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September 28, 2023

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Candles have transcended their traditional use and have become a cherished everyday luxury in Malaysia. The candle-making industry has witnessed a surge in recent years, with numerous brands emerging across the country. Among these, one brand stands out for its unique twist on the classic candle experience – Asian Scents Co.

Unlike typical candle makers that focus solely on scents, Asian Scents Co. takes a novel approach. They offer a range of candles inspired by Asian culture and flavors that will tantalize not only your olfactory senses but also evoke a sense of nostalgia and wanderlust. From Boba Milk Tea to White Rabbit Candy, and even the distinctive Tiger Balm scent, Asian Scents Co. offers a diverse selection that goes beyond the ordinary.

Image Source: Asian Scents Co.

The brain behind this aromatic venture is Audrey Hon, whose journey began with homesickness while living in Melbourne, far from her Malaysian roots. As the pandemic kept her away from her homeland, she found solace in crafting scented candles. What started as a therapeutic hobby soon turned into a business, driven by the shared nostalgia her candles evoked among friends living abroad.

Audrey started with an initial investment of approximately $24,000, sourced from her personal savings and family support. The candles, crafted from premium natural coconut soy wax, wooden wicks, and high-quality fragrance oils, promise clean and toxin-free burning. She left her corporate job to devote herself fully to the brand, a bold move that paid off as international orders began pouring in from Europe and the US.

Asian Scents Co. has strategically positioned itself in the market by offering a unique blend of scents that celebrate Asian culture. Their portfolio includes a diverse range of options, available as candles, air fresheners, reed diffusers, and linen sprays, with prices ranging from $4 to $20. Customers can choose between travel-sized and full-sized candles, and the brand even offers gift sets.

As the global scented candles market continues to grow, with a projected value of $9.5 billion by 2028, the candle-making industry presents a promising avenue. However, with rising competition, brands need to differentiate themselves. Asian Scents Co. has done just that by tapping into the universal love for food and nostalgia, delivering a unique sensory experience that resonates not only with Malaysians but also with individuals worldwide who share an appreciation for Asian culture and flavors.

Featured Image Source: Asian Scents Co.

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Image Source: Binance

Stories

From Gas Jockey To Binance CEO: How Changpeng Zhao Became Richest Man In Cryptocurrency

Binance is one of the most valuable cryptocurrency exchanges in the world as of today, and its founder and current CEO is Changpeng Zhao, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, had a net worth of approximately $30 billion, which placed him in 33rd spot on the list of the world’s richest people.

Early on in life, Zhao was born into a family of educators in a rural village in Jiangsu province, China. He claimed that as a child living in rural China, he had to endure food rationing. His family immigrated to Canada in the late 1980s and felt incredibly fortunate to have been able to leave China.

When Zhao and his family moved to Canada, he worked several part-time jobs, including one at McDonald’s. He attempted to earn money at 14 by working at a Chevron gas station and as a volleyball referee.

He studied computer science at McGill University in Montreal, where he developed an interest in technology similar to that of his father, a math prodigy and programmer in his teens.

Zhao began coding when he was only 16 years old and took programming classes in high school before enrolling at McGill University.  After finishing college, Zhao worked at the Tokyo Exchange and then at Bloomberg in the Tradebook department from 2001 to 2005. Zhao left his job in 2005 to become a partner at the Shanghai firm Fusion Systems, which developed software for the financial markets. 

After discovering Bitcoin in 2013 while playing poker, he went all-in on crypto and committed his life to it. He even gave up his home to fund his Bitcoin investment. He persisted, even as the value of bitcoin dropped from $600 to $200 after he bought it.

Being a tech leader at Blockchain, a cryptocurrency wallet provider, and OKCoin, a cryptocurrency marketplace, Zhao decided to create his exchange, combining the efficiency of high-frequency trading platforms he had previously developed with the potential of cryptocurrencies. Thus, he started Binance with a $15 million initial coin offering.

However, getting to the top is more complicated than it seems, especially for Binance. When Binance’s cryptocurrency, BNB, dropped in value below its ICO price, Zhao and his early colleagues were forced to adapt quickly to changing market conditions.

As a result, Zhao initiated the initiative to make Binance a distributed organization with a flexible international staff. He was also instrumental in growing Binance into a user-friendly platform with maximum bandwidth, low fees, and other benefits.

In a relatively short period, Binance’s offering became too attractive to the cryptocurrency community to be held back by persistent difficulties. Six months after its launch, Binance soared to the top of the cryptocurrency exchange rankings, which remains to this day.

He is now widely known by his alias CZ and is widely regarded as the cryptocurrency industry’s most influential and prosperous figure. His majority stake in the cryptocurrency platform is responsible for much of his wealth at around $30.6 billion. Since the exact value of Zhao’s cryptocurrency holdings is unknown, Bloomberg’s blog post reported that it did not factor them into his wealth.

Image Source: Harper's Bazaar Singapore

News

A Culinary Adventure With Mark Wiens On HBO Go To Debut This November

As the nation’s most famous foodie Mark Wiens is coming back to HBO Go with his very own show. He is currently located in Thailand and is a co-owner of Phed Mark, a popular Thai eatery known for its “very spicy” pad krapao.

A small look into the culture of Singapore will be presented in the Food Affair with Mark Wiens episode that will be made available on HBO GO on November 18th. Food is a serious matter; for Mark, it is not simply about consuming food; instead, he will bring each dish’s cultural and traditional elements to life.

The six-part series will feature him shooting the breeze up with everyone from Michelin-starred chefs to legendary street food vendors in Singapore.  He is impressed but used to being delighted by the city because it is home to more than fifty restaurants with Michelin stars and over sixty entries in the Bib Gourmand guide.

Mark found it inspiring to hear how the owners of different restaurants came to follow their dreams and create the unique cuisines they do today. ”It’s undeniable that food is at the center of all our lives, and that’s what brought us all together,” Mark shared.

The 36-year-old food enthusiast has persisted in pursuing his hobby of food vlogging, and he frequently takes the 9.3M audience of his YouTube channel around the world as he samples a variety of mouthwatering cuisines. The expressions on his face communicate to anyone who watches him exactly how delicious each dish is.

Follow Mark as he explores all aspects of Singapore’s food culture, from hawker centers and high-end restaurants.

Image Source: Open Table

Blogs, Development, Ideas

If You Are Doubting On Your Career Move, Take It From This CEO Who Made Corporate Twists and Turns

If you’re worried about making the wrong career move because you’ve started to second-guess yourself, keep in mind that there is no bad decision regarding your professional development. Debby Soo, CEO of restaurant reservation service OpenTable, can understand.

Consider Soo’s words carefully if you’re struggling to make a major career choice or feel paralyzed by uncertainty.

She eventually settled on a mantra that brought her peace. She struggled with worry and stress over her future career path and doubted her choices at each turning point. Eventually, things worked out for her. 

She realized that her work experience was valuable despite her dissatisfaction with her job. She knew that her decision which appeared disastrous at the time might ultimately result in professional success in ways she could never have imagined. Soo firmly believed there are no wrong turns in any career, “I didn’t have to spend so much time stressing about it,” she told CNBC Make It.

To maximize one’s employment as a learning opportunity, Soo suggested working diligently in any position. Soo advised, “Do the work, do the homework, and be prepared, even if it’s a boring and tedious task or position,” Soo explains to CNBC Make It, “If you put in the effort, something will come to fruition eventually.”

As a result of keeping an open mind and learning from her mistakes, she has come to appreciate the tasks she once found tedious. She has acquired knowledge in areas such as the types of work one never wants to do again and the best ways to handle problematic coworkers.

Soo was well aware that one choice regarding a job opportunity would not determine the course of the rest of her life. She may find that her definition of an ideal dream job shifts for the better due to the twists and turns she encounters along the way toward her goal of advancing her career. 

At the moment, Soo has continued to manage OpenTable since 2020. After more than a decade at the travel search company Kayak and work experience at Google that left her with a great deal of doubt about her professional future, Soo is now actively working to better herself and is successfully advancing her career as a CEO woman.

Image Source: Brendan Duong

Stories

A Secret Business Purchase Grew Into A Multi-million Dollar Enterprise

Tess Nguyen who is a trained physiotherapist was searching Gumtree, Australia’s marketplace, for a physiotherapy clinic to buy. Instead, a sleepwear ad called Midnight Mischief captured her eye, “I’d never heard of personalised pyjamas, and I was pretty up-to-date with trends, so I sent an inquiry,” she told 7life.

She consulted her friends who have accounting and business experience and told Tess it was worth nothing and advised her not to buy it. However, she liked the pyjamas’ style and name, plus she was able to bargain the business down to $15,000. So, a month later she bought the business.

Tess kept the purchase secret from her family. The business was going slow during the first two years, and running the business while working as a full time physiotherapist, took its toll.

When 2020 hit, the business was ready for the huge demand prompted by COVID and people staying at home. The big moment was when TV presenter Jules Sebastian posted a photo of herself wearing Midnight Mischief pyjamas.

The brand grew 165% in the year to July 2021. And Tess has gone from pyjama girl to Pyjama Queen – selling a set every 10 minutes. The designs retail for about $99.95 – and her sleepwear empire is now turning over $2.3 million.

“I’m so glad I did it and I’d tell anyone else to do the same,” Tess told 7Life, “Just go for it. You can figure it out as you go along. It’s worked for me.”