The Time Digital Masterclass event held at the Avanté Hotel in Petaling Jaya was nothing short of a game-changer for aspiring entrepreneurs and SME owners alike. With keynote speaker Kevin Lee from Sellercraft sharing insights into their platform, the event set the stage for a day filled with valuable knowledge.

Emphasising the importance of not assuming customer satisfaction is guaranteed once a product leaves the warehouse, Kevin said, "If you have a good tool, it should highlight the problems you may face. If you take these measures proactively for example to solve delivery delays, customers will remember you more. So, take this opportunity to convert a problem into a benefit for you."

Sellercraft's unique approach involves empowering sellers with bite-sized insights that enable them to take action and improve their businesses. "Data can be messy, but we believe we have a tool that can help you focus, so that you don't drown in it. It'll help you to understand how it can be helpful for you to build your own insights and take your own actions," he added.

The highlight of the event was a riveting panel discussion featuring local startup luminaries: Lennise Ng, co-founder and CEO of Dropee; Chen Chow, co-founder of Fave; and Paul Wong, Chief Sales Officer of Time dotCom. The discussion, moderated by Xelia Tong, COO at pitchIn, delved into the experiences and triumphs of these successful startups in Malaysia's thriving ecosystem.

When asked about contributions to the startup ecosystem, Paul said, "We believe in providing stable and reliable fibre connectivity to everyone. We don't have very complicated bundling packages because we believe businesses should have the liberty to choose their own cloud service, etc. We want to serve the customers by giving them no-nonsense connectivity. Assuming there's a time when you would need internet the most and it isn't there for you, we just want to be there to provide the best service for our customers."

As businesses took a hit during the pandemic, many needed to rethink their strategies and upscale their operations. When asked about the value of collaborations, Chen Chow said, "During Covid, our partnership with DBS Bank was a big one. As a small player, we didn't think that we would work with such a big bank. It was a partnership where we could work together leveraging our technology and our merchants. It was a learning curve for us, especially with the compliance and processes. That gave us a chance to scale ourselves up, in terms of our processes so that we could fit into the expectations and needs of the banks. Before this, we've had partnerships with Grab, Boost and Touch 'n Go. Instead of looking at each other as a competitor, it is better to be a collaborator to find an angle where we can work together."

The discussion also addressed the need for talent in the startup space. Lennise shared about the challenges in the space and what she does for Dropee. "Aside from working closely with universities to curate better learning content and exposure for students so graduates are more 'work-ready', we look for talents outside of Malaysia and bring them here to teach, influence, and build a community of future talents."

For SMEs, the event offered a golden opportunity to engage directly with players in the startup scene. The speakers emphasised the importance of data-driven decision-making, proactive problem-solving, and collaboration as key drivers of success in the dynamic startup ecosystem. As the event concluded, attendees had the opportunity to network with several partners to apply these strategies to their own ventures.

Don't miss out and subscribe to Time Digital Masterclass for more and get notified of upcoming classes!