Open For Business

How a TikTok Math Tutor Built a Seven Figure Business

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Debbie Soh started her career as a home tutor before pivoting to an online model during the pandemic. By leveraging free, short-form math content on s...

Why Good Pet Groomers Are Harder to Find Than Customers

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Adrian Goh has been in the pet care game since 2004, eventually launching Wet Nose in 2011 to create a completely bootstrapped, neighborhood pet hub.&...

The Real Hustle Behind Malaysia’s Biggest Indian Food Court

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Virunthu at KL Town is currently recognised as Malaysia’s largest Indian food court, operating a vibrant, community-driven dining ecosystem. The pla...

Getting High-Spending Tourists to Sleep in the Forest

26 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Hooton Retreat is a premium glamping and eco-tourism site in Negeri Sembilan. By leveraging its direct adjacency to a permanent forest reserv...

Baking Cakes That Actually Taste As Good As They Look

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Transforming a creative passion into a sustainable business requires strict pricing strategies and solid operational systems. Lakhshmi Priya Suppiah, ...

Why Investors Just Put RM10M Into This Malaysian Accounting School

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Founded in 2020, TYMBA Education Group entered the market to address low pass rates and limited access to accounting qualifications outside major citi...

Inside Malaysia's Multi-Million Ringgit Preschool Empire

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Ministry of Education recently updated its guidelines to allow optional Standard 1 enrolment for six-year-olds. While this policy provides familie...

Putting the Yellow School Bus in Your Pocket

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Every single day, millions of students step onto a school bus and embark on what is largely an "invisible journey." For the hour they are on the road,...

The ROI of the Skyline: 14 Years of The Marini’s Group

19 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Kuala Lumpur F&B industry can be brutal. Most trendy dining spots survive for two or three years before becoming obsolete. Yet, 14 years on, T...

I Dreamt of Washing Shoes (And It Made Me 5 Figures)

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Gurcharanvir Singh built his company because he had a dream about washing shoes.Three years later, Guchi Cuci is a highly profitable, 5-figure home-ba...

The PropTech Rebellion: How MyRumahBaru is Changing Real Estate

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For years, the Malaysian property market has been dominated by a legacy "discovery-only" portal model. Real estate agents are forced to pay RM3,000 to...

The FMCG Playbook: How Fukuro Scaled to RM14M Without VC Funding

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fukuro Malaysia was founded in 2019 to fill the "missing middle" in the kitchenware market. Co-founders Daryl Lai and Kevin Lau recognised that local ...

Preserving Amachi's Legacy One Appam At A Time

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Amachi’s Palagaram is a brand dedicated entirely to preserving traditional Indian sweets and savories. What began as a heartfelt weekend project ope...

Polar Cold: The Agritech Startup Rebuilding Urban Refrigeration

12 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In Southeast Asia, nearly 40% of food is wasted before it ever reaches the consumer. Much of this spoilage happens in the "last mile"—the chaotic jo...

Life After VC: How BloomThis Scaled to 8 Figures Solo

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 2023, after years of utilising seed and VC funding to scale their operations, BloomThis co-founders Penny Choo and Giden Lim executed a rare strate...

Menopause Asia: No, It’s Not Just Burnout

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Perimenopause is rarely discussed in boardrooms, yet it causes 1 in 4 women to consider leaving the workforce — often at the absolute peak of their ...

Inside the Revival of Mum’s Place

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, Mum’s Place was an institutional dining destination in Petaling Jaya, famous for its comforting, Peranakan-influenced Malaysian dishes....

The Messy Middle: Bootstrapping Cuura to 7 Figures

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The local Malaysian beauty industry is dominated by aggressive marketing, promising consumers "flawless skin in 3 days" and chasing the latest viral T...

Can AI Save Malaysia’s Overstretched Hospitals?

05 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Healthcare systems globally are buckling under the weight of administrative tasks. In Malaysia, where the doctor-to-patient ratio hovers around 1:450,...

The Ecosystem Play: Why Gelatomania Is Building More Than Just Outlets

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most F&B founders measure success by the number of retail outlets they open. But Christine Tham and Leong Hoo Yin quickly realised that relying so...

Unstaffed And Profitable: Inside Malaysia’s Pre-Loved Book Empire

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Is it possible to run a highly profitable retail business in premium shopping malls by selling products for just RM5 on the honour system?Adrian Ung, ...

The 8-Figure K-BBQ Empire: How Gu On Hacked The F&B Growth Curve

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Gu On is not your average Korean BBQ joint. Launched in July 2023, the brand specialises in traditional Korean smoked meats, rich bone broths, and mod...

The Science Of Waste: How Bina-BioX Is Replacing Plastic With Coffee And Mushrooms

30 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Sustainability is often treated as a corporate branding exercise, but in reality, it is a deeply operational, systems-level problem. Replacing plastic...

The Sticky Business Of Scaling: From Pasar Malam To 7-Figure Corporate Gifting

29 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia is sitting on a goldmine of natural biodiversity, yet local functional foods often suffer from a massive "trust deficit" due to adulterated p...

The Business Of Play: How Litt Tak Built A 41-Year Toy Empire

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Since 1985, Litt Tak has been the silent engine behind Malaysia’s toy industry. As the official distributor for global giants like Bandai, Takara To...

How Dáo Desserts Took Tau Fu Fah To The Cafe Scene

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, tau fu fah and soy milk were largely considered traditional Chinese street food, but as dessert cafes booming with bubble tea, bingsu, an...

Monetising Intimacy: How Construct KL Turned A Balcony Into A Business

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Randy’s Laundromat: Elevating The Malaysian Laundromat Experience

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 tur...

Marketing The MICE Industry: Why General Marketing Fails B2B Events

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When the pandemic decimated the events industry in 2020, Melissa and Ethan found themselves retrenched. With just RM500 and no grand ambitions, they b...

How To Sell Canopies On TikTok: Joo East’s RM1.6M Hustle

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 fo...

The Policy & The Pitch: Scaling Angsana Health

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In January 2026, Series A digital health company Angsana Health executed a strategic move - they acquired MiyaHealth's subsidiaries and its Managed Ca...

How A Marketing Veteran Turned A "Lonely Mall" Massage Shop Into A 6-Figure Brand

15 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 qu...

Turning iPhone Videos Into A 6-Figure Wedding Empire

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 g...

How Decube Is Unblocking Enterprise AI

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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’...

Is Regenerative Business Just A Luxury? A 50,000km Quest For The Truth

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Is "regenerative business" a practical reality, or just an ESG buzzword? Benjamin Parent decided to find out by doing something extreme: quitting his ...

From Hipster Tea To RM3 Million: WonderBrew’s Mass Market Formula

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For years, kombucha was dismissed as a niche, "hipster" health drink. Now, WonderBrew has transformed it into a mainstream Malaysian beverage, scaling...

12 Studios, 8 Figures, PE-Backed: Inside The Flow Studio

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How do you scale "good vibes" & namaste into a sustainable, 8-figure business? On the surface, the boutique fitness industry looks like a beautifu...

Can This Startup Democratise Diagnostics?

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Advanced diagnostics often remain locked inside centralised laboratories and are technically impressive, but inaccessible to many who need them most. ...

20 Years, 300 Stores: Inside Coolblog's Post-Founder Era

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 unpa...

Beyond Dead Batteries: The Business Of Roadside Rescue

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 reliab...

The Growthpro Strategy To Combat Traditional SEOs

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

30+ Years Of Serai: Building A 9-Figure F&B Family Biz

01 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 e...

Foodie Media: From RM1 A Day To RM75M IPO

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

How AquFish Is Turning Fish Farms Smart

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food production sectors, but it’s also exposed to volatility, rising feed costs, water quality risks, and ...

Carsome, But For Car Servicing? ServAuto's RM24M Raise

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Would you trust a TikTok live streamer to sell you car servicing? Armed with US$6 million (RM24 million) in recent funding, ServAuto is betting that y...

The Evolution Of Oxwhite

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Once known for its 120-day pre-order white shirts, Oxwhite has since evolved into an omnichannel retail brand with physical stores, a broader product ...

Using “Tiny Homes” to Build a RM150M Hotel Chain

22 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 2017, Adrian Chia turned a holiday joke into Big Tiny, a "tiny house" hospitality group that now manages over 1,000 keys across 22 countries.With R...

15 Clinics and Counting. What’s Next For Kyno?

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In Malaysia’s fragmented primary care landscape, Dr. Saifulhaziq Noorman is building something more structured. Through Kyno Primary Care and its 14...

Pulling The Rug From Tradition

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For many heirs in Malaysia’s family businesses, the biggest decision is not how to grow what they inherit, but whether to stay at all. Kelvin Khandh...

Battery Subscription For Commercial Trucks & Vans?

15 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if your truck battery never failed again?For a logistics firm, a dead battery is more than just a nuisance, it’s a broken timeline, spoiled car...

Can A Catering Business Really Scale? RunningMen Did

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Building a catering business is easy to start, and notoriously hard to scale. For Andrew Chee, Founder and CEO of RunningMen Celebrations Group, the c...

The Business of Slow Blooms: Why Nook Flowers is Choosing Principles Over Profits

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In an industry often defined by high-speed logistics and international imports, Brenda James of Nook Flowers is carving out a different path in Malays...

It’s Not About Coffee. How ZUS Beat Starbucks.

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From a single kiosk to beating Starbucks and becoming Malaysia’s largest coffee chain in just 6 years.The journey began just months before the pande...

Can This Startup Rewire Medical Tourism?

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia has top hospitals, competitive pricing, and a strong reputation in medical tourism yet much of the demand is still controlled by foreign inte...

Her Duit: Why Money Is No Longer Enough

08 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when you’ve built a loyal audience and 5 years of momentum, but you feel trapped by the very niche that built you?Michelle Chin, foun...

Her Duit: Why Money Is No Longer Enough

08 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when you’ve built a loyal audience and 5 years of momentum, but you feel trapped by the very niche that built you?Michelle Chin, foun...

Applecrumby’s New Chapter: Scaling Past E-Commerce

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Two years ago, Applecrumby was navigating its transition from a long bootstrapped journey into its next growth phase. Today, the company is expanding ...

How This Marketer is Turning Practitioners to Paid Professionals

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Many professionals have deep expertise but struggle to turn that into a credible, sustainable career as a trainer, facilitator, or industry practition...

Turning Banking Apps Into Billboards? The Buzz Pivot

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 2022, brothers Joshua and Joel Lim set out to eliminate single-use plastics with BeeBag, a gamified reusable bag venture. But after facing a hard t...

Scaling the Sweet Spot: The Discipline of Gula Cakery

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In an F&B landscape often defined by rapid burnout and aggressive discounting, Arieni Ritzal has taken a different path. Since her last visit to t...

Building Huddle: AirUpThere’s Startup Journey

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Grassroots sports have always had the talent, the passion, and the stories but rarely the technology.AirUpThere Technologies is trying to change that....

From Gaming Chairs to Building Ergonomic Lifestyles

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Two years ago, TTRacing was already a fast-growing gaming chair brand making its mark across Southeast Asia. Since then, the business has continued to...

1.9 Million Empty Homes: How Urby Rescues the Ruins

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

1.9 million. That’s how many living quarters are vacant here in Malaysia, nearly 20% of the total, according to the 2020 Census. This puts hard numb...

Milk, Money, and Kid-Genius Ideas

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What does it really take to bridge the gap between a child’s imagination and a viable business model?In this episode of Open For Business, we explor...

Halogen's Crypto Moat? 0 to RM400M AUM in 3 Years

25 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Is it possible to reduce an investment portfolio's risk by adding a highly volatile asset like Bitcoin? Halogen Capital Co-Founders Hann Liew and Luca...

Bonus Checks and Bass Lines

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to build a business when the stakes are high and your time is already accounted for? In this episode of Open For Business, we s...

When Passion Gets Professional

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What does it really take to turn passion into a sustainable business?In this episode of Open For Business, we sit down with Janice Siew, founder of Pe...

From 2 AM Curry Puffs to Siti Li: 23 Years of F&B Survival

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The F&B industry is often romanticised, but for Shareen Ramli, the reality is far grittier. Yet, for 23 years, she has stayed in the game, evolvin...

From Cargo Drones To Passenger In The Sky

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Open For Business, we sit down with Dr Shian Lee, the aerospace engineer behind Alphaswift Industries.This is not a shiny drones co...

$176M: How an “Accidental Founder” Built Doctor Anywhere

18 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Founded in 2017 as a simple telemedicine app, Doctor Anywhere (DA) became a pandemic darling, raising nearly $176 million from heavyweights like IHH H...

Old Recipes, New Ambitions: How Hock Kee Kopitiam Is Expanding

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How do you turn nostalgia into a scalable business in one of Malaysia’s most crowded food and beverage markets?On this episode of Open For Business,...

Anti-Coworking, by Design

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Open For Business, we look at why coworking seems to have lost its way and whether a quieter, more stripped-back model is the answe...

Anti-Coworking, by Design

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Open For Business, we look at why coworking seems to have lost its way and whether a quieter, more stripped-back model is the answe...

Anti-Coworking, by Design

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Open For Business, we look at why coworking seems to have lost its way and whether a quieter, more stripped-back model is the answe...

Suing Trump’s White House: Has Costco Cracked the Code?

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In late November, Costco filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the “Liberation Day tariffs", and the White House remained surprising...

FeedMe: The Operating System For Better Dining

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Restaurants are under pressure like never before like rising costs, staff shortages, shrinking margins, and systems that were never designed for today...

10 Years of APOM: From Selling Tees to “Rebranding Malaysia”

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 2015, advertising veterans Chantelle Teoh and Kelvin Long grew tired of the generic, "embarrassing" souvenirs found at Central Market. They wanted ...

Sagtec: From POS Systems to NASDAQ & A 50% Stock Drop

11 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Founded in 2018, Sagtec Global Limited was a three-person operation in Kuala Lumpur, aiming to digitise Malaysia's F&B sector. Fast forward to Mar...

Greening The Grey — A Farm In The City

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Open For Business, we speak with Paul Dass, Managing Director of Green Street Farms, about what it means to grow food with care in ...

No Equity, No Fee Accelerator? AppWorks’ Deal Flow Engine

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Startup accelerators are everywhere, but few operate like AppWorks. Based in Taiwan with a sizable footprint in Southeast Asia, the firm runs an accel...

Morgan Stanley to Fintech: Helicap’s Private Credit Play

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Private credit has exploded over the last decade. But is it a necessary structural shift or a "shadow banking" bubble waiting to pop?David Z Wang, Co-...

Can Ted Optimus Fix Retail Investing?

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysians are investing more than ever, but many are doing so in a market flooded with hype, social media tips, and unverified “gurus.” The resul...

AI Startups: Why Distribution is the Only Moat Left

04 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

While skeptics dismiss the current wave of startups as mere AI 'wrappers,' a grassroots movement in Kuala Lumpur is ignoring the noise and building an...

Nomad Capitalist: Building a Life Where You’re Treated Best

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For many entrepreneurs, the idea of living and working anywhere in the world is the ultimate goal. But for Andrew Henderson, it’s more than a dream—...

Replacing Microsoft Office with Memes? Inside Agnes AI

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The AI sector is frothy, filled with "wrappers" disguised as deep tech and companies blurring the line between innovation and snake oil. Yet, Agnes AI...

Being SME-First: How HitPay Scaled to $1B Volumes

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Southeast Asian payments landscape is a fierce battleground, crowded with global giants like Stripe and Adyen, regional heavyweights, and local ga...

Turning Buffet Waste Into A Business.

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When most people think of buffets, they think of indulgence, not innovation. But for treatsure Co-Founder and CEO Preston Wong, surplus food became a ...

From Paper to AI: Why Arkmind is Digitising Money Lenders

14 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The non-bank lending industry, comprising licensed money lenders, pawnshops, and used car dealers, often operates on paper ledgers and Excel sheets. J...

The HOPE Box That Started a Movement

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Prof. Dr. Billy Tang’s journey from paraplegic farmer to global changemaker is at the heart of PWD Smart FarmAbility, a disability-led social enterp...

Series A, B, Then Exit? Why SEA Has a $400M Exit Ceiling

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While the rest of Southeast Asia was chasing the "super app" dream and burning cash on subsidies, Qualgro took a different path. For the last decade, ...

From KL to Texas: Superdough’s Global Expansion Story

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With a 50/50 revenue split between local and international markets, Superdough has quietly grown into an 8-figure entertainment powerhouse. Already op...

Branding Places, Not Just Projects: Inside IMAJEN’s Strategy

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia’s property market is crowded, competitive, and increasingly shaped by branding that goes far beyond logos and brochures. In this episode, w...

Symbiotica: Turning RM10K into a RM125M Global Export Biz

07 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Founded in 2001 with just RM10,000 in savings and RM110,000 borrowed from friends and family, Symbiotica Specialty Ingredients has grown into a major ...

Building Game-Makers, Not Just Graduates

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia’s gaming industry has crossed the billion-dollar mark, but a critical talent shortage threatens its momentum — from programmers and tools...

From Family Legacy to Industry Leader: The Fire Fighter Story

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Michelle Hah stepped into her family’s fire safety business, it was already a trusted name built on decades of service. But she saw the potenti...

WORQ’s New Strategy: The 'Country Club' Office

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

18 months ago, co-working operator WORQ planned to raise RM40 million to fuel its expansion. But halfway through the process, they stepped back from t...

From Weddings to Corporate: Evenesis’ Pivot to Survive

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What started in 2010 as a simple wedding RSVP tool has evolved into a complete event technology platform. After a crucial pivot away from the consumer...

Can ECCO’s Cow-to-Shoe Model Survive the “Promo Pandemic”?

30 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 th...

Should AI Watch Your Parents?

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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

OMS Energy: From MBO to NASDAQ & A 40% Stock Drop

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...