Chef Ben Chua operates a highly specialised, fully bootstrapped sourdough baking studio out of Tropicana Avenue, Petaling Jaya. Following a deliberate, unconventional eight-year apprenticeship (which spanned a finance degree, a stint as a Grab driver, and an unpaid bakery internship while working as a commis chef at two-Michelin-starred Dewakan) he built a physical education business rooted entirely in human transformation. 

Over a thousand students from more than thirty nationalities have since passed through his doors at Reserved.KL. Revenue has jumped from RM100,000 in 2024 to RM350,000 in 2025, and is currently tracking toward half a million ringgit this year. The entire financial model however, rests on one founder in one room, with a strict hard cap of ten students per class. 

Chef Ben joins us to unpack the unit economics of a solo teaching business and the exact mechanics of escaping the founder bottleneck. We discuss the strategic paradox of attempting to scale via online courses when his core thesis demands physical presence, the commercial viability of international Panettone competitions, and what happens to a business when the only path to growth is becoming less personal.

Chef Ben Chua operates a highly specialised, fully bootstrapped sourdough baking studio out of Tropicana Avenue, Petaling Jaya. Following a deliberate, unconventional eight-year apprenticeship (which spanned a finance degree, a stint as a Grab driver, and an unpaid bakery internship while working as a commis chef at two-Michelin-starred Dewakan) he built a physical education business rooted entirely in human transformation. Over a thousand students from more than thirty nationalities have since passed through his doors at Reserved.KL. Revenue has jumped from RM100,000 in 2024 to RM350,000 in 2025, and is currently tracking toward half a million ringgit this year. The entire financial model however, rests on one founder in one room, with a strict hard cap of ten students per class. Chef Ben joins us to unpack the unit economics of a solo teaching business and the exact mechanics of escaping the founder bottleneck. We discuss the strategic paradox of attempting to scale via online courses when his core thesis demands physical presence, the commercial viability of international Panettone competitions, and what happens to a business when the only path to growth is becoming less personal.

The flagship entrepreneurship show on BFM, featuring personal business stories from early stage start-ups, all the way to billionaire octogenarians in Malaysia and abroad. Notable guests include Martin Cooper (father of the mobile phone), Julian Assange (founder of WikiLeaks), Ralph Henry Baer (father of video games), Tony Buzan (Mindmap Guru), Isaac Tigrett (Hard Rock Cafe founder), Robert Kiyosaki (Financial Guru), Nick Vujicic (motivational speaker) and more. Tap into this valuable resource of shared experiences for the SME industry, which also touches on news, issues and trends affecting the business community and beyond.

Open For Business

Discover fresh concepts, tackle obstacles, and unleash growth - Open For Business is the dynamic show where BFM engages with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and industry trailblazers, igniting inspiration, sparking success, and exploring new business models.