For more information on BFM's SME event, click the link here.

Frank Marini started in the mailroom of an American tour company as a part-time college job. Thirty years later he runs Railbookers Group, the world's largest independent rail holiday company. It builds trips around trains - the rail, the hotels, the sightseeing and the transfers. It offers more than 5,200 rail journeys, employs almost 400 people across seven countries, and is the national tour operator for Amtrak in the United States.

Last October it opened a Singapore hub to serve Southeast Asia, and Malaysia is now one of its markets. More Asian itineraries are on the way.

Frank talks to us about what an independent rail holiday actually is, building a business by listening to customers, and why train travel is having its biggest moment in decades.

For more information on BFM's SME event, click the link <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://event.bfm.my/maybanksmeforum">here</a>.Frank Marini started in the mailroom of an American tour company as a part-time college job. Thirty years later he runs Railbookers Group, the world's largest independent rail holiday company. It builds trips around trains - the rail, the hotels, the sightseeing and the transfers. It offers more than 5,200 rail journeys, employs almost 400 people across seven countries, and is the national tour operator for Amtrak in the United States.Last October it opened a Singapore hub to serve Southeast Asia, and Malaysia is now one of its markets. More Asian itineraries are on the way.Frank talks to us about what an independent rail holiday actually is, building a business by listening to customers, and why train travel is having its biggest moment in decades.

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.

Rail Estate: Building a Global Travel Company Around Trains

While the AI ecosystem is filled with developer meetups and technical hackathons, a gap remains for non-technical professionals, creatives, and entrepreneurs who need hands-on familiarity with AI tools. PROMPT:CITY is tackling this space by collaborating with cultural events like Urbanscapes 2026 to reach everyday consumers and hobbyists where they spend their time.

Wong Joon Ian, Founder of PROMPT:CITY, joins Open for Business to discuss how he is building a sustainable events and media platform around AI education. He breaks down the unit economics of ticket sales versus corporate sponsorships, the rise of "vibe coding" and bespoke software, navigating creative backlash against generative tools, and his strategy for expanding the platform across Asia-Pacific subcultures.

While the AI ecosystem is filled with developer meetups and technical hackathons, a gap remains for non-technical professionals, creatives, and entrepreneurs who need hands-on familiarity with AI tools. PROMPT:CITY is tackling this space by collaborating with cultural events like Urbanscapes 2026 to reach everyday consumers and hobbyists where they spend their time.Wong Joon Ian, Founder of PROMPT:CITY, joins Open for Business to discuss how he is building a sustainable events and media platform around AI education. He breaks down the unit economics of ticket sales versus corporate sponsorships, the rise of "vibe coding" and bespoke software, navigating creative backlash against generative tools, and his strategy for expanding the platform across Asia-Pacific subcultures.

PROMPT:KL at Urbanscapes: AI for Non-Techies

In 2015, a professional wedding planner preparing for her own marriage hit a brick wall. Despite her industry connections, she collided with the premium bridal market’s quietest rule: top-tier designers cut their gowns for one body type. If a bride falls outside those rigid proportions, the luxury tier shuts its doors. 

Rejecting the standard industry compromise of cheap lookalikes, East Chin flew to Barcelona. There, she discovered independent European ateliers crafting extraordinary, inclusive garments without the famous-name markups, and she returned home to build The Gown Atelier around them - Four hundred gowns spread across a lot of different labels, so that the bride nobody else could dress would walk down the aisle in something she loved.

East joins us to strip away the romance of the wedding industry and expose the arithmetic of renting dresses. We break down the reality of competitor price wars, and discuss exactly why a premium gown that once paid for itself in two rentals now demands five. We also explore the logistical machine behind Malaysia Bridal Fashion Week, and the expensive lesson East learned when she realised her own personal taste did not match the market she served.

In 2015, a professional wedding planner preparing for her own marriage hit a brick wall. Despite her industry connections, she collided with the premium bridal market’s quietest rule: top-tier designers cut their gowns for one body type. If a bride falls outside those rigid proportions, the luxury tier shuts its doors.&nbsp;Rejecting the standard industry compromise of cheap lookalikes, East Chin flew to Barcelona. There, she discovered independent European ateliers crafting extraordinary, inclusive garments without the famous-name markups, and she returned home to build The Gown Atelier around them - Four hundred gowns spread across a lot of different labels, so that the bride nobody else could dress would walk down the aisle in something she loved.East joins us to strip away the romance of the wedding industry and expose the arithmetic of renting dresses. We break down the reality of competitor price wars, and discuss exactly why a premium gown that once paid for itself in two rentals now demands five. We also explore the logistical machine behind Malaysia Bridal Fashion Week, and the expensive lesson East learned when she realised her own personal taste did not match the market she served.

The Math Behind Renting Designer Bridal Gowns

Jaedals was created to kill the historical compromise between comfortable “trekky sandals” and style. But the brand's true differentiator lies in its unconventional production engine. Rather than relying wholly on traditional factory assembly lines, the company employs underserved women across Singapore who sew and embellish the sandals directly from their own living rooms. 

After spending nearly two decades building global campaigns for advertising agencies like Ogilvy and TBWA, founder Maggie Dumra launched the brand last year and immediately weaponised her corporate experience to scale the business. Today, Jaedals operates a flagship store in Orchard Road's Mandarin Gallery and secures premium shelf space at Club 21 and KrisShop. By deliberately reinvesting every dollar back into product and team development, the bootstrapped company tripled its revenue over eighteen months without taking a single cent of institutional equity. Now, the brand is pushing into its first international market: Malaysia.

Maggie joins us to unpack the precise unit economics of a Jaedal sandal and the real financial trade-offs of her decentralised production model. We explore why the company actively chooses to delay profitability, and whether a brand deeply tied to one city's culture can successfully capture the Malaysian market.

Jaedals was created to kill the historical compromise between comfortable “trekky sandals” and style. But the brand's true differentiator lies in its unconventional production engine. Rather than relying wholly on traditional factory assembly lines, the company employs underserved women across Singapore who sew and embellish the sandals directly from their own living rooms.&nbsp;After spending nearly two decades building global campaigns for advertising agencies like Ogilvy and TBWA, founder Maggie Dumra launched the brand last year and immediately weaponised her corporate experience to scale the business. Today, Jaedals operates a flagship store in Orchard Road's Mandarin Gallery and secures premium shelf space at Club 21 and KrisShop. By deliberately reinvesting every dollar back into product and team development, the bootstrapped company tripled its revenue over eighteen months without taking a single cent of institutional equity. Now, the brand is pushing into its first international market: Malaysia.Maggie joins us to unpack the precise unit economics of a Jaedal sandal and the real financial trade-offs of her decentralised production model. We explore why the company actively chooses to delay profitability, and whether a brand deeply tied to one city's culture can successfully capture the Malaysian market.

Rail Estate: Building a Global Travel Company Around Trains

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