Open For Business

There are no winners and losers in But Honestly, a card game that gamifies talking and fosters deeper connections between players. The cards encourage emotional awareness and mental health literacy by prompting players to open up about personal stories based on various levels of “difficulty”. In this sequel to an episode of I Love KL from 2021, we welcome Shi Qi Ting back to the station to talk about But Honestly’s post-Kickstarter success, designing comfortable yet insightful questions, and creating a wholesome card game for people of all ages. 

Image Credit: But Honestly Official Website

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Remember how everyone took their love for food to the next level during the pandemic? The husband and wife duo behind La Qumar was no exception to this. They took their favourite sauce, toum, and turned it into a business. Saravanakkumar Shanmugam and Lalitha Balakrishnan, the founders of La Qumar Foods tell us more about this. 

Image Credit: La Qumar Foods Instagram Page

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When Muhilan and his brother, Arvind, lost their jobs due to the pandemic, they had to think of something low-risk to help keep things afloat. After finding a nostalgia-inducing minibus, The Barber Bus was born! We invite Muhilan on the show to chat about diving headfirst into entrepreneurship, keeping the functioning bus stationary in Mont Kiara, and keeping things cosy and comfortable with a limited number of daily customers. 

Image Credit: The Barber Bus Official Website

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The wedding industry in Malaysia is one of its most lucrative, being valued around RM7 billion in 2018; but it was also one of the hardest hit during the pandemic with large scale events totally shutting down for 2 years. What was that like, and how quickly is that sector recovering now that many couples are sprinting post-pandemic to the altar? Benson Yin, owner of bridal gallery Two of Us, discusses taking over the business in 2016 and what sets bridal photography apart as a service.

Image Credit: Two of Us Signature Studio - MY Wedding Gallery Facebook Page

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The pandemic brought a wave of disruption with it, and while F&B outlets were still considered essential services during periods of lockdown, they faced many other challenges that continue to resonate to this day. Chief Shucker Josh Green from Southern Rock Seafood and Shucked Oysters Bar provides his perspective on surviving the pandemic and what’s in store for both the seafood and F&B spaces, especially in light of continued supply chain disruptions

Image Credit: Shucked Oysters Bar Facebook Page

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When we last had Adrian Cheong on the station, his company was still called The Apothecary and not Analogue Apotik. So, why the name change? It has plenty to do with branding and expansion. We invite Adrian back to discuss his range of solid colognes, localising scents for the Malaysian market, as well as the trial-and-error process of creating new scents and fragrances from scratch.

Image Credit : Analogue Apotik Faceboook Page

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Although menstrual cups have been around for decades, historically, they have been less popular compared to sanitary pads or tampons. Why is that? There are so many stigmas and taboos surrounding menstruation, including the use of menstrual cups, but two women who are on a mission to make menstrual hygiene more sustainable and accessible for everyone, are Chen Su Vien and Cheah Yivon, the co-founders of the online enterprise, the Bloody Goodshop. They join us to share more about the life-changing menstrual cups and period care products their store offers, which are both good for you, and the planet.

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 Wedding invitations over WhatsApp are perfectly convenient, but there’s just something about the tactility of a finely printed invitation inside a carefully selected envelope. Former web developers Cliff Leong and Zee Jay decided to tap into the gap in this niche market via The Alphabet Press, a bespoke letterpress stationery company that designs and prints premium wedding invitations, business cards, corporate stationery, and notebooks with their vintage German presses. We speak to the co-founders about keeping the art of old school print alive and catering to the Malaysian market.

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Online transactions have never been more important, especially as we move into a more contactless, wireless world in the wake of COVID-19. Joe Kamil Ahmad, CEO & founder of BetterPay, discusses how they help merchants and businesses streamline online transactions.

Image Credit : Facebook / BetterPay

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Mazer Fintech aims to develop and implement services that bridge the gap between paying expenses and cost overhead fees. They created jomSETTLE as the first financial technology platform in Malaysia that enables the settlement of payments for the underserved payee and payment recipients that do not have credit card receiving facilities. Falco Lee, the founder of jomSETTLE, tells us all about it.

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