Unboxing eCommerce Entrepreneurs

10 untold Malaysian eCommerce entrepreneurs stories of surviving hardship before success.

About The Book

This book is a collection of 10 eCommerce entrepreneurs in Malaysia, sharing their stories of surviving hardship before success. They are all successful in their own way, but everyone of them share the same passion and qualities - pure grit, dedication and "you must know your products very well".

While this book is for anyone who wishes to learn more about eCommerce and entrepreneurship, this is not a one-size-fits-all success formula or recipe book as everyone is different in the way you would start and grow the business.

Hopefully, this inspires you to find your own course, work hard and achieve your dreams. There is no shortcut to success!

Featured Entrepreneurs

Louis

Co-Owner of LittleWhiz

"Baby products are serious products, we have to make sure our information and feedback to customers are accurate, it could be harmful to the babies if the products are not used correctly."

Hairul & Arief

CEO & Founder of Bookcafe

"With this 3-days SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), we manage to recover 50% of the abandoned cart and orders."

Sherlyn

Founder of Twenty3

"I hope our customers keep talking to us, giving us feedback, with that in mind, having a physical store makes sense for us."

Eu Gin

Founder of Tradeworks

"More than 90% of our sales revenue is export, last year our total revenue registered in both China and Malaysia was around USD20 million."

Koo

Founder of Ookas

"Perhaps many online sellers do set cut-off time on preparing daily shipments, but we keep packing until the courier guys are here to pick-up, so if you place order 3pm today, it's possible that your parcel will arrive as soon as tomorrow."

Goh

Founder of ILOVEHOME

"It costs me just a few thousand ringgits to rent a big warehouse here at Pekan Nanas, perhaps it is 50% cheaper than Klang Valley. I get to know quite a number of Taobao sellers setting up their base away from the city to reduce their operating cost."

Lai

Founder of Gundam.my

"When you are facing a problem, it is likely that there are others who face the same problem too. The business opportunity is there if you can provide a solution."

Carl

Co-Founder of Bella Ammara

"Let's assume the rice market is RM100 million, if you capture 1% of the market size that's RM1 million already, in this case, 1% is better than the 90% market share of an RM1 million industry."

Ian

Co-Founder of Hermo

"Sometimes, the founders of the company are the bottleneck, especially if you are young. The team won't grow if you stay stagnant, so you yourself have to keep improving."

Mark

Founder of Photobook

"Free photo book is more than a promotional gimmick, it makes a lot of sense for us compared to paid advertising. Our marketing objective is not just asking customers to order it, we want them to create a tangible book themselves."

I am really surprised to read some of the stories which I don't even know their existence all this while, who for me are "The Avengers" of e-commerce in Malaysia. They are hidden somewhere, with their own "superpower", work hard, lay low and excel in their business. There's just too much noise in the industry but this book is refreshing, no bullshits on "startup", pitching, funding and so. ecInsider did a great job by unearthing them, solid entrepreneurs who build their businesses brick by brick riding on the Internet opportunity, these are the stories I personally like. Start reading this book if you intend to start or excel in e-commerce, learn from them, find your own inspirations, discover your own strengths, and get your hands dirty just like "The Avengers".

Wei Kwok Seng, Co-Founder of Lelong.my

Set in a light-hearted and inspiring-to-read tone, this is a book that every e-entrepreneur must read, not only because it contains real-life struggles and stories encountered by budding online businessmen (and women), but also acute advice on how to be mentally prepared in order to succeed in the digital sphere. Online shopping is indeed a beautiful affair, yet not many realise the immense effort and dedication put in by online entrepreneurs to fulfil each and every order, and thereon have it delivered to the customer's doorstep in a timely manner. The book has drawn a fine line of difference between the traditional brick-and-mortar business with the current e-commerce business model, and serves as an eye-opening read for those who are keen to start an online business.

Hoseok Kim, CEO of 11street