Running A FnB Business with Alex from A Pie Thing | An Entrepreneur's Journey Podcast #1

If this is the new podcast we're doing on this channel, We want to make it more special and more business-related. Therefore, this is the first podcast in the field of business. And if you're wondering about this podcast, we'd like to share more So, it won't just be me, it'll be someone else, too. from different companies and different Nisha-Nisha to share their experiences And how you yourself as a business owner who is growing or even if you are a business owner In the middle of your journey, trying to succeed or trying to overcome a certain struggle. So, that's why this podcast is here. If you watch this from YouTube, you know who this guest is. This guy is very famous and he's trying to keep his face. So, without further ado, Tetamu, please introduce yourself. Hello everyone, my name is Alex. I am the owner of A Pai Ting who comes from Damansara Utama And most recently, I also opened another bar restaurant before the pandemic. It's called Tapao which is special with pao and cocktail. If you don't know, what are you doing? Especially Damansara Utama, isn't it? - I'm not going to. So, tell us, why did you decide to start a food and beverage business? Of all the businesses in Malaysia, why did you decide on F&B? Actually, I always wanted to do things for myself, No matter what industry it is, F&B is, I'll say, I started Pai Ting when I was 25. So, it's a little young for a business owner. At that age, you don't have much technical knowledge or experience In many other things. So, I guess starting a food and beverage business is, I'll say, Yeah, it was easier to start at the time. Because you don't need technical knowledge or experience Of course, it will help. But, again, there are also many examples in the real world Opening a food and beverage business without personal experience. So, what I did was, I met two couples who had Maybe they cook from home, Or they like to cook for their friends and family. So, I met them and then we decided to open a cafe together. So, for those of you who are going to be watching this, I'm actually very surprised How often you talk now. So, a little backstory, we cut the video together. I guess last year, not last year? Yeah, the end of last year. Yeah, and it's just a completely different action. Yeah, it's a little annoying because it requires a little action from my side. Okay, all right. I'm not comfortable with pelakonan. But why, you speak, I'm a little surprised that you speak. Right, right, right. I'm better with casual conversation. Yeah, that's good. Okay, tell us more about the pating than your tobacco business. Yes, yes, of course. So, pairing specifically on the cube, as you may be able to see from the name, If you've never been there or tried before. Especially on kemasyarakat, which means meat and sweet. So, it was a snack. They look like bitches. Usually, one cookie is enough for one person. And we made it that way on purpose because before we introduced kuih to Malaysia. I mean, it's not a new thing. We had a kuih in Malaysia, even before we opened here. But, traditionally, people see it as snacks or tea time food, Food is not all there is. So, this is a little different compared to places like, maybe, in the UK or Australia, Where people can actually have a cake as a full meal. Therefore, we want to bring that culture in, a little bit. So we decided to make a bigger piece of cake, make it taste rare, Maybe I'll put it in a topeng like a potato chip, Kuih goreng or kentang goreng. Therefore, it becomes a full food for people. So, actually, we want to bring that culture into Malaysia at that time. So, when you start cuing, Is that the year you actually opened a soup kitchen? We opened in May 2014. It's 2014. So, we're almost 8 years old. So, in the meantime, since usually a cake is not a dessert that you eat during lunch, It's like a mouthwash. Like what makes you think that, okay, you know, Kuih will be the main priority. Yeah, so, I spent a year studying in Australia. Therefore, I am also famous with this trend or culture of Kuih there. And that's where I learned that people can actually have cake as food. Like a stable meal for dinner or for lunch. Then, we realized that basically, yes, there is a difference in the market for kuih. So, at that time, we wanted, as I said, me and my friends, we wanted to open a cafe. But we don't want to do traditional coffee like kuih kopi or maybe Eggs Benedict or whatever. At that time, he was really amused. I'm not sure if you remember that year. - What's that? Right, trendy coffee. But we don't want to be another one of those cafes because we have such big dreams and interests. I'll mention it at that time. At that time, we were very young. We don't want to get lost in the crowd. So we thought, oh no, we need to do something different. We need to do something special. So, we thought about it for a long time. What are we supposed to do here? Then we thought, maybe we could try kuih. Maybe we can introduce kuih to Malaysia because I don't think anyone else did it at the time. So, yes, we are here today. So, what recipe did you start eight years ago that still exists today? Of course, I think you can tell by almost every other F&B business out there. There are changes and slight changes to the recipe that we started on Mulanya. Until today, it will never be the same. So, I'm sure if we could go back to the same time, And you tried lamb chow from our shop at that time. Kuih lamb is a dimasak. Compared to the lamb chops you have today, It's the same name. We still have it on the menu. But I'm sure you'll be able to tell the difference. So, I guess it's normal with other F&Bs. So, maybe we need to adjust. Or give me a call. Maklum is responding to customers. Or maybe there's a change of material. There's been a little change. But I'm sure for 8 years, Every little change will increase. Then it will become another product. At the end. But to answer your question, We have a lamb, I'm going to eat some chicken. Which has been on our menu since day one. There is one menu, One of the cookies in their menu is called Cendawan. I forgot. Yes, it is a Cendawan cuisine. The best. You have to try it. I've tried it many times. Although during our syut, We also tried kuih cendawan. I'd like to ask, In every business, There are good and bad things. So, for people who want to start a food and beverage business, Are there some things they should know Before they start it? I guess, People will need They'll need to do an investigation. First of all, It's a very stereotypical answer, I guess. Very cliché, But I think it's important to Knowing what you're selling. That's the truth. So, what product do you plan to sell? Who is the customer? And you? What's your selling point? Di mana Sell your way? Places and so forth. That's the standard thing. Of course, I think most people will Can answer it. I think it's very important. Write it now, maybe for a document, In PowerPoint Or in the default word, so you can get I'm consolidating all these ideas into one. And it's always better for a journalist. And knowing everything you have, Same thing in your head. Or the same ada is what someone told him. Because it will help you Create a structure for for your business idea. Then you will see I have the same idea. Good or not, Whether you think it works or not is the same. So, You just need to solve The basic things first. Then, You need to projects completed Dan Angga. Not everyone likes that. Not everyone likes that, But you need to do it. As a matter of fact So you can have an idea How much do you need to do? to finish it, How much money do you spend every month? The matter as it is But most importantly, On the other hand, Not too much. I said, About your idea. aspect or Your business proposal. Because what many people do They're talking too much about it. Then, it causes More pressure for them. They'll think, How can they return the investment? And so on and so forth. What I'm saying is You also need to take the first step. And you won't. I'm fully prepared. That's my first advice. All business owners That's attractive and young. You won't be fully prepared. While you do all the planning and preparation, Even if you're not fully prepared, You just need to Committed to make her melancholy. When you're thinking flight schedule or long-haul schedule, How long have you been mencadang suggest or What investigation is needed? For example, I think it took a year and a half. to design. So, we started In the year 2012-2013 When we were 23-24 years old. What is most? What's the plan? Actually, we spent Lots of time to repair. Recipes because we know You want to open a food business. That's your value, that's your product. So, you need to make sure food It's delicious, especially from background F&B that's not formal. So, we need to be 100% sure. Why did he take the mass? Because it is We all have full-time jobs. Before you start This. So, we are just Meet once a week to do R&D, searching recipes and so on. And even though that, Is there time to make a recipe? Are you actually cooking yourself? We went to a friend's house and actually cooked. And the Cubans themselves. We spend a lot of time to solve One day before the opening, We only have One or two queries that have been resolved. A day before the opening. So, I said, don't come I'm going to... Do a better plan than that. Learn from your experience. Maybe he also shows That you don't need to 100% ready for the whole time. So, you just I need to talk to you. I'm going to go. All the way. You have Another restaurant that just opened. Two years ago, right? Masa yang is good. So, it goes into effect in January 2020, Before the membukkan. Speaking of preparations What you do for cooking, for the new restaurant that It's called Dabao. Is it the same step? What you do for cooking Or are you doing something different? Yeah, so, you know, I will introduce you to Dabao. Because I mentioned it. We actually introduce Chinese, but So, it's more like a... But we don't use burgers. This is a traditional recipe. Therefore, we try Change the recipe. Become more influential in the West, maybe. Or, like the element of modern cooking. Become a bungkus. Dan, once again, Bungkus can be eaten as food. So, it's also Interesting thing. It's like a kuih. At the same time, We also sell I'm going to drink some Dabao. So, the point is, it's Bar and restaurant. Yeah, bar and restaurant. So, I think I will sell the Kuih. I am very experienced as a guru of F&B. But, I think There are steps that It's easier. In the process of design. Since I sold A cafe that's quite successful, It'll be easier this time. Of course, this experience will help So, in the circumstances The changes I need, All the equipment I need The shop for, Things will be easier. It's a little fast. I'm going to get some. Maybe x1.5. Not more than that. Because, We will face Many problems and problems The new yang We've never heard of it before. When we open First business. Also because it's not Same concept. There are many new things I need to learn. So, what new stuff did you learn? Because of the new shop I'll provide alcohol. For example, a new license is required. We'll talk about this later. This is an interesting topic. concerning licences. I need to learn the hard way. Actually, you sell Different products. Although I eat, But you sell different foods. So, there are different ingredients that are needed. If you want to open a shop, The equipment required will vary. The investment required will also vary. The equipment required will also vary. Although, We're in the F&B. It's a very broad category. The tea powder business is also in the F&B. Good food restaurant is also in F&B. So, there are many things That's what I need to learn. So, this is the restaurant you opened. Alone or with someone else? Yeah, with different friends. - I'm not going anywhere. We're talking about All that stuff, The important thing is to bring customers The restaurant is I'm not a marketer. That's the rule for all businesses. So, what's your opinion about F&B marketing? Because now, F&B marketing is the most leading It's the Burger Lab. I don't know. How did they find something? In their minds, but the way they market So, how did you get in? Taking responsibility What do you mean? Okay, maybe I will relating to A little background on me. Before I enter Or my first F&B marketing business, I actually work. I'm actually working in marketing. I've been in marketing for four years. I did. Perancangan media di sana. I buy design media for my client. Of course, you do a lot creative strategies and so on. You learn by the way How do you protect your name, How do you create your brand, how do you protect Your jenama, how do you sell it properly. Then, you need to protect your customers' brand. How important is marketing? I'm sure you know that too because you deal with clients. CI, corporate identity. Yeah, I made sure of everything. according to the color and so on. But then again, I guess This will be a very useful knowledge. I'm in the back. Marketing and marketing for I run my own business. So, I learned a lot in those 4 years. So, I tried to apply it In my business too. We know that The logo is required. It's a little simple. But actually, We really like it because I think People can remember it easily. And what we did was We are mana-mana's menampung logo. So, in our packaging, In our napkin, Wherever we can, The shop. Because we want it to be our mind when people think of us. I think this is It's a good exercise. for many business owners. Also because I guess there's a lot of business in F&B. At that time, They don't care about identity. They only remember Their names. They don't focus on the logo. They think Food and service is the most important. It's a little weird. Before this, We were talking about identity of business which are subconsistently related to business. He was talking about My studio background. They think it's this. But actually, I'm filming for someone else. But the background is that Become an identity for his business. Sometimes, You never noticed That business. Have a business. It is It's a re-creation of the subconscious. Or maybe we didn't think It is a sub-concern business. Like Starbucks, or something. I'm going to tell you something. Everything is business. The subconscious. Talking about business, Who made the name? Er Pai Ting? What is it? Yeah, maybe... I was just... Is it like Eureka? Yeah, it's like that. We have many choices. So, we... Is it okay if you still remember One of the first drafts for that name? - No, I'm not going. There are many easy things. Like a Pie Factory, where are you? Pie lab, Or Burger Lab. Many. But we don't like it. Kami doesn't like it. So, we thought Er Pai Ting is one of them. The choice we have. We just want to make it. Very easy. There's no place like that. There is no such name. It's a pun. I'll make it We'll have a conversation. Like, what is that? Just by hearing the name itself, You'll know what we're selling. It's something unique too. Okay, good for you. Let's go into the Lisan section. Because I guess Not many people know about it. If they don't have experience The F&B. Lisan. What? Can you tell us What about Lisa? Because I know there are many different languages. Tell us about it. For any F&B business, You need a local counselor. If you open it from PJ, Kuala Lumpur, You will get Lisan MBPJ or DBKL. I mean, every region has a language. - That's right. If you open in PJ, you just need to get a license MBPJ. Is it hard to get it? Okay, this is a troubling matter. Every counselor. The demands are different. So, there are general rules. Is there a man-man? They can find this regulation? I guess you can google. Like, counselor local Restaurant opened Have a request. There are general regulations Like, all the workers you need diinjek with vaccine - What's wrong? Dan, everyone needs Attended a course in food management. But, how firmly Depends on this - I'm on counsel. Later, did he mean that before you open Restaurant, you need to go through this process? So, technically, yeah. And you also need to attend the course in food management. Even before opening The restaurant. So, wow, there's money that burns Even before opening it. That's not the worst part. For a certain counselor, They have request for changes. The worst part is Some places that are necessary I'm cooking for you. Your restaurant is completely. It's for Purge the area. You see some places that have Actually, that's not allowed. For some counselors. Is it just for the outside, not the kitchen area? No, it's a pun. Even the food court. I mean, this is a good point. It's harder to clean if it's full of temporary. Dan, please. Di-mana-mana even has food, Even the wall needs cleaning. That makes sense. So, technically, placing the kitchen area, And you need to send all these pictures counsel to obtain approval of Even before you opened the shop. But, by the way, When you have everything, you still need Open the shop. Actually, you still need He said, Oh, I already have All this, here it is. My admission for my exam. Then, you still need to wait for them to come back to you. How many people actually Waiting for them to come back? How long does it take? Usually, we all know How does our kingdom work? Depends on the counselor again. So, you got lots of places. I just share. It doesn't matter. You got plenty of places open Without Lisan. Maybe in the first place. So, they give Some counselors will send a staff I'll inspect your shop for a year. to give Lisan the one thing. The class I saw, A, B, C, what is that? Actually, it is like Part of it. It's not part of the process. Depends on the counselor, too. If I'm not mistaken, Part of it Ministry of Health. This is... One of the things they do. So, what about another lisan? Because I'm doing some research. They say to deliver alcohol to the kitchen, They need to have a certain language. To send a copy, they need to have a license. So, how many lisans actually? I think Kopi will fall If they don't have a specific language. For example, if you open a cafe, You just need to show that you're opening a cafe. So, if you want to open a bar, You need to mention it. It's a very complicated matter. Because you need to mention What you're serving. Are you serving a bottle of drink? Do you serve a draft drink? So, when you prepare beverage draft, or coffee drink, I have a certain lisan. So, if you have a specific language, It's a rather difficult process. I'm sure you've heard it. It takes a long time to get a certain license. Maybe because Also in Malaysia where we have alcohol A little harder to sell. There are even commercials about certain languages. About how we won't have A certain Lisa and so on. And this is the key. They also asked for Kopitiam to ask for a certain lisan to sell bottled drinks. I'm not sure if you remember, A few months ago. Like I said, You don't need a specific license for bottled drinks. But recently, Ask Kopitiam to ask them for a certain license. They also told Chinese medicine shop That they can't sell bottled drinks. It's also controversial. Last year. Is it accepted? No, is it? I'm not sure. That's a certain part of the list. To get a certain license, You need to get the truth, police. You need to send a profile of the business owner. This is the police. to make sure you don't have The background of penjenayah. Meanwhile, you need to make List of classified Saying that to LX will sell bottled drinks. Like to show that LX sells bottled drinks. It is a long process. Dan is very upsetting. To add to that, If you want to have DJ, console DJ Or if you want to have a life sentence, You need to beg Lisan Pertunangan. And it's a different salary. So you can open a bar without a DJ. And the prison is alive. Then you don't need to beg for a special license. Wait a second. Is that to enhance the show? Is it something that's been going on for months? It's something that's been going on for months. If I don't wipe, Because I don't have any Prison is alive, It's a little expensive. So how if it is A one-time event? Like a birthday party? Sejujurnya, I think they can Looking for a market if they want. If they find out. I didn't know there was a Lisan. for the engagement. I'm just thinking about food and business. How much pressure you're under. There's also Lisan Musik. It's not part of counselor or government. There is an association in my hand. If you play music first, Like Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran, I need you. What? Lisan music. So the company is a musician. The one who keeps company. Dan production company. So you need to pay them. Playing for La-lagu di your restaurant. I'm really surprised now. There are many things to do. Even before opening the shop, You have a lot of lisan. According to that topic, What are you thinking? The future, 10 or 15 years from now, The trend of mana Be more kitchen kelab And people text from their phones And food came to them. As you say, Getting all this lisan is a hassle. Do you think this is the way forward Or you think restaurant, This physical restaurant will still be here? We can share. Our opinion. I'm going to tell you, It's an instant. The trend is working. For example, in Kegayaan, You have a kind of shirt. Then, the trend died. Now, you're wearing an excess shirt. I must, one day, The shirt I'm wearing will be back. I think this is the same in the world of food and beverages. I think physical therapy is still relevant. I think people still want to eat out. I myself, before the closing, thought what's the point of having a physical store? But the pandemic is coming, I want to go out with Mom, sit outside. This is why I think 10-15 years from now, no humans, penghantar, cooks, We just ordered from the phone and went to the restaurant, food is already there. I'm sure technology will play a role in the progress of this F&B industry. Domino's Malaysia does the same thing. Tell me the number and you can eat at the place. What do you think of the robot officials? We all need the human element, but from a business standpoint, First, it's much cheaper, second, you don't have to invest. You can code and program them. What do you think? Back to what I said earlier, people still want to eat. I think service and hospitality is a big factor. They want to hide you, hide you. They want to see people smile or talk to them. I'm sure robots and other technology will play a role, will help the food and beverage industry in the future. I don't think people can do it completely without humans. How people adapt is another matter. But I'm sure there are perlibatan manusia. Something like this happened a few years ago. I'm not sure about the boss. You know the story of the Great One? A motor train or a machine-machine that can be made by yourself. They say the magnifier doesn't matter anymore because there's a machine. I think for a decade or two, the Great One still exists. I don't know, I think humans still have human feelings. I want to see humans. A few questions before we go to the last question. What's the biggest word you ever learned? About eight years. What are the three biggest words you've learned? The biggest three-way? Too much. There are many things I'm learning. I think you need courage to walk forward. However I decided to do it, Or for 8 years, I must have many decisions I need to make. Difficult decisions sometimes, but you need to be brave. If you pretend sometimes, it's your failure. I understand a lot of things. I'll deal with him later. There's something else I want to deal with. If you're going to be able to deal with him forever, It's going to get bigger. Then one day, trouble will appear in your face. So I'll say, try to always resolve conflicts or problems as quickly as possible. What kind of conflict do you think might arise? Especially if this is the first time you've been to Berurus Niaga, There are many problems you may face. Everything under the sun. The company, the customers. Why doesn't the food look like it should? Why isn't anyone walking to the door? Why is there an object in my food that shouldn't be there? Sometimes there are couple problems. Sometimes there are many unexpected things. Sometimes you think you can finish it tomorrow, But tomorrow there are 10 more problems that will appear. So sometimes the best thing is Try to finish it as soon as possible. Alex said problem after problem. Don't get me wrong. Running this business is normal for us. Every day we will receive a new problem. This is a businessman and a businessman. So if you hear Alex say another problem will arise, This is my backup. If you're not good for this, you can be a worker. That's all I can say. Starting from the last part, you said the problem is the couple. I want to ask your opinion. Most people when they start a business, They always say, I need a business partner. I need two or three people together to do it. Some people say, why do I need a business partner? I can do it myself. Do you think every business needs a partner? to be a successful business? I think it would help to have a partner. It will reduce the pressure to have a partner. Then you will hear many stories-stories night About the business couple. Maybe you misunderstood or miscommunicated. Or you disagree with the direction of business. This matter, you need to establish Matter before running a business. Also, don't have too many partners. Even though you have a couple of partners, Determine scop and responsibilities clearly before we had a business together. Why do you think we need to have many partners? It's hard to explain. It depends on the first business. Is everyone scope? Does everyone do the same thing? If everyone did the same thing, If everyone has words in everything. That's why I think 3 is the best number. This applies to my company before, I only have 2 pairs. Sometimes when we agree, No third party agreed. I think that's a good number. Or maybe if I say A and you say B, You need a third person to say A or B. Because 2 is marriage. But if I say A and you say B, And the third person says A, Then it might be a problem if you are a sad person Or if you are someone who wants to travel. So it depends on the partner you choose And we'll settle this before we open. But don't be disappointed if your partner leaves. It's like a love game. I had 2 couples before this, But our communication is not right. That's a good point because I think it applies. More often than we think. There's a lot of business out there, Especially Mark Zuckerberg. Don't get too emotional about it. Sometimes it's for the good of business. We're heading to the Penghujung podcast. Before we finish this, Is there any last word? Or the honest advice you want to give To people now? If they want to start tomorrow, What advice can you give? Ambil risk yang dikira-kira. I'm not going to let you go. You need to be brave enough to do it. I like to make deals. Sometimes I schedule too much. And think too much for my own good. But you need to be brave enough to do it. Although you may not be fully prepared. Sometimes you have to do it first. And then learn along the way. But I'm not saying that everyone will do it without knowledge. Once again, the risk is dikira-kira. You need to make sure it's dikira-kira. That's the most important thing. But if you don't do it now, Then what? Sometimes me and my friends I want to start over, Because we know The more responsibility and commitment we have, It's getting harder to take risks. So if we start at the beginning, We need to justify ourselves. to keep the safety, so that the matter may not shift, So we have time to re-grow. As we said before, We need to be prepared to face problems. Because that's the nature of business. One thing that can help Is if you have any interest Dan believes in the idea. Or your ambition, If you have a will to succeed, Dan believes in this idea, I think it will help you to try to solve everyday problems. So adding risk, So that it's easier, Before I start my business or have an advantage, I'll make two versions. First is goodbye. The second is the worst case scenario. I don't know if you'll do it. Or not. If the business is closed Or I lose my equipment. or an accident because of a lot of travel. What's the worst that could happen? I don't know about you, But if I do, I think I'm ready. Is this one of the risks? I won't do it. I'm just preparing a contingency plan. When such an event happens. But I'm not writing. If I get involved in an accident. We all know. What will happen when the worst happens. Is there a plan? Yeah, I think that's important too. To add a little to the section of the Persian friends, to establish that If we make a lot of money, What's the next step? I guess that's a lesson that can be learned. From my own experience, Because we didn't do it. We need to think about the next step. If we make a lot of money. I think it's very important too. We have already reached Penghujung. I want to thank Alex for coming to this first episode. I hope you're feeling better. If you're interested, You can melang this channel. I'll also contact Alex. Do you want your personal Instagram Dihubungi or just your shop-shop? We'll see how it goes. We'll talk off camera. If you want to check out his restaurant, I'll put a knot under here. As usual, go to there,