April Lam moved from Hong Kong to Bali but sees the whole of Asia as her marketplace.
What’s your story?
I am originally from Hong Kong and now living in Bali running a business consulting firm to connect business owners with the ecosystem here in ASEAN markets, with a focus on FMCG and affordable luxury brands. Most people see Bali as a travel destination yet I see ample business opportunities here that can lead to the development of the region.
What excites you most about your industry?
We clarify misconceptions or bias and disrupt the standard practices of market entry. In the old days companies entered a market through building a team and making a presence there before there was sales validation, now we are able to speed up the process to 4-9 months which is a game changer, especially for small business owners who are challenged with time and urgency to yield.
What drives you in business to push beyond what other people consider normal?
I think it’s a combination of my rebellious persona that I want to challenge the regular ways of making things happen, and the belief in going with the flow. I am probably the only female entrepreneur from HK who’s running a business in Bali now, and it all started with my first touch with Indonesia back in 2007; since then I have spent a lot of effort building my know-how of ASEAN. I made intentional choices along the path that the universe leads me to.
What have been the most useful skills you have learnt and applied in your journey?
Being able to fact check and then make sense of information for making a sensible business decision in the current world which is full of overwhelming and unnecessary information.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
“People who have no umbrella run faster in the rain.”
Thinking lack of resources as an advantage can be a game changer; often times we are asked by clients, why should we work with you instead of xxx established companies? My answer is because we are small, and we are small enough to understand that you need on-the-ground resources and implement them as if we were your extended team, and that’s what established companies can’t do.
Who inspires you?
Elon Musk
What have you learnt recently that blew you away?
An article about cyclists (people who ride bicycles as their main mode of transportation) who create no value to economy – because they don’t buy gas, they don’t always pay for parking which means not helping to create job opportunities. They are able to stay healthy and visit doctors less, buy less medicine so a NO to the pharmaceutical industry. They don’t need to pay tax for their bicycles either so are not preferred by governments. Is it why most countries don’t encourage cycling? On the other side McDonalds are good for the economy because they create jobs, they pay tax etc.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
I would invest in cryptocurrency since day 1 and spend time studying blockchain and its subsequent impact to the world.
How do you unwind?
Sleeping and spending time with my husband and son, my ways to unwind are very simple and I do them every weekend.
What is a major mindset change, belief shift or ‘ah ha’ moment that you’ve experienced in relation to your business?
Most people think of ASEAN as a developing market where consuming power is low and thus not worth exploring, so my “ah ha” moment came when I turned it into a math question: what if a business targets only at the top 5% of this 660million + population? We are then talking about 33million cream consumers; that’s equivalent of another Malaysia or Peru’s size of population. How could that size not work for brands?
Everyone in business should read this book:
Elon Musk is a must read.
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Shameless plug for your business:
There’s nothing better than receiving experts’ guidance when entering a nascent market, think of the costs you’d need to pay if you didn’t work with a consulting firm…
Connect with us for a free 30-minute consultation to assess your product-market fit.
How can people connect with you?
Look up “Aello consulting” on Linkedin, sorry our website is under revamp
Social Media Links?
www.linkedin/aelloconsulting.com
This interview is part of the CallumConnects series.