look like for each branch, and how the next phase toward 300 outlets and East Malaysia will be funded. As volumes grow, so does responsibility. We also discuss how used batteries are handled, and what accountability should look like in Malaysia’s automotive aftermarket.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most digital agencies sell rankings and traffic. Growth.pro sells visibility within AI systems.Founder and CEO, Alvin Koay, has built an AI-first SEO agency designed for a world where search engines are no longer the only gatekeepers. Instead of focusing purely on keywords, the company helps brands structure their digital presence for AI citations and measurable commercial outcomes.In this conversation, we explore how Growth.pro makes money, how they are different in a crowded agency market, the operational challenges of running an AI-driven marketing business, and what’s next for the business going forward.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Running a restaurant is notoriously brutal. Running one successfully for over three decades is rare. Scaling it into a 9-figure, multi-brand F&B empire, while keeping it entirely in the family, is something else entirely.Founded in 1990 as a single restaurant in Shah Alam, Serai Group has evolved into a hospitality powerhouse behind concepts like Serai, Jibby & Co, and Jibby East Grill, alongside a strong B2B business.To unpack this 30-year generational success story, Founder Rina Abdullah, alongside daughter Datin Qistina Taff and son-in-law Datuk Mohd Najib Abdul Hamid, join the show to discuss building the Serai Group legacy.Learn About:Family in the Boardroom: How a mother, daughter, and son-in-law structure corporate decision-making, manage inevitable disagreements, and separate family dynamics from business strategy.From 1 Restaurant to a Portfolio: The evolution into a multi-brand group.Scaling Without Losing Control: The operational realities and growing pains of expanding a massive F&B footprint.The Capital Question: After 30+ years of independent, self-funded growth, is the family finally open to bringing in outside capital and institutional investors?The Next Decade: What lies ahead for the Serai Group empire and their thoughts on generational succession.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From making less than RM1 a day as a Penang food blog, to ringing the bell on a RM75 million ACE Market IPO. Foodie Media’s co-founders share their recipe.In 2016, it was just a side hustle, a simple food blog called Penang Foodie fueled by cents from AdSense. Fast forward 9 years, and that side hustle has transformed into a digital media juggernaut with over 46 million followers across a portfolio of 37 lifestyle brands, ranging from KL Foodie to Malaysia Homie.Fresh off their 2025 ACE Market debut and now armed with RM50 million in cash reserves (as of their Q1 results), husband-and-wife duo Lim Pinn Yang and Ang Rui Mei join BFM’s Open For Business to unpack their story from scrappy content creators to public company executives.Learn about:The "4 C's" Engine: How they evolved from pure media publishing to monetising Creators (KOLs), Commerce (live streaming), and Community (offline events like the KL Foodie Fest).The Pasar Pagi Playbook: How Ping Yang's childhood mornings watching his father sell multi-tools at the morning market helped shape the company's content-to-commerce philosophy.Co-Founder & Spouse Dynamics: The messy reality of dating while building a startup, resolving fierce disagreements, and learning to divide operational roles.Surviving the Algorithm: How they mitigate platform risk ("rented land") across Meta, Google, and ByteDance to sustain 46 million followers.The IPO Reality Check: Navigating a RM75M public listing, why you shouldn't build a company just to go public, and the psychological toll of checking your own stock ticker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food production sectors, but it’s also exposed to volatility, rising feed costs, water quality risks, and unpredictable climate patterns. AquFish believes artificial intelligence can change that.Founded by Rafiq Razali, AquFish is building AI and machine learning tools designed to help fish farms move from reactive decision-making to predictive operations. By combining sensors, analytics, and real-time monitoring, the company aims to improve yield, reduce losses, and optimise farm performance.We explore how the idea came about, the technology stack behind smart aquaculture, where the business stands in terms of fundraising, and what it takes to scale an agri-tech startup in Malaysia’s evolving food security landscape.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you trust a TikTok live streamer to sell you car servicing? Armed with US$6 million (RM24 million) in recent funding, ServAuto is betting that you will.Co-Founder & COO Phoy Yong Hao unpacks how they are digitalising the traditional workshop ecosystem. The ex-Carsome executive breaks down how ServAuto uses an online-to-offline (O2O) model driven heavily by TikTok live commerce, having already served 30,000 customers and expanded to 150 workshops in just one year.Learn about:The TikTok Conversion Engine: Why ServAuto relies heavily on TikTok live streams to answer high-intent customer questions and drive actual sales (with a claimed 10 million monthly views).The "Mom & Pop" Consolidation: How ServAuto standardises pricing, parts sourcing, and customer retention for neighbourhood workshops without outright replacing them.Tinting as Customer Acquisition: Why window tinting acts as the ultimate entry point for new car owners, bringing them into the ServAuto ecosystem.Preventing Platform Leakage: How ServAuto stops workshops and customers from bypassing their platform by controlling product quality and offering unbeatable wholesale parts pricing.The Carsome Synergy: The strategic advantage of sharing investors, an after-sales partnership, and a direct talent pipeline (via Carsome Academy) with the used-car giant.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once known for its 120-day pre-order white shirts, Oxwhite has since evolved into an omnichannel retail brand with physical stores, a broader product range, and fresh capital raised through equity crowdfunding. Co-founder CK Chang joins us to discuss Oxwhite’s shift from online disruptor to retail player, the challenges of scaling beyond a single product, and what the next chapter of growth looks like.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2017, Adrian Chia turned a holiday joke into Big Tiny, a "tiny house" hospitality group that now manages over 1,000 keys across 22 countries.With RM150 million in revenue (2025) and positive cash flow since 2018, the company has big, non-tiny, ambitions ahead. The journey began with SG$200,000 of their own money and a prototype that took six months to build in Adrian’s own garden before being shipped to the Australian wilderness.Backed by SG$4.2 million in funding, Big Tiny now operates an end-to-end model where they design, manufacture, and manage these "tiny hotels" on other people's land. Adrian joins BFM to unpack: The IKEA of Housing: How a patented flatpack design allows professional teams to ship units globally and assemble a fully functional "tiny hotel" in just three hours.The "Micro-Hotelier" Ecosystem: How Big Tiny connects investors, land partners, and hospitality management.The Asset-Light Loophole: Mitigating land risk by registering homes with VINs so they can be moved if a landowner relationship sours.The "Sale & Leaseback" Engine: How selling units to investors funded rapid expansion while retaining management rights.The Pandemic Stress Test: How transparency saved the company when revenue hit zero, retaining 95% of investors.The 50/50 Goal: Shifting the revenue mix from manufacturing sales to recurring rental income.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Malaysia’s fragmented primary care landscape, Dr. Saifulhaziq Noorman is building something more structured. Through Kyno Primary Care and its 14-clinic Poliklinik Amalmedik network, he’s attempting to scale a healthcare business that blends specialist services with community clinics. And now, he’s raising capital via equity crowdfunding to accelerate that vision.We explore the commercial logic behind the model, how the group generates revenue, why this is the right time to bring in investors, and what it takes to scale a clinic network in a tightly regulated industry. From unit economics to expansion strategy, this conversation goes beyond medicine and into the mechanics of building a healthcare business in MalaysiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For many heirs in Malaysia’s family businesses, the biggest decision is not how to grow what they inherit, but whether to stay at all. Kelvin Khandhar, a third-generation carpet trader, chose to step away after nearly a decade to start Victoria Carpets from scratch. He joins us to talk about the unspoken pressures of succession, why leaving can feel harder than starting over, and how a new generation is redefining value, quality, and long-term thinking in traditional industries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if your truck battery never failed again?For a logistics firm, a dead battery is more than just a nuisance, it’s a broken timeline, spoiled cargo, and lost revenue. Dennis Yong, CEO of VXI Crest, is out to eliminate that risk by turning the humble starter battery into a visible, data-driven asset.Through a joint venture called Advanced Accumulators, Dennis is replacing traditional lead-acid batteries with IoT-enabled Lithium Ferrous Phosphate (LFP) technology. These "smart" batteries store up to 400% more energy at half the weight and allow fleet managers to monitor health in real-time. They even feature an "Over-the-Air Jumpstart", a remote function that lets a manager start a stalled truck from a dashboard hundreds of miles away.Dennis explains why he’s betting on the underserved "marathon runners" of the road, commercial trucks and vans, and how his "frenemy" strategy with industry veterans YSK Marketing and FJ Union is helping him scale a regional battery empire across Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Building a catering business is easy to start, and notoriously hard to scale. For Andrew Chee, Founder and CEO of RunningMen Celebrations Group, the challenge wasn’t just serving good food, but building a system that could deliver consistency, creativity, and reliability at scale.In this episode, Andrew breaks down how RunningMen grew from a student-run venture into a multi-format halal catering and events business, the gap they spotted in a crowded market, and the operational decisions that shaped their positioning today. We explore how the company thinks about revenue, service design, and execution in a low-margin industry, and what the next phase of growth looks like as RunningMen plans aheadSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an industry often defined by high-speed logistics and international imports, Brenda James of Nook Flowers is carving out a different path in Malaysia. Known for her "Grown Not Flown" philosophy, Brenda joins us to discuss the intricacies of "Responsible Floristry", from championing local Cameron Highlands growers to championing circular based systems. We dive into the business logic behind her boldest decisions, including stepping back from the Valentine’s Day rush to preserve quality and supply chain integrity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From a single kiosk to beating Starbucks and becoming Malaysia’s largest coffee chain in just 6 years.The journey began just months before the pandemic in 2019. Today, ZUS Coffee has cemented the "App-to-Cup" model as the new industry standard, overtaking the legacy giant by outlet count.Venon Tian, Group COO of ZUS Coffee, joins BFM Open For Business to decode the strategy behind the disruption. Unlike competitors that focused on the "Third Place" experience, ZUS treated coffee more like an e-commerce product, leveraging data to convert frappuccino drinkers into espresso loyalists.But the disruptor is now facing its own disruption. With the "Second China Shock" bringing aggressive tech-native competitors like Luckin Coffee into the scene and giants like Mixue crowding the RM10 price bracket, Venon explains how ZUS plans to defend its dominance while expanding into new markets, including Pakistan.We discuss:The "Fun Drink" Funnel: How Zus uses flavoured drinks (like Watermelon Lattes) as a customer acquisition tool to bridge the gap for non-coffee drinkers.Data over Delivery: Why Zus insisted on building its own app rather than relying solely on Grab or Foodpanda, allowing them to track exactly when users drop off or increase consumption.The "Avengers" Structure: How the company navigated the potential chaos of having eight co-founders by professionalising management and adopting Amazon’s "Humble is Cool" culture.Hyper-Localisation: From selling curry puffs in Malaysia to launching Ube Lattes in the Philippines and Tom Yum Americanos in Thailand.The Global Ambition: Why Zus is expanding into Pakistan and how they balance owned-and-operated stores with master franchising for rapid regional scale.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malaysia has top hospitals, competitive pricing, and a strong reputation in medical tourism yet much of the demand is still controlled by foreign intermediaries.Wan Mahsuri Wan Ahmad Kamal, Founder and CEO of Medisuri, an AI-powered medical tourism platform is aiming to reposition Malaysia as a trusted global healthcare hub. We unpack the gap Medisuri is trying to solve, how the business fits into the medical tourism value chain, its monetisation strategy, early fundraising journey, and what scaling this platform could look like in the years ahead.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you do when you’ve built a loyal audience and 5 years of momentum, but you feel trapped by the very niche that built you?Michelle Chin, founder of Her Duit, recently announced a strategic overhaul of her personal finance brand, expanding beyond money into leadership, career, and life design. She joins BFM to deconstruct the mechanics of this pivot and why she refused to let the brand run on "momentum and guilt."We also explore the harsh reality of the modern social media landscape, where the "Instagram Community" era has been replaced by the TikTok era’s algorithmic entertainment. Michelle explains why creators must now "buy attention" in the first 3 seconds to earn the right to deliver substance, and how she balances her identity as a "Founder Creator" running a VC-backed insurtech startup by day and a media brand by night.We discuss:The Strategic Pivot: How Michelle transitioned from pure personal finance to holistic growth content to answer the question: "I have the money, now what?The Attention Economy: Understanding the shift to short-form video where knowledge is no longer king, hooks are.The "Her Duit" Machine: How Michelle scaled from spending 8 hours on one post to a streamlined operation using a virtual assistant, video editors, and AI tools like Claude for synthesis.The Worst Advice: Why "one-size-fits-all" financial rules (like saving 50% of income) are dangerous and induce shame. Monetisation & Synergies: Moving from B2C content to B2B employee wellness workshops, and how her role as a startup COO informs her content strategy (and vice versa).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.