Kenny Leck runs an iconic store in Singapore called BooksActually that sells a carefully curated motley of books, assorted objects from long ago (i.e. vintage), and odds-and-ends that book lovers universally tend to love: notebooks, tote bags, and sealing wax (after all, isn’t the purest of writing found in a heartfelt letter?) This local bookstore…
Tag: branding
Are you stationary?
The owner of Modern Book Store is Mr Tan. He has been there for the past 30 years. It helps to have expertise in the trade This bookshop belonged to his father, and he took over when his father died. “I had no choice,” he says with a shrug. He had been helping his father…
Angry Birds don’t like advice
Angry Birds needs no introduction, and neither does Peter Vesterbacka, the creator of the massively popular game from the Finnish company Rovio Entertainment. I had a chance to attend a power-packed conference called InnovFest unBound that featured all-star speakers sharing concrete insights from their numerous touchpoints with entrepreneurship. Peter Vesterbacka is an incredibly approachable and friendly guy (how can you…
Branding an online electronics business
Every success story has a plot that is littered with bruises from tripping and falling. Stories of sharp regret. That moment when you think with paralysing horror: “Whoops” on realizing that you messed up an opportunity, and wishing you could turn back time, and do it all over again. However, here’s an unremarkable truth: we don’t need to…
Doll Me Up (Chapter 4): Growing Up
It come as no surprise to learn that businesses are constantly reinventing themselves to stay relevant, where “brick-and-mortars” are becoming “click-and-mortars” and fresh strategies are needed to remain valuable — those who cling stubbornly to routines from the past are quick to go extinct. A prominent businessman in Singapore, Dr Theyvandran, put it bluntly. “A business cannot stay…
Doll Me Up (Chapter 2): Creating a product and brand
CREATING A BRAND Nazlin Hilal realised quite early that she needed a “brand” to propel her growth in the cosmetic business. When we imagine a brand, we usually imagine a giant household name such as Nike. However, small businesses can also create a brand, even if the brand is their personal reputation that helps them…
Shopkeeper Stories 