16-07-2025
What it takes to survive ‘death valley' - at the recent CEO Masterclass
Published on: Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Published on: Wed, Jul 16, 2025
By: Sisca Humphrey Text Size: Moderator Ray Chou (left) with panelists during the talk session. Kota Kinabalu: Three seasoned entrepreneurs endured financial loss, emotional turmoil and massive setbacks – traits they say were what ultimately helped them prevail during the CEO Masterclass 2025, held at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) on July 9-10. They spoke about what it takes to survive the toughest phase of entrepreneurship, referred to as the notorious 'Death Valley' where most start-ups die out. The session was titled 'Overcoming the Death Valley'.
Advertisement For CEO of Amazing Borneo Tours and the force behind Kenji Yeo, the pivotal moment came after the 2015 Mount Kinabalu earthquake which claimed four of his team members. 'It taught me that if money can solve the problem, it's not a hard problem. That wasn't about money. It was about people,' he said. Kenji said the tragedy forced his team to diversify. 'We couldn't depend solely on tourism or Mount Kinabalu climbs anymore. 'So we diversified, we built brands like Borenos Fried Chicken and invested in digital platforms.' he said, functions like the Airport of Sabah tourism describing it as a platform enabling small tourism businesses to connect directly with travellers. 'We've invested millions in it. If we want Sabah to compete with places like Bali or Phuket, we need good infrastructure and collaboration,' he said. Founder of skincare label Nihon Skin and co-founder of wellness brand Ventamin, Geraldyn Low, described the emotional toll of managing a fast-growing company while raising a neurodivergent child. 'I built Nihon Skin to have more time with my son, but ended up chained to the business,' she said. After exiting, she used the experience to structure her new venture for sustainability. 'With Ventamin, we made sure the company can function without us. 'We focused only on what we're good at and outsourced everything else, from HR to fulfilment. 'We automated, we trained the team and now we can take breaks without the business falling apart,' she said. Geraldyn credited her success to a strong marketing foundation. 'People forget that marketing is the only thing that connects your brand to customers. 'We focus not just on conversion but on lead generation and education,' she said, adding that it created a bigger pie instead of fighting over the same slice. Managing Partner of Intelligent Capital Investor, Asgari Stephens, said while most people assume cash is king, burnout is what truly kills start-ups. 'We look for founders who won't give up when things get dark. We even interview ex-bosses, check how they performed under pressure. 'For me, 90pc of the investment decision is the person,' he said, and that scalability remains non-negotiable. 'Nice lifestyle businesses are fine, but if it's not scalable, we don't invest. I've met founders making RM2 million from one restaurant, but you can't scale that model,' Asgari said. Asgari also suggested that Sabah consider a GLC reform similar to Sarawak's, which involved an independent review by the World Bank to evaluate which state-owned enterprises to retain, reshape or close. The panellists also spoke about managing cash flow in the early days. 'There was no Plan B. My Instagram handle is literally 'No Plan B'. If you have Plan B, you won't go all in,' Kenji said. Kenji emphasised that building a core team is crucial and that he personally values women leadership. 'Women are powerful survivors. I've seen men give up. But women stay and fight,' he said. Geraldyn agreed, saying they followed a traditional start-up method where founders deferred salaries to conserve cash. 'You do what it takes. We only paid ourselves when we could afford to,' she said. When asked about delegating decisions, Geraldyn said, 'We built SOPs from day one. When the structure is strong, the team doesn't have to wait for me to decide everything.' The session echoed the broader theme of the conference 'Scaling Beyond Limits' aimed at helping entrepreneurs, government agencies and GLCs across Southeast Asia navigate challenges and build resilient, scalable ventures. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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