Open For Business

In a crowded footwear market, how does a 62-year-old Danish brand stay relevant? For ECCO, it starts with a unique "cow-to-shoe" philosophy, owning the entire value chain from tannery to retail floor. But facing a post-pandemic market downturn and a "promo pandemic" of endless discounts, the brand is rethinking its strategy.

Managing Director Benjamin Chin joins us to discuss how ECCO Malaysia & Singapore is navigating this challenging retail landscape. He explains their shift to "glocalization" (global brand, local relevance), the evolution of their brand promise beyond just "comfort," and how they are managing the complexities of an omni-channel world where the customer journey is no longer linear.

We discuss:

• The "cow-to-shoe" business model and why owning the supply chain matters.

• Navigating the "promo pandemic" and the bullwhip effect of inventory.

• "Glocalization": Adapting a Danish brand for the Malaysian market (and weather).

• The omni-channel reality: Why physical stores and e-commerce are no longer separate.

• Moving beyond "comfort" to build an emotional connection with customers.

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Caring for ageing parents is becoming one of Asia’s fastest-growing emotional and practical challenges. Yet much of that burden remains invisible.

We speak with Ivan Mun, Founder of ELLO, about how personal loss led him to build AI-powered caregiving technology designed to monitor seniors without intruding on their dignity or independence. Can artificial intelligence truly provide peace of mind at home? And in a crowded care-tech market, how does a young startup earn trust when stakes are this personal?

We explore how technology may reshape the future of caregiving and what it means for families across a rapidly ageing region.

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In June 2023, How Meng Hock led a management buyout (MBO) of OMS Energy from Sumitomo Corporation to prevent the company from liquidation. Less than two years later, he successfully listed the company on the NASDAQ, raising over $33 million.

However, the transition to public life has been turbulent. Since its IPO in May 2025, the stock has faced significant volatility, dropping around 40% from its listing price.

How Meng Hock joins us to deconstruct this whirlwind journey. He opens up about the complex financial engineering behind the buyout, the "James Bond" level secrecy required to keep the business stable, and the realities of navigating Investor Relations as a foreign issuer in the US.

We discuss:

• The MBO Deal: How he acquired the company for $2 million cash plus taking on existing debt to save 600 jobs and lessons learnt from the process.

• Accounting Anomalies: Unpacking the $49 million "bargain purchase gain"

• The NASDAQ Lesson: Why deep market liquidity doesn't guarantee stock performance and other lessons from listing on the Nasdaq

• Leadership Shifts: The psychological weight of no longer having a "guy upstairs" to defer to.

• Strategy: Why he views the future as "Energy Addition" rather than just transition.

  For founders and CEOs considering an exit or listing, this is a candid look at the mechanics of an MBO and the relentless demands of the public markets.

Image Credit: OMS Energy Technologies

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It started as a one-year experiment to cure a career frustration. Eight years later, Lit Books has become a favourite among many readers, particularly those who enjoy a more curated and meaningful book browsing experience. But behind the curated shelves and cozy atmosphere lies the tough reality of running an independent bookstore in Malaysia.

Co-founder Fong Min Hun joins us to share the story of Lit Books. He discusses the transition from journalism and consulting to retail, the operational challenges of slow logistics and cash flow, and how they survived the pandemic by hand-delivering books via the LRT.

We discuss:

• The "do it or shut up" moment that launched Lit Books.

• The commercial reality of being "two months away from shuttering."

• Why cash flow, not just profit, keeps a business alive.

• How they expanded to e-commerce overnight during the pandemic.

• And much more...

Some book mentions and recommendations from Min Hun:

• The South by Tash Aw

• Fierce Land by Omar Musa

• Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

• Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy

• Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams

• Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

• Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

• Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

• Meltdown: Scandal, Sleaze and the Collapse of Credit Suisse by Duncan Mavin

For book lovers and aspiring retailers, this is a candid look at the passion and pragmatism needed to keep an independent business alive.

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Ladore Signature wants to ride "Rent-to-Own" (RTO) furniture all the way to an ACE Market listing. But with current revenues around RM500k, is their target of hitting RM25 million by 2029 ambitious... or delusional?

Business Development Director Kun Chi Jun and Strategy Officer Ray Chung join us to defend their strategy. They unpack their role as the direct-to-consumer brand of the larger group, explaining why they believe acquiring 10,000 tenants is realistic and is the magic number to fuel an IPO.

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Andrey Leskov, the Co-Founder of illumi, an AI-native whiteboard, aims to help teams turn scattered AI chats into visual workflows that build context, compound knowledge, and speed up complex work holistically. Why did the company feel this was a blind spot in the current wave of AI adoption, how did it lead them to build illumi, and what have they learned so far from helping early teams to rethink how they collaborate in an AI-driven workplace? We dive deeper into all that and more in this conversation. 

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What started in 2014 as a lifestyle investment to feed his wife's love for cakes has grown into 43 outlets, with more en route. Vanilla Crepe has expanded from a single cafe to 43 outlets and over 100 distribution points, recently breaking past 8-figure annual revenues.

CEO Nelson Liew joins us to share the story behind this growth. He discusses their unique mix of owned vs. franchised outlets, how they manage costs through strong supplier partnerships, and their ambitious vision to become Malaysia's largest integrated F&B platform.

We discuss:

• The "accidental" start: from a lifestyle cafe to a scalable business.

• How they pivoted from retail to owning the IP and central kitchen.

• The strategy behind their owned-to-franchise model.

• Their "pandemic-proof" growth: doubling store count during the MCO.

• Future plans: international expansion to Indonesia and FMCG products.

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Malaysian drone company Aonic, with top-line revenue near RM300 million, is executing a major strategic push: its own “Made In Malaysia” proprietary hardware, the Mist Tec 50 drone. This shift is driven by a core insight: after-sales costs for imported drones were too expensive for local farmers.

Founder and CEO Cheong Jin Xi (JX) joins us to unpack this evolution. He details why Aonic’s competitive edge lies in its comprehensive ecosystem, including physical service centers, proprietary software, and a financing arm, and how this model is set to drive the company’s expansion into robotics and new global markets.

We discuss:

• The strategic expansion from distribution to IP development.

• The core competitive edge: why their proprietary solution makes drones better fit for local needs, cheaper and more accessible. 

• How the integrated ecosystem (hardware, software, financing, service centers, and training) creates value.

• The advantage of being "Made in Malaysia" for exports to Western markets.

• The unique risk management of Aonic Flex, which aligns collections with harvest cycles.

The future roadmap: plans for expansion into robotics and ground/underwater drones.

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What does it mean to modernise upon family legacy in a traditional space? For Emily Chin and Medalized, it meant moving from "big plastic trophies" to creative design and bespoke awards that aim to tell a brand's story. Now, as the "Legacy Curator" of Medalized, she's taking it one step further: experimenting with content creation.

We discuss:

• The family legacy in the "boring" awards industry.

• Her journey from accounting to starting Medalized. 

• The pivot from "big plastic trophies" to bespoke, custom designs.

• Her strategy for competing with low-cost manufacturing from China.

• The future vision: creating "meaning behind the awards" by expanding to content

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Today, we’re looking at a brand that has quietly transformed kitchens across the world. Thermomix, the smart kitchen appliance by Vorwerk, has sold over 10 million units globally, and recently celebrated a major milestone with the launch of its first experiential flagship store in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

At the same time, the company unveiled its latest innovation, the Thermomix TM7, a step forward in the brand’s mission to revolutionise home cooking. Revealing more about Thermomix’s Southeast Asian expansion, its unique business model, and what innovation looks like in the modern kitchen is Christine Wong, General Manager of Vorwerk Singapore and Malaysia.

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