you made it yeah well meaning we made it
hi I’m Serena and I’m Chanel we started
an accidental hitman business about
almost 10 years almost okay but what we
didn’t know then was that when we
started we broke the very first rule of
business and that is never to work with
your family and your best friend so next
year our business will be 10 years old a
milestone we think because it is a
statistical fact that 50% of small
businesses fail in their first year so
the question is why are we still in
business and what did we do so
differently to still be here talking to
you today okay so everyone says never
work with your best friend
right but we have a genuine passion for
fashion we love fashion we love dressing
up we love to craft and the business was
formed purely as a way to get our
designs out there because you know we’re
based in kuching yeah and we’re like you
know we just love fashion we don’t
follow trends so we were driven almost
possessed to succeed as a team so rather
than break the friendship it made us
even stronger so we’ve got the perfect
partnership
well we fall and we fail we fail
together and not one person is to blame
we don’t take things personally like
business is business
yeah we don’t hold grudges I could not
agree more I think that’s the reason why
we’re able to still be in business
together when she says something that I
don’t like I don’t take it to heart
I actually just laugh about and I go
yeah that’s true and we move on to
laughing yeah in 2009 social media was
all the rage and Facebook was all that
everybody was talking about we went from
a very text-based society to a visual
one overnight and phones were getting so
smart much much smarter we were no
longer limited to SMS texts and photos
were what we were all addicted to you
have to agree with me right
we went from SMSing to then wanting
pictures so with every post that we did
on Facebook we got more and more
traction which leads to the next tip
that we didn’t take which is spend
on advertising this may be true for
other businesses out there but when
you’re strapped for cash like we were
spending money on materials to make your
product is more important than spending
on advertising for us free advertising
we love anything free we love the word
free anyone love from don’t be afraid of
the word free okay was the only option
for us when you have no money but to be
honest you have to be very resourceful
and you have to be creative we used
ourselves as models as you can see
because we know why we’re great don’t
have any money
models and we really hit the streets to
drum business I have to say if you are a
new business in a small business you
have to be shameless don’t be afraid to
go out there and saw your own product
and force your family and friends to
spread the word I’m gonna go back yes
yeah says have a target market to be
honest our initial target market was
ourselves we were designing everything
just for ourselves for our own guilty
pleasure yeah yeah it was but then you
know eventually people like what we
creates it so then we started listening
to our customers you know like what do
you want like who’s our target market
but basically you know everybody wears a
headband everybody buys our headbands
from grandmas two little babies I kid
you not male and female but you’re all
our target audience everyone bye we can
show you something
trust us yeah we can buddy and today
every one of you what I put a head in it
anyways so you know what we do know now
is that we listen to our customers and
as more requests came in asking us to
make baby in children’s accessories and
the more we realize how huge this market
was so today 70% of our business is for
children’s and something that if you
told us from the start that that was
what we would be doing like making
children’s assessment would have just
laughed we would have been no way well I
cannot into babies but now we have baby
so we get it it’s a huge market
the next tip that we always hear have a
business plan
and everyone says this okay that’s the
tip we actually didn’t take either
people often ask us what are your plans
and to be honest in the economic
downturn that we’re experiencing right
now in Malaysia it really is just to
keep our overheads going each month our
goals have always been rather small
we have never sat down with a plan to
build our business to a certain point
and then sell it but that’s not to say
that we don’t plan but in MBA terms were
very far from it we’re in it tour done
and one day and we’re not afraid to say
this our business will probably close
yeah at some point because we just want
to keep it between the two of us when
that’s gonna happen we don’t know it’s
10 years next to you we still can’t
believe it
um and our plan is just to keep going
until it’s not fun anymore
yeah I think it always will be though
yeah it’s something that you know we
never really planned I said yeah but now
that we’ve grown as a family I can start
a really strong team yeah next tip oh
yeah one says borrow more money yeah we
didn’t we started with an initial
investment of 15,000 each of our savings
and in one year we made it back within a
year yeah so since then we don’t take
any salary everything that we make all
our profits go back into the business so
as we grew slowly we saved every point
every penny and slowly we weren’t able
to hire people to help us so with staff
we grew and we’re able to complete
larger orders people often say get
investors you know borrow money don’t
use your own money but what if your
business is a small as ours like we just
make headbands
yeah we’re not a big business well we
know for sure is that it is possible to
build from small and work your way up so
sure it took us ten years but we’re
proud to say that we’ve never taken a
loan not from what sorry yeah what you
said and if we didn’t have any money
we didn’t buy materials it’s simple you
know like we don’t spend what we don’t
have yeah so again he what is free
whatever we could get for free would so
we had to be smart and creative with
what we had next tip
make in China buy cheap so high that’s
another tip we hear a lot right people
always advised us to manufacture our
headbands overseas and to buy in bulk
for us this business model was really
never an option again was serene he was
saying we really didn’t have the money
and we didn’t really have the clue we’re
living in Kuching like that’s just too
far away for us where our product was
made was a huge factor in our branding
when we started we made every single
item together we made everything with
ourselves with our hands it got
overwhelming yeah and because we were
small we had the flexibility to make
really small quantities but in a huge
variety of designs today our items are
made here in Borneo by people from our
local community and it’s something that
makes us unique and people like that I
would stress to others that producing
small does work we’re living proof it
enables you to be so much more
responsive to change when customers want
something you’re able to just do it and
it’s also so much more environmentally
friendly because we don’t hold stock so
that’s another thing do you think about
next tip hold stock everybody says but
online we only make what people order we
don’t hold any stock so though we don’t
offer a speedy turnaround on our website
we offer instead a huge selection of
choice so we’re able to custom all our
designs in any color you want and if
there’s a particular design that you
want us to modify we can do that because
we don’t hold stock so this again breaks
the rules of holding stock so customers
at first were highly annoyed but then
over time and again with careful saving
we were able to open two retail stores
and partner with retailers other
retailers of his shops to buy from us
and they have stock for customers who
want something on the spot yeah so
that’s how we did it wholesale guys so
the next tip that always people say
follow trends especially in fashion
there’s like huge forecasts and there’s
like a fashion calendar that everyone
sticks to we don’t stick to it at all we
make things when we want to make them we
both mothers now sometimes we just put a
pause on work
in terms of creating and that’s okay and
I think that’s the beauty of our
business is that we’re able to create
when we want and when we think we’re
ready for it this is a new one
yeah crucian karaoke okay clock is on a
what can you take away from us today
well with so much advice out there
sometimes it’s good to go against the
grain and do things differently you know
it’s ok not to be perfect because
business is the most unpredictable
dog-eat-dog world I know it sounds
really cliche but you know everybody
says come up with a unique product
there’s only one you only you can think
of that particular product pour all your
personality into it don’t be afraid to
be different just be you and you’ll be
fine and there’s an element of survival
in the fittest
I’d be unique be prepared to work hard
you’ll make it very well yeah how so
just do something you love and do it
well and just worry about the business
side later I think the serenity and I we
just loved making things together it
just so happened to be a headband but
business really wasn’t the first thing
that we did at the beginning of it we
sort of slowly realized very quickly a
lot of mistakes that we made but there
were good mistakes to have and we’ve
learnt and the business has grown from
them
we also would say make sure that your
you know product has a clear point of
difference and don’t bankrupt yourself
in the process
yeah yes that’s so important you got to
be really careful with your money lastly
this is a good one
be so good that they just can’t ignore
you exactly
just remove or go home yes that is our
motto and thank you Steve Martin for
that quote and thank you guys for
listening to us today we hope you
learned something thank you beautiful people you’re great
hi I’m Serena and I’m Chanel we started
an accidental hitman business about
almost 10 years almost okay but what we
didn’t know then was that when we
started we broke the very first rule of
business and that is never to work with
your family and your best friend so next
year our business will be 10 years old a
milestone we think because it is a
statistical fact that 50% of small
businesses fail in their first year so
the question is why are we still in
business and what did we do so
differently to still be here talking to
you today okay so everyone says never
work with your best friend
right but we have a genuine passion for
fashion we love fashion we love dressing
up we love to craft and the business was
formed purely as a way to get our
designs out there because you know we’re
based in kuching yeah and we’re like you
know we just love fashion we don’t
follow trends so we were driven almost
possessed to succeed as a team so rather
than break the friendship it made us
even stronger so we’ve got the perfect
partnership
well we fall and we fail we fail
together and not one person is to blame
we don’t take things personally like
business is business
yeah we don’t hold grudges I could not
agree more I think that’s the reason why
we’re able to still be in business
together when she says something that I
don’t like I don’t take it to heart
I actually just laugh about and I go
yeah that’s true and we move on to
laughing yeah in 2009 social media was
all the rage and Facebook was all that
everybody was talking about we went from
a very text-based society to a visual
one overnight and phones were getting so
smart much much smarter we were no
longer limited to SMS texts and photos
were what we were all addicted to you
have to agree with me right
we went from SMSing to then wanting
pictures so with every post that we did
on Facebook we got more and more
traction which leads to the next tip
that we didn’t take which is spend
on advertising this may be true for
other businesses out there but when
you’re strapped for cash like we were
spending money on materials to make your
product is more important than spending
on advertising for us free advertising
we love anything free we love the word
free anyone love from don’t be afraid of
the word free okay was the only option
for us when you have no money but to be
honest you have to be very resourceful
and you have to be creative we used
ourselves as models as you can see
because we know why we’re great don’t
have any money
models and we really hit the streets to
drum business I have to say if you are a
new business in a small business you
have to be shameless don’t be afraid to
go out there and saw your own product
and force your family and friends to
spread the word I’m gonna go back yes
yeah says have a target market to be
honest our initial target market was
ourselves we were designing everything
just for ourselves for our own guilty
pleasure yeah yeah it was but then you
know eventually people like what we
creates it so then we started listening
to our customers you know like what do
you want like who’s our target market
but basically you know everybody wears a
headband everybody buys our headbands
from grandmas two little babies I kid
you not male and female but you’re all
our target audience everyone bye we can
show you something
trust us yeah we can buddy and today
every one of you what I put a head in it
anyways so you know what we do know now
is that we listen to our customers and
as more requests came in asking us to
make baby in children’s accessories and
the more we realize how huge this market
was so today 70% of our business is for
children’s and something that if you
told us from the start that that was
what we would be doing like making
children’s assessment would have just
laughed we would have been no way well I
cannot into babies but now we have baby
so we get it it’s a huge market
the next tip that we always hear have a
business plan
and everyone says this okay that’s the
tip we actually didn’t take either
people often ask us what are your plans
and to be honest in the economic
downturn that we’re experiencing right
now in Malaysia it really is just to
keep our overheads going each month our
goals have always been rather small
we have never sat down with a plan to
build our business to a certain point
and then sell it but that’s not to say
that we don’t plan but in MBA terms were
very far from it we’re in it tour done
and one day and we’re not afraid to say
this our business will probably close
yeah at some point because we just want
to keep it between the two of us when
that’s gonna happen we don’t know it’s
10 years next to you we still can’t
believe it
um and our plan is just to keep going
until it’s not fun anymore
yeah I think it always will be though
yeah it’s something that you know we
never really planned I said yeah but now
that we’ve grown as a family I can start
a really strong team yeah next tip oh
yeah one says borrow more money yeah we
didn’t we started with an initial
investment of 15,000 each of our savings
and in one year we made it back within a
year yeah so since then we don’t take
any salary everything that we make all
our profits go back into the business so
as we grew slowly we saved every point
every penny and slowly we weren’t able
to hire people to help us so with staff
we grew and we’re able to complete
larger orders people often say get
investors you know borrow money don’t
use your own money but what if your
business is a small as ours like we just
make headbands
yeah we’re not a big business well we
know for sure is that it is possible to
build from small and work your way up so
sure it took us ten years but we’re
proud to say that we’ve never taken a
loan not from what sorry yeah what you
said and if we didn’t have any money
we didn’t buy materials it’s simple you
know like we don’t spend what we don’t
have yeah so again he what is free
whatever we could get for free would so
we had to be smart and creative with
what we had next tip
make in China buy cheap so high that’s
another tip we hear a lot right people
always advised us to manufacture our
headbands overseas and to buy in bulk
for us this business model was really
never an option again was serene he was
saying we really didn’t have the money
and we didn’t really have the clue we’re
living in Kuching like that’s just too
far away for us where our product was
made was a huge factor in our branding
when we started we made every single
item together we made everything with
ourselves with our hands it got
overwhelming yeah and because we were
small we had the flexibility to make
really small quantities but in a huge
variety of designs today our items are
made here in Borneo by people from our
local community and it’s something that
makes us unique and people like that I
would stress to others that producing
small does work we’re living proof it
enables you to be so much more
responsive to change when customers want
something you’re able to just do it and
it’s also so much more environmentally
friendly because we don’t hold stock so
that’s another thing do you think about
next tip hold stock everybody says but
online we only make what people order we
don’t hold any stock so though we don’t
offer a speedy turnaround on our website
we offer instead a huge selection of
choice so we’re able to custom all our
designs in any color you want and if
there’s a particular design that you
want us to modify we can do that because
we don’t hold stock so this again breaks
the rules of holding stock so customers
at first were highly annoyed but then
over time and again with careful saving
we were able to open two retail stores
and partner with retailers other
retailers of his shops to buy from us
and they have stock for customers who
want something on the spot yeah so
that’s how we did it wholesale guys so
the next tip that always people say
follow trends especially in fashion
there’s like huge forecasts and there’s
like a fashion calendar that everyone
sticks to we don’t stick to it at all we
make things when we want to make them we
both mothers now sometimes we just put a
pause on work
in terms of creating and that’s okay and
I think that’s the beauty of our
business is that we’re able to create
when we want and when we think we’re
ready for it this is a new one
yeah crucian karaoke okay clock is on a
what can you take away from us today
well with so much advice out there
sometimes it’s good to go against the
grain and do things differently you know
it’s ok not to be perfect because
business is the most unpredictable
dog-eat-dog world I know it sounds
really cliche but you know everybody
says come up with a unique product
there’s only one you only you can think
of that particular product pour all your
personality into it don’t be afraid to
be different just be you and you’ll be
fine and there’s an element of survival
in the fittest
I’d be unique be prepared to work hard
you’ll make it very well yeah how so
just do something you love and do it
well and just worry about the business
side later I think the serenity and I we
just loved making things together it
just so happened to be a headband but
business really wasn’t the first thing
that we did at the beginning of it we
sort of slowly realized very quickly a
lot of mistakes that we made but there
were good mistakes to have and we’ve
learnt and the business has grown from
them
we also would say make sure that your
you know product has a clear point of
difference and don’t bankrupt yourself
in the process
yeah yes that’s so important you got to
be really careful with your money lastly
this is a good one
be so good that they just can’t ignore
you exactly
just remove or go home yes that is our
motto and thank you Steve Martin for
that quote and thank you guys for
listening to us today we hope you
learned something thank you beautiful people you’re great
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