If the path to entrepreneurship is like trekking a mountain, then Zac would be that person who has been training all his life to scale the peak. Unlike his peers who are brought up more traditionally, he was encouraged to pursue his passion since young. Living under the roof of his Venture Capitalist father, he was exposed to having the mindset of an entrepreneur. Without realising it, he was learning to be an entrepreneur by simply seeing, hearing and experiencing how his father ran his business, his work ethics and words of wisdom \u2013 which made a lasting impact on his own bearings as a business owner.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Already certain about his entrepreneurship path, Zac enrolled in the Business Management program at Singapore Management University (SMU). Besides picking up skills he would require as a business owner \u2013 accounting, business strategy and economic principles \u2013 he also went on an exchange program to other parts of the world like United States, Australia and Belgium. From meeting other entrepreneurs, to observing business pitches at Starbucks, the overseas experiences fully immersed him in a bustling startup culture \u2013 a equally pivotal learning for him as an aspiring entrepreneur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read Also: Speaking To Hiro Kiga: Key Learnings From An Ex-VC After Starting His Own Business \u2013 Wallex, A Global B2B Payments Solution<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While Zac did not have a concrete business idea at the start, jumping onto the hype of tech startups – notorious for rapid cash burn – was not a route he wanted to go down. As a first-time entrepreneur, he felt building a cash-based business was more practical and sustainable. The foodie in him led him to start a food business, specifically popcorn that is an all-time favorite snack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not knowing anything about the F&B industry, he adopted a trial-and-error approach in building his business. He would experiment with different spices and ran taste tests repeatedly in his own kitchen to develop new popcorn flavors. For marketing, he would \u201cstick to the basics\u201d by attending networking events and distribute name cards to promote his popcorn. With a simple landing page set up, he would compile the orders manually with an excel sheet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This continued until he had another eureka<\/em> moment of infusing local flavors into the popcorn while catching a movie at the cinema one day. He then started to collaborate with flavoring houses to devise uniquely Singapore flavors such as Kaya Butter, Nasi Lemak, and Chili Crab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read Also: 5 Questions With\u2026Regine Sum, Founder And Creative Director Of Nasty Cookie<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Like all business owners, there were sacrifices that Zac has made to grow his company. Over the years, he hardly has any time for social activities, though the sliver lining is that he has also made new friends in the entrepreneur community. \u201cEntrepreneurship is a lonely journey, but you will naturally meet people who relate to your journey.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking back on his journey thus far, he categorises the challenges he faced into the 3Ps: People, Product, and Process. Among the three, he acknowledges that \u201cpeople\u201d proved to be the hardest one for him as a leader. This does not apply to only getting the right hires and retaining them, which is an increasingly difficult task with today\u2019s generation. It also took him quite a while to find the right supplier and distributors to work with \u2013 having switched several times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From an initial one-man show to leading a team of 21 people (11 in Singapore and 10 in Malaysia), his approach towards hiring is straightforward. More than qualifications, he looks for potential candidates who share a genuine passion and love for the products, ask insightful questions and display common sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As he puts it, F&B is an \u201ceasy to start, easy to fail\u201d business. Brands that are unable to keep up with changing customer preferences will become obsolete. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing that customers are more health-conscious these days, The Kettle Gourmet prides itself on using high-quality natural ingredients that are trans fats-free, non-GMO, and less sweetened with no artificial flavorings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Faced with the constant pressure to introduce new flavors, he has partnered with flavoring houses to ramp up R&D efforts and adopt a more efficient method of experimenting with flavors in powdered form. By making use of in-house sales data and distributors\u2019 reordering rates, he is able to make decisions fast and replace flavors that perform poorly. With such rigorous innovation, The Kettle Gourmet is the only popcorn brand in Singapore to carry unique local flavors. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Inspiration Behind The Popcorn Story<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Overcoming the 3P Challenges (People, Product, Process)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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