In this episode of the iSearch podcast, Benjamin Lim (iSearch) discussed with Venon Tian (Zus Coffee) the story behind the brand and how it grew from 0 to 360 outlets in a short span of 4 years.

The areas of discussion include:

1:33 - How the idea of Zus Coffee came about

2:52 - Key strategies in Zus Coffee’s rapid expansion

7:19 - Zus Coffee’s goals for 2024

8:19 - How funding was secured to boost Zus’s growth

10:11 - The biggest challenges and lessons from running 300+ outlets

15:54 - Zus Coffee’s hiring philosophy

19:03 - The ultimate vision for Zus Coffee

21:44 - How Zus maintains quality and consistency across their outlets

25:52 - The role technology has played in Zus’s growth

31:22 - A valuable lesson for aspiring entrepreneurs

Check out Zus Coffee here:

https://zuscoffee.com/

#zuscoffee #venontian #entrepreneur #entrepreneurmalaysia #businessmalaysia #startup #startupmalaysia #isearch #isearchmalaysia #isearchpodcast

In this episode of the iSearch podcast, we have compiled the top business advice from our 2023 guests.

The areas of discussion include:

0:00 - Diversify your investments if you're a busy investor

0:58 - Raise funds to grow, not to survive

2:06 - Providing value is the best TikTok strategy

2:52 - Careful planning is a MUST

3:28 - Rest drives productivity and efficiency

5:06 - The best branding platform is where your customers are

5:45 - Build a team that you can work with

6:46 - Demonstrate that you can win

7:10 - Business is all about capturing and keeping your customers

7:52 - Great startups are built by solving problems

8:45 - Know your business potential and expected ROI before deciding to reinvest in the business

10:04 - Systems are powerful

11:10 - Take care of your team

#entrepreneur #entrepreneurmalaysia #businessadvice #sme #smes #smemalaysia #isearchpodcast #isearchmalaysia #isearch

In this episode of the iSearch podcast, Benjamin Lim (iSearch) discussed with Jeevan Sahadevan the 8 keys that entrepreneurs can apply for incredible success in their business.

The areas of discussion include:

0:46 - Important advice for business owners

2:22 - Setting goals for your business (The 1st key)

5:34 - Generating prospects (The 2nd key) and effective strategies to do so

9:29 - Important tips for prospect generation

11:48 - Sales conversion (The 3rd key)

13:53 - Tips for creating a solid sales conversion process

14:59 - Repeat purchases (The 4th key)

16:30 - A simple structure for repeat purchase

18:52 - Promotions (The 5th key)

19:17 - Real-life example of implementing promotions

19:57 - Effective strategy to implement promotions in your business

21:09 - Systems (The 6th key)

21:45 - The 3 P’s for systemising

22:06 - How systems can help your business

22:40 - Teams (The 7th key)

23:02 - 3 practices for a high-performing team

24:49 - Investments (The 8th key)

25:47 - Investment tips for entrepreneurs to grow wealth

28:36 - Summary of the 8 keys

Check out Jeevan Sahadevan here:

http://jeevansahadevan.com/

#jeevansahadevan #entrepreneur #businessmalaysia #sme #startupmalaysia #isearch #isearchmalaysia #isearchpodcast

In this episode of the iSearch podcast, Benjamin Lim (iSearch) discussed with Kevin Brockland (Indelible Ventures) on the potential of startups and entrepreneurs in Malaysia, and building a startup that can scale globally.

The areas of discussion include:

1:23 - Why Kevin left the U.S. to settle in Malaysia

8:08 - Key strengths and weaknesses of Malaysian founders

10:50 - Kevin’s thoughts on Malaysians’ mentality for taking risks

13:06 - Current opportunities in Malaysia for aspiring entrepreneurs

16:50 - Advice on finding good developers

19:26 - Equity sharing with developer

21:00 - The mindset that entrepreneurs should have to go global

24:04 - Choosing a country to scale to

25:41 - Penetrating the U.S. market without having to travel often

26:55 - Key criteria to get seed stage venture fund

32:10 - Getting a co-founder vs. working solo

33:20 - Final sharing

Check out Indelible Ventures here:

https://indelible.vc/

#indelibleventures #entrepreneur #businessmalaysia #sme #startup #startupmalaysia #smemalaysia #isearch #isearchmalaysia #isearchpodcast

In this episode of the iSearch podcast, Benjamin Lim (iSearch) discussed with Eric Lam (Recast Ventures) on how entrepreneurs can start a business, scale, and exit in 36 months.

The areas of discussion include:

1:18 - The reason startups fail and how to avoid it

4:13 - Validating a product or service before working on your ideas

7:26 - How to proceed when your product has little traction

10:57 - Finding a different angle for your product

14:15 - Best and worst type of businesses for entrepreneurs planning to exit within 36 months

21:10 - Working solo vs. having a co-founder

24:22 - Eric’s experience finding a team in his ventures

26:10 - How entrepreneurs can asses market size and potential

28:28 - The process of raising funds for first-time entrepreneurs

34:23 - Effective marketing strategies with minimal funding

40:20 - How Eric gets his ventures in the news

42:07 - Key things to consider before exit

47:05 - Final sharing

Check out Recast Ventures here:

https://www.recastventures.net/

#recastventures #thefastfounder #sme #startup #startupmalaysia #smemalaysia #isearch #isearchmalaysia #isearchpodcast

In this episode of the iSearch podcast, Benjamin Lim (iSearch) discussed with Sasha Tan (Dear Hustlers) on her unique branding blueprint to help brands stand out against competitors.

The areas of discussion include:

1:02 - Definition of a brand

1:47 - How Sasha discovered this unique branding blueprint

2:49 - How the blueprint works and how brands can start implementing it

3:29 - The C.A.C blueprint explained

7:04 - Sasha’s practice of effectively prioritising

8:15 - Advice for businesses with a wide target audience

12:03 - A benchmark for startups

13:06 - How businesses can validate their products

13:29 - Real life implementation of the C.A.C blueprint

14:38 - How startups and SMEs can standout against bigger corporations

15:54 - Measuring the progress and success of brand development

16:43 - Why high online engagement isn’t converting into sales

17:55 - Best platform to maximise branding with limited resources

19:37 - Determining which platform your customers are on

20:57 - Get access to Sasha’s branding blueprint

Check out Sasha Tan here:

https://sashatan.com/

#branding #digitalmarketing #branding101 #brandingstrategy #isearch #isearchmalaysia #isearchpodcast

In this episode of the iSearch podcast, Benjamin Lim (iSearch) discussed with Azran Osman Rani (Naluri) the common signs and symptoms of burnout and how entrepreneurs can strengthen their mental resilience to tackle it.

The areas of discussion include:

1:31 - Burnout among entrepreneurs vs. the general population

2:36 - Signs & symptoms of burnout and how normal stress is different from a burnout

5:21 - Identifying burnout through the 6 categories

6:58 - Some ways to overcome burnout

10:00 - The importance of rest

12:06 - The science of sleep

13:54 - What to expect when consulting a psychologist / therapist

16:45 - How entrepreneurs can develop strong mental resilience

20:08 - Focusing on behaviour goals

21:41 - Azran’s morning routine

23:18 - Advice for those transitioning from employee to entrepreneur

24:54 - Benefits of having a co-founder

25:14 - Advice for entrepreneurs who are scaling their business

27:18 - Final piece of advice for founders

Check out Naluri here:

https://www.naluri.life/

#naluri #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthtips #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #isearch #isearchmalaysia #isearchpodcast

In this episode of the iSearch podcast, Benjamin Lim (iSearch) discussed with Sam Dogen (Financial Samurai) on some personal finance tips for entrepreneurs to achieve financial independence.

The areas of discussion include:

1:06 - The definition of financial independence

1:51 - Being financially independent in the 40s

5:27 - Achieving 80k annual passive income

6:54 - Thoughts on entrepreneurs investing in real estate

9:39 - Stocks investment

10:27 - Sam’s background story and its role in his financial independence

12:45 - Entrepreneurship vs. investment banking

13:43 - Common financial mistakes among entrepreneurs

15:54 - Cash vs. loan for purchasing a car

16:29 - Golden rule for buying your own property

17:31 - Reinvesting profits vs. putting it in savings

19:29 - Sam shares what early retirement is like

20:28 - Why Sam wrote “Buy This, Not That”

Check out Financial Samurai here:

https://www.financialsamurai.com/

In this episode of the iSearch podcast, Benjamin Lim (iSearch) discussed with Brandon Lee (Padan Social) on how businesses can build branding and generate leads on TikTok.

The areas of discussion include:

- Strategies for businesses to grow on TikTok

- How brands can leverage on TikTok trends

- Finding quality influencers on TikTok

- Nano influencers vs. Major influencers

- Thoughts on TikTok ads to generate leads

- Why so few Malaysian brands have succeeded on TikTok

- Common misconceptions of TikTok

- Posting TikTok content

- Success stories on TikTok

- No.1 tip for brands looking to get started with TikTok

Check out Pandan Social here:

https://pandansocial.com/

#digitalmarketing #tiktok #tiktokmarketingstrategies #tiktokmarketing #isearch #isearchmalaysia #isearchpodcast

In this episode of the iSearch podcast, Benjamin Lim (iSearch) spoke with Aaron Sarma (ScaleUp Malaysia) on fundraising tips for Malaysian entrepreneurs and startups.

The areas of discussion include:

- Key areas investors look into before deciding to invest

- Traction needed before raising funds

- Bootstrapping vs. raising funds

- The fundraising process in Scale Up Malaysia

- Equity taken by Scale Up Malaysia

- Criteria for a startup to apply for accelerator funding

- What happens if a startup’s revenue is low but has a lot of users

- Why the success rate for startups in Malaysia is low

- Current opportunities to look into

- Does age matter in entrepreneurship

- Aaron’s outlook for fundraising in 2023

Check out ScaleUp Malaysia here:

https://www.scaleup.my/

#scaleupmalaysia #fundraising #sme #startup #startupmalaysia #isearch #isearchmalaysia #isearchpodcast