Open For Business

Since 1985, Litt Tak has been the silent engine behind Malaysia’s toy industry. As the official distributor for global giants like Bandai, Takara Tomy, and Spin Master, they are responsible for putting everything from Gundam model kits and Tomica diecast cars to Cocomelon and Shopkins on the shelves of major retailers nationwide. But the toy industry is undergoing a massive shift. Toys are no longer just for children; the "Kidult" market has transformed collectibles into a lifestyle necessity. To capture this demographic, the 41-year-old legacy business is helping global brand owners pivot toward experiential retail. In December 2025, Tomy and Toys "R" Us launched Southeast Asia’s first TOMICA Brand Store in Suria KLCC, with Litt Tak serving as the crucial local distribution anchor. Now, they are gearing up to facilitate Malaysia’s first-ever Gundam Base Store.Tan Ee Chian, Executive Director of Litt Tak, talks to us about surviving as a "middleman" for four decades, the economics of these new experiential toy stores, and the challenge of managing a sprawling portfolio of global IP rights.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, tau fu fah and soy milk were largely considered traditional Chinese street food, but as dessert cafes booming with bubble tea, bingsu, and ice cream took over the Klang Valley, traditional desserts were left behind. In 2018, siblings Carmen, Joe, and Kelly Lau decided to change that. Drawing from their father’s 30-year legacy as the founder of Ipoh’s famous Woong Kee Bean Curd, they launched Dáo Desserts. Their mission was clear: take a cherished, traditional family recipe and modernise it for a new generation in a trendy, comfortable cafe environment.Carmen and Kelly Lau join us in the studio to discuss the unvarnished reality of building a modern F&B brand out of a family legacy. We explore the messy dynamics of working with siblings, the operational headaches of scaling a highly perishable product, how they survive the fiercely competitive dessert market, and their ambitious plan to take Malaysian tau fu fah global.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a city overflowing with cafes and brunch spots, how does a home-cooked pancake on a balcony become one of KL's most talked-about dining experiences? Retrenched from a 9-year corporate career, Haermana Sivamohan craved genuine connection in a fast-paced, superficial world. In May 2025, she launched Construct KL out of her home in Bukit Tunku—inviting complete strangers to sit at her table, eat her gourmet pancakes, and actually talk to each other without the pretence of "networking." Fast forward 10 months, Construct KL has broken even, achieved viral organic growth, and become a highly sought-after private dining booking. But running a solo F&B operation from your home comes with an invisible, gruelling backend.Haermana joins us in the studio to discuss the lonely solo-founder journey, the hidden operational nightmares of experiential dining, and how to turn a bootstrapped supper club into a six-figure business without losing its soul.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For most Malaysians, a trip to the local laundromat means sitting in a stuffy room staring at a phone while a machine spins. But what if you could turn that mundane routine into an elevated, relaxing ritual? Founded in early 2026 by high school buddies Nicholas and Khaisong, Randy's Laundromat in Ara Damansara is tackling this exact problem by merging a fully functional laundromat with a trendy cafe serving artisan coolers and ciabatta sandwiches. But when you combine two difficult business models—F&B and heavy utility machinery—the operational challenges double. Plus, they face a unique marketing hurdle: convincing the cafe-hopping crowd that their aesthetic washing machines aren't just an Instagram gimmick, but a functional service.Co-founders Nicholas and Khaisong join us in the studio to discuss the economics of bootstrapping a hybrid retail space, the challenge of changing deeply ingrained consumer behaviours, and their ambition to become Malaysia's leading lifestyle laundromat.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the pandemic decimated the events industry in 2020, Melissa and Ethan found themselves retrenched. With just RM500 and no grand ambitions, they banded together to survive. Six years later, their survival plan has evolved into MET Communications (MetComms)—a highly profitable, mid-to-high six-figure boutique marketing agency. Their specialty? Putting "bums on seats." Unlike general creative agencies that focus on vanity metrics, MetComms specializes exclusively in driving targeted registrations, delegates, and sponsors for large-scale B2B business events, conferences, and exhibitions across Southeast Asia.Co-founders Melissa and Ethan join us in the studio to discuss the ups and downs of running a lean agency, the mechanics of marketing to highly niche B2B audiences, and the psychological battle of trusting junior staff so the founders can finally stop "doing the work."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For over two decades, Joo East has been the silent architect behind Malaysia’s vibrant pasar malam and street food scene. Founded in Kuantan by a former pasar pagi trader, the bootstrapped family business fundamentally changed the local landscape - convincing local councils to mandate standardized square canopies and transitioning night markets from messy, makeshift stalls into structured retail hubs.Now, second-generation leaders Kalsey Tan, Managing Director and Bobby Tan,  Marketing & PR Director join us to share the unvarnished reality of dragging a 20-year-old traditional business into the digital age. They unpack their father’s grueling early hustle—which involved selling the family car to fulfil a massive corporate order for Milo—and how their recent pivot to TikTok effectively doubled their revenue to RM1.6 million.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In January 2026, Series A digital health company Angsana Health executed a strategic move - they acquired MiyaHealth's subsidiaries and its Managed Care Organization, MiyaCare. This move instantly gave them a network of over 4,000 providers across Malaysia, the Philippines, and Poland. But how does a startup turn a massive legacy network into a modern, data-driven health ecosystem?Angsana Health CEO Dr. Khor Swee Kheng, and Director of Business Development Aisha Adam join us in the studio to discuss the leap from health policy to private enterprise, the trials of selling digital health to the gig economy, and how they plan to leverage their Series A war chest to rebuild the "front door" of primary care.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two years ago, DS Willie Tan left a 20-year career in media advertising to take over Master Ee, an ageing reflexology shop located in a notoriously quiet mall in Petaling Jaya. Within a year, he applied corporate branding and rigorous operational discipline to transform it into a six-figure business with over 1,000 five-star Google reviews.DS Willie joins us to discuss the unglamorous reality of physical retail—managing payroll, rent, and retaining therapists—his strategy for building a recognisable wellness brand, and why he chose to buy a struggling business instead of starting his own.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Muns and Pareesha started The Wedding Diaries in 2023, the concept of a "wedding content creator" didn't really exist in Malaysia. Betting on a global cultural shift, the duo left their full-time careers in marketing and advertising to pioneer this new category locally. Fast forward to today, they have bootstrapped a highly profitable, six-figure business in a single year entirely through organic social media growth. Armed with iPhones and a commitment to authentic, unscripted storytelling, they deliver ready-to-post content within 24 hours so couples and guests can actually stay present.Founders Muns and Pareesha join us in the studio to discuss the uphill battle of educating a market, the operational bottlenecks of being a two-person powerhouse, and how they protect their premium brand in the age of AI and emerging freelance competitors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Major enterprises are rushing to deploy AI, but many are hitting a brick wall: their underlying data is a mess. AI is only as smart as the context it’s given, and without proper data lineage, ownership, and quality controls, enterprise AI initiatives are doomed to stay in the experimental phase. Enter Decube. Founded by Jatin Solanki, Decube is building the "context layer" for enterprise data—a platform that sits between raw data and AI models to ensure the data is trustworthy, explainable, and production-ready.Fresh off a $3 million funding round led by Taiwania Hive Ventures (bringing their total funding to $5 million), Jatin joins us in the studio to discuss how they manage to integrate with massive legacy systems in just 40 minutes, why Decube is keeping its core engineering talent in Malaysia while expanding across APAC, and how a neutral startup survives when cloud giants like AWS and Google are looming in the background.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is "regenerative business" a practical reality, or just an ESG buzzword? Benjamin Parent decided to find out by doing something extreme: quitting his corporate job to cycle from France to Japan. His project, Trees on the Way, is a three-year global expedition to interview 21 "regenerative" entrepreneurs who are actively redesigning capitalism to respect planetary boundaries. Operating on a model inspired by Kate Raworth's "Doughnut Economics," Benjamin is also pledging to plant one tree for every 21 kilometers pedaled.Currently passing through Malaysia on his way to Japan, Benjamin joins us in the studio to discuss the logistics of funding a global expedition, the stark realities of trying to implement Doughnut Economics in developing nations, and whether businesses can actually create value while saving the planetSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.