In 2023, I decided to retire the NSE brand. It has been around since 2014. Those nine years were exceptional. The journey was nothing short of spectacular, the ups and downs, the small and big milestones, the various setbacks and the Marketing In Asia exit, it’s just spectacular and memorable. After the exit, I thought of rejoining the employment world. After applying to a handful vacancy, I secured a great role in a Swedish so-called tech company in Penang back in March 2024. My objective was clear. I wanted to contribute my all to the company here and stay for as long as I possibly could. After the 2-week compulsory training was completed, I learned that a psycho leads the company—a real psycho who tends to listen only to himself. In September 2024, after 6 months, he wanted to get rid of me and at the same time, I too badly wanted to leave this sinking ship. I wouldn’t have accepted the offer if I had known that very red flag.
I created AAR & Company right after I left. I went to Cameron Highland for a few days to calm myself down. The decision to start the firm was quick as I already studied the market months before that. I had a feeling that I won’t be long in Penang. After numerous conversations I had with some friends, the demand for an advisory firm that specialises in marketing strategy is very strong and growing. Not long after I came back to Shah Alam, a start-up hired us to transform their marketing strategy and establish a sustainable lead generation journey to increase their valuation. Frankly speaking, I didn’t know that it would be that quick—merely a few days after I published a post on LinkedIn about the firm I’ve just set up.
Talking about the scope of the advisory, it’s not just the marketing strategy we are transforming. It’s also the supporting elements that make the marketing strategy work. Here, we are talking about some tweaking work related to their respective business models, business strategies and the execution of those business strategies. Without the transformation of these elements, the marketing strategy and its execution won’t be successful. In short, what we value add here is pretty much the knowledge part—sharing and transferring the valuable knowledge to their marketing team to take it forward once our engagement ends.
To date, AAR & Company has five customers. This growth is pretty decent. Not too fast and not too slow either, which is okay. What matters here is the quality of the engagements, the quality of the advice, the quality of the brainstorming and the quality of the small wins produced. By prioritising the quality, the user experience and the strength from within, the growth will come. It will be unstoppable too. All I have to do is just wait.
Knowledge is important for growth. We believe that the more they know, the more they’ll grow.
