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Vadim Lapin
He learned the POS system himself. No coffee passes unnoticed. 150 restaurants later, the accidental restaurateur still tracks every sale.
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Brand
Ginza Project
Four crises in twenty years. 150 restaurants built through counter-cyclical expansion. The empire that grows when competitors close.
Insight
Father and Son at 150 Restaurants
Vadim Lapin demanded his son be a partner, not heir. Mark won "Best Restaurant" independently. Three days after Vadim's death, the test begins.
Founder
Riccardo Ferrarotti
At fifteen, he deboned Parma ham in his father's restaurant. Now he imports it to Malaysia—supplying his four locations and his competitors.
Founder
Ng Tuck Ming
He defied Singapore's bias against local products to build a chocolate empire, then bet everything on Malaysia during the 1998 crisis.
Brand
Bottega Mediterranea
One location for eleven years. Then three in two years. When pandemic shuttered competitors, its grocery model kept revenue flowing.
Founder
Wilfred Ng
An engineer joined his father's chocolate factory and saw what machines couldn't fix. His solution pays farmers 3x market rates.
Founder
Richard Eu
His father warned him family politics were too bad. He joined at 42. Uncles sold the company. His response took 35 years—and hit S$808 million.
Brand
Eu Yan Sang
Uncles sold this 111-year-old TCM company to developers. Heirs bought it back for S$21 million—then sold it for S$808 million.
Brand
Benns Ethicoa
Malaysian cacao crashed 99.9%. This company pays farmers 3x market rates and won the country's first international chocolate awards.
Insight
When the Platform Becomes the Product
They had 9,000 products from other brands. Then they looked at Amazon's plans and realized they needed something no one else could sell.
Founder
Sean & Jesmine Tan
Their daughter's first word was 'Apple.' Crumbs everywhere. Favorite meal was fish. They named their baby brand after all three.
Brand
Applecrumby
Nine years between funding rounds—surviving on margins while competitors burned cash. Now holds the world's first TCF diaper patent.
Insight
The Son Who Nearly Died Now Runs the Business
Marcus Teo's kidneys failed at two. His mother almost quit to save him. 34 years later, he runs the business—crisis forged both generations.
Insight
The China+1 Moment: Betting on Diversification Before the Crowd
When Dezan Shira expanded to India and Vietnam in 2008, skeptics called it crazy. A decade later, US-China tensions proved the bet prescient.
Insight
The 70% Revenue Engine Nobody Saw Coming
A Hong Kong chef bought a bottle as a tourist, then declared it 'the best in the world' on TV. That made sesame oil 70% of revenue.
Founder
Winnie Loo
'Tiny Winnie' was bullied out of two salons. She became Malaysia's first World Master—after nearly quitting when her son's kidneys failed.
Founder
Dato Ch'ng Huck Theng
Built a media empire and won the Asia Art Award. Then a seven-year family feud forced him to rescue Malaysia's oldest confectionery.
Brand
Ghee Hiang
168 years old, seven years in court. Four families at war nearly destroyed Malaysia's oldest confectionery. Sesame oil—not pastries—now generates 70% of revenue.
Brand
A Cut Above
A 428-square-foot salon became Malaysia's premier hairstyling academy after an 8-location express chain taught its founder when to cut losses.
Insight
The Shahbandar Solution: 84 Languages, One Port
Four harbormasters managed commerce in 84 languages at Malacca's peak. When monopolists captured the port, merchants relocated.
Insight
The Fox Who Founded an Empire
A rebel fugitive built institutions that outlasted three colonial governments. Legitimacy flows from solving problems, not official approval.
Update
Malaysia Brand Day 2026: Meeting the Founders Behind the Brands
Nearly 100 Malaysian brands gathered in Kuala Lumpur for the inaugural Malaysia Brand Day. Behind each booth, a founder story waiting to be told.
Brand
Unhasu
UN sanctions banned chemical imports. Unhasu pivoted to indigenous ingredients in weeks—6x production growth, 13x export surge by 2023.
Brand
Pomhyanggi
Five crises in 25 years: famine, demolition, sanctions, pandemic, flooding. Still won a WIPO Gold Medal and produces 12 million units annually.
Insight
The $187,000 Revolution
Banned from Hong Kong, expelled from Japan. Sun Yat-sen found refuge in Penang, where merchants who never saw China funded its liberation.
Founder
Chris Devonshire-Ellis
$500 to $50M across 40+ offices. Law school dropout stayed 25 years in China while competitors flew in—building trust credentials cannot buy.
Brand
Dezan Shira & Associates
A misspelled surname, $500, and Deng's Southern Tour. Thirty-two years later: 40+ offices, $50M revenue, six crises survived by staying put.
Founder
Georgie Yam
Celebrity hairdresser walked away from 20-year Singapore career at 43 to start in Shanghai. Built China's first service brand exported abroad.
Brand
Dragonfly Therapeutic Retreat
Launched during SARS into Shanghai's missing middle. Academy-trained consistency made quality exportable—China's first service brand abroad.