The Kuala Lumpur F&B industry can be brutal. Most trendy dining spots survive for two or three years before becoming obsolete. Yet, 14 years on, The Marini’s Group remains one of the city's most formidable, independently owned hospitality empires.



Founded by Modesto Marini and Elizabeth Hew-Marini, the group operates some of the most lucrative and iconic venues in the capital, including Marini’s on 57, the Michelin-selected steakhouse Marble 8, the Spanish-Nikkei concept Mesa on 51, and the high-energy nightclub, Müro. But beyond the glamour of celebrity guests and panoramic skyline views lies a highly disciplined business operation.



Elizabeth joins us to discuss the financial mechanics of ultra-premium hospitality, the unit economics of securing rooftop real estate, and why they have refused to hand their empire over to private equity.

The Kuala Lumpur F&amp;B industry can be brutal. Most trendy dining spots survive for two or three years before becoming obsolete. Yet, 14 years on, The Marini’s Group remains one of the city's most formidable, independently owned hospitality empires.Founded by Modesto Marini and Elizabeth Hew-Marini, the group operates some of the most lucrative and iconic venues in the capital, including Marini’s on 57, the Michelin-selected steakhouse Marble 8, the Spanish-Nikkei concept Mesa on 51, and the high-energy nightclub, Müro. But beyond the glamour of celebrity guests and panoramic skyline views lies a highly disciplined business operation.Elizabeth joins us to discuss the financial mechanics of ultra-premium hospitality, the unit economics of securing rooftop real estate, and why they have refused to hand their empire over to private equity.

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.

The ROI of the Skyline: 14 Years of The Marini’s Group

Gurcharanvir Singh built his company because he had a dream about washing shoes.



Three years later, Guchi Cuci is a highly profitable, 5-figure home-based shoe cleaning service that has doubled its revenue every single year since inception. Operating entirely without commercial rent, Gurcharanvir leverages on organic TikTok virality to acquire customers, specifically targeting the "lazy or busy" demographic. Even more impressively, he manages this growing operation alongside a full-time career as an architect, a part-time job at a gym, and training for KL Fashion Week.



Gurcharanvir joins us to dissect the exact metrics behind his micro-business. We also look at the unit economics of pricing a service at the cost of a meal, the challenge of calculating Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) through social media algorithms, and the capital expenditure required to transition from cleaning sneakers to detailing cars.

Gurcharanvir Singh built his company because he had a dream about washing shoes.Three years later, Guchi Cuci is a highly profitable, 5-figure home-based shoe cleaning service that has doubled its revenue every single year since inception. Operating entirely without commercial rent, Gurcharanvir leverages on organic TikTok virality to acquire customers, specifically targeting the "lazy or busy" demographic. Even more impressively, he manages this growing operation alongside a full-time career as an architect, a part-time job at a gym, and training for KL Fashion Week.Gurcharanvir joins us to dissect the exact metrics behind his micro-business. We also look at the unit economics of pricing a service at the cost of a meal, the challenge of calculating Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) through social media algorithms, and the capital expenditure required to transition from cleaning sneakers to detailing cars.

I Dreamt of Washing Shoes (And It Made Me 5 Figures)

For years, the Malaysian property market has been dominated by a legacy "discovery-only" portal model. Real estate agents are forced to pay RM3,000 to RM8,000 in upfront annual subscriptions just to list properties, with zero performance guarantees. The result? Agents receive high volumes of raw traffic, but only 2% to 3% actually convert into real appointments.



Enter MyRumahBaru (MRB). Co-founded by Melvin Soh, Ching Yaw Hao, and Anthony Chin, MRB is an AI-powered property platform designed to destroy the traditional subscription model. Instead of charging for listings, MRB provides unlimited free listings and utilises an AI chatbot to converse with, pre-qualify, and financially vet buyers (including Debt Service Ratio calculations). Agents and developers are only charged a flat RM200 fee when a verified buyer actually shows up for an appointment. This model has successfully driven buyer show-up rates to over 90%.



Melvin joins us to dissect the hard metrics behind MRB's growth, the unit economics of a pay-per-performance marketplace, and why incumbent portals are structurally trapped from copying their technology.

For years, the Malaysian property market has been dominated by a legacy "discovery-only" portal model. Real estate agents are forced to pay RM3,000 to RM8,000 in upfront annual subscriptions just to list properties, with zero performance guarantees. The result? Agents receive high volumes of raw traffic, but only 2% to 3% actually convert into real appointments.Enter MyRumahBaru (MRB). Co-founded by Melvin Soh, Ching Yaw Hao, and Anthony Chin, MRB is an AI-powered property platform designed to destroy the traditional subscription model. Instead of charging for listings, MRB provides unlimited free listings and utilises an AI chatbot to converse with, pre-qualify, and financially vet buyers (including Debt Service Ratio calculations). Agents and developers are only charged a flat RM200 fee when a verified buyer actually shows up for an appointment. This model has successfully driven buyer show-up rates to over 90%.Melvin joins us to dissect the hard metrics behind MRB's growth, the unit economics of a pay-per-performance marketplace, and why incumbent portals are structurally trapped from copying their technology.

The PropTech Rebellion: How MyRumahBaru is Changing Real Estate

Fukuro Malaysia was founded in 2019 to fill the "missing middle" in the kitchenware market. Co-founders Daryl Lai and Kevin Lau recognised that local brands were trapped in a race to the bottom on price and quality, while international brands dominated the expensive, premium tier. Applying an FMCG approach to kitchen essentials, they bootstrapped Fukuro into a highly profitable brand generating RM14 million in annual revenue, with a presence in over 1,300 offline retail stores across Malaysia.



Daryl joins us in the studio to dissect the hard metrics behind Fukuro’s growth. We also discuss treating physical shelf space as a customer acquisition channel, the strategy for protecting unit margins against multinational competitors, and the roadmap to hitting RM50 million in annual revenue organically.

Fukuro Malaysia was founded in 2019 to fill the "missing middle" in the kitchenware market. Co-founders Daryl Lai and Kevin Lau recognised that local brands were trapped in a race to the bottom on price and quality, while international brands dominated the expensive, premium tier. Applying an FMCG approach to kitchen essentials, they bootstrapped Fukuro into a highly profitable brand generating RM14 million in annual revenue, with a presence in over 1,300 offline retail stores across Malaysia.Daryl joins us in the studio to dissect the hard metrics behind Fukuro’s growth. We also discuss treating physical shelf space as a customer acquisition channel, the strategy for protecting unit margins against multinational competitors, and the roadmap to hitting RM50 million in annual revenue organically.

The ROI of the Skyline: 14 Years of The Marini’s Group

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