Startup Climb

In this week's episode of Startup Climb, we talk to Ee Chien, owner of Jekyll & Hyde cocktail bar. Jekyll & Hyde is one of Singapore's iconic cocktail bars. Located in the heart of the CBD at 74 Neil Road in Tanjong Pagar, you can find signature cocktails and a curated selection of whiskeys and gins. This week, we speak about COVID's impact on the FnB industry, customer loyalty, and more.

You can find out more about Jekyll & Hyde here:

https://www.facebook.com/JekyllAndHyde.SG/

Disclaimer:

This episode was recorded on 10 June 2020

Any views/opinions made by the guest is the guest's opinion. It does not represent the views/opinions of the host or the podcast. The podcast is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for any professional advice.

Timestamps:

0:42 What is Jekyll and Hyde?

1:21 Why take over a cocktail bar?

2:20 How do you choose the new location of the bar?

4:28 How do you grow a brand with a limited budget?

6:17 How do you product validate in the FnB industry?

7:03 How do you juggle between a day job and running the bar?

7:55 Why do it part-time?

8:29 How do you hire and what are the qualities that you look for?

10:07 Customer reviews and how do you handle them?

11:15 Impact of COVID on Jekyll and Hyde?

12:55 How do you ensure the quality of the cocktail through delivery?

14:05 Biggest learning point from doing delivery?

15:22 How do you manage the additional cost from delivery?

15:52 How do you see the FnB industry changing due to COVID?

17:24 What was your greatest struggle thus far?

18:35 If you could change something, what will you change?

19:54 Do you believe resilience can be learned?

21:38 How do you promote customer loyalty

22:26 Have you ever thought about expanding the bar?

23:25 Will you recommend someone to go into the FnB industry part-time?

24:19 If you could give one advice to an aspiring entrepreneur what will it be and why?

25:42 How do you do market research with limited resources?

Connect with us:

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupclimbpodcast/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhb7TW07ORyW3wLROEvo0A

On this episode of Startup Climb, we speak to Katrina, CEO and Co-Founder of Savour!, to find out more about how Savour! is tackling the problem of food wastage. Savour! is a one-stop B2B e-procurement platform with a social and environmental cause connecting companies and B2B customers in Singapore. In this episode, we talk about student entrepreneurship, making a social impact and how to find mentors.

You can find out more about Savour! here:

https://www.savourapp.co/

Disclaimer:

Any views/opinions made by the guest is the guest's opinion. It does not represent the views/opinions of the host or the podcast. The podcast is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for any professional advice.

Timestamps:

00:49 Introduction to Savour!

01:40 How does Savour! reduce food wastage?

02:30 Logistics flow behind Savour!

03:14 Why did you choose to start Savour!?

04:30 Would this be very expensive for the merchants on your platform?

05:30 How did you meet your co-founders?

06:11 How big is the team at Savour!?

07:30 Were there concerns working with people you just met?

08:05 What was the biggest challenge thus far at Savour!?

09:12 How did you get your first client?

10:13 What was the process like running a product trial?

11:02 How do you get consumers to notice your product?

13:08 How did you allocate your resources when you first start?

14:05 Is it difficult to juggle school and your startup and would you recommend students to start their startups in school?

15:10 Do you feel that being a student opened more doors?

15:50 What are you doing to prepare for your launch?

17:12 How do you generate buzz for Savour! with mainstream media?

18:04 How did you secure your investor?

19:46 What was your biggest learning experience that you got thus far running Savour!?

23:00 How did you come up with such impactful initiatives?

23:47 What was the challenge that COVID presented Savour! and what were the changes made?

25:10 What was your biggest achievement at Savour!?

26:33 How do you feel about all the success coming in at once?

27:50 How do aspiring entrepreneurs find mentors?

30:39 Is being outspoken something that you already possess or that you cultivate over time?

31:37 What is one advice that you will give to your past self?

Connect with us:

[email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startupclimb/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupclimbpodcast/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhb7TW07ORyW3wLROEvo0

Season 2 of Startup Climb is here! This week, we talk to Rusydi, CEO and Co-founder of Reactor. Reactor is a startup in the education space, that aims to teach entrepreneurship to youths. With their unique teaching approach and passionate staff, they help students develop academically and personally to the highest level.

You can find out more about Reactor here:

https://www.reactor.school/

Disclaimer:

Any views/opinions made by the guest is the guest's opinion. It does not represent the views/opinions of the host or the podcast. The podcast is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for any professional advice.

Timestamps:

0:40 Sharing on Reactor School?

1:35 How did you get the idea to start Reactor school? Was there a problem that you identified?

2:25 Is it difficult to penetrate the different markets in Southeast Asia?

3:11 How did you hyper localised?

4:20 How did you choose where to allocate your resources when you first start?

6:40 What were the qualities you look for in your first candidate?

7:54 What is the business model for Reactor school?

8:45 How do you feel the SEA market differs from that of the bigger markets?

10:05 The education space in Singapore?

12:01 Are there any pushbacks when you try to educate youths about entrepreneurship?

14:00 How did you curate topics for your syllabus?

15:46 What makes a start-up investable?

16:56 Is it important for a start-up to be profitable before being funded?

18:28 How did you pivot from the COVID situation?

21:55 Where will Reactor stand in the future landscape?

23:58 What was your greatest struggle thus far and how did you overcome it?

26:34 How did you get your first client?

27:40 What is your greatest achievement thus far at Reactor?

28:51 What is the quality that you feel is most important in an entrepreneur?

30:41 How do you validate your idea?

31:51 What is one that advice that you will give to your past self?

34:32 A book that you will recommend for entrepreneurs?

Connect with us:

[email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startupclimb/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupclimbpodcast/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhb7TW07ORyW3wLROEvo0A

Season 2 of Startup Climb is here! This week, we talk to Benjamin Ang, co-founder of Genesis Motion Design. Founded in 2015, Genesis is a motion graphic agency based in Singapore at aims to break through the standards of motion design and creates groundbreaking projects that will captivate the audience. Benjamin is part of the Forbes 30 under 30 2020 cohort and speaks at various conferences as a guest speaker.

You can find out more about Genesis Motion Design here:

https://wearegenesis.tv/

Disclaimer:

Any views/opinions made by the guest is the guest's opinion. It does not represent the views/opinions of the host or the podcast. The podcast is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for any professional advice.

Timestamps:

(1:00) What is Genesis Motion Design?

(2:00) How big is your team?

(2:45) What did you look for in your first hire?

(9:30) Thoughts on the creative industry in Singapore?

(15:20) How do you manage burnout?

(17:10) How did gaming inspire you?

(20:20) How did you get your first client?

(23:20) How do you determine how much to charge a client?

(26:45) Is it difficult to get recurring clients in the creative industry?

(33:05) What are you working on at Genesis?

(36:22) When you first leave school, have you ever considered joining a studio instead of starting on your own?

(39:00) Is it a natural progression for people to start their own studio?

(40:35) What was your biggest struggle and your takeaway from it?

(46:40) What is one advice you will give to your past self?

Connect with us:

[email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startupclimb/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupclimbpodcast/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhb7TW07ORyW3wLROEvo0A

In this episode of Startup Climb, we have Daryl Lim, co-founder of Augmentus. Augmentus is a robotics technology startup that offers a full-stack code-free robotic automation platform to enable non-technical users to develop dynamic robotic systems.

You can find out more about Augmentus here:

https://www.augmentus.tech/

Disclaimer:

Any views/opinions made by the guest is the guest's opinion. It does not represent the views/opinions of the host or the podcast. The podcast is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for any professional advice.

This was recorded on 28 May 2020.

Timestamps:

00:45 What is Augmentus?

04:09 What qualities did you look for in your employee?

07:26 How did you allocate resources when you first start?

11:06 What is the quality that a founder should have in order to succeed?

13:05 Do you feel that being a student entrepreneur brings forth any advantages and disadvantages?

16:57 Do you feel that being a student entrepreneur helped you to find mentors?

18:30 Did you gain an advantage in your industry being a student entrepreneur and in deep tech?

20:00 Did COVID change the way you operate your start-up?

23:17 Are you re-prioritizing to focus on the international market?

24:30 What was your greatest struggle thus far?

26:50 How important do you feel hackathons/competitions are to get validation?

28:51 Would you advise a student to go into student entrepreneurship?

30:50 What did you trade-off to become an entrepreneur?

33:50 Biggest achievement so far at Augmentus?

37:45 What is a quality that you look for in an investor?

41:00 What is one advice that you will give to an aspiring entrepreneur?

For any feedback or inquiries, please email here:

[email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startupclimb/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupclimbpodcast/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhb7TW07ORyW3wLROEvo0A

On this episode of Startup Climb, we have Kang Liang, Founder and CEO, Swapie. Swapie is an early stage FinTech start-up that aims to provide cost-saving services for micro enterprises by leveraging on various loyalty and payment programs. We discuss how to navigate the early stages of product validation, finding a mentor and self-care.

You can find out more about Swapie here:

https://www.swapie.co/

Disclaimer:

Any views/opinions made by the guest is the guest's opinion. It does not represent the views/opinions of the host or the podcast. The podcast is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for any professional advice.

Timestamp:

0:35 How did you get the idea to first start Swapie.

2:20 Will there be a lot of hassle and paperwork involved?

3:50 How scalable is the product?

5:10 How big is the team at the moment?

6:16 What are the qualities that you look for in your interns?

8:45 Which quality do you prioritise?

12:30 How did COVID impact Swapie?

15:45 Have you tried doing B2C for Swapie?

16:16 What was your biggest struggle thus far in running Swapie?

20:05 How did you cope with the stress and struggles of starting a startup?

23:12 Do you feel that the entrepreneur life is very lonely?

26:11 How to find mentors?

31:31 What is your greatest achievement thus far at Swapie?

35:20 What is one advice that you will give to an aspiring entrepreneur.

For any feedback or inquiries, please email here:

[email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startupclimb/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupclimbpodcast/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhb7TW07ORyW3wLROEvo0A

In this week's episode of Startup Climb, we have Jerry Chua, co-founder of Moovaz. Moovaz is a start-up focused on international relocation. In 2020, Moovaz announced a series A funding of US 7 million led by Quest Ventures. In the episode, we discuss what makes a successful pitch, early resource allocation and how do we identify flexibility in potential new hires.

You can find out more about Moovaz here:

https://moovaz.com/

Disclaimer:

Any views/opinions made by the guest is the guest's opinion. It does not represent the views/opinions of the host or the podcast. The podcast is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for any professional advice.

Timestamps:

00:40 What is Moovaz?

06:05 What was the problem that you identified in the international relocation industry?

08:37 How do you find a trustable team in another country?

10:00 Where do you allocate resources when you first start?

12:05 Qualities that you look for in your employees?

13:10 How do you identify flexibility?

14:40 How big is the team at the moment?

15:02 How do you manage cross border operations?

16:00 Why did you choose to expand to the Philippines?

17:30 How big of an impact do you feel an investor has on the business and its operations?

21:30 What makes a successful pitch?

23:47 How did you pivot from COVID?

25:45 Why did you choose the startup path?

27:20 Have you thought of going into corporate?

28:00 What was the biggest struggle thus far and what did you learn from it?

29:57 Was there a particular event that you learn a lot from?

33:30 Biggest achievement/milestone?

34:20 What is the vision for Moovaz in the future?

35:54 What is a quality that you feel an aspiring entrepreneur should have?

37:30 How do you first do an initial validation of your product?

39:54 What is one advice you will give to your past self?

41:10 How do you practice positivity?

Connect with us:

For any feedback or inquiries, please email here:

[email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startupclimb/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupclimbpodcast/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhb7TW07ORyW3wLROEvo0A

In this week's episode of Startup Climb, we have experienced digital entrepreneur and investor Shaun Ling to share with us his journey founding and managing iPrima Group. We talk about cross border business operations management, how to bounce back and recover after losing clients, and the impact of COVID on the business. 

You can find out more about iPrima Group here:

https://www.iprimamedia.com/

Disclaimer:

Any views/opinions made by the guest is the guest's opinion. It does not represent the views/opinions of the host or the podcast. The podcast is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for any professional advice.

Timestamps:

00:35 What is iPrima Media?

01:40 How big is your team at the moment?

01:55 Why did you start iPrima Media? What was the problem identified?

03:40 How did you educate your clients on the benefits of digital marketing?

05:35 How has digital marketing changed since the start of iPrima Media?

06:25 Why did you choose to expand to Malaysia?

08:00 Was there a difference doing business in Sarawak vis a vis JB?

08:35 Was there any challenges managing a business with operations in 2 countries?

09:55 How did you overcome the challenges?

10:35 How far into starting iPrima media before you make your first hire? What were the qualities that you look for?

12:50 How did you allocate your resources when you first start your business?

17:15 How did you recover from clients refunding on the business?

18:22 Was there a time during that period where you felt you couldn't do the business anymore?

21:13 What was the biggest factor that contributes to your success today?

22:23 How do you constantly keep yourself up to date with trends?

24:00 How did COVID impact the business and how did you respond?

30:50 How do you ensure that the quality of work will not be affected when you onboard new marketers?

34:00 What was the greatest success thus far in your entrepreneurship journey?

39:24 How do you handle so many businesses at the same time?

41:45 How do you choose the businesses to invest in?

45:00 What was the biggest sacrifice that you have to make to pursue your entrepreneurship journey?

46:02 What is the one thing that you will do differently if you can restart your business?

47:50 What is one advice that you will give an aspiring entrepreneur?

Connect with us:

For any feedback or inquiries, please email here:

[email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startupclimb/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupclimbpodcast/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhb7TW07ORyW3wLROEvo0A

In this episode of Startup Climb, we talk about the ed-tech space in Singapore and how to deal with feedback with Wong Lei, co-founder of Ottodot. Ottodot is an ed-tech startup based in Singapore.

To find out more about Ottodot:

https://www.ottodot.com/

Disclaimer:

Any views/opinions made by the guest is the guest's opinion. It does not represent the views/opinions of the host or the podcast. The podcast is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for any professional advice.

Timestamps:

00:35 Introduction to Ottodot

00:57 What was the problem that you identified?

03:54 Are parents open to the idea of Ottodot?

04:50 Why start with science as a focus?

07:30 What made you switch from engineering to education?

08:57 Was Ottodot started in school?

10:13 Was there pushback from friends and family?

12:27 Was there a timeline set for yourself?

13:50 What did you focus your resources on when you first start?

14:52 Would you try to sell your product to schools to make it an integral part of STEM education?

16:15 How do you address the concerns raised by schools?

17:21 How was Ottodot impacted by the COVID situation?

19:30 Was there any product change due to the new situation?

20:57 How scalable would Ottodot be?

23:11 What makes Ottodot unique?

25:00 What was your greatest struggle thus far running Ottodot?

27:19 What was your greatest accomplishment?

28:50 Will you advise someone to go into entrepreneurship?

30:35 What is the main quality that you feel is important in an entrepreneur?

31:50 Do you feel that grit can be learned?

32:50 What is one advice you will give to an aspiring entrepreneur?

35:43 Ending thoughts

Socials:

For any feedback or inquiries, please email here:

[email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startupclimb/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupclimbpodcast/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhb7TW07ORyW3wLROEvo0A

In this episode of Startup Climb, we discuss soft skills development with Felix Tan, founder, and CEO of Skilio, a Singapore startup that aims to develop soft skills through experiences.

To find out more about Skilio:

https://skilio.co/

Disclaimer: 

Any views/opinions made by the guest is the guest's opinion. It does not represent the views/opinions of the host or the podcast. The podcast is not intended to constitute or be relied upon as professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for any professional advice.  

Timestamps:

0:40 What is Skilio?

1:40 Size of the team?

2:23 How did you meet your co-founders?

4:59 How do you measure soft skills?

7:20 Can you use soft skills as a yardstick?

10:10 Does a company culture affect the development of soft skills?

12:35 The state of the ed-tech sector?

17:35 What is the most important soft skill that a founder should have?

20:30 How to develop adaptability

22:18 Can you accelerate soft skill development?

24:24 Do you feel that being a student gives you an advantage in your entrepreneur journey?

28:35 Would you advise a student to become an entrepreneur?

30:20 What was your biggest struggle thus far at Skilio?

33:30 Did COVID accelerate the growth of Skilio?

35:30 What would you have done differently looking back?

37:20 What was the greatest achievement thus far at Skilio?

40:19 Are you looking to raise funds?

40:40 What is the one quality that you will look for in an investor?

41:30 What is one advice that you will give to an aspiring founder?

43:05 Personal thoughts on the interview

Socials:

For any feedback or inquiries, please email here:

[email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/startupclimb/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupclimbpodcast/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhb7TW07ORyW3wLROEvo0A