Redbox Studio

Success isn’t the wealth you accumulate but the opportunities you create for others.
Robert Herjavec of Shark Tank

When potential clients come to us, the first question they often ask is, "How much will my website cost?"

While cost is an important consideration—especially for business owners with limited resources—it shouldn't be your primary concern.

What matters is how well your website aligns with your business goals.

Before discussing prices, we want to understand your business model and what you’re looking to promote or sell. This is why we always get on a phone call with prospects to find out more before we commit to a quote. We cannot provide pricing until we know exactly what you need because each business is unique, and your website should reflect that.

Far too many people think they need a website immediately, but rushing into it often leads to missed opportunities. It’s better to slow down, figure out your strategy and align it with your business model.

If you're unclear about what you're offering and don't know how to use your website as part of your overall marketing strategy, it will be challenging to attract visitors to your website, no matter how well-designed it is.

A clear, structured offer—ideally in the form of packages—helps prospects make easier decisions.

If you’d like to learn more about strategizing for your business, we’re organizing a full-day workshop this November. Be sure to stay tuned for more details!

What makes you Malaysian?

We say it’s the food. The stupendously rich and delicious food of all the people who make Malaysia what it is!

We celebrate everything with food. Agree?

It’s food that reminds you of home.

Of your favourite cafe.

Of your favourite memory.

Of your favourite people.

Even in times of turmoil we turn to food to comfort us. We can’t think if we are hangry 🤣

Selamat Hari Malaysia from Redbox Studio.

P/S: what’s your favourite food?

How do you express your sustainability efforts as a business and inform customers you have a cute little cafe that serves good coffee? Here’s how IKEA does it.

"What's your firepower?"

Nic came up with a word that he says is much needed for individuals who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs.

You must know your "firepower" - your demonstratable strength, something you excel at and one which others can experience when they're with you.

Many claim they have strengths and until the strength is experienced, it remains unproven.

The only way for others to experience your "firepower"?

You have to get into action.

If you're great at coaching, create an indelible experience for your coachee.

If you're great at speaking, speak at events where others can experience your power and persuasion.

If you're great at organizing events, go ahead and organize the best event you can put together.

If you're great at teaching and transformation, start teaching others so that they may transform.

Follow for more unusual business ideas. That's our firepower. ;-)

What’s the future like for the car industry?

Is it all about EV? Or is it hybrid? Or hydrogen? Or is ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) still a good choice for now?

Are we ready for EV? Where’s the infrastructure especially for people who live in older neighborhoods or condos?

What about serious heart palpitations if the charge gets low when driving? Do we have a map of charging stations? (Hell I get anxious when my phone battery drops below 50%)

Certainly not the usual topics of our industry but from time to time we need to get out to understand other industries and their perspectives.

To be expected, there were only a handful of women in the room. The rest were men.

Thank you to the Malaysian Global Business Forum’s Nordin Abdullah for inviting me to this working lunch and hearing some insights from Datuk K. Ravindran, the president of UMW Toyota Malaysia.

When you can't find one, create one.

Back in 2012, we wanted to create an event where we brought clients and friends in business together. We didn't think any networking event would do - most people cringe at the word "networking" because it seemed like meeting people with insincerity and salesmanship tactics.

We revisited what we enjoyed when we attended events. Good food was a must. A small yet cosy crowd of people was another must as we wanted people to enlarge their circles and meet quality friends. Learning had to be part of the event. Nic had a lot of material to share about marketing and business so he knew he could create a lot of interesting discussions and knowledge exchange.

And we had to find a name.

A quirky name that indicated that this event was not your boring run-of-the-mill sort.

We settled for Marketing Mojo. Because you know, you need some mojo when you're doing marketing.

Partnering with China House Cafe was another great decision. They served lipsmackingly good (tiramisu) cakes and coffee and they were a dream to work with. An email or call to them and all the requests were taken care of.

Another partner we worked with was G3K Studio - Kay Khoon took all the brilliant photos throughout our 7 years organising Marketing Mojo. He made all of us look great and if you know China House Cafe, the decor made the photos pop with style.

The point is, if you want to create something, create it. Make it something that YOU would love to attend.

Make it unusual and make it the talk of the town.

(Marketing Mojo was a paid event and everyone said paid events would never work in a place like Penang where everyone expects free events and free food. We upended the idea because not only did we charge, our events sold out each time and we raised our prices each year.)

And work with amazing partners who can help you bring that vision to life.

What have you been trying to create and bring to life? It's not too late. It's only Q3 of 2024.

hashtag hashtag hashtag

No, we don’t cart our Big Timer game everywhere but we brought it to a dinner meeting because our two KL friends were interested in the game.

After a fulfilling dinner of lamb rice, we cleared the table so that our friends could experience the game.

Big Timer can be easily played in 20 minutes.

You don’t need pens or paper. You don’t need dice. You certainly don’t need to fear any calculations.

If you can count 1,2,3 you can play the game.

That’s how the game is designed and conceptualised. It’s meant to be easy and fun.

Is it just a game?

No. It’s an opener to help trainers and educators branch out into discussions about customers, products, systems, collaborations and more.

It opens the doors for further learning and development.

It makes learning more tangible.

And everyone loves to win in games.

We have used it for teambuilding, training and recruiting.

We’ll be running a full day workshop and training with this game in September (and one that includes the art of storytelling and the CPR framework from the game) so if you are interested in this, DM us to be informed of early bird rates.

Speaking of Google Reviews, last week I was quite annoyed when an acquaintance brazenly added me to her Whatsapp broadcast group.

Yes you read right.

Broadcast group.

Which meant only she and her admins could send us messages!

She didn't even bother to explain why a bunch of us were added to her group.

A little later, we discovered why.

One of her contacts was trying to pitch us to write Google Reviews and we were going to be "paid" for it.

I immediately exited the group and blocked her.

Have marketers become so desperate that they're doing these kinds of crazy stuff? What is wrong with marketing people these days?

The first rule of marketing: Don't annoy or bug your prospects.

The second rule of marketing: Please learn how to market with courtesy and respect. Don't do unto others what you don't like done to you.

Of late there's been this thing going around about Google Reviews where people are pitched to write reviews for a measly RM1.

If you're in business and you have a Google Business Profile, what is stopping you from asking your actual clients to write you a review?

Each time we interact with a client or even someone who has attended our workshops or we gave a consultation, we often ask for a review on Google. Sure, sometimes people forget. That's why it's important to follow up. Follow up after a week or so because people do genuinely forget.

Don't stoop so low as to buy reviews. It's unethical.

If you're new in business and don't have clients, offer your service or product for free in return for a review. And you have friends and family who like you right? Ask them to write you a review.

Collaboration between Big Timer x Thenextgen today!

Thenextgen Advisory

FINE-TUNING YOUR SOLUTIONS

It’s always important to fine-tune one’s business. We have been adjusting and fine-tuning ours for the past 25 years!

In 2005 we thought that we wanted to offer DIY websites to business owners because we wanted them to have an affordable solution only to realize that they couldn’t even remember their login and password to their own website!

We thought if they could just get started with an online presence, life would be great.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

These business owners had no idea what to do with their websites. They didn't understand the importance of informative content, they didn't have a clue about design or aesthetics, they used blurry images and their content was paltry!

What's worse, they made their websites resemble junkyards of content, slapping up images and content as they wished!

It wasn't working the way we thought it would work.

After a few iterations of our DIY solution and facing these problems and knowing these problems were detrimental to our clients, we decided to change things up.

From giving clients the ability to login and manage their own websites, we now offer fully managed websites where we design, write and manage the entire website for business owners.

Plus more importantly, we help them update their websites. All they need to do is send in their request for updates and we do it faster and better.

At the same time, our clients’ websites make their businesses more credible and trustworthy. They can easily apply for bank loans, pitch for projects, attract investors and partners and more.

When a business looks credible, it gets more business. That's as simple as it gets and that's a positive ROI. It's a virtuous cycle!

So our initial hypothesis (business owners can manage their website easily if we offered a DIY solution) wasn’t true. Over the years, we realized that business owners who succeed are those who know that some matters must be delegated to the experts.

And so we learned our lesson and through that, we found a formula that worked. And that formula is RedboxEasyweb.com

"I want a website" - A phrase that often masks a much bigger vision.

Recently, a prospect referred by a friend approached us for "a website."

Usually, we would get on a quick call to determine if the prospect is the right fit.

On our call, it became clear he envisioned a complex platform:
- Connecting experts with those seeking help
- User logins and payment processing
- Integrated video call functionality
- Content management

This scenario isn't uncommon. Many entrepreneurs have grand ideas but underestimate the complexity and resources required to bring them to life.

Here's what I shared with the prospect:
- Complexity = Cost: Such systems are significant investments.
- Ongoing Management: Websites aren't "set it and forget it" - they need continuous attention.
- Marketing is Crucial: Even the best platform needs visibility to succeed. How was he going to market the platform?

For non-technical founders, a "website" can seem like a simple first step.

In reality, it's often just the tip of the iceberg.

So here's a reminder if you are thinking about a business idea that is wrapped in a digital platform or website.

Every successful digital venture requires:
- Thorough planning and thinking through (hack your own idea or be your own Devil's advocate)
- Technical expertise (that you can outsource but ensure you have money and time)
- A solid marketing strategy (have you decided HOW you wish to market this new venture of yours?)

Have you encountered similar situations?

How do you align your prospect's vision to what is realistically possible with their resources?

When you are posting a long update on social media, please separate the long chunk of text into paragraphs.

Paragraphs are easier on the eyes and make reading easier.

Even a sentence like this can be a paragraph on its own.

And it’s the white space in between paragraphs that gives us “breathing space”.

It’s the same with website content.

It’s a long weekend in Penang. 🌹

Look for Room 6 at Zon Senyap of you want to check out and play the Big Timer game today and tomorrow from 3pm to 5pm.

See you at Stadium Bukit Jalil KL this weekend. We will be there so even if you’re interested in just popping by for a chat, we welcome you with open arms!

And if you have friends who would love to experience our strategy game, tag them or share this with them.

When a prospect says she wants a simple website, we usually say, you mean a basic or bare bones website.

Because simple is not basic and basic is not simple.

People usually say simple because they assume simple costs less.

Come & play the Big Timer game at National Training Week, Stadium Bukit Jalil on 29 and 30 June! 3pm to 5pm on both days.

Your website helps you sell. And it also belongs to you. Social media doesn’t.

The dynamics of selling change when prospects view you as a credible individual who can help them.