My quote of the day 26th December 2013

A smile doesn't cost you anything

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 22nd December 2013

Shoot first, explain later.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 9th December 2013

Don't marry the woman you want, marry the woman you love.

- Jun King Sze

Rebellious. Ridiculous. Radical.

My opinions are so rude, they call me Rebellious.

My ideas are so crazy, they think im Ridiculous.

My actions are so brazen, they label me a Radical.

When the day comes, they will say I was Revolutionary.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 29th November 2013

I started by saying it was impossible, then it was not enough.

At first it was impossible, then it was not enough.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 24th November 2013

I am not perfect, but I make up for it with my weaknesses.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 21st November 2013

When there is no risk, there is no loss. 

When there is no loss, a victory has no purpose.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 19th November 2013

When you can no longer help yourself, it is time to help others.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 17th November 2013

Where there is someone lazy, there is an opportunity.

- Jun King Sze

Movies every start-up or entrepreneur should watch

Personally, here's a list of movies I think start-ups or entrepreneurs can learn a thing or two:

1. I, Robot
2. The Social Network
3. Monsters University
4. The Italian Job
5. Back to the Future Part 1
6. Robots (yea the animation voiced by Ewan McGregor)
7. Dredd (the Karl Urban version)
8. The Guilt Trip: how to pitch really well.
9. Middle Men: what it means to find the right partners.
10. Jerry Maguire: the relationship and roles between Jerry and Rod

This list is updated from time to time, last update 4th February 2015

What's the morale in it? Watch and learn....

My quote of the day 11th November 2013

If you shy away from questioning, then you are shying from greatness.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 8th November 2013

If you don't pay for it, you won't appreciate it. 

- Jun King, Sze

Note: this is a reference for freemium apps. As there are too many freemium apps out there, users who download them won't remember them much because it was free. For games, they become no longer memorable but just a passing fad.

My quote of the day 6th November 2013

If you can no longer help yourself, it's time to help someone else.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 25th October 2013

Anyone that goes against traffic gets noticed most.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 30th September 2013

Knowledge that is not shared, is simply knowledge wasted.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 23rd September 2013

As long you as you keep working hard, God will take care of the rest.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 20th September 2013

A pain borned by two is halved. 

A joy shared by two is doubled.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 16th September 2013

Steal from those who have, not from those who have nothing.

- Jun King Sze

Random quote 29.08.13

“This special secret [to making dreams come true], it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Consistency and the greatest of these is Confidence.” —Walt Disney 

Rambling of the day 20th August 2013

3D games will look fantastic when it's released, but look ugly after it's dated.

2D games will always look retro, no matter how old.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 2nd August 2013

It takes a general to lead an army, but it takes an army to win a war.

 

- Jun King Sze

Quote from the Movies 31.07.13

Today at the edge of our hope, at the end of our time.

We have chosen to believe in each other!  

Today we face the monsters that are at our door, today we are cancelling the apocalypse!

 

- Stacker Pentecost, Pacific Rim

My quote of the day 29th July 2013

There is an opportunity when someone is lazy.

 

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 22nd July 2013

I may not be rich in wealth, but I am rich in health

There's a story behind every product. If there isn't, create one.

- Jun King Sze

My quote of the day 9th July 2013

If you're going to dream, dream BIG!

- King Sze

Leadership styles

There are a few type of leaders:

1. One who tells you the method to success.

2. One who shows you to the path to success.

3. One who leads you to success.

Which one do you want to be?

Ser-Savealot at Echeclon 2013, Malaysia Satellite

Last Wednesday, I got the opportunity to pitch at the Echelon Malaysia Satellite. 

The Echelon 2013 consist of several events across the South East Asia region, ending in Singapore where winners of the pitch get to win some money for funding. It also allows promising tech startups to be featured in their marketplace where they get to meet more people within the industry, most notably venture capitalist.

At the Malaysia Satellite, I presented Ser-Savealot among 15 other startups and they were:

1. App La Carte (mobile app creator)
2. ChopChop (loyalty program for retailers)
3. ChopInk (another loyalty program for retailers)
4. Perkpool (an Employee Benefits Platform, but I call it a discount program for employees)
5. GetGetGot (an events aggregation app)
6. GridMarkets (read below)
7. HungryHippie (airBnB for food travellers)
8. Kupuns (can't remember)
9. Metrip (no-show)
10. Pofers.com (can't remember)
11. RichMediaAds (turns your normal web banner into a mini website)
12. Ser Savealot (take a wild guess)
13. Shopbust (no-show and what on Earth is with their name?)
14. Styleprofile (a pinterest + e-commerce in one)
15. Catch That Bus (buy your bus tickets online)
16. SaveMoney.my (website about comparing deals, promotions and about them)
17. Xilnex Retail Business Solutions (a cloud based POS system)

Before the pitches, there were a talks by other entrepreneurs but I'll just be writing down just a few notable quotes.

Keeson Lim of TripConomics : finding tech partners are hard and take time. Just keep looking and go on 'dates'.

Patrick Grove of Catcha Group : it takes a pair to make a successful startup. Apple was started by a pair. Pear, geddit?

After the talks, the pitches began. Each company was given 5 minutes to pitch and 5 minutes for a Q&A Session. 

Here are my personal thoughts on the pitches by other startups:

1. Most startups had plenty of pictures used to illustrate their product. However, as the slides went on there were too many pictures to digest and confused their business model for some startups.

2. Some startups had too many revenue streams that complicated their value proposition.

3. 1 startup had too many slides that would never fit under 5 minutes.

4. Quality of pitches were good overall but could be improved.

5. Most startups had a finished product. Ser Savealot, GetGetGot and GridMarkets were the only 3 that did not have a finished product.

6. Most startups focused on social solutions, while Grid Market was the only technology product.

7. 1 startup had too many words in the presentation.

Out the above, here are some lessons that I've learnt:

1. Keep the words and pictures down to a minimum.

2. I need to smile more.

3. Know the objective of the pitch (personally I forgot why I entered myself in the pitch, so I ended up using it as platform to improve my pitching skills).

Personally and according to my co-founder for Ser-Savealot, I did very well as my pitch was specifically targeted to investors. Only thing was, this was not a pitch for ideas and it was not a technological advance product.

Furthermore, by the time I presented I was the last location based related service so the judges probably got bored of it.

In the end, the winner of the Malaysia Satellite was GridMarkets and they deserved to win because they offered one heck of an amazing product that would allow underutilized servers to be leased out.

Photo source: Digital News Asia

http://www.digitalnewsasia.com/sizzle-fizzle/echelon-malaysia-satellite-a-hit-with-startups

Ok, now that's over.... I've got another pitch to prepare on the 29th and to complete Ser-Savealot on time!

Ser-Savelot is here to serve you!

Hi everyone!

For the past few weeks I've been busy with 2 things:

1. I'm currently a participant in the Spring Semester of the Founders Institute (Malaysia) which requires me to complete assignments on weekly basis (hasn't had a break for 3 weeks now). The FI's assignment requires a lot of research and even to meet up team mates to share assignment progress as well

2. I've also been busy preparing for my first pitching session at the Echelon27, Malaysia Satellite (sort like a qualifier) this coming Wednesday the 17th of April. I've been meeting with the developer and partner over the development of this app, which is due for beta by end May. Let's hope it's completed by then.

For details of the Echelon Malaysia Satellite: http://e27.co/2013/04/12/echelon-2013-malaysia-satellite-details/ and here: http://echelon.e27.co/sg2013/echelon_satellite/malaysia-satellite/


If I get selected, I should be given a place to exhibit at the Echelon Startup Marketplace this 4-5 June 2013 in Singapore where I will get a chance to pimp my idea and mingle with everyone from in the startup scene. Hopefully I can get bigger funding to grow!

Ser-Savealot is going to be an app and to know more, you can read all about shameless me and the idea here: http://www.digitalnewsasia.com/sizzle-fizzle-slow-burn/ser-savealot-at-your-service.

 

Wish me luck! 





OMG I'm getting a panic attack soon.

My quote of the day 22nd March 2013

Superlatives don't make you super.

- King Sze

My quote of the day 20th March 2013

"Trying your luck is for gamblers. Trying your best is for winners."

- King Sze

My Design for a Youth Credit Card Contest

I'm submitting a design for a Youth Credit Card organized by Nuffnang.

The name of the card: The Connected Generation

Here's my design:

The concept behind it is about the generation of youth today and their need to stay connected. The red and blue signify gadgets that are now important to them : music which will and always be relevant to any youth and the technology behind it to keep them connected to their friends and their interest. 

The gadgets shown here are wireless and blends in with any fashion, making it a necessary accessory even if they don't wear anything else fancy.

The 'yellow' sunglasses are in fact a gadget of the future, ala Google Glasses which will play a main role part of the youth's connected future once it becomes available to the masses.

Ok, here's hoping!

My quote of the day 15th March 2013

"I have not been first yet, but I have never been last" 

- King Sze

Simple Photography Tips for your E-Store

Here are some simple photography tips when taking photos of products for your e-store.

Know the product
The dimension or size of the product will determine the space needed, because every photo should be taken with some room around it. You won't want to take it in an area too confined...

 

You don't want to show the keyboard don't you?

Background colour
A background colour can really make a product outstanding. Choose a neutral background colour and a plain surface. Usually, white or grey would be sufficient and if you want to spice it up a little bit, you can always add some decorations to it. You may need to try using contrasting colours, because different products can work better under a different background colours. 

 

Contrasting colours are good. Whoops, there's a loose cable back there.

The keyboard makes a nice background but cannot show the wheel.

Determine which angle fits best for the product.
If the product has features on the side or the back, you may want to take it from a 3D angle, so that you can show more of the product. 
Depending on the product, it will also give the users a sense of depth and size rather than a flat image.

 

 A back photo is to show there's more to the toy car.

The credit card is to help customers visualise the size of the product.

Exposure
Be careful, exposure here is important and should not be too much and too little. Be aware that the photo turns out differently between the camera and the PC so don't close your photo area so soon. 
Normally, a table lamp from the top will be sufficient and a little shadow won't hurt either. Makes it more real!

This photo shows the toy car well exposed in the front but overexposed at the back.

Camera settings
With camera phones improving these days, you can always hold off buying the DSLR. Everything above was photographed using a Samsung S3, at automatic settings. As long as you have sufficient lighting, your photos will turn out fine. Great for idiots like me!

Powerpoint
You might be surprised, but the newer versions of Microsoft Powerpoint (2007 and beyond) allows you to edit picture in a simple and almost professional manner. It allows you to adjust contrast and brightness along with basic tools to make the image stand out.

 What's my secret? I'll tell you next time!

Lessons from the Movies #1

Pop Quiz: How many years did it take Doc Emmett Brown to build his Delorean time machine?

a) 10 years
b) 20 years
c) 30 years
d) 31 years

The answers, is c) 30 years. That's a long time wasn't it?

Now when most of us have an idea, we're all very excited to work on it. At most times, we are so excited that we become very anxious and impatient, leading to quick disappointments the moment the idea becomes derailed or deviated or we're simply told it won't work.

We've also heard and seen plenty of motivational quotes and posters, about not giving up on our idea or dreams so soon, but not many of us have the patience to carry on keeping the idea.

At most times, plans don't often go the way we wanted to, but if you planned it well you are more likely to be prepared whenever there's a moment that tries to derail you.
 Many of us love to compare with overnight success of many successful businessman, but little do we know that, that overnight success was the culmination of months or maybe even years of planning, falling down and getting up again. In the Back to the Future movie, Doc Brown spent 30 years on the DeLorean but we never see what he did in between, which was revealed: he sold off his family fortune and even had to work with terrorists to buy nuclear power!

Just because you didn't see doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Now, when an idea requires you to revisit it, it's a good time to sit down and improve it!

If your friends tell you your idea won't work, ask them or get a few more opinions. Most friends tell you things you need to hear to protect you so they may not be brutally honest with you, so get a 2nd opinion.

If your boss says your idea is silly, try asking your him (although he may not have the time to tell you) but if he does he may tell you more than what your co-worker know, as you boss may have his personal reason and experience to tell you why it didn't work.

If no one wants to tell you, then do a little market research or role playing yourself. Whenever I faced a stumbling block I went running and i role-played in my head as I ran.... and I can tell you that when your mind is clear and body is working with adrenaline ideas or solutions come easier, especially after a hot shower right after that!

So when a plan or idea doesn't work out, take it easy. Keep the idea in view for you to revisit at a later date, because the idea might not work today for various reasons such as poor internet penetration, slow smartphone adoption, the technology isn't available yet or simply it wasn't the right time yet, don't fret. 

It's good to revisit ideas, it let's you improve them. If you have the patience, then you are well on the way to making the idea realize itself!

My quote of the day 10th March 2013

"One man's folly, could be another man's jolly"

- King Sze

My quote of the day 7th March 2013

"Many people want to be different, not realizing that they already are." 

- King Sze

GoMurah.com, e-wholesale for your business

In e-commerce, a very important aspect in your business is product sourcing. If you can't source, you can't sell.

Well, here's an alternative for your if you're in Malaysia or around the area.

Psst, I'll provide a review after I've tried the site myself.

ADVERTORIAL

Do you run a retail shop?

Have problems stocking up on products?

No time to buy stock?

Too tired to travel?

There’s a new online wholesale website in town and it’s called GoMurah.com!

Sounds like a monster from an Ultraman cartoon, but it has a cute blue monster as its logo instead....

Anyway, GoMurah.com is the official e-wholesale partner for GM Klang Wholesale City, located in Bandar Botanic Klang. GM Klang is a very popular wholesale destination if you need to buy products at wholesale prices for your retail shop, whether it is online or offline. Now, instead of travelling all the way to Klang you can order ready-stock items whenever and wherever you need them. 

We know some of you get tired travelling overseas to buy stock, face problems when the items are stuck in customs or if your orders arrive incomplete or damaged; these problems can really hurt your business badly if you need your stock urgently. Most items at GoMurah.com are readily available and at no extra hidden charges like customs & shipping fees! 

At GoMurah.com they sell a wide variety of products ranging from fashion, toys, shoes, beauty products, box packaging, home decorations, shop fixtures and many more products that you may need for your business. You can buy from over 100 wholesalers from GM Klang Wholesale City, on GoMurah.com.

Here are some pictures of what is on sale at GM Klang, that can be found on
GoMurah.com.

All items are sold at affordable wholesale prices and are priced competitively when compared to buying them internationally. If you add up the shipping cost for the things you buy from Taobao or Alibaba, it’s almost the same… but remember that most of the items at GoMurah.com are ready stock! 

The website employs a unique quotation based system, therefore the cost of orders can vary depending on what and how many you buy. A spokesperson from GoMurah.com told us that they are now upgrading the system so that retailers can negotiate for pricing on a live system! 

It’s like being there, without actually physically being there!

The website is only available to retail shop owners, so in order to register, you need a business registration and a valid shop (either a photo of your shop or link to your website, FB or fanpage). It’s closed off from the public so that end users will not be able to see the wholesale prices. It's troublesome, but after all very necessary because you don't want customers to know your cost price.

GoMurah.com currently has a shipping promotion too! If your order exceeds RM300 (West Malaysia) or RM500 (East Malaysia), shipping is FREE! 

So if you need stuff or stock for your business, this is the site to go to!

Dropshipping vs Stockholding

For a startup e-commerce or online trading business, the first word that typically comes to mind is dropshipping. If the word dropshipping is new to you: it means that you sell an item without keeping any stock and the dropshipper sends them directly to your customer.

Dropshipping is a good move for new businesses with low capital as it frees up your capital from carrying too much stock at the beginning, after all in my earlier postings I stressed that cash flow is vital for a business.This method also saves your time in packing and shipping.

The main advantage is that you can offer a wide range of products to sell quickly!

However, there are several drawbacks to dropshipping. Firstly is that you cannot be certain what your supplier has sent out, whether it was in a complete package, damaged or sent wrongly. It can lead to a customer service nightmare... Aside from this the margins are typically very low, usually less than 10% and over time this low margin might restrict your future business expansion or to even provide discounts for returning customers.

Low margins means it is also less motivating for you to put more effort into selling, unless you have a wide audience to target.

And let's get real, dropshippers aren't going to rely on just you, they have many others working for them so it is very likely there's more than 100 others selling a steam iron exactly like yours. You will have difficulty keeping loyal customers too as many other online sellers are offering the same product(s)... unless everyone sells them at the same price (yea right!).

The key point here is to be ready to stock up when the time is right. Earlier in my business, I started with dropshipping but as business picked up I took the opportunity to stock up in advance, for a much higher margin and was able send them items immediately upon payment. The margins I received were much higher (at least 4x more than the usual) allowing me to focus more on selling and marketing the product.

So, it's good to start off dropshipping but it's not the best solution in the long run.

Candy Crush Saga: Sweetness to Success

This has no relation with e-commerce, but because I've been reading and researching on gamification I decided to see what was all the rage with Candy Crush Saga, the latest casual & social game.

CSS: in short is a Bejeweled clone, but with some minor differences that make the game more interesting. 

Here's what I think made CSS a success today:

1. The game has a limited number of moves imposed, so players must complete the objective within the set number of moves. This makes the game much shorter to play than the Classic Bejeweled, which can either have a time limit or no limit at all. While there's a limited number of moves, it requires the player to think strategically and harder so that each move is more efficient, which is not so evident in Classic Bejeweled where you can just swipe as you please until the game is over.

2. Imposing a limited number of lives mean you can only play a maximum of 5 games each time you login. During the 80s and 90s, arcade games gave you a fixed number of lives to play with so the arcade vendors could milk more money from you and the implementation here forces you to stop playing every 2-3 hours (shorter if you have a lot of friends giving you lives). As a casual game, it was meant to be played for less than 15 minutes and CSS here forces you to quit so you don't play too much. This creates a desire to play it again as soon as possible.

3. And to help you play the game as soon as possible.... here comes the annoying friend request! Nearly every social game requires you to ask for help from a friend, yes it's annoying but when it becomes very frequent on your news feed, curiosity will intervene. 

"What is Candy Crush Saga?" 
"Why is everyone spamming me with all theses requests?"

The list goes on, but these annoying friend request in effect has helped advertise the CSS on every news feed everywhere.

4. The colours in game are very, very striking. CSS's primary appeal is with women. It's no rocket science that women are now the major audience on the Internet. Guys are too hardcore when it comes to hobbies, but women on the other hand are simpler to please. Not that women are simple minded creatures, they are just easier to predict, no, I mean forecast! As CSS targeted the female market and because there are only a handful of games that attract them, the developers hit the jackpot.

So in short, the key success factors for Candy Crush Saga lies in:

1. Limited moves = require strategic thinking and improve play skill.


2. Limited lives = limited play time keeping the game's lifespan and demand longer .
3. It's social = help is required to play the game further but not necessary.
4. Target market = females, as there are not enough femalely games.

Anyone need Lives?

E-Commerce Bootcamp

It was 0500am earlier this morning when i decided to get up a run. I planned to run at 630am later today, but i couldn't sleep so i decided to ditch the shut eye and went running instead.

During my run and it is during this peace, tranquility and fresh air I get a lot of ideas that lead me to the decision to focus more on this blog. The blog has been dormant for sometime due to lack of direction but after some reading a few days earlier and adding the ideas I conjured while running this morning, I've decided to rename E-commerce 101 to E-commerce Bootcamp!

In E-commerce Bootcamp, I will be sharing basic e-commerce do and don'ts that most entrepreneurs often overlook. In some cases its just having lack of common sense.... and it's forgivable because we're often so excited with our new found love! Furthermore, the world of e-commerce is continuously expanding that it is easy to get lost...

I'm renaming it to E-commerce Bootcamp because this blog will also share my hobby: running and how it relates very closely to entrepreneurship. Running isn't just a sport, it's a passion and I'm putting the two of them together to get more people to run and run a business too.

So what's to look forward to? Lots and you best get a pair of running shoes while I update the blog!