Reflecting on a Memorable Meetup in Kuala Lumpur

A Night to Remember

Last Saturday night (10th August 2024), I had the pleasure of meeting an incredible group of individuals at Taman Melawati in Kuala Lumpur. The meetup, hosted graciously by Taming Tech at their training center KelasProgramming.com, attracted around 50 attendees—an impressive turnout for a weekend event. I'm deeply thankful to everyone who joined us, especially on a Saturday night, to hear about my journey in business, SaaS, and the Python community.

Originally, I planned to meet only about ten people for coffee somewhere in town since I was in town anyway and hadn't planned a full-scale meetup with slides. But the opportunity presented itself, and so here we are.

A Diverse Audience, But a Noticeable Gender Gap

Upon entering the venue, I was greeted by eager faces, most of whom were relatively young, with only about four attendees over the age of 40. This youthful energy was palpable throughout the evening, making our discussions all the more engaging. However, the gender disparity was stark and concerning. Out of the 50 people present, only three were women. This imbalance serves as a reminder of the ongoing gender gap in the tech and business world. Although the event wasn’t specifically aimed at addressing diversity and inclusion issues, I felt it necessary to highlight this during my talk. It's something we must all be aware of and actively work to improve.

The Core Message: Giving Back and Recognizing Support

I began my presentation by sharing a fundamental belief: "Your value is as much as the value you give." This conviction has guided me through the ups and downs of my career. I also emphasized that my success is not the result of being a "self-made" individual but rather the product of countless opportunities and assistance I've received from others. In a world that often glorifies the lone entrepreneur, recognizing the role of community, support, and collaboration in our journeys is crucial.

Engaging with Thought-Provoking Questions

The evening was filled with thought-provoking questions from the audience, including:

• "How can I improve teamwork among members who are reluctant to communicate?"
• "How do you manage a team from diverse cultures and languages?"
• "How do I find my first client?"
• "How do you choose your business partner?"
• "What technology should I invest in?"
• "What would you do if you had no money?"
• "How do you validate an idea?"
• "Why did you decide to sell your business?"
• "Do patents contribute to your business journey?"
• "What was the niche business you found?"
• "Why is it difficult to start from scratch even after earning capital from your exit?"
• "Why did you choose to go to Japan?"
• "How do startups work?"

The Personal Nature of Entrepreneurship

These questions reminded me of how personal entrepreneurship is. Every decision I've made has been influenced by my personality, values, and relationships. If ten different people asked me the same question, they would likely receive ten different answers, each tailored to their circumstances. This experience reinforced my belief that entrepreneurship can't truly be taught. While you can learn the mechanics—financial strategies, market research techniques, fundraising tactics—the essence of being an entrepreneur lies within the individual. It's a deeply personal journey that varies from one person to another.

Validating Ideas with Kafkai

During the meetup, I also shared how we used Kafkai, our AI-based marketing tool, as an example of validating a business idea. After countless conversations with customers and carefully listening to their challenges, we distilled Kafkai's purpose to not only generate articles and save time but also to provide clarity to small business owners on how to strategize their content creation. This customer-centered approach led to strong recommendations from those we spoke with about Kafkai, which in turn led to signups and ultimately subscriptions after demo calls. Kafkai has become a tool that not only solves a problem but also resonates deeply with its users' needs.

The Python Community

The Python community has been instrumental in shaping my ideas and opening up opportunities for my growth as a business owner and as a global person. I also touched on how they are the most welcoming of communities in tech, and more importantly how they are proactive at making and keeping the community welcoming, regardless of your background or level of expertise in Python.

By the way: PyCon MY 2024 will be happening in Sunway University on 24th and 25th August.

An Evening Well Spent

Reflecting on the event, I'm grateful for the opportunity to share my experiences and learn from others' questions and perspectives. These interactions are invaluable not just for attendees but for me as well. They remind me of the importance of continuous learning, staying open to new ideas, and giving back to the community that has given me so much.

We significantly exceeded our original schedule. Starting at around 8:10 PM, I planned to finish my slides by 8:30 PM, move on to audience questions, and wrap up around 9:30 PM. Instead, I finished my slides at 9:30 PM and left the venue at 11:30 PM! Everyone was engaging, forgiving, and generous with their time and questions. I did my best to answer all questions honestly and thoroughly. I hope I've managed to help some of you gain better clarity. The time I spent there felt like a heartbeat, and it has been a long time since time flew by so quickly.

Looking Ahead

We have a vibrant and young community in Malaysia, eager to learn and achieve something bigger and better. What our world needs are more opportunities: opportunities to learn, grow, connect, and try. If you're interested in finding your next collaborator or partner in Malaysia, reach out to me, and let's figure something out.

A Heartfelt Thanks

To everyone who attended the meetup, thank you. Your presence, questions, and engagement made the evening truly special. I hope our discussions sparked new ideas and insights that will aid you in your entrepreneurial journeys.

A very special thanks to Dino from Taming Tech as our venue sponsor (check them out if you're looking to learn programming), to Khalil of Mesolitica for helping with check-ins, and most special thanks to Akmal for the ride back to the hotel.

If you missed the meetup, my slides are posted on Slideshare here.

Until next time, let's keep pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo, and supporting one another in our endeavors.