GOASIAPLUS August 2018

INSIGHT
“What drives me to achieve success is the desire
to take on challenges. I don’t wait for luck and I
accept that failure is part of my life.”
He confesses that there isn’t a moment that he doesn’t think
about business and his mind frames everything he sees into
business opportunities.
After a short-lived career in Wall Street, New York, James
came home and subsequently went into business with his family
to start Hometown Hainan Coffee 10 years ago.
BIRTH OF HOMETOWN HAINAN COFFEE
“We had intended to buy an existing franchise but found that
we couldn’t afford that. Our hometown was in Kuantan and we
missed the taste of the hainan coffee there. So the family decided
that we should start a business to bring back the taste of good
coffee and food from home,” said James.
The siblings embarked on the business venture collecting
recipes from relatives and working to perfect the taste of the
original Hainan coffee. Finally after two years, the business rolled
out to assert its presence in the coffee scene.
“Hainan coffee has a longer history (compared with other
local coffee) and we wanted to bring this traditional coffee into a
local setting,” James assures that the coffee taste is similar to that
of 30-40 years ago.
Quality control, he insists, is a priority and across the 14
outlets, the coffee beans are ground just before the coffee is
brewed in a special machine that maintains quality.
“Strict SOP will ensure repeat customers. And we have
repeat customers all through the week,” he said. The location for
the outlets are selected based on whether they can bring value to
the community there.
While entrepreneurs are usually wary about doing business
with family members, James said clearly defining roles for each
member helps. His elder brother controls the central kitchen and
his younger brother, the architect, is responsible for the new look
of the outlets.
WORKING WITH FAMILY
In this family business, everyone gets a chance to make decision
and they do not place importance on titles. His eldest brother
would have the final decision and all would support him even
though it is a mistake sometimes.
“My parents taught us never to bring business to the dining
table. And whatever disagree we have, we should argue it out
and move on,” said James.
Before going into the coffee business, James was in the IT
business and eventually got drawn into Blockchain investment
until his recent position as consultant for cryptocurrency
investors. “I like to play. I’m an entrepreneur. Without these
challenges I would get bored,” he declared.
This explains his dabble into cryptocurrency as he believes
80 per cent of youngsters he has met are interested in it. He said
Hometown Coffee outlets are looking into using cryptocurrency
as a payment gateway.
NEW VENTURES
After 10 years of working at the coffee business, James found new
interest in a development joint venture and the movie-making business.
With such diverse business ventures in hand it’s easy to fall prey to
being Jack of all trades and master of none. However, this is how
James manages them.
“I have strong partners. They have the passion and are qualified
for the particular business. I will just fill in the missing pieces in the
puzzle and make sure the company moves forward. It doesn’t mean
you can’t do everything. You just can’t do everything by yourself,”
said James adding that in the movie business there are also many
entrepreneurs.
“What drives me to achieve success is the desire to take on
challenges. I don’t wait for luck and I accept that failure is part of my
life. Out of 3 or 4 cafes, there will be one that won’t make money.
“Failing forward is the best (solution) for me. We thank people for
their complaints. They help to show us where we went wrong.”
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