At a young age and with lack of experience, Lennise’s first attempt at starting a business was not a success. She did not give up and now has a successful business in the tech sector.
What’s your story?
I was born into a family of entrepreneurs. There are only two things that my family would love to talk about: business and food. My passion for entrepreneurship started at a young age.
I started my career in the music space. At the age of 19, I started a business running a talent management company with a friend. Just like many startups with inexperienced founders, our company was short-lived though but we both managed to take away invaluable lessons.
Shortly after, I moved away from the music industry and pursued the tech sector. This is when I’ve found my calling – to leverage on technology to improve lives and businesses. The idea of Dropee came about a few years of understanding how tech industry and startups work and merging it with the supply chain industry (a traditional industry with a huge innovation gap).
A year and a half post conceptualisation, Dropee is now a 15-man team – all who are passionate to empower SMEs to take their businesses to the next level.
What excites you most about your industry?
The ability to play a role in Malaysia and regional transformation in the SME & Retail economy.
What’s your connection to Asia?
Because I’m born and bred Asian, I’m highly attached to Asia’s multicultural and diverse communities. Asia has strong & deep-rooted values.
Favourite city in Asia for business and why?
This is a tough one. All cities in Asia have their own uniqueness. But if I had to pick one, it would be Malaysia because there’s no place like home. Also, the support from the tech ecosystem and the Malaysian government are all very helpful to the growth of Dropee.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Wisest is she who knows, she does not know.
Who inspires you?
My family: dad, mum, uncle, and grandfather.
What have you just learnt recently that blew you away?
One of the main reasons behind fast innovation and growth in China is how open Chinese startups and organizations are willing to collaborate with one another.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
Never. I believe everything happens for a reason.
How do you unwind?
Music. I play the piano and occasionally sing.
Favourite Asian destination for relaxation? Why?
Malaysia; I like the best of both worlds: the energy from the city and the serenity from the beach. Malaysia’s a place where I can easily travel between these two worlds.
Everyone in business should read this book:
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz (Note: Really good book especially for founders or CEOs)
Shameless plug for your business:
Dropee is an online marketplace that facilitates B2B transactions between SMEs and Brand Owners/distributors.
How can people connect with you?
Connect with me on LinkedIn!
Twitter handle?
@lennise01
—
This interview is part of the ‘Callum Connect’ series of more than 500 interviews
Callum Laing is an entrepreneur and investor based in Singapore. He has previously started,
built and sold half a dozen businesses and is now a Partner at Unity-Group Private Equity and Co-Founder of The Marketing Group PLC. He is the author two best selling books ‘Progressive Partnerships’ and ‘Agglomerate’.
Connect with Callum here:
twitter.com/laingcallum
linkedin.com/in/callumlaing
Download free copies of his books here: www.callumlaing.com
